Chapter 117
Chapter 117: New Phase (2)
"Hey, brother. Some crazy bastard came and asked me right away if I was Park Ji-hun."
Erik returned to the entrance of the Demon Realm with Riferoze. There they encountered Jang Du-sik and his party, along with the possessors.
"And then?"
"Even though I said no, the bastard kept insisting, driving me crazy."
"Insisting? Du-sik, are you saying that guy insisted you were Park Ji-hun?"
"Seriously, brother. Those bastards kept pushing, but I kept saying I was Jang Du-sik till the end!"
"But what's the problem?"
"That crazy bastard said he understood why 'Park Ji-hun' would say that kind of thing, and just left like that."
Watching Jang Du-sik blink his eyes repeatedly, Erik feigned indifference.
"As you said, brother, only psychos wear masks to hide their faces."
"Du-sik, you worked hard."
"But brother, who exactly is Park Ji-hun that they'd mobilize an entire nation's army just to find him?"
A suddenly difficult question flew at him. Erik felt troubled. Even so, his mind spun rapidly, inferring the other person's identity.
'Since they called her "noona," it's probably...'
The rank 1 guild that Park Ji-hun belonged to. With approximately 100 members, all composed of high-ranking rankers. Below the Guild Master and Vice Guild Master were the raid leaders, and separately, there was a position called the Treasurer who managed guild funds.
'Must be the Treasurer.'
Certainly, there was no one else who would call the sister "noona."
"Ho-oh."
"Hm?"
The important thing was that the Guild Master had also become possessed.”
However, the gazes of the two women were too burdensome to mention this. Moreover, there were far too many watching eyes.
'The only ones who know I'm Park Ji-hun are my master and Ruelle.'
It was fortunate that these two were tactfully pretending not to know. The problem was Jang Du-sik. Du-sik had also seen Erik's Status Window before…
"Brother, so what does that bastard Park Ji-hun do anyway?"
Judging by his appearance, the probability he wouldn't remember was extremely high. No, he'd definitely forgotten everything. So.
"Du-sik, that's not what's important right now."
Erik naturally changed the subject. He shifted his gaze from Jang Du-sik to the crowd gathered around. The Pope and the Holy Knight Commander Julius. Iris of the Imperial Labyrinth Army and her subordinates. Finally, Ruelle and Riferoze as well.
"Erica's spirit still remains."
After that, he brought up what needed to be said seriously.
"Wouldn't reviving her be the top priority?"
The dead. No, someone who would come back to life.
"The resurrection of the dead?!"
At Erik's words, the Pope let out an angry voice. The tone implied how dare he say such a thing. Erik hastily added an explanation.
"...It's in my temple that I'm resurrecting the spirit."
He continued explaining that he was a being who had achieved divine status, that his temple was full of sanctity, and that Erica's spirit had even entered it.
Hearing all these explanations, the Pope grew even more furious.
"How dare you speak such nonsense!!!"
Clearly, the crisis had ended. Yet the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.
"Saint Erik, are you seriously calling that speech?"
The Pope couldn't be convinced even after hearing all the explanations.
"You're saying that you were actually not a saint...but a god who can resurrect the dead—"
It was mad ravings. The Pope mulled over Erik's words.
'He's lost his mind.'
No matter how he thought about it, it sounded like heresy.
"Have you lost your senses? Ah yes! You must have suffered mental corruption in the Demon Realm! Let's go to the sanctuary, there—"
"Tsk. Pope, everything I said is the truth."
Riferoze added a word to the ranting Pope. The Pope's words stopped.
'I didn't know the god's coming out had such a big impact.'
Erik attempted a topic change, pushing a bit harder.
'Anyway, I've become too strong to hide.'
The members of the Astia religious order needed to know anyway. Since they'd noticed he wielded heterogeneous power, he thought there'd be no major problem... But their reaction was more serious than expected.
"Huh...Then why would the Father issue such a revelation—"
The Pope, appearing as a wrinkled old man, kept repeating what he'd said with his mouth agape.
"Disciple, didn't I tell you many times that the Pope's heart is weaker than you think?"
Riferoze stepped forward right in front of Erik. Her middle finger was about to flick down and hit him. At that, Erik quickly spilled out words.
"Your Majesty, I also trust Father Astia. Simply put...you could think of it as my branch family separating from the main house."
"Bra, branch family separation, you say?"
After that, he added that the fact that Astia had hidden this was itself proof of acknowledging him.
'The Pope and the religious order are definitely on my side.'
Erik trusts the Pope. After all, hadn't the god the Pope believed in turned a blind eye to his actions so far? Moreover.
'I'm the one who resurrects even the dead.'
How could they possibly do anything to him?
