Divine grace like the sea, divine might like a prison.
In the face of such a display of power, surely no one would dare to object to the method of salvation proposed by Su Mo.
After finishing the small matter, Su Mo once again looked at the original protagonist before him and called his name. "Satomi Rentarō."
"Yes, sir!" The young man immediately stood at attention, looking at Su Mo with immense nervousness and reverence.
As a politician who subconsciously compromised with reality, he was now completely conquered by the god's power. The mercy Su Mo had shown also made him incredibly excited.
Of the nine apocalyptic-level Zodiacs, only two remained. Compared to the previous despairing number, the current situation was enough to give all human factions hope.
Although simple nuclear bombs were ineffective against Stage V Gastrea, humanity did possess the means to kill them. It was just that the cost was too great and the conditions too harsh.
They hadn't used them before because killing one or two Zodiacs was meaningless. But now, with only two left, if they succeeded, they might be able to completely eliminate the Gastrea crisis and even reclaim their former territories, winning the revival match entirely.
Under these circumstances, there was no need to guess the god's attitude. What could this be but siding with humanity? To lower the difficulty to this extent, the god clearly had high hopes for humanity!
The mere realization of this was enough to make him ecstatic. The deaths of Tendō Kikunojō and Hozumi Takuto had been thrown to the back of his mind.
Just as he had previously ignored the sacrifices of the Cursed Children, in the face of cold reality and overwhelming power, these humans were nothing more than disposable costs. Compared to these costs, the future of humanity was more important.
And soon, he heard words directly related to the future of humanity and overcoming the apocalypse.
"The task of saving the world is now yours."
"Yes, sir!"
Reflexively, Satomi Rentarō had no objection to Su Mo's command. But it was only after agreeing that he realized what had just happened, and he froze.
"...Huh?"
Wait, what did Lord Su Mo just say?
Save the world?
Me?
"Lord Su Mo, you're having him save the world?" Even Tendō Kisara was a little surprised.
She now had a very clear understanding of her former friend. He was an ordinary person who could never bring about revolution, only strive forward through compromise.
He might be able to surpass the limits of an ordinary person, but it would be difficult for him to achieve anything beyond the scope of his understanding.
In the future Su Mo had shown, Satomi Rentarō had undoubtedly become an accomplice of humanity. Perhaps humanity would have been destroyed even without him, but the Cursed Children wouldn't have been deceived by him, believing in a non-existent dream.
She couldn't think of any reason for him to save the world.
"In fact, Satomi Rentarō is already the most suitable savior in this world," Su Mo explained calmly.
With Aihara Enju, the "orthodox" savior, taken away by him, the only remaining possibility for salvation was Satomi Rentarō.
If Enju represented the fruits of humanity's resistance against the Gastrea—the "Cursed Children Project"—then Rentarō was the result and crystallization of humanity's other plan: the "Mechanized Soldier Project."
To become a savior, one must possess one of these two elements. Although Rentarō had his problems, in this twisted world, normal people were extremely rare. Among those who possessed the necessary conditions, he was the only one who could reach his level.
"..."
Thinking about it, Tendō Kisara couldn't refute it.
In the world's original fate, although Rentarō was suspected of using Enju as a consumable, he was the only partner who could team up with such an excellent Initiator and defeat all the Zodiacs.
In terms of combat prowess, he was already outstanding in this world. If it were any of the other products of the Mechanized Soldier Project, there would be even more scum among them.
"Lord Su Mo thinks so highly of me?" Hearing Su Mo's words, Satomi Rentarō was stunned.
After being thoroughly refuted by Su Mo earlier, he had thought the god disliked him. But now, it seemed the god's expectations for him couldn't be higher! He had even placed the task of saving the world on his shoulders.
"I make a covenant with you, and also with humanity," Su Mo continued, ignoring his surprise. "When you, Satomi Rentarō, or all of humanity together, defeat the last remaining three Zodiacs, I will completely save this world. At that time, I will give everyone a reward. Even the resurrection of the dead is possible."
"And on the day that you and humanity fail, the Day of Judgment will come. All souls will be weighed again before God. The old world will be destroyed, and a new world will be born."
Su Mo's promise was casual, his tone calm. But the humans who heard it were already too excited to control themselves.
There was no promise that could give them a greater sense of security.
"Thank you for your mercy, Lord Su Mo!"
Satomi Rentarō vaguely felt that some of the details were a little strange, but under such a generous promise, he was already overwhelmed with excitement.
Defeat the last few remaining Zodiacs to obtain eternal salvation. Is there a better deal than this?
"Thank you for your mercy, Lord God!" Even the Seitenshi bowed alongside him.
Although she wasn't familiar with Satomi Rentarō, having a savior with such lenient conditions was infinitely better than a destined doom. The crisis of world destruction had been reduced by half after making a covenant with the god before them.
Delighted by the god's generosity, the Seitenshi thought for a moment and then boldly asked, "Lord God, is there anything I can do for you?"
Since the god was so generous, she felt that humanity should also offer its piety. Even if the god himself didn't need it, they should at least show their attitude. Otherwise, what right did they have to accept his grace?
It had to be said, the Seitenshi truly had the potential of a holy maiden.
Hearing her question, Su Mo thought for a moment and then said, "Then you shall be a witness."
"A witness?" The Seitenshi tilted her head, a little confused.
"As a human, in place of a god's eyes, you will witness the future of this world," Su Mo said, his tone calm. But the Seitenshi felt a deep meaning within it, and even a faint sense of unease.
She hadn't wanted to speculate on the divine will, feeling it was both impossible and arrogant, but at this moment, she was indeed a little puzzled.
Did the god want her to witness salvation, or... destruction?
"Whether it is destruction or salvation, it requires the eyes of the righteous to witness everything. And you are the righteous one I have chosen."
In this world, there were few people with pure and clean souls. Even a protagonist like Satomi Rentarō had his twisted parts.
But the Seitenshi, in any era, could serve as the standard for a righteous person with a clean soul.
"You don't need to do anything. In fact, it's best if you do nothing at all. Just observe."
"I will have the children in paradise protect you. You will also become my believer. Even if the world is destroyed, as long as you do not betray your faith, there will be a path to bring you back to paradise."
As a god, Su Mo offered conditions that no one could refuse. Except for a very few, almost no one understood his meaning.