Chapter 91: The Light Has Set

Viral marketing.

It is a marketing strategy that induces information about a product to spread continuously by fostering rumors or public opinion among potential consumers.

The event I opened was a new form of proselytizing that incorporated this viral marketing.

Of course, the most important thing to make this kind of marketing successful was the price and reward offered to encourage the voluntary participation of the consumers.

And the gifts I prepared for this.

They were ten treasures that any Awakener would long for even in their dreams.

The Barisada, the Phoenix Helmet, the Titan Armor, Medusa’s Shield, the Berserker’s Cloak, and more—things that anyone couldn’t help but covet.

Treasure is relative.

To someone, it is an incredible treasure.

To another, it is nothing more than junk and to me, all equipment except for some Knight Swords and Night Armors were merely junk.

That was why I had been storing various pieces of equipment I received as rewards from the Tower, and I released some of them through this event.

However, the initial reaction was not that good.

[Quid pro quo faith? A blasphemy unprecedented in history!]

[What kind of faith and philosophy can exist in a belief for profit?]

[Is faith, which materialism could not invade, also becoming corrupted?]

“This is not faith, but the whisper of a devil. If you step into that filthy muck, you may never be able to return.”

That wasn’t just a message from the Order of Light.

Every religious circle, including them, rose up in protest.

The reason?

It was because a price was attached to pure, noble belief.

It was an act that highlighted the dark side of religion, much like the sale of indulgences in the past.

Because of this, all sorts of critical public opinion poured out like a flood.

Looking at that momentum alone, the event I conducted should have been considered a failure.

But.

[Hello, this is Shine from Shine TV. Today, I’m going to unbox the treasures I obtained by believing in the God of Victory.]

[Quid pro quo faith? To hell with that. Fuck, if you can get rewards for your faith in these crazy times, then of course you should believe. Right?]

[So, what can you guys even do? Try suggesting something noble and sublime that can beat faith with rewards.]

Despite the various criticisms, my event began to be transmitted to people through all sorts of media.

In fact, the public opinion created by the religious circles was like fanning the flames of a burning house.

Thanks to them, even those who had no faith in the God of Victory realized the fact that they could obtain rewards and treasures through faith.

This one event contained various marketing strategies, such as viral and noise marketing.

As the criticism intensified, the backlash grew even stronger, and through the fight between the two groups, the story of the God of Victory spread to every corner of the world.

Thanks to that the God of Falsehood, who was acting as the God of Victory, was able to obtain a high-ranking divine status.

“Ooooooh!”

All of this happened in just three days.

In a mere three days, Falsehood rose from a lower god to a normal one, and then obtained a high-ranking status but I couldn’t be satisfied with just that.

Rather, obtaining high-ranking status now was the watershed moment to face off against the God of Light and the Order of Darkness.

Apostle.

Unlike ordinary believers, they refer to the knights of a god directly appointed by that god.

Apostles communicate with the gods and realize their will.

Depending on their activities, the faith of the believers also grows, and they can obtain much more status than ordinary believers.

“Then, for the appointment of an Apostle…”

Falsehood looks at me with expectant eyes.

Naturally, he must be plotting to appoint me as his first Apostle.

“You are not qualified to have me as your Apostle.”

“…?” His eyes are filled with doubt.

“You haven’t forgotten that I am a god who once held status, have you?”

Although I am a human now, I was once a god who obtained status.

Furthermore, I was the god who attained that supreme position called the Supreme God.

No matter if I am currently in a human body, that karma is engraved into my being. 

No matter how much Falsehood has obtained high-ranking status (even if it were Lord Tier Status), appointing me as an Apostle is impossible.

“…Then who?”

Disappointment is visible and it’s only natural.

Originally, he must have intended to suck up faith in an instant by using an incredible Apostle like me, but that plan had gone awry.

However, there was no need to worry.

“Because there are plenty of talented individuals who are more than enough to be Apostles.”

With that I flicked my fingers.

“Snap!”

And in the next moment.

“Clank.”

Suddenly, figures began to appear inside the Penthouse.

“These people are…?”

Their identities, armored and ready, were none other than Knights.

They were Knights from the Gritia Continent summoned to this world through Night Summon Tickets.

“Blansia Bellamin, Agamemnon Saglayer, Malice Ahman, and Agamemnon Glacia. From now on, they will be your Apostles.”

Four Knights.

They, who should have originally been loyal to the Empire, would now become the Apostles of Victory and carry out various missions.

***

In the past, faith was something derived from the belief of the devout but the world has changed.

Even faith needs a price.

That could be power.

Or it could be a reward.

Materialism.

Even faith needed a corresponding price.

How did the God of Light and the Order of Darkness obtain Lord Tier Status?

It was through the play called Hero and Demon King.

In a way, one might think there was no price, but no.

The God of Light and the Order of Darkness provided the play of the Hero and Demon King to the public for free.

The audience, fascinated by the story, pays the price of faith.

It seems free, but it’s actually not.

However, that play was a stale method of the past.

The recent trend is not adventure and growth, it was overwhelming strength.

