Chapter 112: Protect the Prince (1)

Emile and Leon Ricard, the father and son who developed the cure. 

Their true identity turns out to be the God of Creation!

Beings of a different Status. 

The power to revert humans who have turned into demons originates from the God of Creation.

Beyond comparison! 

Humanity must naturally choose Leon Ricard and the God of Creation.

“The savior who appeared during the apocalypse. Believing in the God of Creation is the only way to drive out the Demon Clan without any casualties.”

The impact of the press conference, which lasted only a few minutes, was enormous. 

The Order of Victory, which had once spanned the globe, collapsed, and the Church of Creation took its place.

Was that even possible?

Even so, wasn’t the contribution of the Order of Victory, which defeated the Demon King and the God of Darkness, much greater?

It was possible.

However, it wasn’t just due to the influence of the press conference and the cure.

[The United States, Russia, China, and Japan officially designate the Church of Creation as their state religion.]

“United States President John Gray states, ‘The Church of Creation is the savior that will rescue us from this apocalypse.'”

[Russian President Vitalik Filippov says, ‘Choosing not to believe in the Church of Creation is a foolish choice.’]

There are movements to designate the Order of Victory as heresy as well.

The movements of the four countries, which had been tip-toeing around South Korea until recently, were unusual.

It was, how should I put it?

Like a rigged game.

They reacted in a chain reaction, as if they had been waiting for this very moment.

‘They have already completed their secret meetings.’

It was Salmora.

He must have contacted the countries harboring resentment toward South Korea in advance.

That was why he revealed himself in Paris and subsequently prepared the press conference.

It was like detonating a powerful bomb all at once.

And it wasn’t just a secret agreement between nations.

News continued to strike the world in succession.

Incredible benefits for those who join the Church of Creation!

It’s different from existing religions.

Unlike other orders that demand donations, the Church of Creation provides benefits to its believers.

“They provide the demonization cure as well as powerful potions that strengthen the body.”

They even provide powerful equipment to those who decide to convert.

The modern era is an age that pursues profit.

Unlike the past, people sought profit even in religious faith.

That was why the Order of Victory had dominated the world so quickly as well.

It was because they had bestowed some of the rewards obtained from the Tower upon their followers.

But the scale of the Church of Creation was on another level.

In fact, I had expected this to some extent.

It was Salmora, of all people.

For the sake of his research, he had collected all the world’s treasures and materials.

Furthermore, he didn’t just let them sit; he created things through experiments and research.

No matter how much I cleared the Tower on Very Hard Difficulty, it was impossible to compete with Salmora’s ability to mass-produce items.

Especially him.

‘He undoubtedly claimed the various treasures the Demon King had collected.’

Knowing that cunning guy, he definitely would have emptied the treasury of Demon King Ingram.

If he had claimed the treasures gathered over eons, providing benefits to believers all over the world wouldn’t be particularly difficult.

Recent achievements.

The benefits of joining.

Nothing could compete with the Church of Creation.

Therefore, the collapse of the Order of Victory was a natural progression.

And the collapse of the Order was the same as the collapse of South Korea.

“Phew — “

Kim Chaun sighed, “The number of immigrants is increasing.”

A meeting was held to resolve this emergency.

Of course, those attending the meeting were only him, Hosik Jeong, and me.

It wasn’t because others weren’t needed.

“I pleaded with them so earnestly, yet they went over in the blink of an eye…”

I thought they were people with some degree of loyalty.

That was why they had protected South Korea and Hosik Jeong even during that crisis.

But what about now?

Faced with the immediate reality, most of them had emigrated to the United States, Russia, China, or Japan.

[No diplomatic relations will be established with South Korea.]

“It’s only natural to be hostile toward a country that turned a blind eye to our crisis.”

[The number of countries showing hostility toward South Korea is increasing.]

In fact, South Korea’s strength was derived from me and the Order of Victory.

But that massive power was collapsing in an instant.

And as if they had been waiting for this moment, each nation began to show blatant hostility toward South Korea.

The same was true for some of the countries that had received our help.

They clung to the nations that had regained power and flattered them.

Just as they had clung to South Korea when it had first defeated the Demon King and the God of Darkness.

“I can’t believe they’re being this blatant. I wonder if any of them have a conscience.”

Even the countries that had been helped turned their backs on South Korea.

It didn’t take long at all.

It was truly instantaneous.

They turned away as if they had been waiting for this.

“They must have found it displeasing,” Hosik Jeong, who had been quiet, spoke, “There isn’t just one or two countries that hated seeing a small Eastern nation like South Korea acting up. They were only smiling because of their immediate needs. It was truly a sword hidden behind a smile. In a way, that’s a virtue that the head of a state must possess.”

Certainly, Hosik Jeong had a talent for seeing the core of an issue.

That was probably how he reached his current position.

No matter how much I helped, not just anyone could overthrow an existing regime and maintain that position.

“Anyway, what should we do? The number of immigrants is increasing uncontrollably, and the hostility toward South Korea is reaching a level where they are almost willing to go to war.”

The Order of Victory, which people had trusted, had fallen.

Furthermore, with powerful nations showing blatant hostility toward South Korea, no one could withstand the pressure.

“There are even reports that there are signs of desertion within the Order of Victory itself…”

I know.
How could I, the god of the Order, not know?