"Your Majesty, my existence is God's arrangement to overcome the world's crisis."
The world was in a period of great upheaval. Erik steeled his resolve. Perhaps it was a bit rash.
'It's necessary.'
Could it be because someone close to him died, making him a bit sensitive?
'Although he said she'd come back to life, with my own hands I—'
It was a familiar yet consistently horrifying experience. Even worse things might happen in the future. Based on such experiences, Erik had driven the current flow.
"Hoo. Saint Erik, I shall observe and judge."
As Erik expected, the Pope sided with him. In fact, there was no other choice for the religious order.
‘After all, they're even reprinting scriptures containing the doctrine of Tithing.'
Erik and the religious order were already too deeply entangled. The same went for the Empire.
'Perhaps...'
He wasn't sure about a single temple, but once they saw a dead person come back to life, the Pope's heart would change.
"Riferoze, do you truly believe that the dead will be resurrected—"
Even after being convinced, the Pope remained skeptical.
"Pope, why do you worry so? If Erik says so, then it is law."
However, Riferoze's unwavering conviction eased the Pope's doubts once again.
"The resurrection of the dead—. I'm quite looking forward to it. Erik, what exactly is the principle by which the soul is revived?"
The excited Riferoze stepped closer to Erik. The Pope's state was of no concern to her. Erik provided a brief explanation.
"I bought Resurrection with 10 billion Gold, and it seems I can revive souls using GP”
Using GP to expand the Believer slot, and using Gold to appoint a Possessed One. The Resurrection skill bought with Gold resurrects the dead using GP.
"Power bought with Gold is used with GP, power bought with GP is used with Gold—”
A deep curiosity rippled in her white pupils. Of course, unlike the curiosity of such strong beings, there were those with practical concerns.
"Erik."
With the Pope, a pilgrim, and the Holy Knight Commander present. Ruelle, who had remained silent throughout, carefully approached Erik. And asked..
"Shouldn't we hurry and revive Erica first?"
"Ruelle, I'm thinking of reviving the Possessor first."
"Eh? W-who are you saying you'll revive?"
Ruelle was taken aback at those words.
"Instead of Erica, you're saying you'll revive that...that black shadow?"
Shock quickly turned to sharp anger. Even Jang Du-sik, who had been reading the mood, couldn't hold back his words.
"Br-brother, no matter how precious GP is, that's not right, is it?"
Erik let out a heavy sigh and flicked him on the forehead.
BANG!
"Ugh!!"
"Hoo, Du-sik. How can we revive Erica without knowing how resurrection will work or even doing a test?"
Everything required a safety test before proceeding.
***
'Has that one committed apostasy?'
The Pope harbored suspicions about Erik. Because he had called himself a god. In the long history of the religious order, there had been no shortage of heretics intoxicated with the divinity they possessed, taking it upon themselves to become gods.
'Has he been corrupted by darkness?'
Moreover, when he declared he would resurrect the dead, the Pope even thought he should perform heresy trials against Erik.
'To go against death itself...'
A person is born and grows. And lives according to the vessel they possess.
'No matter what being it is, the end is death, and returning to the Father's embrace.'
It was the natural order for humans to die after fulfilling their destiny.
'Eternal life is an illusion, nothing but a mistaken way.'
Of course, there were Immortals. The undead of the Demon Realm. Servants of necromancers. They were merely pseudo-personalities that had lost reason.
'If things go wrong'
The Pope imagined the worst case and considered various measures. But all of them became delusions. Just now, a revelation had descended.
【Behold, feel, accept.】
The path guided by that revelation opened to a vast Sacred land. The Pope stepped into Erik's temple. Thus he saw the space where a true god dwelled.
"Huh..."
A sky filled with pink clouds. And a massive temple placed above the clouds. Moreover—
'Truly, divinity itself.'
He felt an almost infinite amount of divine Power contained within.
"Even the world tree..."
The world tree, the Mother of Great Nature and the origin of elves, appeared. The Pope could not but accept this situation.
'Though Erik may be lacking, this space itself is not lacking in what it takes for a god—'
Heresy? Undead? All nonsense.
"Your Majesty, can you see? This is my temple."
With a fresh smile drawn on his face, Erik standing above the clouds felt like something worthy of praise.
"I, acknowledge it."
The temple was full of people. The Pope, the Holy Knight Order, and the imperial army—all had moved into Erik's temple.
Sssshhhhh!
Erik unleashed a divine radiance and looked down at the people arrayed below. Then, he ascended toward his temple. Erik sat on the brilliant, radiant divine throne. And spoke.
"Let me show you the miracle of the dead coming back to life."
***
Erik sat on the sacred throne and manipulated his Status Window.
'It's not an immediate activation.'
