Goetia's reason for attempting the Incineration of Human Order wasn't simple. It was only after witnessing humanity's folly, after confirming humanity's end through Solomon's future-seeing Clairvoyance, and realizing that humanity would inevitably perish along with civilization, that the desire for change was born within him.
It wasn't that he hated humanity, but rather that he hated the ending where all things must perish. And so, he sought to reverse time, to return to the point 4.6 billion years ago when the planet was born, in order to create a world without death. In a way, this too was a form of rebellion against eschatology—the study of final things.
This was why Su Mo had said earlier that he didn't dislike people trying new things. To overcome eschatology, one had to try every method available.
Of course, Su Mo also did not approve of Goetia's methods.
Goetia's starting point was noble, but it would have been better if he had never started at all. The very idea of creating an eternal, unchanging paradise in a universe where the Second Law of Thermodynamics holds true had an absolute zero chance of success. Entropy would sooner or later destroy his static utopia. If the original path of Human History held even a sliver of uncertain hope, then his idea was a complete and utter dead end.
Both in the scriptures and in practice, Goetia was leading humanity into a ditch. This act of wasting Human History while creating nothing of value had to be punished.
Therefore, Su Mo's stance was exceptionally clear.
And for Goetia, Su Mo's stance was equally obvious. In the Bible, God had expelled man from the eternal paradise, yet here he was, trying to create another Garden of Eden? This act in itself was a denial of God's will, a blasphemy of the highest order.
It was only because he knew, based on the living Solomon's knowledge, that God would not descend easily that he dared to defy Him and plot the Incineration of Human Order.
But who could have known that the theory countless theological texts swore by—that God would not descend—would turn out to be wrong from the very beginning?
The moment he saw God, Goetia was like a husky caught red-pawed tearing up the house by its owner who came home early. His originally solemn and calm face twisted in horror, his expression becoming a perfect replica of the famous painting, "The Scream."
"G-God?! N-no, but, how could you descend to the mortal realm? Y-y-y-you..."
After the initial shock, Goetia began to stutter. His knees suddenly felt like cartilage, and he collapsed to the ground with a thump. It was only then that he noticed Romani in the hologram.
In that instant, something clicked in Goetia's mind, and his face contorted with grief and indignation.
"Solomon, you bastard... If you wanted to stop me, you should have done it yourself! To pray for God's grace... you're too despicable!"
He subconsciously assumed that Solomon had prayed for God to descend and punish him, which made him resent Solomon even more. It was like a children's scuffle where one of them suddenly called in Mike Tyson. Was this even a fair fight?
"Huh?"
"So this is the mastermind?"
Seeing the trembling Goetia, everyone else was also baffled. They knew Su Mo's status was high, and they knew that as the One God, he must possess a level of power leagues above everyone else. But even so, for the mastermind behind the Incineration of Human Order to be scared witless at a single glance was a bit much, wasn't it?
To be fair, Goetia's divine form was magnificent. Even kneeling and trembling, he possessed an oppressive presence and aura that surpassed ordinary gods, making him a foe not to be underestimated. But even that couldn't hide his weak-willed attitude.
In front of Su Mo, not only did he show no intention of resisting, he didn't even try to argue. He just knelt on the spot, as if his very soul knew he stood no chance against Su Mo.
He's the aggregate of the Seventy-Two Demon God Pillars, the Demon God King who stands above ordinary deities. Isn't this attitude a little too humble? Can someone this weak really be the mastermind behind the Incineration of Human Order?
Seeing Goetia's reaction, Romani, who had just been cleared of all charges by Su Mo, found it rather amusing.
"You've got it all wrong. First, I did not pray to God for His grace. Second, you are not worthy enough for God to descend just for you. How can a mere mortal like us possibly fathom the Lord's will?"
Whether it was King Solomon or the Demon God King Goetia, in the presence of the true Lord, they were nothing more than mortals. It was simply Goetia's bad luck that Su Mo had discovered his plan before it could succeed.
"However, your expression is much richer now. You should be able to understand the human perspective now, shouldn't you?"
With Su Mo backing him up, Romani didn't need to sacrifice himself like in the original timeline, so his tone was quite relaxed.
"The human perspective... Wait, are you talking about—death?"
Goetia was naturally indignant at Romani's gloating at first, but he quickly realized the change in his own mentality.
As a Demon God Pillar without life or death, in the original timeline, it was only when Solomon sacrificed himself, causing Goetia to lose his immortality and enter a near-death state, that he finally gained the concept of a lifespan. Only then could he understand humanity, reaching a height of wisdom that surpassed even King Solomon's, and comprehending the joy of life.
But now, in front of Su Mo, though he had lost that original opportunity, he had gained a more direct, more powerful, and more oppressive one.
The name of this opportunity was Death.
After seeing Su Mo with his own eyes, Goetia's entire divinity was screaming warnings at him. His so-called divinity and immortality were now shrouded in an invisible fear, becoming precarious.
At this moment, Goetia finally understood what Solomon had meant.
Under God, all beings are equal.
Even though he was a Demon God Pillar, possessing divinity and immortality, in Su Mo's presence, these supposedly indestructible concepts could be stripped away and destroyed at any moment. The concept of death he lacked, the lifespan he couldn't understand—he understood it all the moment he saw Su Mo.
It was then that he finally realized that the perception of time for long-lived species and short-lived species was not the same. Humanity's "folly" was just a misunderstanding from a long-lived perspective. From the viewpoint of a short-lived species, humanity had already made the optimal choices.
After understanding humanity's limitations, he finally understood their transcendent nature. His previously firm belief—that Human History was worthless—was now completely shaken.
And in Su Mo's eyes, Goetia's transformation was like a husky seeing its owner holding a wooden stick.
Its gaze immediately became clear.