Chapter 97: The time of awakening.

Isn’t this the end of my level-up here?

Since the goddess is weak, I probably can’t level up anymore.

-You’ve regained enough power here. Surprisingly, that broadcast had a big impact.

As expected of a goddess.

Wow, amazing!

Finally, I got to see a real goddess again after so long.

This time, it was a goddess that truly existed, right before my eyes.

Perhaps because it was the time of my awakening, I was able to see her.

“Come forth. My first believer, the saintess of the Kanora Church.”

“Oh, it’s nice to meet you in person.”

I was really glad.

So much so that I wanted to touch her right away!

As expected, this goddess is beautiful.

That’s why she made my body this beautiful.

I openly looked her up and down.

Very slyly, from top to bottom.

Hehe, I like it.

“No matter how perfect my appearance may be, you must respect certain boundaries. If you look at a goddess up and down like that, how are you different from that vile Horse ?”

The Horse is merely a perverted beast, constantly in heat, trying to assault people with its grotesque appendages.

But I’m different.

What I crave is only self-love.

So, of course, I’m drawn to the goddess’s body, which is the original model of mine.

Thus, I decided to explain my reasoning.

“You created this body, didn’t you, Goddess?”

“Yes.”

“Then this body is the goddess’s, and you gave it to me, right?”

“Yes.”

Great, great.

I just need to proceed step by step like this.

“So doesn’t that mean the body you’re using right now is also mine?”

“Where in the world did you come up with such nonsense?”

It’s not nonsense.

It’s perfectly logical.

“I don’t think I’m wrong, though.”

“No, that’s just—”

“No, seriously, this isn’t nonsense. Since you gave me your body, that means your current body should be mine too, right?”

This isn’t nonsense at all.

In fact, this is all because of the goddess’s own actions.

She gave me a body like this, so it’s only natural that I’m attracted to the original.

Isn’t it fair to be honest about it?

“That’s not—”

Well, if that’s how she wants to play, I’ll have to use a little intimidation.

“Hohoho. Thanks to this lovely believer, the Kanora Church is flourishing. Honestly, without me, Kanora Church would have been doomed. Isn’t that right?”

She has to admit this.

It’s only human decency.

“I didn’t want this kind of resurgence! It took so much effort to regain my power because my domain changed!”

“All thanks to me, isn’t it?”

No matter the reason, it all comes back to me.

Without me, how could Kanora Church have revived out here in the boonies?

And didn’t she follow me because the church would fall apart without me?

“Yes, everything is thanks to you! And it’s true that your appearance is part of why the church is gaining followers. I saw earlier; there were all sorts of comments about your ‘figure’!”

Honestly, who wouldn’t be drawn to this body?

And speaking of the revealing saintess outfit, wasn’t that also her doing?

“You said these outfits were normal by the goddess’s standards, didn’t you? So why change your tune now?”

“Yes, I know. But I took all that in, so you shouldn’t be asking for my body!”

“Then let me ask the reverse.”

“Huh?”

“If I, with this appearance, say I’ll destroy Kanora Church? And to be fair, you’re using me to achieve your goal of defeating the Demon King, right? Think about all I’ve been through!”

Honestly, considering what I’ve been through, the goddess should willingly offer her body to me out of gratitude.

“No, but—”

“Excuse me, isn’t the goddess a divine being? Why are you even arguing with a human?”

In the end, the goddess couldn’t withstand my intimidation and had to endure me exploring her body in various ways.

And what I discovered was that her body was indeed the same as mine, in every sense of the word.

I might just be the first person in the world to experience the goddess’s body.

“So, how do I level up now?”

“Ugh, maybe I chose the wrong saintess…”

Still, I’m grateful.

But in this situation, I need to assert dominance to avoid getting trampled.

“Answer me. Or do you want to go through that again?”

“It’s not difficult. You’ve already gained angel wings and a halo, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll use that as a foundation to make you into an angel.”

Make me into an angel?

“Like a Valkyrie?”

“No, don’t get it mixed up with that mythology! Anyway, you’re going to become very powerful.”

“Are we going right now?”

I’m ready.

Even just to take out my frustrations, I’ll become an angel and crush the Demon King.

If what the hero said is true, the Demon King is the weakest of the gods, banished to the mortal world, pretending to be tough in front of humans.

There’s no way I can lose to someone like that!

“But we need to do it properly.”

