Only God

"It could be said," the "deceased" regarded Oren as if he were Divine, seeing him as the only hope to expose the lies of the Netherworld.

The rapid growth of the society provided Oren and Veldor with the perfect opportunity to incite the "deceased" to rebellion.

"The time has come; success or failure hinges on today."

Oren proclaimed loudly as he and Veldor led the people in a vigorous uprising.

To this day, the small town of the dead had only over a thousand people, nearly a third of whom had joined the society, making it facile to subvert the established order.

Under the leadership of Oren and Veldor, they quickly tied up the Netherworld's servants and guards, confiscated their weapons, and interrogated them about the truth of the post-mortem town.

Meanwhile, the members of the society began a large-scale spree of vandalism, smashing, looting, and burning, desperate to destroy the sham that was the post-mortem town.

Wally watched the chaos of the post-mortem town, panic-stricken, hesitating to confront Oren, Veldor, and the others.

"This isn't something I can meddle in; I'm still a child."

Wally muttered, pale-faced,

"Slaier, god of cunning and deceit, have you finally run out of tricks?"

While Wally was in turmoil, the society had taken control of the entire town.

At that moment, the horn of the Netherworld Judge resounded from afar in the post-mortem town.

Wally first froze when he saw the iconic carriage of the Netherworld Judge, then felt a rush of ecstasy. He had not expected Slaier to genuinely summon a real Netherworld Judge.

As the horn sounded, the once chaotic town gradually quieted down. The "deceased" clasped their ears, feeling a pain as if their eardrums were piercing, and then someone shouted, "The Netherworld Judge has arrived," causing the rebellious "deceased" to become feverish again.

At this crucial moment, Oren stood up again; he loudly urged everyone to calm down and reassured them. With utmost confidence, he assured them that all would be well with him there.

The "deceased" could not help but respect this leader who proclaimed himself the Supreme Good and a Hero.

They soon endured the torment of the horn sound and calmed down.

Veldor watched as the Netherworld Judge's carriage drew nearer, took a deep breath; their plan had succeeded; they really had summoned the so-called "Netherworld Judge."

Then, the time to unveil the truth was approaching.

Thinking this, Veldor involuntarily clenched his fists.

Success or failure depended on this one action; they had to make the Netherworld Judge accept their trial.

The Netherworld Judge's carriage slowly stopped; the "deceased" held their breath, none dared to approach first, all eyes gathered on Oren as if this man carried all their hopes.

Oren slowly walked forward, his posture with a wooden staff resembling a prophet or a divine spokesman from legend, the old man looking straight ahead, waiting for the Netherworld Judge to slowly emerge from the carriage, a tall and dark figure appearing before the crowd.

"Righteous Judge, we gather here only to have you reassess our transgressions and let us undertake the trial to return to the Mortal World from death.

If you do not agree, then without a doubt, beneath our feet is not the Netherworld, but the Mortal World."

Oren's voice was neither servile nor overbearing, speaking for everyone present.

No one wanted to accept that they were truly dead, nor that they would remain in the Sighing Plain after death.

The Netherworld Judge extended his hand, lifting the scales,

"Mortal Oren, since you know of my fairness, you should also know that the Sighing Plain is your final resting place."

At this, the crowd erupted in angry roars; evidently, they could not tolerate the Netherworld Judge's disrespect toward Oren.

"What did you say? I am one of the rare Supreme Good and Heroes of this world. If I cannot go to the Great Plain, it either means the judgment is unjust, or it means that this place is not the Netherworld."

Oren proclaimed loudly.

Veldor nodded; Oren's thoughts were similar to his own, only he believed his destiny should be Heaven or Hell, not the Netherworld, and if not, it meant he had not died.

He realized, other "deceased" were clenching their fists, obviously wholly believing Oren's words.

Almost everyone believed their leader, Oren, was truly the Supreme Good and a Hero.

These people seemed to have found a sense of identification in Oren; they projected their feelings onto him, Oren was not just Oren to them, he was another version of themselves.

The Netherworld Judge raised the scales and scoffed,

"Having deceived others, do you now seek to deceive yourself?"

Oren faltered slightly.

Veldor was perplexed.

As the Netherworld Judge raised his hand, the air of death granted by Nakbet instantly coalesced, and images began to appear within the black mist, the crowd saw that it was Oren's memories.

"Oren, you claim you are the Supreme Good and a Hero in the Mortal World, but look, what has he done?"

The voice of the Netherworld Judge, accompanied by the images, erupted.

"He claimed that during his travels, he accidentally encountered a pregnant woman in labor.

Let me tell you, he lied; he clearly seduced another man's wife and fled with her. Out of necessity, they ended up giving birth in a cave and later married.

He enticed a woman into infidelity, a crime punishable by death in his own country."

The scene shifted, and a woman who bore a slight resemblance to Oren appeared, kneeling on the ground as though pleading with her father.

"He said he gave a chest of dowry when his daughter married, but let me tell you, he lied again. He is adept at crafting truths from partial facts.

He married off his daughter to a town cripple and in return slowly collected a chest of copper coins from that cripple, using it to fund his travels."

Veldor watched incredulously, turning to find Oren's complexion pale.

Immediately after, the Netherworld Judge raised his hand, and the scene shifted again, depicting Oren giving alms to the poor and serving as a priest in the army.

"He told you he was charitable to the poor, giving them his most valuable possessions, but do you know what that was? The so-called 'knowledge' in his mind, nothing but a few spittle-flecked words, nothing at all to those poor.

As for his service as a priest in the army, undefeated in battles? I tell you, he was indeed a priest, but he deceived and gave false prophecies and false Divine Revelations, leading to consecutive devastating defeats, and only when he heard he was going to be beheaded by the Legion Commander did he find an opportunity to flee."

The scene slowly faded as the Netherworld Judge made the final proclamation,

"Tell me, does such a man belong on the Great Plain?

You think he is the Supreme Good and a Hero, but he deceived you all from a different angle!"

The voice of the Netherworld Judge stirred a wave of rage among the "deceased," turning their faces red, unbelieving of the Netherworld Judge's words.

"This is all an Illusion! The Judge has falsified everything!"

"Lord Oren would never do such a thing!"

"You cursed Judge, you hound of the Death God!"

Suddenly, voices boiled over, the "deceased" vehemently denouncing the Netherworld Judge, seemingly about to swarm and tear him to shreds.

At that moment, a highly dramatic scene unfolded.

Only an aged voice proclaimed a crushing truth,

"No, those are all true…"

Oren trembled all over,

"I deceived you and myself!"

The scene suddenly fell silent.

Everyone looked at Oren incredulously.

Veldor, too, started to shiver, unable to believe the scene before him.

Their leader, as if possessed, slowly knelt before the Netherworld Judge, bowed his head, and began recounting his sins, one after the other.

Those voices fell on the ears of the "deceased," driving them to utter despair.

Finally, when Oren was taken up in a carriage by the Netherworld Judge for further judgment, not a single person intervened.

An icy silence filled the scene.

Until the carriage of the Netherworld Judge slowly vanished on the distant horizon.

"So we really are… dead."

A mournful cry rustled through the dead silence as their leader collapsed, bringing despair and forcing the "deceased" to accept reality.

And on the carriage disappearing over the horizon,

Oren, bound, looked at the Netherworld Judge before him.

The latter slowly untied his ropes.

"It's been a pleasure working with you."

Slaier said with a smile.