Chapter 690: Faith and Distrust (2)

The gigantic mass of flesh had swollen to an enormous size as it fought the Legion alone.

However, the source of that power was, in the end, merely a tiny fragment of flesh that had accidentally fallen onto that leech.

‘Its original body itself isn’t powerful.’

That bastard had likely been feeding on that flesh for ages.

Since it was such a vile and lowly creature by nature, even digesting a single tiny fragment must have taken an absurdly long time.

And as a result of gnawing away at that flesh for all those years—

‘It obtained the System’s power.’

The power the original owner of that flesh had prepared for the living beings of this land.

That bastard had stolen and become capable of using that power.

Afterward.

It lured Lee Haein into this land.

Then, beginning with her, it founded the Church and gathered faith.

And it was not difficult to guess why it had needed to do that.

‘Because that flesh had spread everywhere.’

The lifeforms of this land had grown after consuming the flesh scattered throughout the earth.

And among them, only humanity had managed to handle the flesh’s power efficiently.

So it placed humanity beneath itself.

By doing so—

to the extent of the flesh they possessed and had awakened within themselves,

and to the extent of the flesh’s power dissolved into the lands they ruled—

it became able to gain greater power and interfere more deeply with the System.

In the end, by placing all humanity beneath itself and claiming all lands as its territory—

its goal had probably been to obtain all the power of the scattered flesh.

In other words—

‘If the faith gathered beneath that bastard disappears.’

The power dissolved within the believers’ bodies and the power dissolved into the land—

the power that bastard was currently treating as though it were its own—

Sliiide.......

Naturally.

Would have no choice but to leave its grasp.

—......So this was your objective from the very beginning.

The gigantic flesh monster.

That massive body was shrinking ever so slightly.

So minutely that it was difficult to even notice.

That’s right.

This was the second reason I had wanted to reveal that bastard’s true identity to the believers.

—By revealing my true form.......

The god they had thought of as holy.

I had shown all the believers its hideous true appearance.

And revealed that its true nature was not what they had believed—

and even that it had lied to them.

—You intended to destroy the faith they held in me.

If the first objective had been to bring the Legion forces here and strengthen our side’s combat power—

then the second objective had been weakening that bastard’s power.

The believers likely did not account for a massive portion of its strength.

Most of its power probably originated from that tiny fragment that had fallen upon its body in the first place.

Even so—

“Your attacks......!”

KWAAANG!!!

“They’re starting to work!”

—it was not insignificant.

Had a substantial amount of faith left its side?

At some point, the awakened individuals began realizing that their attacks were finally starting to affect it.

“......T-Then.”

“That vision really was true?”

Even now.

Those who knew the location of this inner sanctuary continued arriving one after another to confirm the truth.

And that would not be all.

‘Even if some believers want to think it’s merely fabricated footage, there’s a limit to belief.’

Those believers arriving here.

Their despair-filled faces were likely spreading through Sergeant Lee Minjae’s magic as well.

Those faces belonged to their own brothers and sisters in faith.

And the believers themselves would know—

that perfectly imitating every expression, voice, and action of those people was impossible.

The believers’ faith continued breaking apart.

And that was leading directly to the weakening of that bastard’s power.

Then—

—......Foolish creatures.

The bastard roared in fury.

***

The black leech that had been hiding behind the flesh.

That leech revealed itself atop the flesh.

—I showed you the form you desired.

When I first saw that bastard—

its appearance had taken the shape of the god imagined by the observer.

That was probably due in part to the influence of the flesh’s original owner.

But it had also been intentional on that bastard’s part.

It had guided people into thinking of it as a god.

—I performed the divinity you desired!

The System’s naming conventions had originally been absurdly simplistic.

The order of growth as levels increased was merely Lowest Grade, Low Grade, Mid Grade, High Grade, Superior Grade.

Even strengthened skills simply had “(Enhanced)” appended to the end.

Even extraordinary swordsmanship was described merely as Swordsmanship Proficiency.

But not that bastard.

[Legatus’s Dagger]

The holy relics bore archaic names.

Every single one of those relic names carried its own meaning.

Names worthy and noble enough to truly seem like artifacts created by a god.

They had not been named by the System.

Nor had the bastard simply slapped on names it personally liked.

‘The appearance the believers desired.’

Those who wished to worship a god.

It had performed the nobility they desired.

—I played the role of a merciful god!

None of it had been what it truly was.

—Exactly as you desired!

This sacred atmosphere that felt untouchable.

This appearance where its voice and the System resonated together.

All of it.

To show the believers the image they wanted—

it had wrapped itself in false nobility and performed an air of mystery.

—Disappointed because you realized the being who created you—the owner of this flesh—is not me? Ridiculous!

“......O-Oh, System.”

—The being who created you does not even know of your existence. It does not even know that lifeforms resembling humans were born upon this land!

When this world’s god had perished—

there had been neither humans nor even primates upon this land.

—Even if that being were to return now, it would not look upon you and think of descendants of its own!

Just as it said.

