Chapter 125
Chapter 125
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: Unbeliever II
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Shin Noah
3
Originally, I didn't pay much attention to Mo Gwang-seo or the Resurrection Church.
The anecdotes about Mo Gwang-seo depicted in this episode, or the actions of the followers, were about 50% my own imagination added to the description. Since I hadn't witnessed it myself, it was just a reconstruction from various people's testimonies.
Why didn't I care?
"I'm busy as hell, who has time for cults?"
Honestly, they weren't worth my attention.
The New Buddha Church, another heresy, was a different story. Even though they were similar in using anomalies for faith, the New Buddha Church's Udumbara posed a direct threat to human civilization.
They were even hostile toward Awakeners. Urgent action was needed.
The Resurrection Church, on the other hand?
"Awakeners? Who cares about that right now. Jesus has returned!"
"Amen!"
"The end times are upon us, brothers and sisters. Repent now and board the ark of salvation designed by our Lord!"
"You! Your face tells me you're righteous—you must be saved!"
Other than occasionally running into street preachers while walking down the road, they weren't really harmful. And open-air preaching was just a side quest you'd bump into on the way to work even in pre-apocalypse Korea.
For a Regressor like me, there were far more important main quests.
More crucially, Mo Gwang-seo's Resurrection Church had its own main quest.
"Everyone! I will pierce the path of wind to help you ascend to heaven. You must help others too."
In his lifetime—before transforming into the 'Resurrection Anomaly'—Mo Gwang-seo aimed for a unique selling point in the religious market of the Korean Peninsula.
"But where do you think your help is most desperately needed?"
"Hm? ...Yeouido?"
"No! North Korea!"
"What."
It was the Northward Missionary Theory.
"Jesus said to go to the roads and hedges and compel them to come in to fill the house. But why did he say 'compel' them? Did he mean to drag the unbaptized by force into the church?"
"Absolutely not, everyone. There are those who forcibly block the path and build fences around the sheep that would naturally follow the shepherd's call, preventing them from coming to our house. Evil Satan demons. These are the antichrists we must drive away 'by force.'"
"It's not the fault of our North Korean brothers and sisters who haven't been baptized—it's the grave sin of the Kim family who built iron fences and walls around them. Since the peninsula was divided, the 'roads' have been cut off, and 'fences' erected. Jesus is commanding you to restore that road of wailing and fence of blood with your footsteps."
"Ah, brothers and sisters! We choose the most arduous path here not to boast that we're better than others. We believe other brothers will gather the sheep from easier fields in our stead, and we take the more laborious path of mission out of faith and love for our brothers and sisters."
"So let the lightning of faith soon tear down Satan's walls, and let our footsteps reach their fingertips. Amen."
Mo Gwang-seo's Northward Missionary Theory gained considerable support among the followers. More precisely, only those who responded to it joined his meeting hall.
In truth, the Northward Missionary Theory was just another 'diplomatic' euphemism Mo Gwang-seo had devised.
If it were taken literally as marching north to spread the doctrine, it would be awkward for both Mo Gwang-seo and the JSA guard battalion. As a citizen of a democratic nation, he was merely dangling a 'campaign promise' to voters.
But as I said before, the root of all evil lay with anomalies that didn't have translators installed in their brains. In this case, the Ten Tribes.
"The barbed-wire fence has collapsed!"
The Ten Tribes strongly reacted to gatherings of over 300 humans.
Having concluded that Koreans were decent eating, the Ten Tribes soon took interest in the same breed of meat. North Korean barracks, where the distinction between prisons and barracks was blurring, looked like Michelin one-star fusion restaurants in their eyes.
"Ah! Chairman Mo Gwang-seo—no, Jesus's prophecy has been proven once more!"
"The fist of fire has shattered the fence—now is the time to spread the gospel!"
"Charge, brothers! To North Korea!"
The Resurrection Church truly 'marched north.'
After absorbing various domestic cults and heresies into their own denomination, training them, they continuously marched followers into North Korea.
This new crusade pressed on even as the ROK military was routed.
If you're asking why the Crusades suddenly appeared on the Korean Peninsula instead of Jerusalem, you either skimped on history or were tainted by Orientalism. Originally, the Jerusalem of the East was Pyongyang.
"March north!"
"God wills it!"
Kaesong, Geumcheon, Pyeongsan, Sariwon.
North Korea's major strongholds were liberated one by one. Sure enough, the peninsula's terrain heavily buffed volunteers over regular troops.
