Kapitel 48: Chapter 31: Pity
"Such a pity."
The Cardinal watched Rod walk away, a flicker of regret passing over his face.
If a human wielding the power of a god had joined their Holy Church, the glory of the Lord would have surely spread even farther. The sharpness of the Judger's Legion would once again set foot in the powerful Eastern Kingdoms.
"Lord Bishop, isn't it offensive to say something like that to a god-level being?" Van Helsing frowned, feeling that the Cardinal was being far too audacious.
Which god-level existence didn't hold themselves above all others? Asking a being with god-like power to follow the Lord of Glory was like asking one king to bow to another. It bordered on blasphemy.
The only reason they weren't crushed by Rhodes was likely because he was in a good mood.
"What do you know?" The Cardinal shot Van Helsing a sharp look. "Even gods have their ranks. Among them, our Lord is the most powerful of all."
"And…" the Cardinal's voice lowered as he gazed at the ground.
"There hasn't been a new god born in this world for thousands of years. Do you know why?"
Van Helsing pondered this for a moment, uncertain. "Could it be due to faith?"
"Yes, faith!" The Cardinal nodded.
"Faith is the most mysterious and powerful force in the world. Only through the belief of all living beings can one ascend to the divine throne, ignite the divine fire, and become a true god."
"Without enough faith, a demigod is the highest one can reach—still a false god in essence."
While demigods and true gods both belong to the pantheon, the key difference lies in faith and power. Without sufficient faith to solidify divine strength, true immortality and eternity cannot be attained. A true god lives without end, their soul and divine kingdom hanging in the starry world like a shining beacon. Their light illuminates the entire cosmos.
A true god is eternal.
Even if a blasphemer kills them, as long as their faith remains, they can be reborn in their divine kingdom—a fortress built from the essence of godhood. Standing in that divine realm, not even a god stronger than oneself can topple their reign.
As for false gods, even if they possess greater power than true gods, they will eventually perish. Their souls lack the immortality granted by true belief and aren't even qualified to reincarnate. Instead, they are nailed to the Wailing Wall in the kingdom of Death.
"The majority of faith in the Shinra Empire already belongs to our Lord. False gods wishing to become true gods can only do so by believing in our Lord and receiving His blessing, thereby ascending to the heavens."
Pride gleamed in the Cardinal's eyes.
In the entire northern regions, only the Holy Church held enough faith to create a true god. No matter how powerful this demigod was, if he desired to ascend, he could not bypass the Holy Church.
When his life and soul are on the verge of ending, if he wishes to elevate his divine kingdom and achieve eternity, his only choice will be to become a believer in the Glorious God.
"Without true divinity, death is the inevitable fate."
Only devout believers like the Cardinal and his followers could enter the Lord's kingdom after death and enjoy eternal bliss…
"Why the long face?" Yulia looked at Rods, puzzled.
"On my way here, I ran into a bunch of crazy cultists trying to get me to worship some Glorious God." Rhodes curled his lip in disdain.
Worship? He had already slain evil gods. He was a god in his own right—why would he worship anyone else?
The very idea of it was absurd. How could someone with such a mindset even be a Cardinal? If the Holy Church was full of arrogant fools like him, they should prepare for disaster.
"Holy Church's Judger Legion?" Yulia's eyes widened in surprise.
The Judger Legion was an elite force in the Holy Church, second only to the Pope. It was responsible for enforcing the will of the Church and fighting in the name of the Lord.
"If you want to become a true god, you'll eventually have to deal with the Holy Church."
"To ascend to true godhood requires vast amounts of faith, and in the northern countries, the Holy Church has a monopoly on that faith."
Yulia's lips curled in a sly grin. "You shouldn't have rejected them. With your abilities, you could easily take a high position in the Church. However, when the time comes, you'll have to negotiate with the Pope personally."
Though he had refused the Cardinal, Rod's power was undeniable. Even the Pope, who wielded great influence, would have to show respect to a top-tier demigod.
Rod blinked, suddenly understanding why the Cardinal's words had seemed so brazen. The Holy Church held the key to divinity.
In this world, to become a god, one needed more than just raw power—they needed the faith of the masses.
The Holy Church, as the largest religious organization in the northern regions, worshipped a deity as powerful as the Glorious God. Only they had the means to create new gods.
No wonder the Cardinal had acted so boldly.
"Heh, it's just godhood. No need to make such a fuss," Rod scoffed, dismissing the matter entirely.
Any external source of power would always come with its own set of flaws. Ascending through faith was fast and efficient, sure, but it also made one reliant on that faith. Should the believers falter, their god would fall too.
If he ever became a god, it would be by his own strength, not by begging others for help.
Worst-case scenario, if he couldn't ascend through faith, he would take matters into his own hands. After all, as long as his power was strong enough, destroying the Church of the Glorious God and replacing it with his own Sun God Cult wasn't out of the question.
And with his system in place, who knew? He might just wake up one day and be a god without needing to lift a finger.
"Alright, pack up. It's time to move," Rhodes called out.
Initially, he had planned to leave the castle after just one day, but things had changed unexpectedly. Evil gods, devils, murderers... In just two or three days, he had experienced more than most people would in a lifetime.
Now that Earl Haman and the bloodline clans were all dead—sacrificed to the evil god—there was nothing left for him here.
Whoever the new lord would be and whatever chaos they might bring was no longer his concern.
He was just a passerby.
A group of people gathered their belongings and left the castle in a carriage.
As they passed through the city in chaos, Rod, sitting casually outside the carriage, sighed.
"No matter how powerful the gods are, they can't save this broken world."
Belief in gods?
It wasn't as useful as believing in himself.
Perhaps without gods, ordinary people might live better lives.
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