He'd done a brief test shortly after entering the temple. As a result, he realized that resurrection only works when he's sitting on the sacred throne.
Brrrrr!
[In front of such a weakened and bare me—there are so many people—!]
'Though it may have lost its mind, the world tree is truly an existence worthy of being called a pillar of the world.'
He also realized that Resurrection couldn't activate without the mad World Tree's help. After all, Resurrection was an absurdly powerful ability to implement with just [4th tier]. Resurrecting the dead. A true miracle of god.
'Of course, once I open [5th tier], it would be possible without the World Tree's help.’
The clue to [5th tier] hadn't been found yet.
'The price hasn't even appeared.'
He only knew of its existence. Finishing his thoughts, Erik gazed deeply at the world tree.
Brrrrr!
[Ah— that indifferent gaze urging me!!!]
It said something was being prepared, but it was taking longer than expected. Erik quietly shifted his gaze to the flower bed near the world tree. Ruelle was reciting an explanation of the temple in front of the Pope.
"Your Majesty, this is the vegetable garden we've cultivated!"
The sight resembled a wife giving her husband a house tour before her boss. Along a straight line centered on the vegetable garden, the world tree-sacred throne-Ruelle's statue could be seen.
"Priest Ruelle, isn't that your statue?"
"Yes, I too have been recognized by Astia and now belong to this temple."
"What is this vegetable garden?"
"It's a flower bed I personally cultivated. That seedling is the world tree."
"This small seedling is the origin of the goddess of the earth—"
Poof!
[Ah—!!! The Pope, looking like an old man, just touched me]
Erik's face crumpled.
'This is getting progressively crazier.'
Perhaps it was revealing his true nature that had been hidden... Erik desperately hoped it would stop at this level.
Pshhhh!
[Done, finished.]
The world tree’s vibration stopped. At the same time, a clear status window appeared before Erik's eyes.
Poof!
[GP: 1 GP]
[Erica: 200,000 GP]
"Everyone, please gather."
Though it seemed somewhat presumptuous, Erik sitting on the sacred throne emanated appropriate dignity. He called the temple's guests together.
Kyeeeng! Kyeng! Kyeeng!
divine Power sparkled from all directions. Erik, sitting on the golden throne, stood up and manipulated his Status Window.
[Use 1 GP to resurrect]
First, a test. A black mage possessor, an unknown identity with an erased name.
Sssshhhhh!
At the center of the temple surrounded by eight massive pillars. Light rippled right in the middle. The spirit's light that lingered in the temple responded to Erik's will through the [resurrection] skill. Soon after, it began to take form. That light was brilliant. Sacred and beautiful.
Uuuung!
Sparkling divine light sculpted flesh. Creating flesh in the temple and settling the soul within. Truly, a deed a god would perform.
"A, a miracle of god!"
"Your Majesty! The light of the spirit is truly!!!"
The strong of the religious order could see souls. They could also clearly see the light infusing the flesh with divine power.
"Good heavens...Commander, is it true that a dead person is actually—"
Everyone was shocked. And amazed.
Sssshhhhh!
The light dissipated, and a human body was formed. Unlike when living as a shadow under the black mage group, the soul returned to its original form as it remembered. And then—
Whoooosh!
"KHHHHHHAAAAAAA!!!"
That flesh began to burn in divine power.
It was likely because he resurrected the Possessed One without making them a Believer. However, Erik's action became—
"Truly, you're a madman. As expected, you are my disciple."
—something that delighted Riferoze, while instilling immense fear in the three possessors beside her.
Tremble, tremble, tremble!
For a long time, Riferoze had kept the three possessors with her. Witnessing her disciple's miracle, she could only marvel.
"I don't know the value of 1 GP, but it's clearly the minimum."
Her white pupils, brimming with interest, sparkled. And that gaze swept across the three possessors one by one.
"Why are you trembling so much? Ah yes, surely you too are looking forward to this."
Nishida Ryo and Kang Pung-ho looked at Park Chang-ho. Park Chang-ho squeezed his eyes shut. He felt like he might faint.
"Calm."
Like master, like disciple, yes? Riferoze's supreme divine power erased the throbbing in his head.
"If a strong one who knows the livelihood of these possessors gathers them and manages them eternally—"
Park Chang-ho, watching the resurrection in the temple, suddenly had a thought flash through his mind. It was a conversation Erik had once mentioned about the management method for possessors. As if reenacting this.
"If possessors who die and are resurrected eternally receive my teachings—"
The white girl drew a fresh smile. Her tone was elegant, her movements graceful. But—
"—how much stronger will they become?"
What spilled from her lips was chilling in its terror.
"I shall personally devise a training method where I can die for your sake."