Chapter 12
What is going on here?
Bahamut felt like he was about to lose his mind when he saw the cult member prostrated around Yuna.
Yes, just what had happened for things to become so twisted like this?
‘Where did it all go wrong?’
Bahamut recalled the time when he arrived in Gyeongju.
At that time, Yuna followed Bahamut’s words and contacted various survivors to gather them.
Seeing her actions, Bahamut thought, “At least Yuna is following my words well.” But such complacent thoughts were shattered as soon as she met the first survivor.
“Do you believe in God?”
“What?”
At first, she suddenly asked a survivor wandering the streets whether they believed in God.
“We haven’t been abandoned by anyone. So, even though we have not sinned, the reason our lives are so miserable… it’s not a divine trial.”
“W-What? Is this woman crazy?”
She preached that the zombie apocalypse was not a result of any sin.
Her appearance was exactly… “Then what is this phenomenon?”
“It’s simply bad luck.”
“Heck. Are you from some doomsday cult risking your life to preach everywhere?”
It was the very approach of a cult’s evangelizing method!
Bahamut could only silently facepalm at the sight!
‘To think we’d be called a doomsday cult.’
As the name of the most infamous cult in South Korea was mentioned, Bahamut was shocked and disheartened on the spot.
He never imagined they would be insulted as one of those cultists.
‘But I can’t deny it! The fact that I can’t deny it makes it even more frustrating!’
But unfortunately, Bahamut could not refute the survivor’s harsh words!
No matter how he looked at it, the current Yuna appeared to be nothing more than a religious fanatic.
It was no surprise that she was being labeled as a cultist.
‘Yes. No matter how you look at it, it’s a cult. Ahaha. The sky is so clear!’
Objectively, Yuna’s actions were no different from a strange woman you’d see in Noryangjin, spouting nonsense to passing citizens while claiming to deliver good words.
T/n: Noryangjin-dong is a Dong/neighbourhood of Dongjak-gu in Seoul, South Korea.
Bahamut felt embarrassment towards Yuna and covered his face!
“A cult? Haha. I am not someone who believes in false gods and preaches false teachings. I believe in a true god. I am the priestess of the dragon.”
“You’re no different from them! You don’t have the power to change this damn reality.”
“Our god has that power. So, order will surely be restored. A new city will rise from this ruined one. That’s the world we desire.”
“You don’t make any sense! Just leave. I’ll let you go, so get out of here.”
As if he couldn’t understand a word she was saying, the survivor became frightened and drove Yuna away.
Driven away and thrown into the streets, Yuna stared blankly at the place where the survivor had been.
She had an expression that seemed to say, “Why wouldn’t they accept such a good offer?”—a look of utter incomprehension.
‘Yes. As expected. But more importantly, when did I become the god of a cult?’
Of course, Yuna couldn’t understand the situation, but Bahamut saw it as a predestined outcome.
And suddenly, he found himself lamenting that he had become a deity of a cult.
[If it’s too hard, you can stop anytime. After all, there are many other ways.]
Bahamut suggested to Yuna that she could stop anytime if she wanted to, implying that it might be better to try a different approach since she was being rejected everywhere.
“No, it’s fine. I also want to prove something in Gyeongju. This is a trial of proof. A trial to determine whether I am qualified to lead the survivor camps in Gyeongju.”
‘Oh, okay.’
With newfound determination, Yuna declared that she would persuade them no matter what.
It was a declaration of unwavering resolve, but to Bahamut, it felt like he wanted to ask why she was making such a resolution here.
However, fortunately for Bahamut, all the normal survivors Yuna approached refused her suggestions.
“The world has become truly harsh. To think there are so few who want a new order.”
‘They probably want rebuilding, but, well… your approach is a bit…’
Yuna had contacted most of the survivor camps in Gyeongju, and most of them either politely declined or outright rejected her with anger.
Some even wanted to recruit Yuna, the healer, into their camp, but Yuna turned down all such offers and left.
In the end, Yuna lamented that the world had become tough, without any achievements to show for her efforts, but it was half her own fault.
Bahamut considered whether to mention the truth to Yuna directly.
“But then, there’s also a new cult with believers who follow a false god! They can’t even compare to the mighty Bahamut, yet they’re expanding their influence during this crisis. Envy… No, it’s unforgivable!”
[W-Well, never mind.]
