77 Help. Please.

A couple hours have gone by since I first awoke in this amber I'm enshrined in. I haven't really done anything—I've mostly spent the two hours using my eyes to absorb everything that's happened in the past few months. 

And it's a lot. I mean, I've predicted what my spell would've done, but even then, seeing the scale of all the changes that happened is…enthralling, in a way. Because I did that! I'm the one who changed the world so fundamentally!

Then again, it all resulted in this conundrum I'm now stuck in.

It's…I don't mind having the Faith of over 7 billion people—I really don't. But all that Faith has been converted into Divine Energy, and the seed of divinity that once laid inside my chest had grown into a massive tree, eclipsing all other energies inside my body.

All except Primal Energy, that is.

And it's done some interesting things to me. Because for as much as the world around me has changed, I'm the one who has perhaps changed the most throughout it all.

I've physically reached my prime. I won't get any larger or taller than I am now. Not that I want to—I'm already tall enough as I am now. My hair is an unreal white, somehow glowing despite the shadows of the amber. Glowing white lines run all across my skin, now visible to everyone else. 

And I'll leave faint auroras as I walk. I'll…have to think up a spell to cover that up when I'm in public.

But more than that, my body has fully abandoned the mortal coil. I've reached the perfect combination of Body, Mind, and Soul. I might have a physical body, but my true 'Self' is stationed in the unseen Ether, unable to be harmed by any normal physical phenomena. 

Of course, it doesn't stop attacks that can puncture through naturalistic physics. It's not like I've fully escaped the 11 dimensions of the universe. Anyone capable of ascending past the 3-dimensional stage can hurt me.

Which isn't an easy thing to do. But there are still people capable of doing that. The Satans can do that. Yasaka and Nurarihyon can do that. Hell, even Dulio will be able to hurt me once he uses his Balance Breaker.

But hey, at least I can take an atomic bomb to the face and basically be fine.

…

I'm totally stalling, aren't I?

「Yes. You are.」

I grimace. It's just-, the moment I step out from this amber, the entirety of Kuoh will know. Even from a cursory glance, I identified nearly a hundred 'Alarms' set all around the amber and the shrine. The moment the amber becomes empty, they will sound, and the entire city will know.

And I was not shy about my plans. At least to those that live in this city. They'll know I'm the 'God' that caused the change. And though some will do so jokingly, many hold my name with genuine Faith. And it's just-

Ugh. 

「This was calculated.」My eyes helpfully chime in. 「Most favorable outcome has been achieved. Amount of Divine Energy gathered eclipses even the results gathered by previous Host.」

Doesn't mean it'll be easy though. Because the people have their ideas of what 'God' means, and I'll have to meet those expectations. 

…Fuu. 

Okay. Let's do this. Just…think of it as another job. I've done hundreds of meetings before. I've held up my mask of elegance and dignity for longer than I can immediately remember. It's going to be like that, just at a larger scale. It'll be familiar. I can do this.

It's evening outside. The number of worshippers have yet to dwindle. If anything, there are more people praying and kneeling before the plantation that's covering me. 

One moment, all is calm.

Then suddenly, the giant tree around my amber splits in half, the tight coils of roots unwrapping themselves. The people watch in awe as my amber comes into view, and they all gasp as the amber is suddenly cut right through its center, splitting it into two halves. The casing falls apart, and the liquid splashes onto the ground.

And yet I remain untouched, the white robes worn over me pristine and dry. I take a step forward, and a faint aurora trails behind my shoulders. Sparks fall just behind me, and phantasmal flowers begin blooming as I walk.

They all watch in awe. Some have already brought out their phones and began recording. I do my best to ignore it all as I walk.

I'm in a shrine of some kind, built right at the center of Kuoh. And as I walk past the beautifully kept gardens grown around the shrine, I come face to face with Kuoh.

