Chapter 33: Do Not Be Afraid, I Am Your God

The plaza was teeming with people, the narrow streets packed with crowds, all within a tribal settlement enveloped in a fanatical atmosphere.

Amidst the echoing chants of praise, Hermione drained the potion in her hand. A vast, intense surge of emotion, as tangible as a physical force, swept through her consciousness and spirit. She saw it directly: an illusory ocean—the sea of collective subconscious!

Whether it was Hermione or Zhou Mingxiang, her consciousness felt infinitesimal within this vast, phantasmal ocean of collective awareness. Moreover, this infinite "ocean" of consciousness was assimilating her very existence. The imprints of the Mentor, the Great Dragon, and even more profound wills seemed to be gently embracing her, coaxing her to sleep eternally within them.

Yet, at the same time, tiny "flames" were igniting all around her. Each cluster of flickering fire originated from the emotions of the tribespeople in the real world! As these sparks drilled into her consciousness, increasingly clear voices resonated in her ears—the praise shouted in the "human tongue":

"Believe in our Lord!"

A sense of mastery gradually returned to her. Hermione "felt" herself open her eyes. As more and more flames gathered, illusory projections of Hermione’s consciousness were born within the interconnected clusters of fire. Each time these projections emerged, they detached from her core self, wandering through the sea of collective subconscious. One by one, these shards of her consciousness climbed onto the islands of the mind dotting the surface of the sea.

She saw the true inner hearts of the tribal humans! This scene was, in reality, the spiritual manifestation of thousands of tribespeople opening their hearts to her.

Her spirit was undergoing apotheosis. She saw their expectations, their darkness, their despair, their fanaticism—the various fates of humans struggling for survival in the Dark Era, along with the despair or hope they harbored for the future. And now, they were all praying to Her, singing Her praises, offering Her their faith.

She opened her eyes. The fears within her consciousness were etched deep into her bones, while the spiritual corruption was incinerated by the ever-growing flames of spirit. She saw the crowd praising Her, and she felt the sliver of divinity born within her body, rising in opposition to her humanity.

Divinity...

Trance and confusion gradually receded into Hermione’s increasingly resolute eyes. Extraordinary knowledge and abilities derived from the "Manipulator" pathway surfaced in her mind:

"Manipulation!"
"Virtual Persona!"
"Conscious Stroll!"
"Mind Storm!"
"Spiritual Plague!"
"Dragon Transformation!"
"Mind Deprivation!"
"Mind Breath!"

Even with her foreknowledge of the future and her speculations about the power of gods based on the brief descriptions in the video, the sense of power she possessed as a newly ascended demigod far exceeded her previous expectations! This power was one that completely crushed Sequence 5. In lower and middle sequences, one might rely on various means and combat intelligence to challenge those of higher ranks, but for a low- or mid-sequence Beyonder to dream of challenging a Sequence 4 demigod was virtually impossible.

At the same time, Hermione could sense the inner voice of every single tribal resident. The scope of this ability far exceeded the limits of her "Manipulator" identity. Hermione realized this was not an ability she could hold onto for long—it was a lingering effect of the collective prayers and her promotion within the sea of collective subconscious.

This state could not be sustained. As soon as the clusters of fire in her mind flickered out one by one, her spiritual link with the tribespeople would be severed accordingly, unless she dived back into the collective sea of subconscious to enter or even occupy their islands of the mind.

Hermione naturally would not abuse this ability. Such a bizarre power to alter the thoughts, ideas, and perceptions of others at will was as formidable as a deity's, yet each use allowed her to peer into the darkest corners of human nature. When she finally ceased to believe in humanity due to seeing too much, that would be the moment her humanity was completely swallowed by divinity. Though she would still be alive, it was unlikely she would still be herself.

But for now, this lossless state of spiritual connection was the perfect moment for Hermione to manifest a "divine miracle." With a single thought, her projections on every island of the mind acted in unison, erasing the gloomy, deep-seated masses of thought on each island—the most melancholic burdens the humans had held recently.

Under Hermione’s large-scale manipulation, the expressions of everyone in the tribe relaxed.

Although this could not fulfill the believers' prayers like a true god, it allowed them to spend the New Year with more relaxation and joy. In her hazy perception, Hermione realized she could respond to the thoughts in everyone’s minds. It was quite similar to a deity bestowing an oracle or revelation.

Such responses would make the tribal residents' faith in Her even firmer, but it would also instill in them a sense of awe and fear. They would truly place Her upon the throne of a god in their hearts.

There is a distinction between man and god... If she were to make such responses in everyone's minds, Hermione was certain that the human version of her would cease to exist. Her interpersonal relationships within the tribe would completely disintegrate. What would remain would be "the first demigod of humanity" and "the First Councilor with divinity"—but no one would ever view her as a human again. Even if new human demigods were born, it would not change this fact.

But what did it matter?

This is the path I chose for myself, the path I yearned for and anticipated! Even if I fail in the struggle against divinity, even if I fall in competition with other existences, I would rather not tremble in fear, powerless to act...

"Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be anxious, for I am your God."

After leaving this voice in the depths of everyone’s hearts, Hermione’s spiritual link with the crowd abruptly severed.

But the New Year festival of the Ilusha tribe continued. Hermione’s behavior—acting as a demigod before the official promotion, contrary to the script set out in the council meeting—left the other councilors nearly in a state of confusion, yet this did not disrupt the subsequent proceedings of the festival.

Inside the council hall, the various tribal councilors stood before Hermione, many of them lost and uncertain in their posture and expression.

"Have you... have you truly touched upon divinity?" Severus, the elderly Second Councilor, asked, his cold, deep eyes filled with two diametrically opposed emotions: terror and anticipation, his lips trembling as he spoke.

Hermione was still adapting to this change in attitude and address. Beside her, Leodro simply grinned and said, "Praise our Lord."