## Chapter 1307 – Demon

“Waaaaaaaah!!!”
“A god!!! It’s a god!!!”
“Waaaaaaaah!!”

As I tried to land in the city, people crawling out from the ruins screamed. Were these people watching everything?

It must have been dangerous.

“Is he a god!!!”
“The demons’ ships are all being destroyed!!!”
“He is a god!!! God himself!!!”
“Kieeeeeeeeee!!!!”

ㅡWhoosh!

The light emanating from my wings illuminated the world.

“Grrrrkkk!”
“Ugh… ugh!!”
“Waaaaaaaah!!!”

The people looking up at me were either shedding tears, making elephant trunks with their noses and spinning around, or shaking their heads wildly while jumping. They were displaying the typical frenzied behavior of people who had witnessed a miracle, praising me.

They don’t know it, but this is the normal reaction for people who have directly witnessed such a religious miracle. Spiritual salvation. The extreme joy stemming from such things overwhelms reason, inevitably leading to such bizarre behavior. Even the paladins acted like that.

Therefore, this is truly…

“Ah.”

…true worship.

The yearnings of countless people. Wishes. Desires. Ultimately, it’s the desire for salvation. Save us from this insane situation. Save me from this insane reality.

That’s all they wanted.

What civilians massacred by bombers during World War II wanted. What black people tortured in sugarcane fields wanted. What Congolese children dismembered by Belgians wanted.

All of those were…

…salvation.

Because they were weak! Because they couldn’t overcome their situation on their own! Because they were just weak, they were exposed to violence!!! Because they lacked power, they had no choice but to surrender to overwhelming violence and die cruelly!

ㅡCrackle…!

Memories from years ago flashed through my mind.

Kim Kat, a pathetic Earthling, lived a painful life exposed to violence in the harsh world…! I hate the criminals in the slums! Pickpockets and murderers! Gangsters and robbers! I also hate those who inflict violence for no reason!

The only thing that can save them from that is overwhelming power! Even a single sword is good! Even a single piece of equipment is good! In any case, if you have power, you can overcome it!

That’s why…

“Uwooooooooo!”
“Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!”

…it was only natural that those weak people were shedding tears and worshiping me.

Faith is power.
Belief is also power.

Because…
…I, as an entity, exist.

Because I, as an entity, exist, belief and faith become power.

“I am a god.”

Fragmented thoughts and the yearnings of people seemed to fill me. Fusion Confucianism was ultimately an ideology of protecting the weak, guarding them, spreading love in this world, and making people virtuous.

“I am Kim Kat.”

Overwhelming power surged within me. The excessively accumulated power repeatedly amplified itself, coalescing around the focal point of `I, Kim Kat`. The overflowing, powerful force changed the way I saw the world. An overwhelming sense of omnipotence. I had just crushed that powerful airship without any damage, in an instant. What is there that I cannot do?

I will become your god.

No.

I, Kim Kat, am your god.

In the midst of a terrible sense of omnipotence and insane frenzy…

I looked down at them and slowly descended.

“Oooooooooh!!!!!!!! Oooooooooh!!!!!”
“God of demon slaughter!!!!”
“Oh, God!!!! Uwooooooooo!!”
“The heavenly god is descending!!!!!!”

And when I set foot on the ground…

“…”
“…”
“…”

…silence fell for a moment.
Everyone bowed their heads, looking at me.

“Ugh, ughaaaaaaa!!!”

Of course, the silence didn’t last long.

“Kuaaaah! I can’t take it!!!”
“True!!! Salvaaaation!!! Guwoooooooooooooooo!!!”
“I can’t take it! I can’t take it! I can’t take itttttttttt!!!”
“Help meeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!”

That’s because people usually can’t control their impulses.

Perhaps unable to contain their overflowing emotions, people clutching their chests slammed their heads on the ground and wept, trying to do handstands with just their heads.

“Pat pat pat!!”
“Haah! Haaaaah!”
“Hooeeeoong!”

Some people were even pounding their foreheads with their palms like crazy, they were so moved… These crazy bastards!

I couldn’t believe this insane spectacle! They’re out of their minds! If I keep watching this, even I’ll get caught up in the atmosphere and go crazy!

“Stop this insane behavior!!!!”

ㅡGah!!!!!!

