Chapter 186: Floor 35: Who Am I?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 186: Floor 35: Who Am I?
"Who... are you?"
Who am I?
Good question... who am I?
'If I knew this would happen, I would've racked my brain and prepared beforehand!'
At first, I was just happy my divine power was back. I was all set to shout "Long live this fucking bug!" and crush those Muion cultists.
But, as expected of this Tower of Fucking Bugs, only my divine power returned. Nothing else.
Basically, my body has become that of a completely normal person, so I have no way to use my divine power. No meridians, no skills... I've just become a slightly holy human, and that's it!
A holy Lee Do-hee.
The end.
'Damn it! I knew it was too easy for such a helpful bug to appear!'
The most I can do is release some divine power to float a little. And even that won't recover, so once I use it all up, that's it.
If I were to try and use an attack skill, I could, but I'd feel a burning pain inside my body. I'll have to save that as a last resort.
'So in the end, I have to trick them with words, don't I?'
As everyone knows, I'm not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, nor do I have some incredible silver tongue to bewitch people.
The only things I'm good at are giving heart-stirring speeches to boost morale before a battle or shouting a charge order with a loud roar.
Gulp...
The gazes of the countless cultists felt like they were crushing me.
Now, some of them were starting to sneak glances at my breasts and pussy.
A cold sweat trickled down the back of my neck.
'If I say I'm Ellah, will they actually believe me?'
I don't know a single thing about their scriptures. They might believe me now because I look holy, but if they ask, "Lady Ellah, what did this passage mean!", I won't be able to answer.
In truth, the Muion and Saion cultists had already witnessed the prophecy's fulfillment and completely believed it was the descent of a god, but Lee Do-hee didn't know this. She was just thinking something like, 'What the hell is wrong with these bastards... I don't know, this is scary...' She didn't even know that Yula and Ellah were the same god. All she knew were a few scripture verses she had overheard while being raped.
'Baek Do-hyeon once said that when you're not confident you can perfectly imitate someone, it's much better to write a new script.'
He's an enemy now, but he was once my pocket brain, my expert proxy-thinker, and I still trust him on things like this.
But I can't just insist I'm some random new god. The God of Breeding... even I know the moment I say that, I'll be used as a breeding experiment. I have to say something plausible.
I thought again.
The reasons for their fight, their scriptures.
The fanatics gathered here. The reason their holy cities and holy lands overlapped.
Why Yula appeared through an outsider, an infidel.
And... if this place is similar to Earth, could the religions be too...?
I forced the nutrients away from my chest and into my head.
The conclusion I reached after much deliberation.
"I am Yula... and Ellah."
Thump...!
Surprisingly, Lee Do-hee had reached the correct conclusion.
Weren't the Iranian holy warriors who believe in Allah targeting her just a while ago? Out of curiosity, she had searched about Islam back then.
And the memory of something shocking she saw then now came to mind.
'It was a shock to see that not only Jesus, but even Moses appeared in the Islamic scriptures...'
In the end, their one god was the same God, and she had been a little shocked to realize the problem was with the humans.
And these guys were even more shocked than I was.
"Yes...?"
"Eh?"
They blinked, their faces dumbfounded.
The religion was founded about 5,000 years ago, and it has been about 2,000 years since Yula descended and the Saion and Muion cults split.
Many things had happened in that time, with war and peace repeating in cycles.
They worshiped the same god, but surprisingly, most... no, virtually all Muion and Saion cultists lived without knowing they worshiped the same god.
Unless one was a renowned foreign scholar or someone who had studied the scriptures of both sides, there was no way to know. From the start, they called each other heretics, dismissing the other's words as the devil's whispers, so no academic research could ever take place.
The Muion cult believes that the god Yula descended into a human body born of Saint Mother Isabella. While they worship the god Yula, their religion is closer to one that believes in the words of the human-form Yula who actually descended.
The Saion, on the other hand, believe the one true god is only Ellah, and that he never descended in a human body. They simply believe in the pure, one god, Ellah.
That's not all.
Over thousands of years, how much must it have been distorted and corrupted by human greed and politicking? Today, they had reached a point where they believed the two gods were entirely different beings.
But, Lee Do-hee denied it.
"Do you still not understand... I am your god. The Creator, and the one true god!"
"Lady Yula... is the same god as Ellah?"
"Th-that can't be! Why on earth are you..."
"B-blasphemy!!!"
"It can't be, it can't be, it can't be!!"
The warriors from both religious groups looked at me, ready to rise up in arms.
I had just made a statement that completely turned their lifelong faith on its head. How twisted must they feel inside?
