Chapter 223: #I’m Your God, Number One!

It was a mysterious place, where time seemed to stand still. No matter how long he went without food or trained, he never felt hungry or exhausted. At first, he thought it was the perfect training ground—how wrong he was! The darkness, the void, the frozen time...

Despite his indomitable will, he still couldn’t escape this place. So far, the trials had been deadly, but at least he had a purpose—either enemies to fight or lives to save. He had nothing to do here. He was all alone. As more time passed, doubts began to creep.

Who was he?

He was a warrior of the Gayami Nation, bestowed with name and powers by God Yu Il-Shin. He challenged the Tower of Warriors to become stronger. He wished to protect his beloved saintess and his kin. He sought to defeat the ruthless empire and their emperor.

Was all of that true? Was he even real?

-

Kikiki!

Give up already!

-

Kiheeheehee!

You’re just like us!

What seemed to be illusions floated around him, laughing at him. He began to wonder if he, too, was an illusion. At some point, he stopped thinking altogether, likely as a self-defense mechanism. Half-assimilated in the void, Il-Ho wandered for what felt like an eternity.

Ding!

[The Great Cosmic Empire blockbuster Space God is now playing.]

Il-Ho thought it was just another illusion.

「Once upon a time, an evil, world-devouring God of Destroyer appeared in the Great Cosmic. He was slain by a great god, yet his alter ego remained, threatening the peace of the universe. To protect the world, Princess Esméralda used a forbidden technique and summoned an otherworldly warrior...」

The movie’s narration went on for a while, but Il-Ho’s mind was still blank.

-Warrior, open your eyes.

This voice...?

A familiar, great, and benevolent voice greeted his ears. Light returned to his eyes, albeit only briefly.

Tzzz!

A man with angelic wings, draped in holy robes, reprimanded a bloody, familiar-looking man lying on the ground.

-How much longer will you just stand there? Even as we speak, Princess Esméralda is dying under God of Destroyer’s curse, and the people of the Great Cosmic Empire are suffering.

“But, my Lord, the enemy is far too strong. I can’t defeat them with these weak muscles...”

-Il-Ho, your muscles aren’t weak—your mind is. No matter how strong you are, they'll be nothing but useless flesh if you stay soft.

Kwaaaa!

Suddenly, the landscape outside the battleship turned blood red.

Swoosh swoosh!

A meteor shower was raining down like a torrential downpour, threatening to devour everything. The muscled man trembled, like an ant facing an oncoming

tsunami.

In contrast, the other didn’t despair—he simply tore off his robe.

-Hear my words, as long as you persevere, muscles will never lose!

The eyes of the muscled man and Il-Ho grew wide simultaneously.

Alas,

how beautiful and majestic those muscles were! The ultimate set of muscles! The pinnacle of all muscles!

-

Muuuuuscles!

Showing off his explosive muscles, Yu Il-Shin raised his index finger toward the meteor shower.

-Crushing Forefinger of God!

“Wow, that’s so cool!”

The movie continued. The enlightened warrior took down God of Destroyer’s alter egos.

-Des...troy!

He won a life-and-death battle against the Four Daevas, alter egos that could unleash terrifying rays of destruction from their eyes. He even lifted Princess Esméralda’s curse. Peace seemed to have returned to the universe.

"Is that where the mastermind behind all this is?!"

The warrior stood atop the battleship that closed in on a skull-like planet at a tremendous speed. According to his information, the root of all evil was there—and it had to be eradicated!

“You! Are you the one behind all of this?! Show yourself! I, Warrior Il-Ho, will strike you in the name of God Yu Il-Shin!” the warrior roared, raising his giant dumbbell sword.

Then, the mastermind slowly revealed himself.

Pswoosh! Pswoosh!

A malevolent figure in a black helmet, emanating a bizarre steam, spoke to the warrior.

-Put your dumbbell down, Warrior.

“T-that voice...?! No! There's no way!” The warrior turned pale.

-There’s no escaping destiny.

Pswoosh!

The mastermind took off his helmet. Surprise and fear filled the warrior’s eyes, which were widening by the second.

-I am your father, no—

He made a declaration.

-Warrior Il-Ho, I'm your god!

The mastermind was none other than Yu Il-Shin, the god whom the warrior served! The unbelievably cruel reality made him fall into despair.

“

Nooooooo!

”

After suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of Yu Il-Shin, the warrior was saved by his fiancee, Esméralda. She, who was once an octopus, had transformed into the most beautiful woman in the universe.

Afterward, the warrior learned the whole truth from Esméralda. The one behind all of this was Malevolent Yu Yi-Shin, Yu Il-Shin’s evil alter ego. The real Yu ll-Shin was sealed through Yu Yi-Shin’s conspiracy.

By the time Il-Ho managed to wake his god, Yu Yi-Shin had attempted to marry Esméralda to rule the Great Cosmic.

-Esméralda, will you marry me?

“N-no! Warrior! Save me!”

-

Mwahaha,

just be mine, Princess!

