Episode 2: Prologue
A secret assembly hall, accessible only to a select few chosen individuals.
Here gathered the most influential figures of the world's powers. Each attendee, from kings of various nations to emperors of great empires and the Pope, the supreme leader of the religious world, possessed immense power capable of shaking society to its core.
Amidst the heavy silence, the Pope was the first to speak. His voice, a low resonance, filled the chamber within the solemn and sacred atmosphere.
"The venerable and great Creator God has bestowed upon us a divine oracle. It commanded us to gather all the scattered fragments of God from across the world and enthrone one human as a new God. It was declared to be the sole method to prevent the coming Day of Judgment."
Murmur murmur murmur...
At the words 'fragments of God' that flowed from the Pope's lips, the assembly hall instantly began to stir.
And for good reason: the fragments of God were the Creator God's omnipotent abilities divided into seven categories. Each possessed the powers of:
**Strength**, **Defense**, **Agility**, **Life**, **Imagination**, **Emotion**, and **Reversal**.
Strength, Defense, Agility, and Life were classified as physical abilities, while Imagination, Emotion, and Reversal were categorized as non-physical abilities.
Even possessing just one, the fragments of God, rumored to grant a portion of God's immense power, had historically been among the greatest treasures coveted by all humanity.
Meanwhile, the attendees of the meeting generally placed great trust in the Pope's words, believing them to be the will of God. They knew very well that if someone with the immense authority of the Pope dared to distort God's message or lie, it would be entirely unsurprising for God's terrible divine punishment to descend upon them immediately.
Therefore, the agenda of the meeting naturally narrowed to a deep discussion about who would be best to enthrone in that sacred position of God.
"So, who, indeed, would be the wisest choice to enthrone as the new God?"
Faced with the sudden crisis threatening humanity's survival and the simultaneously appearing, unimaginable opportunity, most of the attendees were gripped by suffocating tension, swallowing hard.
Just then, the Emperor of the Empire was the first to speak, his voice authoritative.
"The one who becomes God will ultimately rule all of humanity. To effectively govern such a vast multitude, wouldn't the person currently ruling the largest power be most suitable? For such a person, it would merely be an expansion of their current duties, allowing them to excellently govern all of humanity."
At this, the kings of several kingdoms, who typically had strained relations with the Empire, secretly exchanged glances with each other. They then united, rising abruptly from their seats in unison to fiercely refute him.
"Do not speak such nonsense so carelessly! In the end, isn't this merely the Empire's hidden agenda to rule the world? Are there no criminal organizations within the Empire? Do no slums exist within the Empire? You cannot even perfectly govern the Empire as it is now, so how do you propose to govern a far vaster world? We simply cannot comprehend it."
In response to the kings' strong defiance, the Emperor of the Empire gave a knowing smile, etching deep wrinkles around his eyes. However, the cold glint flashing through his narrow eyes shone ruthlessly, as if vowing not to forget the faces of those who dared to defy him.
"but once me becomes a God, even minor issues will cease to exist."
"...That is utterly unbelievable. It's highly probable you would become God, grant all sorts of privileges to the Empire, and thoroughly discriminate against our kingdoms. Indeed, the one to be enthroned as the new God must not be a human who is easily swayed by political standing or circumstance."
As the kings' representative firmly refuted the Empire's argument, the assembly hall was once again engulfed in taut tension. The Pope, who had been silently observing the sharp war of nerves between the Emperor and the kings, finally spoke in a solemn voice.
"Indeed, enthroning the most benevolent person as God would be the wisest choice. If one becomes God, though perhaps not omnipotent as the Creator God, they would possess abilities beyond human comprehension. Therefore, above all, the pure goodness stemming from the values and disposition of the one to be God will be the most crucial quality."
A moment of silence followed the Pope's words. No one could object to his assertion.
However, breaking that silence, a cautious voice emerged from one side.
"A benevolent person is good. But where, by what criteria, and how, can such a person possibly be found?"
The attendees, each seemingly lost in deep thought, kept their mouths shut, unable to readily answer.
Then, someone spoke with a resolute expression.
"We shall establish a new World Government."
"A World Government?"
The attendees uniformly focused their gaze on the person who made the proposal.
"In any case, if one human becomes God, the balance of power between nations will inevitably collapse. Ultimately, we will no longer be confined by the outdated framework of nations, checking and opposing each other. We will now simply follow the new God, who will be the greatest ruler. Therefore, let us all completely forget past grievances and conflicts, cooperate firmly with each other, and scour the entire world to find the most benevolent individuals."
His persuasive argument made the Emperor of the Empire nod in agreement, showing a positive response.
"A World Government, I think that's a good idea. It would be much more advantageous for finding the fragments of God. But, isn't the definition of 'goodness' incredibly diverse, even for truly benevolent people? Can we truly be sure that this good person will possess the desirable values that perfectly align with our ideals?"
The Emperor, in a quiet but weighty tone, as if trying to persuade others, added,
"Furthermore, if it were a terrible villain merely acting benevolent to become God, that would be the worst possible choice for all of us. We mustn't forget cases where people performed all sorts of charity and volunteer work outwardly, yet committed horrific serial murders at night—humans akin to devils."