The moment I scolded them…

“Huh!”
“Hup!”

…silence fell.

“Salvation exists! Because I am here!!!”

I looked at them and made a short declaration.

“I will kill those monsters! Because! There are still many of them left! So hide! Hide and survive!! If you survive, you can overcome anything!!!”

I can’t keep protecting you here. You have no choice but to survive on your own until the situation is over.

“O… oh!!! A, a divine message!”
“A divine message!!”
“Hoorayyyyyyyyy!!”

I turned my back on the frenzied crowd and kicked off the ground again. I need to take care of the demons who escaped from the airship earlier and go somewhere else.

* * *

I destroyed two more airships in that manner.

Since the cities were being devastated, this air-sucking operation worked even better. Because the destination was narrowed down. I destroyed a total of four airships, going back and forth between countries, and from the moment I destroyed the fourth airship, the demons’ offensive stopped completely.

Of course, the reason must be reorganization and a change of strategy. Since the demons’ presence had completely disappeared, whether they had retreated to the heavenly realm or something, I returned to the capital with my women.

“Everyone knows.”

Standing on the platform, I looked at the leading figures of the capital gathered together. There were quite a few familiar faces, and although their expressions weren’t good, they still looked well enough.

That’s because the capital hadn’t suffered any particular damage. Still, the surface was dangerous, so everyone was gathered in the basement of this palace.

“That this person is our true savior. So great and powerful that even the title of hero from mythology doesn’t do him justice.”

Kadia, standing next to me, gave a speech about me.

It was a cliché. To put it simply, I’m an incredibly powerful transcendent being. I’m doing things that even the gods can’t directly do. I’m the only means to destroy the demons, and so on.

As such words continued for an appropriate amount of time, the hall was filled with applause.

“…”

I nodded once and went down from the platform.

All other procedures were omitted. It’s meaningless and absurd to be praised by the king and nobles at this point. I’ve destroyed the demon air fleet that seemed like it would destroy the world. Everyone knows that.

It’s beyond rewarding merit.

Anyway, I waited for Kadia to come down for a moment. She had a lot to say. After giving various instructions, she soon came down and approached me.

“Kadiah, what’s the current situation?”
“It’s not good. The number of lost cities… is about half. The demons’ offensive effectively destroyed the entire kingdom. Countless refugees have been generated…”

She looks very tired.

“The dark circles under your eyes are very dark.”
“Ah… haa. It’s that kind of time, you know.”

As I stroked under Kadia’s eyes, she continued.

“The matters regarding the demons have been virtually entrusted to the paladins. We’re just hiding and running away.”
“I see.”

The situation is very bad.

“What about the refugees?”

What’s important now is definitely the refugees.

Many cities have been destroyed, and a large number of refugees have been generated. There’s nothing else we can do anyway. We can only save them.

“Currently, the royal knights, the royal army, and the clergy are gathering to guide and escort the refugees, and to confront the demons’ landing forces.”

Still, this is going well.

“What about the lords’ armies?”
“They’re protecting the individual lords. From riots and looting, and from the demons’ landing forces.”
“They’ve lost their function as an army. They’ve become simple bodyguards.”
“You could say that.”

The lords’ armies no longer protect the people of the territory.

“Anyway, besides that… they’re also carrying out the procurement and distribution of food.”

Supplies, huh.

“It must be no joke to feed the refugees.”

The cities themselves have collapsed, and they’re pouring out like swarms of locusts. It’s really difficult to feed them all. The economy and transportation are all half paralyzed.

“It’s beyond no joke. So… there’s a bit of a problem because of that.”
“A problem? Tell me.”
“…”

After a moment of silence, Kadia said.

“It’s a pathetic thing. Large farms. And large estates. The only places where we can procure food right now are those places.”
“I guess so.”
“They’re all owned by the great nobles.”
Ah.

“I think I know what you mean.”

The vast amounts of food from the large farms and estates throughout the kingdom are all distributed throughout the kingdom. Those who own them are high-ranking nobles. They accumulate wealth with it.

“There have been cases of confrontation with the private soldiers of the great nobles.”
“Is that to be expected?”

No matter how much the kingdom is about to collapse, the great nobles won’t `just` give up their private property.