To that god, we were likely not creations it had intended.

—Only I!

On the other hand—

—Only I took you in! Only I promised you a future!

That System had made humanity its people from the very beginning.

It had promised them protection and granted them power.

—And now you seek to betray me? You would cast aside your faith in me for such trivial reasons!!!

The bastard roared in fury.

But the targets of its rage were not me or the Legion soldiers.

It was those trembling at the sanctuary entrance—

and those still watching this scene through Sergeant Lee Minjae’s magic.

The believers who had worshiped it.

And.

“......This is bad.”

Realizing that fact, I frowned and muttered.

I forced my exhausted body upright and grabbed my weapon.

“Sergeant Shin......!?”

“Your condition is terrible. You need to rest a little long—er......!”

“I know.”

I stared at the screaming leech.

“......But we have to stop it somehow.”

My body was already exhausted beyond measure.

But I still had to move somehow.

We had to stop whatever that bastard was trying to say.

—It is true that my origins differ from what you believed. And it is true that I lied to you!

However.

My resistance was meaningless.

KWAAANG!

“Cough......!”

That monster was already fighting the entire Legion alone.

Me joining the battle alone was not enough to create any significant change.

My body was struck by the flesh it swung and blasted away at tremendous speed.

—But.......

And.

After knocking me away, the bastard continued shouting.

—I can become the real thing.

If it made all who carried that flesh into believers.

If it claimed all lands infused with that flesh as its own.

If it succeeded in ruling this world where that flesh had once existed—

—I alone can show you the form you desire, perform the divinity you desire, and play the role you desire!

In the end, the scattered flesh would gather beneath a single name.

And once united, that flesh would take the shape it had possessed in life.

Even if the “name” within it had already been devoured and erased.

—I am the one who wears skin.

That bastard, from the very beginning—

was an existence that settled itself inside hollow skin.

—I alone can become the existence you desire...... the master you long for!!!

It would replace the empty part.

And merely perform the original form of the being whose skin alone remained.

That much would be entirely possible for it.

And.

After being blasted away by its attack—

embedded into the sanctuary wall, I stared at it and thought:

‘......The rate has slowed.’

The flesh that had rapidly diminished after Sergeant Lee Minjae’s magic spread.

That speed had noticeably slowed.

Its size was still shrinking, but far too slowly now.

And it was not difficult to understand why.

‘Because what it’s saying isn’t wrong.’

Just as that bastard claimed—

if the being that had truly been this land’s divinity had completely vanished,

then the only existence capable of perfectly replacing that divinity was that bastard itself.

Even if other external gods entered this world—

this world would inevitably become distorted according to the laws those divinities carried.

But not it.

Its ability was to wear another’s appearance.

Just as it said, the moment its plan was complete—

its appearance would become identical to the divinity that humanity of this land had longed for so desperately—the divinity that had created this world.

‘They were believers who worshiped that bastard from the beginning.’

Most believers likely possessed the desire to believe in and rely upon something.

Some had abandoned their faith after witnessing that shocking sight.

But many others could not help wanting to cling to their faith even after seeing it.

Even the researchers of the Church who had studied the System—

after becoming like that and realizing the System’s lies, they still had not abandoned their faith.

Had they not desperately tried to silence Lee Sanga and the beastkin after learning the truth?

“......I thought it was just a hideous monster.”

But that bastard had targeted exactly that weakness.

Even while admitting that it had lied—

it was now persuading the believers that it alone could still become the god they desired.

Those believers who did not wish to abandon their faith.

To them, that persuasion had been fatal.

Even after witnessing the hideous true form of that disgusting leech—

many believers were still choosing not to abandon their faith.

And as a result—

I watched the battle between that bastard and the Legion soldiers while forcing my mind to its limit.

And the answer I arrived at was only one.

‘......It’s not enough.’

We had succeeded in weakening it greatly.

But its power still remained intact.

At this rate, the Legion would never defeat it.

‘What do we do?’

I squeezed my mind for every possible answer.

‘The method of weakening its power by destroying the faith most essential to it...... failed to achieve even half the effect I intended because of its words.’

I had already mobilized every method I intended to use.

Even so, the power that bastard possessed was still overwhelming.

‘Even if I step forward.......’

In the end.

I had only acted as one of the Church’s brothers for a short period of time.

I was merely an outsider.

Those who had already succeeded in abandoning their faith were one thing.

But those who still wished to cling to their faith even after seeing that appearance—

no matter how much I tried persuading them, changing their hearts would be impossible.

“......Your Holiness.”

If there existed someone capable of doing that—

it would not be me.......

“Your Holiness!”

“......Huh?”

A being I had never once expected anything from.

“Please...... please, I beg you.”

“.......”

“Tell me. What am I...... what am I supposed to do?”

The place where my body had crashed after being flung away by the flesh was the sanctuary’s outer wall.

And there—

“I...... what should I do?”

—the one who had watched this entire scene from the very beginning.

The true founder of this Church sat collapsed on the ground, tears streaming down the face.