But if I backed down here, it was over.
'I am a god. The God of Breeding, but a god nonetheless!'
From now on, I would brainwash myself into believing I was a god.
"How dare you... you who have never even met a god, define a god, and judge a god. How foolish you are, humans!!!"
Hah!!!
My powerful voice, honed from always leading the charge as a vanguard commander, struck their ears. A rough, booming voice spread out as if to shake the heavens and the earth.
That wasn't all.
Fwaaaah!!
[Divine Power Release]
Along with my declaration, a pink divine power spread out, filling the grand hall, the cultists' holy land.
A strong wind blew out from me, and those who had stood up with hostility sat back down.
And in that moment, something incredible happened.
When my divine power touched the murals on the walls, which had been mere decorations for thousands of years, they changed into vibrant colors, brightly illuminating the hall's interior.
"Gasp...!"
"Wh-what is this?"
"The holy land... has changed?"
'What the, why did that change too?'
But I didn't even need to explain it; the fanatics were explaining it perfectly well themselves.
"Messiah Chronicles, Chapter 3, Verse 2... 'On the day of my return, the holy land shall shine brightly... By this, you shall know me...?' Huh?"
"The Gospel of Reshina, Chapter 3, Verse 2... 'When I return, the pictures of the holy land will dance and welcome me... By this, you shall know me...?' Huhhh?"
'What, there was a real god...?'
I didn't know how it happened, but anyway, this was a good opportunity.
Once again, I used my powerful voice to shout.
"N-now do you understand!! I am Yula, and Ellah! The omniscient, omnipotent god you believe in!"
Thud!
My great shout rang in everyone's ears... in their heads.
Her confident and noble declaration.
The prophecies, fulfilled without a single error(?).
The words of their scripture and our scripture have been similar for a while now...?
And Yula and Ellah were the same god?
Eullah. In the ancient tongue, it means 'god'.
It was... the same word?
They stared at me blankly, their eyes wide as if they'd been struck on the head with a giant hammer.
They realized.
At that moment, the sun shining through an opening above moved to be directly over Lee Do-hee, creating a sacred atmosphere as if the heavens themselves were blessing her.
Her large breasts and pussy were glistening, but no one could harbor any lewd thoughts.
Goosebumps rose on everyone's skin.
They fell into shock, and that shock soon transformed into fanatical devotion.
"Ooooh!! My God!!!!!!"
"You have truly descended. Lady Yula!!"
"Lady Ellah!!!!"
"We believe!"
Everyone began to worship me, raising their arms high.
*
For now, I had brought the fighting to a lull.
Still, there was much to be done.
"Bring me all the scriptures! I shall correct the flawed parts!!"
A preemptive strike.
Before they could bring the scriptures and ask, 'Is this right? What's the interpretation of this part?', I would read all their scriptures first and revise them according to my own interpretation.
And there was another intention behind this.
Would future Awakeners really be able to clear this damn ordeal?
From what I could see, it was impossible.
Even I barely survived and turned the tables thanks to a fucking bug. How on earth was a normal male Awakener supposed to clear this?
I believed the answer to that must be found in the scriptures.
And there might be some useful content for the new Breeding Cult I was about to create... (the name is quite embarrassing), so I decided to read them for study as well.
I gathered a large group of competent theologians, apostles, and evangelists from both sides in the hall. I ordered the remaining warriors to split in half: one half to guard this place, the other to go out and spread the news of what happened today.
I was no longer naked, but dressed in sacred ceremonial robes. Anyone would see me as a high-ranking priest, like a saintess or a pope.
"Today, I shall correct the distorted, corrupted, and false gospels that have been spread among you."
If my broadcast was transmitted and organized well, the Awakeners who came after me might be able to imitate a Muion cultist or use this information somehow to get through this 0% clear-rate ordeal.
And it was a necessary act for my current situation as well.
The events of today had spread outside at a very fast pace, but of course, no one could easily change the religious beliefs they've held their entire lives.
Rather, saying they needed to see what on earth had happened, a huge number of high-ranking apostles and theologians, not to mention the religious leaders themselves—all the top brass—were gathering.
I had to deal with them.
If I tried to just muddle through with a release of divine power like before, I would probably fail.
A group might emerge thinking, 'Is that all there is? The god just shines brightly and that's it?'
I had to show them the true face of a god.
And if they still didn't listen... well, they'd have to face divine judgment.
"Ooooh... Lady Yula. Please grant us your teachings!!"
"Aah... to think the day would come when I could serve Lord Ellah in my lifetime!!!"
