The young man lifted his head slightly, reading the words with reverence and humility.
"The First Commandment: You shall have no other gods before me.
The Second Commandment: You shall not make for yourself an idol, nor any image of what is in heaven above, on the earth beneath, or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God. To those who hate me, I will bring punishment upon their children to the third and fourth generation. But to those who love me and keep my commandments, I will show mercy for a thousand generations.
The Third Commandment: You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
The Fourth Commandment: Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work—you, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, your livestock, or the foreigner within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and on the seventh day He rested. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
The Fifth Commandment: Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
The Sixth Commandment: You shall not murder.
The Seventh Commandment: You shall not commit adultery.
The Eighth Commandment: You shall not steal.
The Ninth Commandment: You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
The Tenth Commandment: You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."
The joy of being chosen by God filled him. Crossing his hands over his chest, the young man devoutly recited the prayer passed down through his clan.
"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For yours is the glory, the majesty, the power, the authority, and the strength, from everlasting to everlasting.
Amen."
But once the excitement faded, the young man remembered the brutal pursuers behind him, and the defenseless elderly, women, and children among his people. A cloud of uncertainty weighed on him.
"My savior, please guide my path."
At that moment, the burning fragments of metal within the flames fused together into a staff, which fell into his arms.
"Take my authority and become my shepherd. Go to the king of a foreign land. He will allow you to lead my flock to the Promised Land."
The young man bowed his head solemnly, then humbly asked,
"Savior, how should I pray to you?"
Upon the throne of the divine realm, Marduk's lips curled in a faint smile, his gaze deep and unfathomable.
"Chant my True Name...
I am the King of Kings, the God of Gods, the Holy of Holies—Yahweh!"
The young man bowed once more, then rose, clutching the staff as he stepped out of the cave to begin his journey—toward a meeting with that foreign king.
...
High above this world, a golden ship that guided the sun sailed across the vast starry sky, circling the fertile kingdom below in a sacred procession.
At the bow stood an old man wearing a crown and holding a scepter, his cold gaze fixed on a corner of the earth.
Unifying divinity... Someone has truly reduced all into One! So quickly!
But to consume the lifeblood of an entire world just to shape oneself into the one true god...
Such ambition! Such cruelty!
Even so, perhaps your reach has gone too far?
The old man snorted coldly, striking his scepter against the deck. Golden lines of power flickered around him, though in his eyes lurked a deep unease.
Yet before he could sever the divine power infiltrating the World Egg under his rule, the heavens trembled violently.
From the void surged a tide of red and black chaos. A colossal serpent, black as night and stretching for thousands of miles, opened its massive jaws lined with ring-shaped fangs and lunged toward the living kingdom below.
Get back, beast!
The old man's eyes widened in fury. He had no choice but to turn, raising his scepter high as blazing celestial light burst forth, clashing against the monster that sought the power of the Beginning.
Forget it. The world-ending serpent Apophis has awakened again. Best leave this matter to that child.
The wars of gods must be resolved by gods.
The future of mankind must be determined by mankind.
The old man frowned helplessly and sent down his divine will.
Buzz!
In a towering and radiant temple, the black-haired sovereign who had been resting against his throne suddenly opened his eyes. Within them burned golden pupils, bright as the sun.
"Oh? Interesting!"
The lord draped in golden pendants and a white cape rose from his throne. Radiating the brilliance of the sun, he murmured with a faint smile.
"By the will of Ra—if visitors from Israel arrive, let them pass."
"Go and make preparations. I will receive them myself."
The guards and ministers immediately lowered their heads in reverence.
"As you command, our Pharaoh, Ramesses!"
As the grand hall emptied, the son of the sun god who ruled over the Egyptian world descended slowly into the courtyard. He lifted his hand, teasing the sand lion that guarded the palace while dozing in the heat.
"At first, they smuggled these stray dogs into my land, mixing with our soil in hopes of seizing our territory.
And now, they want to walk away unscathed? Hah, it won't be that easy!"
"Moses, my so-called 'good brother'... this path was your choice!"
Ramesses II narrowed his eyes, his gaze turning icy.
