Chapter 5 – The True Voice of the Creator
Joshua's expression hardened. The faint smirk faded, replaced by a cold, knowing stare.
> "Don't kid with me," he said slowly, his voice echoing across the light. "You covered yourself in divine radiance, gathered twenty-four so-called members of the Council of Rebirth, and thought you could fool me into believing you're the Supreme One — and the Twenty-Four Elders of Heaven?"
The chamber trembled. Some of the thrones flickered with unease.
> "Don't insult me," Joshua continued, his tone sharper now. "The true Supreme One wouldn't need to send a truck to drag me here. He could've summoned me Himself — effortlessly."
His eyes narrowed, cutting through the illusion like a blade.
"And He wouldn't be so stingy as to deny me a reward, or even a word of acknowledgment, after completing the mission He gave me on Earth. Instead, you're trying to rush me — to throw me into another world before I can even breathe."
The Supreme Being said nothing. The light pulsed, unsteady.
Joshua took a step forward.
"From how desperate you are to start that ritual," he said, "I'd say He doesn't even know you brought me here yet… or worse — He doesn't know I'm here at all."
Silence.
The kind that precedes revelation.
Even the thrones of the gods seemed to shiver.
The air froze.
A silence deeper than eternity fell over the void — then, from the endless darkness beyond the light, a voice rose.
It wasn't loud. It didn't thunder or echo. Yet it filled everything — the heavens, the void, Joshua's soul.
> "Joshua, my son."
Every being in the chamber dropped to their knees. Even the flames of the thrones bowed low, shrinking into faint embers.
> "I am aware you are here."
The false "Supreme Being" trembled. The brilliance that cloaked him began to waver and dim.
> "They tried to act without my knowledge," the voice continued, calm but absolute. "I will punish them for their foolishness — for not informing me of your arrival. It seems they have forgotten why I am called the Creator of Heaven and Earth."
Joshua stood still, head slightly bowed, eyes steady. The weight of the divine presence pressed against him like a thousand suns, but he did not kneel. He was not defiant — merely steadfast.
> "Joshua, my son," the Creator said again, his tone softening. "You have done great works upon the Earth. You completed every mission I gave you — faithfully, relentlessly."
A faint smile tugged at Joshua's lips.
> "But even so, that silly wish of yours still lingers in your heart."
The Creator's voice carried a warmth that made even the stars tremble.
> "I grant you permission to enter this new world — to fulfill that wish. You have found favor in my sight. You shall prosper in this new land."
The light around Joshua began to pulse — gentle, pure, radiant.
> "But know this," the Creator warned, "the world you will enter is far more dangerous than the one you left behind. The last being I sent there failed his mission. You will go to clean up the mess he left behind."
Joshua raised an eyebrow. "As expected," he murmured.
> "The twenty-four who tried to deceive you," the Creator continued, his tone now carrying divine authority, "will each bestow upon you a portion of their power. Their blessings shall become your shield and your weapon."
One by one, the thrones shuddered. Rays of divine essence burst forth — crimson, gold, blue, silver — each beam slamming into Joshua's chest, merging with his soul.
The air crackled. Power beyond imagination swirled around him, weaving into symbols of light that etched themselves into his very being.
> "Each of their blessings will grant you a skill — the legacy of Heaven's lost masters," the Creator said.
Joshua's eyes blazed with light. The void trembled.
> "My blessing," the Creator's voice declared finally, "is with you, Prosper Asuku."
He called a strange name — the true name that had once belonged to the man beneath the legend. In a sentence every human longed to hear, one spoken by the divine: a declaration, a promise, a truth that anchored the soul.
And in that instant, Joshua was consumed by brilliance — a radiant storm of divine light that shattered the false heavens and swept through the void like dawn breaking over eternity.