Yuna mentioned to Bahamut that, while contacting survivor camps, she encountered a cult that was expanding its influence by taking advantage of the zombie apocalypse.
The cult seemed to have some success, as the number of believers increased, and Yuna was beginning to envy their evangelizing methods.
Seeing Yuna slowly becoming more cult-like herself, Bahamut eventually decided to take a more objective approach rather than directly addressing the issue.
[First of all, people are naturally sceptical. Unless we prove our worth to the survivors in Gyeongju, no one will follow us.]
“Then why do they follow the cult?”
[Obviously, the cult has proven its worth to the survivors. They made it seem like following their teachings would provide some benefits.]
Indeed, the cult Yuna encountered offered food or protection from the disaster to those who joined.
Bahamut explained that it was something of value that survivors found appealing, and Yuna pondered his advice.
“You’re not wrong. I just told them to follow my god without any conditions.”
[Exactly. We’ve proven nothing. So, people won’t follow us.]
Nodding her head, she acknowledged it cleanly.
Unlike the cult’s method, Yuna’s preaching only demanded followers to accept Bahamut, promising immediate salvation, but offered no tangible benefits to the survivors.
Realizing this, she understood that she needed to change her approach.
“Proof, huh.”
The way to gain recognition or followers among people in the zombie apocalypse…
“It’s power. If my god descends upon Gyeongju, everyone would recognize us.”
[Huh?]
She thought that if Bahamut descended upon Gyeongju, everyone would follow him.
Bahamut was bewildered by her sudden leap in logic.
‘Oh? Well, it’s not entirely wrong.’
After all, it wasn’t completely incorrect.
If Bahamut, with his enormous body over 50 meters tall, appeared in Gyeongju, he could easily subdue all the survivor camps with his overwhelming presence.
‘But wouldn’t that make him humanity’s enemy?’
However, Bahamut considered that this would inevitably lead him down the path of becoming an enemy of humanity.
Bahamut hoped to interact with humanity as peacefully as possible, and he wanted to avoid the situation where he would appear in Gyeongju only to be met with hostility from humans.
So, he made a contract with Choi Yuna, appointing her as his representative and sending her down to Gyeongju.
‘But if I change the approach, wouldn’t there be plenty of opportunities for me to step in?’
Of course, he didn’t intend to avoid involvement entirely, and he planned to intervene when necessary.
Bahamut considered Yuna’s proposal with a curious expression and soon came up with an idea.
[You’re not wrong. If I can make my presence known to the survivors in Gyeongju, it would make things much easier for us.]
“So then?”
[But everything must follow a proper order. First, I need to set a time for my descent and inform all the survivors in Gyeongju that I will descend.]
Of course, there was an order to everything.
He had to let all the survivors know about his presence and ensure they understood that he was friendly.
He emphasized that this information had to reach all the survivors in Gyeongju…
[It’s quite a challenging task to do alone. So, it’s best to find allies first…]
“Oh, if that’s the case, I have a good idea.”
Just as Bahamut was advising Yuna to find some reliable allies, Yuna herself claimed to have a great idea.
[Huh? A good idea?]
“Yes. It looks like you need people to spread the word in Gyeongju. Why not use those who hold false beliefs for this task?”
‘What is she talking about now?’
Bahamut couldn’t understand what she meant.
But he soon had to understand through Yuna’s actions.
With a bright expression as if she had everything planned, Yuna approached a cult member who was preaching their faith on the streets…
“Take me to your headquarters immediately.”
“Eek! Yes!”
‘What is this? What’s going on here?’
Yuna quickly subdued the cult members who were risking their lives to preach on the streets of Gyeongju and used one of them as a guide to head toward the church they used as their headquarters.
“Tell your leader to come out.”
“An intruder!!!”
Upon arriving at the church, Yuna released the captured cult members, allowing them to enter the church. Naturally, the cult was thrown into chaos upon the report from their members.
To confront the sudden intruder, the cult’s awakened members bravely stepped forward to face Yuna.
[Y-Yuna?]
“Don’t worry, my Lord. I won’t kill them.”
A beam of light shot from Yuna’s index finger, piercing through the bodies of the cult’s awakened members.
All those who had stepped forward to protect their place were swiftly defeated by Yuna’s Unades Beam and fell.