The Emperor's chilling words plunged the assembly hall back into a heavy silence.
"If we think that deeply, doesn't it mean we can't trust anyone at all?"
A voice, closer to a bitter sigh, escaped, followed by someone unexpectedly answering as if the problem were quite simple.
"We raise them."
"Raise them?"
The attendees uniformly cast puzzled glances towards the person who gave that answer.
"From childhood, shouldn't we only show them good things and teach them only good things? Thoroughly instill correct ideologies, and from among them, make the most outstanding child the new God."
"Then, where would we get these children?"
"Orphans are abundant throughout the world."
At the Emperor's chilling yet realistic words, this time, there was no one to object. Orphans were too common everywhere. Therefore, this method was a fair and rational solution that would not unduly favor any particular nation.
The discussion in the meeting naturally progressed to other opinions and agendas. Ultimately, the following four major points were finalized:
1. Orphans will be taken in and meticulously raised to be righteous individuals, OR the most benevolent person will be sought from outside.
2. A joint coalition, meaning a World Government, will be established, and all collected information will be shared among its personnel without any discrimination.
3. The fragments of God will be meticulously searched for with all available effort.
4. The contents of the meeting must be kept strictly confidential under all circumstances.
When the meeting concluded and everyone returned to their respective places with heavy steps,
A certain king who had attended the meeting immediately summoned his son upon returning to his palace and delivered a shocking truth.
"Son. You are now an orphan."
"I... I must have misheard... Father."
The king's son asked back in a trembling voice, as if he couldn't believe it.
Another meeting attendee, a certain queen, immediately summoned her subordinate in secret upon returning to her kingdom and revealed this truth.
"So, Your Majesty, what do you intend to do now?"
The subordinate carefully probed the queen's intentions, unable to conceal his uneasy expression.
The queen gazed into the void with cold eyes and murmured,
"Let us abolish our kingdom."
"Y-your Majesty?"
The subordinate questioned the queen's shocking words, disbelieving his ears.
"Alright, here's the plan. We'll briefly join the World Government, suck up all their information, and then, oh dear, how absurd! We'll get utterly crushed by some unheard-of, insignificant kingdom. That way, we'll vanish completely from people's memories. And then? We'll quietly and elegantly snatch up all the information on the God's Fragments they painstakingly discovered, monopolizing them one by one. The world calls this 'smmmoothly screwing things over.'"
"...'Smoothly,' Your Majesty."
The subordinate, hearing the queen's deranged plan, sweated profusely, barely concealing his anxious expression.
"One wrong move, and we could turn the entire world against us. It's an incredibly dangerous plan."
Despite his desperate plea, the queen shook her head with a ruthless smile.
"Now, now, if that happens, let's try something truly fun. The God's Fragments? We'll just reveal everything about them to the entire world. What they're used for, who has how many, even how many people exploded using just one! People will go crazy if they know that, won't they? They'll be saying, 'Is this real?' and backstabbing each other, invading neighboring countries, and a line of hero-wannabes will emerge. And when that chaos starts boiling? The World Government? They'll be busy~ and overwhelmed~ Us? We'll sneak in during that time and do whatever we want. This is simply about creating chaos and then plundering, isn't it? What's the word... it's like conquering the world stage? Isn't that magnificent?"
The subordinate's face was still filled with unease and awkwardness. Noticing his anxious expression, the queen's smile deepened as she added, explaining further:
"I bet I'm not the only one. Not a single one of those sitting there just now actually laid bare their true thoughts. They were all spouting pretty words like 'peace' and 'humanity' on the outside, but inside? Haha, they were probably all just scheming to become 'God' themselves. Isn't it funny? If you wrap up your desires in a plausible cause, it becomes the greater good. How magnificent, truly~ So this whole game... it's so dirty, it brings back old memories, and I love it."
"Is that so..."
The subordinate still couldn't hide his anxious expression and muttered bitterly.
"So, what I mean is~ Everyone's talking about justice, public interest, humanity, blah blah blah... But what's the actual substance? Nothing. While those idiots are giving their stupid speeches, we'll quietly, subtly, get one step ahead and plant our forces everywhere. And then? The first, the strongest God's Fragment. We'll snatch it first, just like that!"
At the queen's words, the subordinate finally adopted a somber expression and warned her in a resolute voice.
"If even a single part of our plan goes awry, Your Majesty will face a terrible end beyond imagination."
In response to his warning, the queen let out a chilling, wicked laugh that echoed in the pitch-black darkness.
"...Right. You know it too, don't you? The very fact that you're hearing all this from me right now already means you've got one foot in. A choice? Too late now. You're in a similar boat to me."
"Your Majesty!?"
The subordinate's eyes widened in alarm at the queen's chilling words, and he asked back in a bewildered voice.
"But you know~ that 'situation' we're in? It's all up to us. Even if they seem to be quietly listening now, anyone can grab a knife and shake things up. Why? Because the war already started a long time ago. Everyone's just pretending not to notice~"
The queen's laughter echoed long and wide around her, like a curse. Then, suddenly, her expression turned serious, and she spoke.
"Let's find the talent first. Or create it."
"Yes, Lady Galeos-cadens."
After her subordinate withdrew, the queen bit at her deeply calloused fingers until they bled, lost in thought.