Just before Yu Yi-Shin could put the ring on Esméralda’s finger, the warrior and God Yu Il-Shin crashed the wedding! And the last-ditch battle began!

-

Argh!

Il-Ho, let’s do the fusion!

“Yes, Lord Yu Il-Shin!

Puck puck!

”

-T-these muscles, could they be the u-ultimate muscles?

Gaaaah!

With the joint efforts of Il-Ho and God Yu Il-Shin, the evil god was defeated and peace was restored to the universe.

Ding!

[The movie Space God has ended. Would you like to rewatch it? (Yes/No)]

“Please...play it again...”

Il-Ho rewatched the movie countless times. In a world with nothing but void, it was akin to an oasis in the desert.

“Again! Again!”

Hundred, thousand, ten thousand times... In a world where the passage of time was meaningless, Il-Ho watched the movie endlessly.

“I am Warrior Il-Ho!”

He finally regained himself.

“Muscles! Muscles!”

Il-Ho flexed his bursting muscles. He raised his dumbbell sword, now as massive as a mountain that its weight was meaningless. Although he still didn’t have a clue how to overcome this trial, he had found a purpose—the ultimate muscles, just like in Space God.The movie was fictional, but airplanes were invented, and space travel—including walking on the moon—became possible because humans wondered what it felt like to fly like birds.

Indeed. Il-Ho realized that imagination was what created reality in this world of void.

"No matter how strong my muscles are, they'll be nothing but useless flesh if I stay soft!"

Reciting a line from the movie, Il-Ho swung his dumbbell sword. Truthfully, he wasn’t confident in himself at all, but he wasn’t ashamed of it. Why? Because God Yu Il-Shin said good muscles made it easier for the brain! Having watched the movie countless times, Il-Ho had memorized every line and scene, despite his dull mind. Heck, he could even act out Yi-Shin and Sam-Shin’s scenes!

“

Keke!

I’ll never get tired of watching it! Such a masterpiece of a movie!”

Ding!

Il-Ho was about to replay the movie again when a new message appeared.

The Great Cosmic was saved by Space God Yu Il-Shin and Warrior Il-Ho. However, the peace only lasted briefly! A premium blockbuster that exceeds its predecessor, set on Earth! An unprecedented great evil is making its descent! Space God II: Vicious Insect Lord is now live!

[Would you like to watch Space God II? (Yes/No)]

“What? Space God II?!”

Tears streamed down his cheeks as his heart raced in delight.

“Oh, God Yu Il-Shin,

puck puck!

I’ll watch it with utmost gratitude!” Il-Ho eagerly watched the movie.

His excitement was short-lived.

The screen showed a monster spewing dark red flames like an erupting volcano. No, calling that a

monster

would be an understatement. What should he call a being whose mere gesture summoned a typhoon and whose every step shook the ground?

At its feet lay a man and a child, bearing uncanny resemblances with God Yu Il-Shin. A hole opened in their chests, and their bodies were torn in half. A mountain of human bodies lay nearby. Though it was Il-Ho’s first time seeing him, he could recognize the monster right away.

“E-Emperor?!”

The emperor of the empire, who’d slaughtered Il-Ho’s kin and terrorized the entire continent! As Il-Ho shook with rage, he could hear the followers chanting to protect God Yu Il-Shin.

[All-Cutting Heavenly Sword frowns, clicking his tongue.]

[Infinite Abundance screams that granting the emperor such power violates the causality pact!]

[Silently Crawling Nightmare, brimming with bloodlust intent and fury, silently glowers at War of Carnage and Madness]

[War of Carnage and Madness says he hasn’t directly violated the pact, but merely granted his apostle the Blessings of War God in exchange for his life. He chuckles, taunting the other gods, saying that they’re free to challenge him if they’re still unhappy.]

Ssss!

The emperor’s tail slithered like a snake, lifting a dying man that was in shreds.

“

Uuugh...”

Although the man’s face was covered in blood, Il-Ho could still identify him.

The emperor lifted Yu Il-Shin to his eye level, saying, “It’s my win.”

“Damn it! If I only had more time...!”

“Loser’s talk. Die, Yu Il-Shin.”

Riiip!

Like a snake about to devour its prey, the emperor spread his jaw wide.

Il-Ho went blank.

“No! God Yu Il-

Shiiin!

”

He fell into despair, beating his chest. Blood and flesh burst forth from his chest, but physical pain meant nothing to Il-Ho at this point.

“

Aaargh!

What was I doing while God Yu Il-Shin was dying?! What a foolish, pathetic bastard I am! How can I call myself his warrior and apostle?!”

If only he could die in God Yu Il-Shin’s stead! If only he could become a shield to aid his god’s escape! Il-Ho would gladly offer up his life for God Yu Il-Shin!

-...wish for.

The voice was as small as an ant’s, but Il-Ho definitely heard it.

“Who is that?!”

Ding!

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

[Eternal Seeker, trapped in causality, asks once more if that’s what you truly wish for.]