Rosen had meant to refuse.
He had always preferred keeping a low profile.
Yet on second thought, there seemed no harm in it.
Besides, the return of the God of the Bible was momentous; keeping it quiet would feel wrong.
Even the Bible Loligoddess herself would probably agree with Michael's proposal.
Back then, Christianity became known to the world because the God of the Bible fought for it.
During evangelizing, they simply stole the faith from Norse mythology.
With approval granted, Michael and the other Seraphim set to work at once.
Actually, little preparation was needed.
It was merely a small matter of having every angel ready to welcome God's return.
Once Michael's order was passed down, the angels knew exactly what they had to do.
The Mystical Side.
On Mount Sumeru, the summit held a palace both lavish and time-worn.
A young man with short hair, clad in a kasaya and prayer beads at his neck, sat in silent meditation.
He was none other than the ruler of Mount Sumeru's forces—Heavenly Emperor Indra.
"So dull… when will this tedious life ever change?"
At one point Indra snapped his eyes open, glanced at the unchanging scenery around him, and gave a lazy yawn.
As the supreme sovereign of Sumeru's Thirty-Three Heavens, Indra's life ought to have been carefree.
Yet while sorrows were gone, worries still gnawed at him every single day.
Not because he nursed any hidden grief, but in a way Indra and Kokabiel were kindred spirits.
Only, compared with Kokabiel who sought to reignite war and dominate the Three Realms, Indra's wish was simpler.
Long ago he had clashed with the God of Destruction, Shiva, yet never found a way to settle it.
Though that feud had faded with time, it left Indra forever mindful of Shiva's existence.
As both Heavenly Emperor and God of War, Indra naturally desired a decisive duel with the Destroyer.
Yet an overly peaceful world kept that wish from coming true.
To stir new turmoil and liven things up, Indra had secretly contacted the Three-Kingdoms-era Cao Cao's descendant—the present-day "Cao Cao" who inherited his ancestor's name.
Cao Cao possessed exceptional talent and intellect, and had awakened the mightiest God-Slaying Artifact: the "Holy Spear of Twilight".
But in an age of peace there was simply no stage for him to shine.
Therefore,
Indra sought Cao Cao out and told him, "Only in chaos are heroes born."
Thereafter, with Indra's blessing, Cao Cao began scouring the globe for new comrades.
Meanwhile Indra waited in the shadows for the day Cao Cao's "Hero Faction" would set the world ablaze.
If the world plunged into strife, he might get another chance to battle Shiva.
Admittedly, that moment still lay far in the future.
"Forget it, back to sleep."
Indra yawned, bored.
For a chief god like him, having reached this pinnacle left no room for further growth; all he could do was keep Cao Cao as his pawn to spark war, and quietly bide his time.
Until then, Indra could do nothing.
But just then—
The instant he lay back down, Indra suddenly shot upright, turned into a streak of light, and arrived at Sumeru's highest peak.
He lifted his gaze toward the east.
A faint golden radiance glimmered on the horizon.
At that moment Indra's face filled with utter disbelief.
The mere existence of the God of the Bible could sway the world's balance.
Thus when news of the God of the Bible's death spread among the higher echelons of every mythic faction, even hostile gods reacted with seismic shock.
Some pantheons gloated; others feared what the future might bring.
After all, Christianity's influence stood as the greatest in history.
Its reach extended far beyond Heaven's own earthly territories, leaving deep marks even in domains ruled by Norse or Greek gods.
To Indra, however,
the God of the Bible's death was both misfortune and blessing.
Unfortunate because the deity's fall affected even his own domain.
Fortunate because that being—whose power had towered above all gods, surpassing even the second-ranked Shiva several times over—was finally gone.
During Christianity's rise, every other pantheon had suffered suppression to some degree.
The God of the Bible's demise was, for most mystical forces, welcome news.
Yet now, seeing that golden glimmer, Indra's expression turned wonderfully complicated.
He could not mistake that aura.
"Don't tell me that thing has resurrected?!"
Such a guess was only natural.
Though the death of the God of the Bible was accepted fact, resurrection was never impossible.
Everyone knew how mighty the deity had been; apart from raw destructive force, the countless spells at their command were unmatched across the world.
Thus, while a return would be shocking, it was also understandable.
Honestly, it would be stranger if the God of the Bible had left no contingency for revival.
"After hundreds of years, you've finally come back."
Calming his shock, Indra pressed his lips together.
"Well then, let's see what the world becomes next!"
Though special sorcery cloaked this return, hiding it from mortal eyes, every pantheon on earth now sensed the God of the Bible's resurgence.
With past precedent, mythic powers braced themselves for annihilation.
For though the Bible preached divine love, when battle came it showed no mercy.
At the same moment,
Rosen's figure, haloed by that power, stood towering among the angels.
Hymns that shook the Three Realms heralded the dawn…