Chapter 246: Floor 42: God's Apostle, Lee Do-hee
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 246: Floor 42: God's Apostle, Lee Do-hee
She no longer had to hold back.
She rampaged with glee, crushing the enemy forces.
"Kya-ha-ha-ha-hat!!! Die, all of youuuu!!"
KABOOOOOOOM—!!
A hemispherical explosion dozens of meters wide erupted, and its aftermath laid waste to the entire core base of the Imperial Army.
A spear falling from the sky.
The enemy could only watch helplessly as they were slaughtered.
It wasn't just her power; they couldn't even keep up with her.
She moved in an instant, riding a horse with two horns, leaving them with absolutely no way to counter her.
As if she never slept, she destroyed Imperial bases day and night.
In just two days, 20% of the Imperial Army had already been annihilated.
But this was not an empire that would sit back and take it.
After all, this was the same empire that had brought down countless kingdoms who put their faith in a single, powerful individual.
“No matter how strong someone is, they're still human. A person who dies when stabbed, gets tired without sleep, and feels hungry without food!”
The commander-in-chief and his staff predicted Lee Do-hee's route and decided to set up an ambush with a unit of Swordmasters.
They prepared mana-concealing devices and various other contraptions in case they were to lose.
A short time later,
Lee Do-hee arrived at the ambush point, riding a black horse.
Dudududududududu!!!
Flash!
Leading with the Bicorn's lightning strike and charge skill, she burst in and began to slaughter the Imperial soldiers in an instant.
Screams of agony filled the air as their prized magitech weapons were destroyed.
And the Imperial Swordmaster dispatched as the field commander here felt a cold sweat run down his back.
Andante Mikails.
Unlike the Swordmasters created through elixirs and procedures, he was a rare breed who had reached his level through genuine effort.
They usually ostracized and cursed him as an ignorant brute who only knew how to swing a sword, but now they'd sent him to his death, asking him to solve an impossible problem.
‘That damned commander... How the hell am I supposed to catch that?’
All he had here were ten fake Swordmasters.
But the enemy was no mere human who could be opposed by the likes of a Swordmaster.
A being who had long since transcended the limits of humanity.
‘Is this what the Grand Swordmasters of legend were like...?’
The conqueror kings from the history books must have been like this.
He had a gut feeling this was the end.
Even so, he could not run.
‘My family is already struggling. I can't bear to see them ruined because of me!’
Everyone has their reasons.
Waiting for a chance to strike, he gripped his trembling sword tightly.
Tatatatata!!
Kaboom!!
Gunfire and explosions raged, but she casually took the hits she couldn't be bothered to dodge and swung her spear.
Shhh-k!
A pink aura flared from the tip of her spear, separating the upper and lower bodies of hundreds of Imperial soldiers.
A sight that was unbelievable even when seen with one's own eyes.
The mass-produced Swordmasters, who had been so confident at first, were now staring at him with eyes full of fear, as if they'd finally realized this was something else entirely.
"C-Commander... w-what do we do?"
"That's a monster... It's not human!!"
This was one of the empire's major strongholds.
Given Lee Do-hee's tendency to attack the largest bases first, there were plenty of people here to serve as bait.
And those people were being slaughtered right before their eyes.
Even if they were strangers, they couldn't remain unaffected watching their fellow Imperial soldiers being crushed like insects, unable to put up any resistance.
"Hoo... Now. Let's go!"
Just then, Lee Do-hee arrived nearby.
He gripped his sword with a hand trembling in fear and stepped out...
"Finally crawling out, are we? For a second there, I thought you were just observers~"
"Huh?"
The moment he pushed aside the flap of the mana-shielding tent and rushed out, she was looking down at them as if she'd been waiting.
"Everyone, ch— Kugh!"
Kwajik!
His heart was pierced.
He was killed unfairly, without even a chance to react.
The last thing he saw was the image of the mass-produced Swordmasters scattering in all directions, and the woman chasing after them, shaking her plump butt playfully as if it were all a game.