The difference in power felt from a position of superiority where one can trample others, and the immediately visible reward.

That was why, in the beginning, I planted the strength of the God of Victory by crushing Fukuoka.

Without stopping there, I handed out immediate rewards for faith, and through this, I was able to place numerous believers under his command.

In just three days, he got his hands on high-ranking status but he did not stop there.

– Unprecedented move! The reduction of Demon Clan forces through the overwhelming performance of the four Apostles of Victory!

– Who are the four Apostles of Victory? Blansia Bellamin, Agamemnon Saglayer, Malice Ahman, and Agamemnon Glacia.

– Victory after victory! As expected of the Apostles of Victory. An undefeated march that does not allow a single loss.

– Will the God of Victory bring us salvation?

The atmosphere of the media, which had been busy with criticism, changed.

That was only natural.

It was because they were recording consecutive victories while fighting bloody battles against the Demon Clan, the current enemies of humanity.

In particular, the performance of the four people appointed as Apostles of Victory was overwhelming.

That value shone even more because it was a hard-won victory achieved by leading mediocre Awakeners (who belonged to the Order of Victory).

Thanks to that.

– Wow, I guess they aren’t called the God of Victory for nothing. It’s nothing but news of their Apostles winning.

– Someone might think only that side is winning. The Order of Light is also in the middle of a winning streak.

– I wondered why you wouldn’t show up. Is that the same kind of victory? One side only handles small-scale groups of the Demon Clan, while the other side faces thousands or tens of thousands with a small force. ‘Winning streak,’ my ass. LOL.

– This bastard is doing this on purpose. He’s actually bashing the Order of Light while pretending to support them.

– Let’s not feed the troll.

– They say gods deliver different glories according to their status. In a shitty world like this, isn’t victory what’s needed most?

– That’s definitely true. Light or Darkness, those are actually abstract things.

– I think I’d feel really secure if Victory was with me.

– I heard all the most popular Awakeners these days are from the Order of Victory. First of all, the stuff they’re wearing is on another level…

The current fame wasn’t just due to the Apostles’ activities.

The Awakeners belonging to the Order of Victory—for a start, there was a difference in the equipment they wore.

Equipment that exerted powerful abilities.

The sight of them wearing that precious equipment from head to toe couldn’t help but earn the envy of many.

Of course, not everyone was like that.

It was limited to those who joined the Order of Victory early and received recommendations from numerous believers.

However, people have a habit of seeing only what they want to see.

Everyone who had not yet joined the Order of Victory harbored the illusion that they would become like that once they became believers.

Because of this, the number of people converting rapidly increased.

Not only from the Order of Light, but believers from many orders that had emerged with the appearance of the gods also deserted.

The religious circles protested strongly to somehow stop that desertion, but they couldn’t stop the believers from leaving with just that level of resistance.

The Order of Victory was the last to be established.

Amidst that fierce competition, which was like a Blood Sea, they displayed a competitiveness different from others and eventually grew into the most powerful order, even surpassing the Order of Light.

The surprising fact was that it took less than a month for that growth to occur.

That was how rapidly the world was changing, and it was a moment when something to fill people’s anxiety was needed.

The Order of Victory possessed all the conditions to fill this anxiety.

Strength.

A price.

And continuous activity.

The Order of Victory, which possessed all three of these elements, was able to transform into the most powerful order in the world and the place with the most believers.

***

‘This much is enough.’

The strategy worked perfectly.

The Order of Victory continued its growth and was reborn as the place with the strongest and most numerous believers.

Which meant.

“Start.” I spoke toward the fake God of Victory standing next to me.

“………..” The fellow nodded his head and then, the will of the god rang out.

“The time has come! We shall declare all-out war against the Order of Light, which shouts of a false light!”

Actually, it was a predicted fight.

It couldn’t be helped because the Order of Light had been picking fights the entire time the Order of Victory was growing.

If it had been just simple nitpicking or criticism, it wouldn’t have been a problem but those bastards committed atrocities such as raiding the branch offices of the Order of Victory, and because of that, the relationship had reached an irreparable state.

Of course, I stood by and watched while knowing all that.

The reason?

It’s simple because I was waiting for the believers’ hostility to reach its peak, just like now.

By waiting for everyone’s anger to reach its peak from the blatant provocations, criticisms, and attacks at every turn.

And then, by declaring all-out war with the Order of Light, I created a justification for a religious war.

‘Crush the largest order and absorb them.’

That goal included the absorption of the believers held by the Order of Light.

Although the Order of Victory had shown terrifying growth recently, it wasn’t enough to obtain Lord Tier Status yet.

But if we could crush the Order of Light and absorb them?

Finally, we would be able to obtain Lord Tier Status and break the game of those bastards, the God of Light and the Order of Darkness.

The current all-out war was a declaration of war harboring such expectations.

However, things in the world didn’t always flow as intended.

“Crackle”

A noise, as if tuning a frequency, was delivered to my mind.

[…The light has set.] The voice transmitted like that.

[I am Demon King Ingram. I am the Apostle of Darkness born to conquer Earth.]