Or, specifically, I come to see all the Stray Exorcists Dulio had brought here. They stare at me with awe, and together, they fall to their knees in prayer. Just behind them are all manners of Youkai, and the adoration in their eyes is clearly seen. And far behind them are the people of Kuoh, watching as their 'God' finally wakes.

I smile politely at them all, and I do my best not to cringe all the while.

And there, at the end of the trail is Dulio. He's dressed rather fancily for once, donning a robe fit for a pope. But instead of white and yellow, his is colored in deep blacks and vintage purples. It almost seems to mirror the design of the armor I like to wear at times, just retrofitted into a priest's robe.

He smiles. "Welcome back, My Lord."

I smile back, hoping a grimace doesn't break through. "Thank you, Sir Dulio."

「Citizens of Host's Empire are awaiting for Designated 'Blessing' to affirm Faith.」

I hold back the massive urge to groan. Instead, I raise my hand to the sky, and threads of blues and whites swirl around my arm as the clear skies are suddenly set alight. All manners of colors are painted across the sky, and with a snap, the aurora that just recently faded suddenly returns.

The people watch in awe as sparks begin falling down onto the city like falling snow, and those touched by it are suddenly empowered. 

But it isn't just that.

Any minor injuries are healed immediately. More grievous injuries and scars begin healing. Hunger and thirst suddenly fade. Exhaustion is blown away. 

It's similar to the aurora my spell had created months before, but this one is actually permanent. It's a magical construct formed by Mana, further empowered by Primal Energy and Ki, and made permanent by Divine Energy. 

I was slightly worried that the whole sky would've exploded or something, but the evolution my body went through as I slept finally allowed me to weave Primal Energy and Divine Energy together without it immediately exploding. It still isn't an easy process—my head is ringing horribly from doing that—but it's doable.

I take a breath. My chest feels all tingly. I can feel Faith from all over gathering into me. Because though Kuoh only has a population in the thousands, those who'd been recording have shared those videos to millions.

I'm growing stronger by the second, and without really doing anything. It's…an odd feeling.

But then something unexpected happens. An elderly man runs past the crowd and prostrates himself before me. He sings his praises, and with tears in his eyes, he thanks me for saving him from the terminal cancer he'd been suffering for the past few years.

It cascades from there.

A woman comes up and thanks me for blessing her child with magical powers. A child appears and sings his praises for helping his older sister through her chemotherapy. A pair of husband and wife come before me, and they thank me for keeping their recently born child healthy despite what the doctors have said.

And then more people come. And even more people come. And at some point some of the Youkais begin falling to their knees as well, having been blessed by my spell just like the rest. Some Devils even do the same, presenting their Faith despite their nature.

It's at that point that I realize my mistake.

While I floated in the amber, I'd been wondering about a slight dissonance I felt regarding my growing divinity. I'd received the Faith of Humanity, but if all that Faith is to be translated into Divine Energy, that still isn't enough to account for all the Divine Energy I got. Even if I included the Youkais it won't be enough—there aren't all the many Youkais in the first place.

I realize then that it comes from the Devils. Because though they can't present their Faith for the Christian God, I'm not actually 'God'. I'm a different divine entity entirely, and that means the defense mechanism YHWH set up against the Devils doesn't apply for me.

I'd missed it completely, having skipped over the Devils during my information gathering.

So now I can only stand there, with over a thousand people from all manners of races and backgrounds praying in my name. Beyond that, I can feel tens of thousands more praying to me from all over the world, their Faith carried across the skies and towards my being.

Once more, the tree of divinity within me grows. 

And all I can do is stand still, softly trying to get everyone to stop but without seeming pushy or awkward.

As one might expect, it isn't working. My words are lost amongst the sea of praises and prayers.

So, as gracefully as I can, I turn my eyes up to the skies and smile.

"Help." I whisper, hoping the deceased spirit of YHWH can respond to give me some advice. "Please."

「Playing recorded Message from YHWH-」

「"Have fun, my child!"」

…

aaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-