What might be a porn scene to some was a horrific one to others.
*
Kwajik!
"Cleanup's done. Even for mass-produced models, wasn't that a little too easy?"
At least the Swordmasters from the 41st Floor Trial did something. These guys are just on the level of ordinary knights.
Of course, I had sensed them from the very beginning.
If they'd just stayed put and trembled in fear, I would have tried to capture them alive, but since they came out on their own, what choice did I have but to kill them?
"M-Monster!!!"
"The special forces have been wiped out! Everyone, run!!"
"Yeah, run..."
KWAAAAANG!!!
Just then, the bombs the Imperial Army had planted beneath the base exploded.
The empire's commander-in-chief had, of course, considered the possibility of the Swordmasters' failure. That was why he was willing to sacrifice his own men to capture Lee Do-hee.
A cruel method where the ends justified the means. This was the empire's way.
But,
"Hmm..."
Despite the great sacrifice, a completely unharmed Lee Do-hee walked out of the flames, step by step.
This time, she was wearing the Arcane Power Suit, so she was still fully clothed.
She leisurely read the viewer chat before climbing back onto the Bicorn.
‘Confirmation complete. There is no being on this planet capable of killing me.’
It might sound a little arrogant, but it was the reality of the situation.
From that point on, the tide of the war began to shift once more.
Having done enough for now, Lee Do-hee returned to the Redwin Kingdom's formation.
And there, she made a declaration.
"I'm just going to destroy the empire."
"...Is that... really possible?"
"Of course. If I fly to the Imperial capital and turn it into a sea of fire, they won't even be able to dream of continuing the war."
"Then we will lend you our strength. The empire was unified only recently, so its political situation is quite unstable. We will focus our efforts on creating internal divisions."
The kingdom recorded the very scenes the empire's high command had feared—Lee Do-hee using her divine power and overwhelmingly crushing all her enemies—and broadcast them everywhere.
The Redwin mages focused not on battle, but on internal attacks.
For mages, forging and altering identities was a piece of cake.
The empire's magical engineering was quite advanced.
So, while not every home had one, there were video orbs in town halls, large shops, and public squares that could display images, and the imperial newspaper was delivered to every household.
[The Voltia Empire Receives Divine Judgment]
[Divine Punishment Falls from the Sky]
Normally, it would have been impossible for such articles to be published, but the empire had focused so much on rapid external expansion that it had failed to keep its internal affairs in check.
The people of nations destroyed and oppressed by the empire, the families of those unjustly purged, former religious figures, and nobles of the past who had been treated unfairly.
Hoping for the empire's downfall, they all spread the news.
"People of faith, rise up!! The judgment of God is at hand!!"
"We will avenge our Saintess!"
"Believe and you shall live; believe not and you shall die!"
Religious figures took to the streets once more,
"The time has come to show the power of our nobility."
"When the empire falls... we'll take this territory, and you can have that one..."
"We will re-establish our kingdom. We will no longer be ruled by the empire!"
The fallen kingdoms and nobles rose up in rebellion all across the land.
Hearing the news of the empire's great defeat, they decided that now was their only chance.
Meanwhile, Lee Do-hee charged straight for the Imperial capital, all by herself.
Nothing could stand in her way.
The Imperial Army armed with magitech gear, the mass-produced Swordmasters—all of the empire's military might was neutralized before the overwhelming power of a single person.
If they had ignored Lee Do-hee and launched an offensive against the Redwin Kingdom instead, she might have turned back to protect it. But how could they ignore her when their own capital was on the verge of falling?
All soldiers withdrew from the front lines and retreated to the capital.
Their morale had hit rock bottom, and rumors were spreading that the empire was receiving divine punishment.
"Did you hear? They say an apostle of God has come to punish us..."
"We're all going to die... I have to see my family one last time!"
Everything that had been suppressed by force erupted all at once the moment that force began to wane.
And Lee Do-hee, now free of any responsibilities, charged forward with even more excitement.