After easily subduing the awakened members, Yuna walked into the church with a smile, and as she entered, the cult leader began to flee in terror.
“Bind.”
“Eek!?”
But even though he tried to escape, there was no escaping Yuna!
“Where do you think you’re running off to?”
It was already too late!
The cult leader’s escape was impossible!
Yuna used binding magic to restrain the cult leader on the spot, and he was subdued without being able to take a single step outside.
And the cult members who witnessed the scene couldn’t even muster a scream, staring in horror and remaining silent.
“W-What business do you have with our Shinchonji?”
T/n: Shinchonji or “New Heaven and Earth”. It is the name of a religious group in South Korea known formally as Shinchonji Church of Jesus.
“Aha. So, this cult’s name is Shinchonji. No wonder your activities have been a nuisance. Now, there’s even less reason for me to spare you.”
‘That… wasn’t that the anti-government group that caused a huge ruckus a few years ago due to a plague? And now we’re being called that?’
It was a cult known as an anti-establishment group by the government.
Bahamut was astonished to learn of their presence in Gyeongju, and Yuna ruthlessly silenced the cult leader by stepping on his mouth.
“We didn’t do anything wrong…!”
“Shut up. From today, this church and its followers are all under my control.”
Yuna declared that the church and all its followers were hers.
The cult leader was horrified by Yuna’s bold declaration.
“What kind of nonsense is this…?”
“Do you have any objections?”
“N-No… I have no objections.”
But the law was far, and the fist was near.
Yuna showed no willingness to negotiate, pointing her finger as if threatening to destroy everything if they did not accept her proposal, and the cult leader, faced with her ferocity, bowed his head in silence.
It was practically a sign of surrender, and Yuna, confirming the cult leader’s submission, smiled brightly and addressed the remaining cult members who had witnessed everything.
“Well then. From today, as you receive protection from my god, I have a prophecy to share with you all. Yes, the promised day.”
Confusion. Shock. Fear.
Even with countless eyes staring at her, Yuna’s expression remained unchanged as she said what she wanted.
Her words were both a prophecy and a promise.
“A few days from now, my god will descend upon Gyeongju. I will give you a choice. Will you continue to follow your false god, or will you live by following the true god? The choice is yours.”
Of course, even after hearing this, she emphasized that the choice was theirs.
She even said it was okay if they continued to believe in Shinchonji, but the cult members didn’t dare think of opposing her.
“Oh, and while you’re here, I’ll protect you. In return, you’ll have to do a few tasks for me.”
“……”
But just like the previous cult, the promise to protect them was enough to earn their silent approval.
With this, Yuna took control of an entire cult, gaining command over all the cult members and awakened ones within it.
“I should have done this from the start! What a waste of effort!”
She widely advertised the prophecy and promise through the cult, and now the cult members were probably spreading her message throughout Gyeongju.
The cult, being a relatively comfortable group, even used the internet to promote Yuna’s promise in online communities.
“By using the Shinchonji cult, our promise has probably spread throughout the Gyeongju Community!”
[And you continued contacting other survivors.]
“Of course! Now, all that’s left is to prove our strength. Then everything will be perfect.”
Bahamut, who had been watching from the side, let out a sigh.
But at the same time, seeing Yuna’s extreme actions, he found himself thinking.
‘Have I been too focused on doing everything the right way?’
He suddenly realized that his pursuit of righteousness had made Yuna’s actions overly restricted.
Under normal circumstances, he might have rebuked her right away, but now they were facing a national disaster in the form of a zombie apocalypse.
The national order had already collapsed, with anti-establishment cults like Shinchonji running rampant, and man-eating zombies still prowling the city.
In such a grim situation, urging Yuna to pursue only righteousness seemed… unrealistic.
So, he decided it might be better to use even a cult for the time being, if necessary, and aligned himself with Yuna’s plan.
[…Yes. Now we need to prove it. Since you are my contractor, I swore to take responsibility until the end.]
Moreover, since he had already made a contract, he vowed to respect and support Yuna’s choices.
“Ugh… Hehehehe. I can’t wait for the day when my god’s power is displayed to everyone in Gyeongju.”
Yuna laughed wickedly in anticipation of that day.
‘Well. The cult structure is temporary. After that day, we’ll surely switch to a more legitimate approach.’
Bahamut thought somewhat optimistically as he listened to Yuna’s laughter.
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