Ubermensch – Chapter 158

Chapter 158

After returning to Nodens’ dimension, Mason showed Deroa his territory, Mars.

“So this is Mars, and…”

Deroa looked at the rebuilt Mars with a dubious expression.

“…Those Murim people are Martians?”

“No, not the planet Mars, but Hwaseong in Gyeonggi Province.”

“Why are Murim people living in Hwaseong?”

“Because Seoul fell.”

The more they talked, the more confusing it felt.

Deroa decided to let it go for now.

“What’s that robot over there?”

“My personal mecha. It’s a modified Soldier called Champion. It’s a robot that runs on divine power. It can even teleport itself.”

“Murim people and a divine power robot…?”

Deroa decided to let it go for now.

“Isn’t that floating in the sky the Ghost Dragon?”

“Right. It’s on our side.”

“…How did that happen?”

“The Lich was actually the Goddess of Life, and the Ghost Dragon was an escape spaceship built to transport souls to another dimension.”

“Murim people, a divine power robot, and a raid boss that used to be our enemy…?”

“…”

Deroa decided to let it go for now.

“And who is that person over there?”

“Cú Chulainn. He’s my warrior.”

“Nice to meet you, High Priestess. I am Cú Chulainn, the son of Lugh, the warrior of the noble Oztalon.”

Deroa blinked.

“Who’s Oztalon?”

“Me.”

“Isn’t that a god from the Cthulhu mythos?”

“Right. The owner of this dimension is Nodens. He’s also the leader of our side.”

“So Murim people, a divine power robot, the Ghost Dragon that used to be our enemy, and a hero from Irish mythology are all under the command of an Elder God from Lovecraft’s universe…?”

Deroa frowned.

“This is a mess.”

“It turned out this way because the remnants of defeated armies gathered here.”

“…Do you have any alcohol? I can’t handle this sober.”

“You can pray to that divine statue over there.”

“Are you kidding me?”

Deroa kicked Mason’s shin as she spoke.

“Pray? Do I look like I came all the way here to pray?”

Mason stammered.

“I’m serious. If you pray, you get alcohol.”

While Deroa was watching, a woman prayed in front of the divine statue.

“Oh magnificent Nodens, please grant me my daily bread!”

Then, a steaming plate of dumplings appeared on Nodens’ palm. The woman took the plate of dumplings with a familiar gesture.

“…”

“…”

Deroa sighed and approached the statue.

Standing in an awkward posture, she clasped her hands together with a dubious expression.

“Uh… um… give me alcohol.”

Naturally, the divine statue did not react.

Because it wasn’t a prayer.

Deroa shouted in annoyance.

“Hey! Big guy! This vending machine is broken!”

Cú Chulainn whispered to Mason.

“…Is she really the High Priestess?”

“She, she just needs to adjust. Trust me.”

Mason spoke in a persuasive tone.

“You have to pray. Pray. Pray to the magnificent Nodens.”

Deroa grumbled and prayed.

“Uh… Oh magnificent Nodens, please give me some amazing whiskey to drink?”

Then, something appeared on Nodens’ palm.

Deroa said in surprise.

“Aaron 25 Single Malt? This is my favorite!”

“See? Praying can be worth it.”

“Not bad!”

Deroa giggled and drank the alcohol.

“Ah, that’s the taste.”

“This is a faith-based civilization, not a science-based one, so most things are created through prayer.”

“You mean instead of washing machines and refrigerators, they create clean clothes and cold drinks?”

“Yes. Most household appliances are divine statues.”

“Heh. What a strange world.”

“Oh, and one important thing.”

Mason spoke with a serious expression.

“Don’t touch the cat statue carelessly.”

“…?”

Deroa asked with a puzzled expression.

“Cat statue? Which god’s statue is it?”

“Bastet.”

“Hee…”

Deroa, who was well-versed in the Cthulhu mythos, smirked.

‘He’s going to use it…’

Mason sighed.

As Deroa went to her quarters, the President and Cú Chulainn were looking at Mason with a subtle expression.

“…Why?”

“No… I’m just wondering if he’s the same god we know…”

The Oztalon that the President and Cú Chulainn had seen was a noble and dignified god of war and protection. However, the Mason before Deroa appeared to be an ordinary young man, unpretentious and full of laughter.

“Are you disappointed?”

“As a follower, I am disappointed. But as a person, he seems likable.”

The President spoke with a calm smile.

“Whether you’re a god or a king, it’s not common to have a friend you can share your heart with.”

“Yes. Thank you for seeing it that way.”

Mason smiled.

“It seems like good people have gathered in my temple.”

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Mason thus organized his temple.

Deroa, who was originally a mage, and a genius at that, was an expert in the flow of power.

“Heavenly Demon Divine Palm? Isn’t it roughly like this?”

She quickly grasped the Heavenly Demon Divine Palm, which Mason and the President had been struggling with, and even completed a reinterpretation of it, using divine power instead of internal energy.

“Here, try it.”

Mason used the Heavenly Demon Divine Palm.

Rumble!

“Oh…”

It had the firepower of Champion’s beam rifle.

