– Lily! Lily!
Familiar voice of Lilith.
From somewhere in the dark, I heard Lilith’s voice calling me.
It felt like I was dreaming.
All of Deus’s memories flowed into me.
If everything I had felt until now was truly Deus’s past…
If her memories are correct…
Does that mean that the Lily Lilith is searching for, is also Deus’s benefactor, Lily?
Lilith sought out Lily because “Chaos” caused Lily to die.
What an ironic twist.
But more importantly… why did Deus think I was Lily?
Did the omnipotent Deus confuse me and Lily just because I wrote the scriptures?
Or…
Am I truly the reincarnation of Lily?
My past life was just me living on Earth.
I was merely a player enjoying this [Deus Ex Machina].
But could it be that I might be the reincarnation of one of the characters?
If that’s the case, was my previous life on Earth as Lily, or did I possess Lily first?
It’s all so confusing.
What on earth is going on?
Deus’s love and sacrifice towards me were real.
That’s why He chose to erase Himself to save me.
Deus…
– Lily! Lily!
Lilith’s voice continued to echo.
At first, her voice was faint, but it gradually grew louder.
It felt like rising to the surface from deep water.
And then…
– Lily!
I woke up.
– Lily! You’ve finally woken up!
“… Lilith?”
She came running to me.
What happened?
Was I asleep?
The last memory before seeing Deus’s memories was within Deus’s mental world.
In there, she chose to sacrifice herself, going against her “true nature” to save me.
She went against her core nature that forms the essence of her “omnipotence.”
And then I was watching Deus’s memories…
“… What? I lost consciousness for 100 years?”
– Yes. Since that day, when Deus chose his own collapse, 100 years have passed since Lily fell.
100 years.
Such a shocking amount of time.
How… could I have slept for so long?
– Lily fought while unleashing her divine power. The very essence of the deity collapsed completely.
“But the essence collapsed? But I’m alive right now!”
– We’re not exactly sure how it happened. Originally, Lily should have perished. The core that constitutes the deity itself vanished. We were in utter despair. But after Lily fell, the remnants of Deus’s divinity flowed into her.
“Deus’s divinity into me?”
Is that why I could see Deus’s memories?
– As a result, Lily’s perishing body regenerated. Though the core of her divinity did not return, she maintained her body without disappearing!
… Deus.
Until that final moment of dissolution, He…
The memories of Deus that I witnessed while unconscious made Him feel closer to me than anyone else.
As if our bond was engraved in our souls.
– But even though Lily’s body regenerated, she remained unconscious for 100 years. I was worried she would never wake again… I’m so relieved.
Lilith, uncharacteristically, shed tears.
I merely manipulated her memory to use her.
… But if I truly am that Lily…
How should I act towards Lilith?
Suddenly, a flame appeared in the air and transformed into a circular shape.
– Luke!
From within, Ignis jumped out.
– You’re awake!
She flew over and hugged me.
Lilith stepped aside without hesitation.
I thought they wouldn’t get along, but they seemed quite friendly.
Have they become close after spending 100 years together?
– Ignis!
– Luke! I missed you so much!
Despite the lengthy time that had passed, neither Ignis nor Lilith had changed at all.
Perhaps it’s only natural since they were complete in their divine forms.
Still, I didn’t feel the essence of any divinity, let alone the power of the omnipotent sole deity within me.
That day, when my divinity collapsed, did all my divine powers vanish with it?
If so, it feels like I’ve returned to an ordinary human body… so why have I been able to survive for 100 years?
Even when I looked into the mirror that Lilith brought, my face was exactly the same as it was that day.
– Of course, Luke’s divinity has vanished, but Luke’s body, having once been a god, seems to be in a special condition. So, you’re not an ordinary human.
So, I’m not a god, but I’m also not exactly human either.
“During that time, what happened to the others?”
– The others?
“My disciples and the others who followed me.”
– Ah… those kids who followed you.
She hesitated over something.
100 years had passed.
Even though no ordinary human should be able to live for 100 years…
They were playable characters and at the same time, powerful superhumans.
There was a setting that strong beings who reached a higher realm had extended lifespans, if I remember correctly.
– They are still around, though it’s a little ambiguous.
“Ambiguous?”
– Hmm… it might be better to see for yourself, but no, that would cause a ruckus again. What should I do?
Lilith pondered.
– Should I just bring them here?
Then Ignis interjected.
– Here? No way, there will be another war!
War?
What are they talking about?
“What do you mean by war? What happened?”
– Ah… right. I should start with that. After you left, a lot happened.
According to Lilith and Ignis, after Deus’s demise and my collapse, both of them fell into chaos.
So they had no time to worry about the other disciples.
Even though I hadn’t regained consciousness, when Deus’s energy started to reconstruct me, they could finally feel at ease and look around.
Then a religion sprang up that worshiped me as a ascended god.
It was the religion formed by those whom I used to travel with, Katorikus.
This was a separate religion from Christos, previously led by Lydia.
Aurelia became the Empress of the Nova Empire, while Simon rose to the position of the Pope of Katorikus, creating a theocratic state with two leaders, the Katorikus Holy Kingdom.
As a theocratic state worshiping the sole deity Deus and Saint Luke alongside her.
The heads of state were Empress Aurelia and Pope Simon.
Meanwhile, Christos, led by Lydia, carried out a victorious expedition against the previous Holy Kingdom and completely conquered it, gradually expanding its power to engulf the Calandra Empire.
Calandra Empire also transformed into a religious state worshiping Deus under High Priest Lydia.
Likewise, it became the theocratic state of Christos Law Country.
The head of state was High Priest Scala (Lydia).
Both nations worship Deus and share the aspect of regarding the book I wrote as scripture but differ in interpretation concerning me.
To be precise, those who regard only the book I wrote and a single Gospel as scripture are the Christos Law Country.
Conversely, those who accept my book alongside other Gospels written by the disciples are the Katorikus Holy Kingdom.
The part I wrote is considered the Old Testament, while the new part is the New Testament.
The new parts are stories that deal with my life.
It was truly shocking news.
I couldn’t believe my disciples had ended up that way.
I did remind Simon to take good care of the kids before I left, but I didn’t expect them to do so well.
The Christos Law Country regards Luke as a savior but simultaneously does not recognize the Gospel written by the disciples.
The only scripture they acknowledge is one, the Scala Gospel.
Lydia… is she perhaps upset because I didn’t meet her?
The one fortunate thing is that the war Lilith and Ignis talked about is not a conflict between the two law countries and the holy kingdoms.
Although they bicker back and forth, the tension between the Nova Empire and Calandra Empire, which were the two nations’ predecessors, didn’t make much of a difference.
The war was not against the two empires but against a third entity.
… It was when I finished hearing the story.
– Hmmm…
A voice echoed inside me.
– Luke?
Familiar voice.
The voice I had grown tired of hearing for 100 years while I was in a deep sleep.
“… Deus?”
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