“What about forced requisition?”
“Everyone wants it, but if we try to forcibly take it, there will only be a fight.”

Kadiah sighed.

“The allied great nobles are protecting their agricultural areas with private military forces and magicians as escorts. The refugees haven’t started large-scale riots yet… but it’s a dangerous situation.”
“At this rate, we’ll be at war with each other while the demons are invading.”
“Sadly. That’s the situation.”

This is…

I think I know why humans became pathetic after the Idol War broke out. Humans are inherently unable to unite. They unconditionally fight among themselves to secure their interests.

“Are they not giving anything at all?”
“They’re demanding negotiations.”
“Negotiations for vested interests, huh. But the negotiations didn’t work out?”
“It’s very difficult to reconcile the conditions with each other. Both sides are equally afraid of losing power.”

The problem is both sides.

“Hehehe, they’re trying to reconcile the conditions while the demons are destroying everything.”

The great nobles are not trying to open their granaries.

Well, that’s understandable. No. No one would easily give up their property. War or whatever, the most important thing is their property and safety. Naturally, they try to protect it. That’s the common sense reaction.

But… these bastards… I’m the one who’s protecting them all right now… Don’t they know that…? Ah, damn it… Rage is rising.

The nobles’ properties… would all have been destroyed if I hadn’t stopped the demons. The reason they remain is purely because I’m stopping the demons.

“These bastards… If they don’t know that I’m the one protecting them…”

…I’ll have to make them pay the price.

“Kadiah. There are no negotiations. Requisition all the supplies and use them to relieve the refugees. From now on, the ownership of large farms and estates… will all belong to me.”

They’re all things that would be destroyed if it weren’t for me.

Therefore, they’re all mine.

“…All of them?”

Kadiah asked back with a slightly dumbfounded expression.

“I said it. Carry it out.”
“Yes. If it’s Paladin… I’d rather do that. But Paladin.”

Kadiah’s face becomes serious.
Is she going to say something moral?

“Those things work better when you say them directly. Go and say it yourself. Yeah. When you think about it, it’s absurd. All those properties were able to be preserved thanks to Paladin, but they’re not willing to share them. We’ll have no choice but to annihilate them all.”

Ah.

This is Kadiah.

“Listen!!!!!!!!!!!!”

ㅡBoom!!!

As I roared out my voice, attention was immediately focused on me.

“The food and equivalent resources in the large estates and large farms will all be requisitioned in my name!!! All for the refugees!! To save humanity!!!”

It was the moment I shouted that.

“Oh… oh, my!”
“Yeah! That’s the right thing to do!”
“Hooray!!!”
“They’re too selfish! Those bastards!”

Loud voices erupted from all directions. Looking at it, it seemed that opinions on this matter were sharply divided even among the nobles.

“Those who defy my words will taste my fist!!!! Do you understand!!!”

I think everything will work out if I say this much.

“Wait! Please wait!!!”

Just then, a group of nobles gathered over there approached me and shouted. The guy who shouted seemed to be the representative among them.

Who is this bastard?

“Just now…! Did you say to requisition all of our nobles’ food resources!”

It seemed that he had come to raise an objection.

“Yes. That’s right.”
“T, that can’t be!”

Look at this bastard’s guts.

“No. H, hehehe.”

Laughter flowed out.

“You dare say no in front of me?”
“N, not that…! Please hear me out!”

A story, huh.

“A story is good. Tell me.”

As my permission fell, the noble shouted urgently.

“Of course! We also know that we must release our food to save people in this urgent situation! Of course, that’s the right thing to do! We are actually releasing our assets!”

He spoke desperately, and Kadiah whispered to me that he was Count Pascales, a representative figure of the great noble alliance that owned the large estates and large farms.

“However… it’s difficult to release everything! Everyone is making sacrifices. We all understand that we have to sacrifice more as we have more!”

It’s a very serious cry.

“But even so! It doesn’t make sense to release everything without any compensation! There is a limit!”

A limit?

“So we made a request! We will make more sacrifices as we have more, and we will release our assets! So if the war with the demons ends… we will demand vested interests and compensation commensurate with our sacrifices! That our sacrifices were valuable! Therefore, we are only hoping for an extremely common sense, natural, and moral result that we should be compensated! That’s why we’re not releasing more food right now!”