The secret to the Crusaders' success was simple. The Resurrection Church treated the Ten Tribes that broke the armistice line as 'God's Apostles,' and simply followed in the wake after the Ten Tribes devoured the North Korean forces wholesale.
In a sense, the Resurrection Church followers were among the humans best adapted to the apocalypse. Their leader was an anomaly. Their vanguard was anomalies. No other group utilized anomalies so effectively.
And finally.
"Look over there!"
"It's Pyongyang! We finally made it!"
"Ah...... The Jerusalem of the East is filled with the Lord's light."
Pyongyang liberated!
The followers trembled. Since Dangun, had any religious figure achieved such a feat besides Gung Ye?
Of course, the Oriental Jerusalem had little of the Lord's light. Pyongyang's only cathedral, Jangchung Cathedral, had long been in ruins. There weren't many people left.
-Gr҉o҈҈҉o҉w҉҉i҉҈҈g҈҉r҉o!
No, they were disappearing in real time.
The North Korean regime had desperately prepared a last soul-level all-in to defend Pyongyang. And as it's now in the past tense, you can guess—they got wiped out soul and all.
Pyongyang even had some Chinese troops. As soon as they heard intel about 'liberation forces from the south marching north!' their minds regressed to 1950.
Yes. Though sometimes forgotten, Pyongyang and Beijing were blood allies.
So they shed blood together.
-Gu҉r҉o҈҈҉o҉҉w҉҈҈i҉u҉o!
The strongest of the Ten Tribes bellowed. The Ten Tribes were by far the strongest among anomalies.
To the Ten Tribes, reminiscent of Cthulhu with their tentacle masses, bunkers meant nothing as they bored through underground bedrock like nobody's business.
The North Korean leadership, generals, and above all, the soldiers and Pyongyang citizens, all happily went to meet Marx together.
The Chinese People's Volunteer Army descending from Manchuria belatedly realized they'd misinterpreted the intel. The Ten Tribes loved Orientals too much to be capitalist imperialist vanguards.
At that moment.
The timing when the North Koreans were at their end, the Chinese in despair, and the arriving Koreans in shock.
Step.
Mo Gwang-seo stepped forward.
"Chairman!"
A follower shouted. Those who had followed Mo Gwang-seo before the miracle of the Second Coming subtly used the old title 'Chairman' to flaunt their privilege.
"Jesus!"
The late converts shouted too. Throughout the crusade march, Mo Gwang-seo had walked at their forefront. For such a noble figure to walk toward that terrifying monster! Even if the Ten Tribes were God's Apostles, it was worrying.
"H-hey, what the fuck is that bastard saying?"
Even the North Koreans shouted. The Chinese weren't much different. A normal reaction.
In the name of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit—or Chairman Jesus, you bastard—Mo Gwang-seo walked forward.
Squish. And naturally, one of the Ten Tribes' countless tentacles skewered Mo Gwang-seo.
"Chairmaaaaan!"
"Oh! Lord! Looord!"
It was as inevitable as gravity, but the Resurrection Church followers were aghast. How could this be! The Ten Tribes were Apostles, but this one was named Judas Iscariot.
That's why you check the true name before summoning Servants. The followers seemed to pay the price for ignoring an old adage.
As everyone burst into tears or wondered 'What the fuck are these guys doing?' while watching.
Flash—.
Light shone once more.
-Gr҉r҉o҈҈҉k҉u҉p҉a҈҉h҈҈҉k҉!
The light blazed from the Ten Tribes' tentacle. The city, in the midst of slaughter, was suddenly enveloped in pure white light.
The Ten Tribes spat out Mo Gwang-seo like a customer who'd bitten into the shell while eating raw oysters.
When the light faded, all humans in the urban battle beheld Mo Gwang-seo's halo.
"......"
"......"
The battlefield fell silent.
A smile.
Mo Gwang-seo, the Resurrection Anomaly, who held the gaze of tens of thousands, simply wore his unchanging benevolent smile.
-Gr҈҉r҈҈u҈o҉҉҉r......
And a miracle occurred.
The Ten Tribes that had chewed and spat out Mo Gwang-seo turned its back.
In human terms, it was probably 'This shitty restaurant, wouldn't come even if paid,' but just as anomalies lacked human translators, humans hadn't bought anomaly translators either.
Thud, thuuud....... The Ten Tribes' massive form receded. Shock and awe seeped into the North Korean soldiers' faces, who had braced for annihilation moments ago, and into the Chinese troops' eyes.
What on earth had just happened?
"Hallelujah!"
The Resurrection Church followers provided the answer to their doubts.
"Jesus has repelled God's Apostle!"