Did they truly think I was someone to be trifled with? If the Israelites want to leave, then let them pay with blood!
...
Meanwhile, in the world of Mesopotamia, upon the throne of the gods.
Marduk toyed idly with the golden Holy Grail, twirling its stem between his fingers as he muttered in a low voice.
"With Moses as shepherd, they departed Egypt, parted the Red Sea, and were granted the Promised Land in my name...
Through Saul, David, and Solomon, they entered Jerusalem, rebuilt the temple for me, and laid its foundation anew!"
The King of Kings spread open his palm, and divine power from the Tablet of Destinies coalesced into ten shining rings.
"His name is Solomon—endowed with wisdom from the heavens, master of the Seventy-Two Demon Pillars, guiding the future toward prosperity...
This second wedge of heaven, you had better not disappoint me..."
But Tiamat's divinity had not been reclaimed, nor had that first wedge—the one that dared to strike at him—been removed.
Otherwise...
For an instant, hesitation flickered across Marduk's face, but it vanished quickly, replaced by a chilling coldness.
Cursed serpent! I damn you!
Samael! I curse that name!
Not enough! Still not enough!
Every plan must be flawless. Not a single gap!
Marduk lifted his gaze to the endless stars. His eyes fixed on a faint, shifting light beyond the waves of chaos, speckled like a trail of tears. Slowly, a sinister smile crept across his lips.
Perhaps... it was time to bestow a special gift upon those worlds still adrift, struggling in the void.
This world needs only my faith to flourish. The rest of you are nothing but weeds!
The King of Kings raised the Holy Grail, staring into the hollow, lightless core within. The corners of his mouth curled upward.
By my precious blood, the world shall be washed and reborn.
Glory, majesty, power, authority, and victory belong to your Lord, Jesus Christ—
From ages past, to this moment, and for all eternity!
…
…
Original Author's Note:
Ending Remarks (must read, seriously)
At last, the first volume is finished. I poured everything into this—laid out threads stretching across thousands of li, wracked my brain, and nearly collapsed from exhaustion.
First: the war between God and the serpent has only just begun. You probably didn't expect Marduk to turn out to be Jehovah. The Holy Grail War, Goetia—all of it ties back to him. From here on, the story will converge into one.
Second: I've left countless clues about God along the way, hints scattered from the start.
For instance, God created the world in seven days, while Apsu destroyed it in seven days.
The phrase "glory, majesty, power, authority..." comes straight from the Lord's Prayer in the Bible.
Before the Temple of Ea, the so-called Holy Trinity—that was also pointing to God.
The prototype of God, in Babylonian myth, is Enlil—the lord of spirit, who unleashed the Great Flood of West Asia. He's part of Marduk, which makes Marduk naturally God as well.
During the war of the gods, many "divine decrees" of fate were adapted from biblical scripture. Most were original, though—yes, it made me tear my hair out writing them.
And now you understand why Ishtar established Paradise Lost, don't you?
Third: about Samael.
Samael comes from the Christian apocryphal text Greek Apocalypse of Baruch. Originally, he was a Seraphim—depicted as a twelve-winged serpent angel (indeed, Seraphim are described as serpents). On earth, he was known as the "Angel of Death," and also the "Red Dragon." One passage reads: "Samael holds a spear tipped with gall, stands before the hellhounds that howl in the night, and spreads death as he walks."
Of course, being apocrypha, it's unreliable. Samael as a mythological figure might never have existed—but it just so happens that his identity fit the protagonist perfectly.
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are collectively called the three Abrahamic faiths—their belief in the oneness of God comes from the same source. Marduk both failed and succeeded. In the future, he truly will become the greatest religious head, the most influential of gods.
In Islam, Samael's image was reinterpreted as Azrael, the Angel of Death—revered by the Assassins. Legend has it the Old Man of the Mountain's power of death came from Azrael. That's why the old man treated Samael with such respect—because in the ancient serpent, he glimpsed the future.
So in the end—did he create history, or did he change it?
Don't ask me. That's for you to decide.
...
(50 Chapters Ahead)
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