Even those I had directly appointed, like the Bishop and Archbishops, were betraying their faith.

Thanks to that, it has come to this.

‘It’s not just my Status that is gone; it’s getting difficult to maintain my very form.’

The Status I had collected so far wasn’t just scattering; my very existence as a god was fading.

As I’ve mentioned before, denial is much more powerful than faith.

It is said that when someone converts to the Church of Creation, they are required to insult and show disrespect to their previous order.

Furthermore, most of those who convert were previously members of the Order of Victory.

Due to this, my divinity has been disrupted to the point that I can no longer exist.

The Order of Victory had spanned the world until recently.

But it collapsed in just a few days, and my divinity was vanishing.

Especially…

‘Victory does not exist without belief.’

Other divinities can maintain their Status to some extent even without belief.

But Victory is different.

There’s a reason it’s called the “Supreme God.”

If belief in victory disappears, the divinity vanishes as well.

That was why I couldn’t use divine power when I first returned to Earth.

My Status of Victory had already vanished by then.

However, I was able to use divinity by acquiring a portion of that Status through the Tower.

There is only one answer to be found here.

“I suppose… I’ll have to stop by the Tower.”

To maintain my vanishing divinity, it was urgent to secure Status through Tower rewards rather than someone’s faith.

***

[Challenging Level 42 of South Korea’s Tower]

I entered the Tower immediately without hesitation.

The floor I had to conquer this time was Level 42.

However…

[You are the Knight Commander of the Kingdom of Greentel in the northern part of the Gritia Continent]

“?!”
Surprisingly, that was not my memory.

The Kingdom of Greentel was one of the northern kingdoms destroyed by the Empire during the Thousand Year War.

It was a place I remembered, but a location I had never actually visited.

[The army led by King of Domination Belmond is ruthlessly trampling over Greentel]

[You must evacuate with the Prince, the King’s only blood relative]

[This is a very special Trial. It does not matter if you die here. Hold out as long as possible against Belmond’s pursuing army]

[To obtain more rewards, you must hold out for a long time and eliminate as many pursuing soldiers as possible]

[You can also earn additional points by defeating Knights or unknown beings]

Come to think of it, I had heard about this before.

Among the Trials of the Tower, there are some where there is no penalty for dying.

It seemed Level 42 was related to that.

[Keep in mind that if the newborn baby in your arms, the Prince of Greentel, dies, the Trial will also end]

[Please do your best so that this poor baby can survive]

After checking the messages, which were slightly different from the ones I had seen before, I look down at the baby in my arms.

A newborn wrapped in a cozy swaddle.

The Prince, whose emerald eyes are exceptionally beautiful, is sleeping soundly.

But there is no time to admire him.

“It’s the Prince!”

“Catch him!”

From behind me, not too far away, I hear the shouts of people.

I don’t even need to check to know who they are.

Belmond.

The soldiers sent by the King of Domination to end the line of the Kingdom of Greentel.

Soldiers wearing black armor, the hallmark of the Empire, are running toward me.

Normally, I should be running in the opposite direction.

A path was laid out as if it were designed for that purpose.

But…

“Step.”

Moving slowly, I placed the Prince down on a flat spot.

Giving up?

No.

This wasn’t giving up; it was an act to obtain the highest possible score—a reward beyond what was imagined.

“Schwing”

I drew the sword hanging at my waist.

Although it wasn’t the sword I usually used, its sharpness was extraordinary, and it showed signs of being meticulously maintained.

‘It’s decent.’

A will dwells in a sword that has been treated with care.

Although it wasn’t a sword of will like Anus, it was a weapon capable of sufficiently displaying my skills.

I wait, holding the sword at a diagonal angle.

I wait for the soldiers in jet-black armor.

The enemies of the Galas Empire rushing to deal with the Prince and me.

“Thud, thud, thud, thud!”

As I see them rushing, the ground shaking beneath them…

‘It brings back memories.’

Because of the Twilight of the Gods I caused, the world was reborn as one disconnected from the gods.

Afterward, I became the Knight Commander of the Asran Kingdom and fought a battle against Belmond, who had started the Thousand Year War.

I was already someone who had defeated even gods, but when I think back to the war at that time, it still felt quite difficult.

That was how strong the King of Domination Belmond was, and his strength was not something that could be dismissed as merely belonging to the human realm.

The same went for the Knights and soldiers King Belmond commanded.

They displayed incredible strength and abilities, as if they were a completely different race from humans.

I think that was probably the time when I was free from all worries and fought a fierce battle.

With all my worries buried in my sword and the old castle, I had fought a duel with Belmond.

And now.

“Waaaah!”

“Kill him!”

Looking at them, it felt as if the feelings from that time, the exhilaration of battle, were surging.

And that was a truly unfortunate thing for them.

Because the existence that was me — not the one stained with emptiness and deviation, but the one captured by the exhilaration of battle was someone who surpassed the person I was just a moment ago….

-Slash!

“Come!”

Even though those in the lead were split apart they still attacked….

“Hwaaaa!”

An amazing loyalty toward Emperor Belmond and I thrust my sword toward that loyalty.

-Shing!

While challenging the Trial head-on, even though I was supposed to be fleeing.