“Huh?”

“So, you need to build your achievements.”

Achievements?

Even if I haven’t killed the Demon King yet, I’ve done so much already.

Honestly, with all the good deeds I’ve accomplished in that other world, my name should go down in history as one of the greatest saints.

Didn’t I stop marriage fraud, drug wars, and dark magic all before the Hero Party got involved?

“What achievements? I’ve done enough already.”

“To become an angel, to become a true follower of mine, there is something you must go through. That’s what I mean.”

Do I still lack something to become an angel?

Honestly, this is a bit much.

I’ve worked hard—what more do I need?

“What is it?”

“There’s a revolutionary leader among the returnees, right?”

“Yes.”

Why bring him up now?

“The wave of freedom he started has plunged the whole world into war. It’s incomparable to something like Earth’s world wars.”

“Really?”

Just how bad is it?

“They call it the Red and Blue Ideologies. As the Blue Ideology began to spread, people started to rise up, and the entire world divided into two factions, waging war against each other.”

The goddess suddenly projected a screen behind her.

It showed the revolutionary leader’s world, like a CCTV display of various regions engulfed in continuous war.

Honestly, it’s none of my business.

“Uh, but if the Blue Ideology hadn’t spread, wouldn’t the people have just kept getting crushed by the red dictators?”

Honestly, that’s the truth.

That ideology, in the end, preaches equality, but the ones on top are just sucking everything dry, right?

Isn’t it better to rise up and fight than to stay oppressed?

“That’s true, you’re not wrong. But the problem is that the war is intensifying. Earth hasn’t had a global-scale war since the Korean War, and even that was just three years. Meanwhile, that world has been at war for over ten years now, with the whole world involved.”

So, that place is really in trouble?

“And so?”

“People turn to gods in times of hardship. So many people have been driven out of their homes by the war.”

Oh, is this goddess planning to spread her faith to another world as well?

She’s quite clever.

“Ah, so in short, you want me to spread Kanora’s faith there?”

“That’s right, but I’ll leave that to you, my faithful follower. I’ll set it up like a dungeon, similar to how the Demon King does it.”

A dungeon, huh?

As long as it’s not as awful as the southern gate, that sounds fine.

“How?”

“Just think of it as a dungeon that connects to that world.”

She must’ve gained a lot of power to be able to do something like that.

“Oh, that sounds good. But did the revolutionary leader not finish his mission?”

“Correct. To be precise, he lit the fire of revolution and then left.”

The goddess showed me the revolutionary leader’s last moments.

He seemed to be quite a big deal in that world.

Dressed in a long black coat with his hat pulled low, he looked like a character straight out of a comic.

He preached about freedom and tyranny to people being exploited like slaves, educating them on what freedom and dictatorship truly meant.

His ability allowed him to spread his ideas and will to others through words or writing, which quickly spread throughout his surroundings.

-Commander comrade! The goal is within sight!

-Good. Let us overthrow the tyrants who oppress the workers under the guise of abolishing private property and destroying the class system!

-Long live the commander comrade! Long live the Free Western Army!

-Commander comrade,” huh? This revolutionary leader was impressive.

The revolutionary leader organized the Free Western Army to finally put an end to the red society and overthrow the tyrants, but then he was assassinated by a spy.

Bang!

“Gah!”

After being shot and killed, the wave of freedom splintered, but the people in their respective regions rose as new powers to oppose the Red Ideology.

It resembled the Cold War on Earth but continued with armed conflicts.

“That’s unfortunate.”

“He couldn’t achieve his great vision before he left. But since he died in that world and returned to Earth, there’s a catch.”

“And that is?”

“You’ll have to do this alone. The revolutionary leader can’t go back to that world—it would cause a significant distortion in space and time.”

“Uh, that’s a bit much.”

So this awakening quest has to be done solo?

At least give me something useful to work with.

But the goddess shook her head vigorously.

“Don’t worry, I’ve already spoon-fed you most of what you need.”

“Wait, what does that mean?”

I feel like my brain is slowing down for a second.

“Let’s get started right away.”

Wait, what?

Right away?

“How long do I have?”

“Until it’s done. Here we go!”

The goddess reached out toward me, and a bright light flashed.

And with that, I felt my consciousness rising before it started to sink.

I’m sure she’s still holding a grudge about me messing with her earlier.

Just you wait.

I’ll definitely get my revenge after this awakening!