With this, he could even compete with a Soldier barehanded.

“How did you interpret it?”

“Sense. And fluid mechanics.”

As a modern person, Deroa had superior knowledge of mathematics and science compared to Murim people. Enough to understand what Murim people couldn’t explain.

“Mathematics and science are great, but above all…”

Aside from Mason, the President was a Murim person who had dedicated his entire life to martial arts. He was amazed by Deroa’s talent, which surpassed his own martial arts in an instant.

“You have great talent.”

“What? It’s a natural compliment.”

“…Shouldn’t you say it’s an exaggeration?”

“What’s wrong with hearing that I’m good because I’m good? Why should I be humble?”

Looking at Deroa, whose pride had grown, the President laughed.

“She’s just like Pacheonshinma in terms of personality.”

“Pacheonshinma? Who’s that?”

“You, in our world.”

“Then she’s the one who resembles me!”

Deroa said with a confident expression.

Deroa, with her outgoing and cheerful personality, was breathing new life into Oztalon’s temple, which had been filled with a heavy atmosphere due to being a gathering of defeated soldiers and survivors.

It was during one such day.

“Oztalon.”

“Nodens.”

Nodens visited Mars.

He glanced at Deroa and said.

“It seems you chose your High Priestess well.”

“Yes.”

“Then all that’s left is to recruit your divine army, and your temple will be complete.”

“Divine army.”

Mason crossed his arms.

“What exactly do you mean? Do you mean I should train soldiers among my followers?”

“That’s one way, but I don’t recommend it. Your followers are resources that generate faith, the foundation of divine power. And you have a bad habit of valuing human life too much.”

“Then what do you want me to do?”

“I want to use my Nightgaunts as an example.”

Nodens was the most powerful being in the entire universe and across all dimensions. Nevertheless, he commanded creatures called Nightgaunts.

It wasn’t because of the Nightgaunts’ military power.

Even if the Nightgaunts gathered in numbers equal to the stars, they wouldn’t be able to subdue Nodens.

“There’s a saying, ‘The right person in the right place.’ Even if we are gods, there are times when numbers are more important than power itself. There are times and places where mass-produced consumables are needed.”

But there were many places where Nightgaunts were used, such as guards, guides, and so on. In ways other than combat.

“So?”

“You also need the power of numbers.”

As Mason was about to say something, Nodens spoke before him.

“To fight the Destroyer.”

“…”

Mason closed his mouth.

He looked at Nodens with a burning gaze, different from before.

“Where can I get an army?”

“There are those who have a connection with you.”

“Send me there.”

“It’s a world destined for destruction.”

Mason was silent for a moment, then nodded.

“…Alright.”

Nodens looked at the ground.

Then, a magic circle was drawn, and a dimensional gate was created in the air.

“Go.”

Nodens said with a calm expression.

“Go find your army.”

Mason went through the dimensional gate.

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It was a land covered in lush greenery.

Unfamiliar, but teeming with life, the plants. A fragrant aroma and freshness filled the air.

Mason looked around.

As expected, the Destroyer’s Grasp was approaching in the sky.

This world, too, was a world where the Destroyer’s evil claws were reaching out.

Who would he meet?

He didn’t know for sure, but it was certain that they would be people who had lost their homes.

Mason looked around with a mixture of curiosity and pity in his eyes.

At that moment, the ground around him suddenly rose up.

Humanoid structures made of wood and giant structures made of stone and earth surrounded Mason.

“Kuooooooooo!”

Even as he saw them screaming, Mason stood still with his arms crossed.

He hadn’t come to fight.

He had come to find an army that would fight alongside him.

As Mason stood still, the wooden figures approached and surrounded him. As they held hands, they transformed into a wooden frame that engulfed Mason.

Mason calmly accepted their actions.

Then, the wooden figures and earthen figures began to move somewhere.

It was a city made of grass and trees. The grass had grown into houses, and the giant tree in the center was connected by spiderweb rails. Caterpillar-like trains loaded with goods moved quickly along the spiderwebs.

It was a highly advanced civilization, built with grass and trees, that had developed in a completely different direction from humanity, which had built everything with iron and stone.

However, a chaotic busyness filled their city.

It seemed they were preparing to evacuate.

And the place they arrived at, after crossing the center of the city, was a building built with a giant skull the size of a building. It seemed to be a kind of temple.

As they entered, the wooden figures and earthen figures returned to nature.

And in the center of the temple stood an insect-like alien, adorned in beautiful and delicate silk clothes.

Looking at the creature with a mantis head and six arms, Mason realized.

That he wasn’t a stranger.

And the tree standing in the center of the city, too.

Mason realized.

“The World Tree…”

He had arrived at the civilization that had launched the terraforming machine/spaceship called the Great Eater.

“And Hope…”

Mason looked at the alien.

“Welcome to our city, foreign god. I am Teshub, the mayor of this city, Nymphassil.”

Teshub made a clicking sound. He could understand that it was some kind of gesture, but he couldn’t tell if it was a friendly or hostile one.

“We have a connection, don’t we?”

Click.

Teshub’s beady eyes were fixed on Mason.