"Ah, fellow countrymen! Praise Him! The Lord has affirmed our Crusade!"
"It's a miracle, a miracle!"
The Chinese couldn't understand the Koreans' fervor. But the North Koreans could.
Through a North Korean officer's translation, the followers' cries reached the Chinese.
The eyes of the remaining soldiers and citizens changed.
It was a Saturday, and the next day, a special 'mass' by the Resurrection Church took place. Even the skeptics, half-doubting Mo Gwang-seo's miracle, went to see the live concert, thinking 'Fine, let's see what the fuss is about.'
The mass ended.
That day, Pyongyang returned to being Joseon's Jerusalem.
4
Oriental Holy Kingdom.
That was the name of the new nation founded in the ruins of Pyongyang.
Though unrecognized internationally as a fledgling state, it wasn't lacking in competitiveness. The previous regime had been the same.
Now, North Joseon was Rome itself. A bit too far east for East Rome, but whatever.
The capital was, naturally, Pyongyang Holy City. The head of state was Mo Gwang-seo.
Mo Gwang-seo's official title wasn't king, president, prime minister, or chairman. Not even pope.
The position befitting Mo Gwang-seo was Jesus alone, so the Oriental Holy Kingdom's head of state full name was set as 'Mo Gwang-seo Jesus.'
The comedy scripted and starred entirely by the Resurrection Church reached its climax.
"What the fuck is this......"
No Do-ha's expression upon hearing the North Korean news was a sight to behold.
"Wasn't that commie den up there? And now Jesus? Marx called religion the opium of the people......"
"Hm. Better than Juche ideology, maybe? Just a cult instead?"
"Fuck that, better my ass. It's pure insanity. What a shitshow of a country......"
Yes. In truth, this world was fantasy. With 'Holy Empire' plopped right on the map, what else could it be?
Anyway, the Ten Tribes remembered Pyongyang as a 'dirty hygiene food joint' and studiously avoided just that area.
The Oriental Holy Kingdom's followers praised it as 'the radiant miracle of Mo Gwang-seo Jesus Christ.'
Naturally, North Koreans from other regions flocked to Pyongyang. Less because they bought the propaganda, more because they didn't want to treat those vicious customers—the Ten Tribes—to a meal.
As end-times flowed, governments collapsed in order: Korea, Japan, China.
The three East Asian nations, though not born the same day, died together, strengthening brotherly bonds—except the Oriental Holy Kingdom, which steadfastly preserved its statehood. Truly a region where international cooperation was castrated for generations.
Amid stares of 'Why hasn't that collapsed? Seriously, why?' (same as the previous regime), the Oriental Holy Kingdom slowly realized reality.
'Huh? All our neighbors collapsed?'
'So, occupying that ownerless land now legal?'
The Oriental Holy Kingdom resumed 'marching north.'
Not under the pretext of reclaiming ethnic homeland—that wasn't sexy enough.
The Oriental Holy Kingdom was the only regime directly endorsed by the Lord. Thus, it could legitimately claim any territory worldwide.
Lo and behold, in Pyongyang Holy City, the Second Crusade was formally declared.
Crusaders swept like a tsunami into Jiandao, where the Ten Tribes had forcibly capped village populations at 300. Liberation. Liberation. Liberation again.
"Today, the holy Oriental Crusaders liberated three villages, guiding them into the arms of our Mo Gwang-seo Jesus Christ. Let us pray for our brothers and sisters' peace. Amen."
"Amen!"
This wasn't a clash of nations. Nor state against state.
It was just a bloodbath between the Resurrection Church with its hypnosis app and the pitiful civilians resisting.
Naturally, in this genre, civilians were always at a disadvantage. Even someone who'd never touched 19+ doujinshi could sense the ominous vibe.
If this were a doujinshi world, the first to sense that 'ominousness' would be the initial sacrifice.
"Hmm......"
Fortunately, reality wasn't doujinshi.
Unlike doujinshi that drops humanity's average IQ to preserve genre purity in extreme moe, real humans could judge normally.
Especially No Do-ha, leader of the National Highway Management Corps—if the enemy had a hypnosis app, she'd snatch the phone and preach '101 Reasons You Should Kill Yourself Right Now.'
Initially repulsed by the cult chaos, No Do-ha's eyes gradually changed.
"Undertaker Awakener......"
"Yes."
"Just curious, but... can't we somehow use Mo Gwang-seo's Resurrection Church......?"
It was a kind of fate.
The National Highway Management Corps leader, ruler of the peninsula's 'south,' instinctively took notice of the 'north's' leader.