The theologians were moved upon seeing me, falling to their knees and raising their hands to the sky.
'I can't get used to that pose...'
"Enough. I shall tear down and rebuild all of your false scriptures, so do not ask first. Answer only what I ask."
"We understand, Lady Yula-Ellah..."
And so, my study of the scriptures began.
The moment I saw the first verse of each religion's scripture, I found something to point out.
"Genesis Chronicles, Chapter 1, Verse 1. In the beginning, Yula created the universe."
"Book of the Azure Sky, Chapter 1, Verse 1. Lord Ellah created the heavens and the earth, and so the world began."
'The content is similar, but slightly different.'
Similar, but there's a big difference between 'the universe' and 'the heavens and the earth'.
This religion originated about 5,000 years ago. But writing was developed even later than that.
So there was no way words passed down orally would be recorded accurately, and differences could also arise from interpretations of the ancient language. It changed even without human politicking and intentional distortion.
"Do you feel nothing upon seeing this!"
"..."
They were now people who believed that the Saion and Muion cults worshiped the same god.
They, too, realized.
How inaccurate the books written by humans were. How much they changed with the times.
They had never imagined there could be corruption in the precious scriptures managed at a national level.
"Humans... are weak. Foolish and arrogant. That is why I descended using such immense power. You distort my words and fight, asserting only your own claims... I could no longer bear to watch with open eyes!!"
The theologians could not raise their heads.
And I revised this as I saw fit.
'My conscience pricks me a little, but it's better to revise it if I don't want these guys to create reasons to fight later.'
I decided on a name I was familiar with.
[Primordial Record, Chapter 1, Verse 1. In the beginning, Lady Ella created spacetime.]
Rather than expressions like 'the universe' or 'the heavens and the earth', wasn't it a bit more scientific and impressive to just say she created the Big Bang?
And Yula and Ellah. Using one of the two names felt like claiming one side was right, so I newly decided on 'Ella'. The theologians of both religions understood and accepted it.
'Umm... something, something feels strange, but this should be okay, right?'
I even felt a little excited by the strange feeling of having become a real god. Should I say I felt a sense of omnipotence I didn't have before?
'No, wait, I really am a god, aren't I?'
The God of Breeding, but a real god nonetheless.
Although I only had about 70 followers scattered somewhere in a strange dimension.
I went through both scriptures one by one, fixing what needed to be fixed, listening to how they interpreted things, and making corrections.
"Th-that is a metaphorical story..."
"I wrote it clearly, and you took it as a metaphor, you incompetent fools!"
I also scolded them like this. Sometimes, I would just remove parts that were too esoteric.
"Arasagi... I have never given my revelation to such a prophet. The words of a charlatan are brazenly taking up space in the scriptures!"
Most scriptures contain the contents of divine revelations and oracles. But this part seemed subjective, and there were many parts that conflicted with what I would claim in the future.
"Th-that's...!"
"No wonder, the contents of his scripture were too radical! There was a lot that incited conflict!"
Even if I spoke nonsense, they interpreted it perfectly with the power of faith.
And so, I stayed up all night, and morning came.
I woke the theologians who were dozing off from exhaustion.
"Is this any time to be sleeping!!"
"Gasp!!"
"I think I know where your distortions began. Bring the history books as well."
Enduring a day or two without sleep was no big deal for me. I had fought monsters for a week without sleeping before, so this was nothing.
And so, as evening approached.
"Lady Ella... they have arrived!"
The ones who served as the religious leaders, high priests, and heads of state for the Muion and Saion cults... the guys who did it all, had come.
I went outside the holy land and saw hundreds of high-ranking officials standing divided on two sides, and behind them, an endless line of soldiers.
The air was thick with a murderous atmosphere, as if a battle could break out at any moment.
I was no longer naked, but wearing splendid religious garments. I confidently approached them and released a pink aura.
"Ooh...!"
"This... I can feel a truly warm and comforting energy..."
Seeing this, the religious leader of the Muion cult ran up to me, fell to his knees, and shouted.
"I will risk my life to ask you, Lady Ella!! Then... the Yula who descended 2,000 years ago... no, anyway, who on earth was she? Was it a direct descent, or not?"
The core conflict between the Muion and Saion cults.
Did Yula truly descend in person?
If I said it was false, I would face a huge backlash from the Muion cultists.
And if I said it was true, I would face a huge backlash from the Saion cultists.
'Hoo... what I was expecting has finally come!'
"The Yula who was born 2,000 years ago was..."
Gulp...
Everyone focused on my words.