"Let's go!!"
The Bicorn, Silvarion, the Pukteu tribe pigs.
She was alone, yet not alone.
She advanced with all of them to destroy the empire.
Even in places Lee Do-hee didn't destroy herself, the people who had suffered under harsh oppression rose up on their own, and the Imperial soldiers surrendered naturally.
"It's the apostle of God."
"Ooooh!! Welcome the apostle of God!!"
"Please, save us!!"
‘What the, why are they welcoming me?’
The many peoples the empire had oppressed, including the Redwin Kingdom, sided with Lee Do-hee.
*
A week passed like that.
From the halfway point, she reached the capital almost without resistance.
The empire was boiling with rebellion, but the central government had not yet collapsed.
They scraped together all their remaining forces for one last stand.
The number of soldiers was 100,000.
It was a paltry number compared to their army of millions, but it was still more than expected.
They were all in the same boat anyway; it was a do-or-die situation, whether they were killed by Lee Do-hee or by the revolutionaries.
They thought that if they could just capture Lee Do-hee, they could turn the situation around.
They also figured that since Lee Do-hee was human, her stamina must be running low.
Of course, this was just absurdly wishful thinking, but it was their last hope.
"So if I just crush this place, it's over."
The Golden Plains.
A flatland before the capital, it was once the region's largest producer of wheat. It was named for the golden hue it took on during the harvest season.
The Imperial Army's morale was higher than expected.
"Our opponent is just one human! She's poured out all her strength and must be completely exhausted! I guarantee advancement to any man who distinguishes himself here! For His Excellency, Supreme Leader Ardein!!!"
"""For His Excellency!!!!"""
The magitech weapons spat fire.
The empire's ambitiously prepared humanoid giant robots and airships took to the sky.
Biochemical bombs, radioactive bombs, white phosphorus bombs—all sorts of unethical weapons designed solely to kill the enemy flew through the air.
Soldiers who had accepted death charged forward, gritting their teeth.
But even as they launched their desperate, final attack, Lee Do-hee remained completely unharmed, calmly communicating with her viewers as she prepared something.
"Hehe, I'm going to try an experiment, everyone."
‘I wonder, just how effective is [Divine Punishment]?’
A new skill from the <Divine Spear Breeding Whore> class she'd obtained after clearing the 40th Floor.
The description said that it permanently consumed Lewd Power to cause a natural disaster, with the destructive force varying depending on the amount of Lewd Power used.
But she had no idea of its scale until she tried it.
But wasn't now the perfect time?
‘And people already think I'm an apostle of God.’
In that case, I'll show them.
What a god truly is.
[Divine Punishment]
Permanently consumes 1000 Lewd Power.
"Go."
The moment she used the skill, it was quiet for the first few seconds, and then...
R-r-r-r-r-rumble...
The ground trembled,
KWAGAGAGAGANG!!!
A tremendous roar echoed from the earth as an earthquake began.
The ground beneath the one hundred thousand soldiers split apart.
‘This much power from just 1000 Lewd Power?’
She stared, mouth agape, at the power that exceeded her expectations.
The ground that had suddenly split open.
The effect reached all the way to the capital, causing some of its buildings and walls to collapse, while the core of the empire's resistance forces all fell screaming into the chasm.
A massive fissure, kilometers wide, swallowed the Imperial Army.
As for the airships flying above, a casual toss of her spear was enough to send them plummeting into the ground along with the army.
‘It really does feel like... divine punishment.’
In the face of a massive natural disaster, the empire's technology was utterly useless.
They simply died as weak humans.
R-R-R-R-RUMBLE!!!
Once all the Imperial soldiers were dead, the violently shaking ground began to close up again.
As if punishment had been dealt only to the sinners, it didn't mend perfectly, but it became solid ground that people could walk on once more.
To anyone watching, it looked exactly as if a god had punished the unbelievers.
And just like that, the empire's last military force vanished in vain, and I entered the capital without a fight.
"Over here!!"
"Drag that son of a bitch over here!"
"We greet the apostle of God."
In the capital, which had been half-destroyed by the earthquake's aftermath, the citizens themselves had captured the root cause of this war and brought him before me.
The supreme leader of the empire, known as His Excellency, Supreme Leader Lexinon von Ardein.
He was an ordinary old man with white hair.
Because of this one man, a war had started, and an incredible number of people had died.
His fine clothes were stamped with footprints from being trampled, and his face was swollen with bruises from being beaten.
"Don't lie to me!! There is no god. God abandoned our world!!!"
Even as he was forced to his knees before me, he refused to bend his convictions.
But,
[Wave of Healing]
My area-of-effect healing skill washed over the capital.
People who had been on the verge of death, crushed by buildings, were saved.
Everyone's wounds were healed, and the sick rose to their feet.
"Ah...?"
Another miracle had occurred.
‘Right, I'm the God of Breeding, aren't I?’
Come to think of it, I even acted like a god on the 35th Floor. Why couldn't I do something similar now?
I manipulated my divine power to levitate my body slightly off the ground.
I put on the winged outfit I'd bought for a viewer event, along with the god costume I'd worn on the 35th Floor.
Finally, I amplified my voice so that every person in the capital could hear my words clearly.
"All citizens of the empire, hear me!!"
At my cry, everyone fell silent and focused on my words.
“We could stand by no longer. The gods have watched over you for a long time, hoping you would stop on your own, but in the end, you could not. Therefore, remember this. What has befallen you is not the wrath of a forgotten god, but the weight of the sins you yourselves have accumulated!”
After a speech like that, the expected question usually pops up.
"W-who... which god's apostle are you?"
And of course, I had an answer prepared.
"All of them. I have descended as a representative of all the gods who reside in the heavenly Pantheon. The gods you worship are all friendly neighbors, so do not fight amongst yourselves!"
As a bonus, I even patched up any potential future religious conflicts.
THOOM!!
I sent a massive surge of divine power shooting into the sky, and with my work done, I ascended with a beat of my wings.
There was no need for me to punish the empire's Supreme Leader myself. That was a job for the angry mob.
Of course, I wasn't actually flapping my wings. I secretly created a foothold panel, stepped on it inconspicuously, and made the wings flap by manipulating my divine power as I 'flew' into the sky.
That was the hardest part of this whole Trial.
[You have cleared the 41st Floor Trial. The reward grade will be increased for achieving the True Ending.]
"A True Ending, just as I thought!!! Uhuhuhuhuhu..."
*
After everything was over, I arrived back in the Redwin Kingdom.
The king himself came out to greet me when I reached the royal castle.
The Trial was already over.
But I'd come back hoping to squeeze out a few more rewards, to see if there were any extra scraps to pick up.
"I never imagined you would go this far... But, is it true? That you're an apostle of God."
"Hmm... Well, it's not entirely untrue."
"What? I-Is it really?"
Huhu.
I walked past King Draka Ignis, whose eyes had widened in surprise.
The top of the royal castle.
From there, I looked down at the world below.
The desperate crisis had been overturned in just ten days.
Outside, the post-war cleanup was still underway, but I could now see hope on the people's faces.
And just then,
"Wow! A pretty lady!!"
A little girl came running—totototo—and clung tightly to my butt.
"Oh, oh my, I'm so sorry. Rebecca, this is the benefactor who saved our country. Show some manners... please."
I turned my head to see a mischievous-looking little blonde girl and a beautiful blonde woman who appeared to be her mother, running over with sweat beading on her brow.
Judging by her luxurious dress and the way the king was walking beside her with a hearty laugh, she seemed to be the queen.
"Nuh-uh~ No way!! I like this lady's butt 'cause it's big!"
My butt was important, but I'd heard something even more important.
"Hm? Rebecca?"
"Ah, yes, this child's name is Rebecca."
A familiar name.
‘Rebecca...? Rebecca Ignos?'
Where have I heard that before?