GODZILLA- CH-24. The World Within, the Kingdom of God

After these rather dim-witted frogman cannon fodder launched their attack, a group of frog-fish priests began to gather to discuss their next steps.

"The great Lord of the Deep Sea is no longer satisfied with our sacrifices. He demands more and more. What an insatiable appetite!"

Though the chief frog-fish priest, adorned with a bone crown, said this, he could not fully mask the fear and resignation in his tone.

He glanced back, his gaze drifting down into the abyss below.

There lay an enormous black void, from which a few immense, writhing tentacles occasionally emerged. Observing this flickering sight, all the priests began to tremble.

One priest, struggling to suppress his terror, spoke with the fervor of a devout believer.

"We, the people, must satisfy the Father's appetite. Those others are false gods; they have no chance against the full might of our heroic deep-sea kin."

"Of course, it would be even better if Father God himself chose to intervene."

The implication in this priest's words was clear: they needed someone to journey to the abyss, confront the Lord of the Deep Sea, report the situation, and if possible, request the god's help in defeating the other three sea gods.

The other frog-fish priests exchanged glances, then turned to the chief priest in the center.

The chief priest knew well what his fellow priests intended: they wanted him to seek an audience with their god.

Just thinking of the god's chaotic gaze and the terrifying sight of his consumption sent a chill through the chief priest's body.

But he knew he had no choice. As the chief priest, it was his duty, a responsibility he could not avoid.

Despite their prolific numbers and ability to feed on certain minerals from the mud and sand, the deep-sea people were limited by their lack of quality. How could they wage a full-scale war without confronting the enemy gods?

To send mortal bodies against gods was futile—they had no chance of victory.

If sheer numbers could defeat a god, the oceans would not still be divided into four realms.

Only a god could defeat or kill another god. This was a universal truth understood by all intelligent beings.

And the frog-fish people had already tried their luck. Not long ago, their vast numbers had initially overwhelmed the shark people and the other two tribes, allowing them to seize a significant swath of territory. But soon after, the gods of their enemies retaliated.

In the face of these divine forces, the frog-fish warriors were utterly decimated.

Now, this was their last gamble.

If they failed to procure sufficient offerings for the Lord of the Deep Sea, and he were to rise from the abyss in anger, the entire deep-sea race could face extinction.

The Lord of the Deep Sea had always harbored a colossal appetite. But until now, the frog-fish people had always managed to satisfy him.

They had waged unending war with the other three seas, offering blood as tribute. Sometimes, they even coaxed the less intelligent of their own kind to descend to the bottom of the sea to meet the god...

For ages, they had been able to appease their deity. But that was no longer enough. Not only had the god's hunger increased, but he'd also grown more discerning with his food.

He had spat out countless frog-fish men he had consumed, as if they were unworthy offerings.

While this might seem like a positive development, it only deepened the priests' fears.

This meant that, to meet the god's demands, their tribe would have to expand its wars with the other three seas and potentially eliminate entire races in certain territories.

Although the frog-fish people were vast in number, their mortality rendered them helpless against the divine.

The gods of the other three seas, unlike the Lord of the Deep Sea, were known for their mercy and protected their people.

Witnessing the bond between these other sea races and their gods, the chief frog-fish priest could only look on with a mix of envy and despair.

Unlike the dark depths of the ocean, beneath the surface lay a sea of molten lava.

The mantle and outer core brimmed with boiling magma, and these molten flames, though slow, were in constant, subtle motion, driven by magnetic fields around the earth's core.

The temperature was unimaginably high, an environment inhospitable to any known form of life.

But this was the dawn of a mystical era, where the impossible could unfold.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Deep within the molten sea, ripples echoed, growing fiercer the closer one ventured to the source of disturbance.

Finally, at the center of this turmoil, a daunting sight emerged.

Here, the molten sea swirled like a massive cyclone, pulled inward by a mysterious force, as if devoured by something immense.

As the scene zoomed in, a terrifying creature came into view—James, slumbering in the midst of the lava sea.

The heart of the disturbance and the incredible gravitational pull emanated from James's colossal chest, where his heart pulsed like a dark star, absorbing the molten flames.

In his deep sleep, James should have remained undisturbed.

But then, at some point, a cacophony of voices began to gather within an invisible space, accompanied by countless white light spots, converging around James's heart.

Gradually, James was roused from his slumber.

But as he awoke, his heart seemed to explode, and his soul felt as if it were being pulled from his body.

In that moment, James could see something astonishing.

His heart had transformed into pure molten flame, and his soul wandered within it.

"What is happening?" He wondered, still groggy from sleep.

There was no time to dwell on the thought.

He noticed a multitude of white light spots gathering in the center of his heart, forming a second "heart" that seemed to beat alongside his own.

But this pulse did not last. Soon, the light ball composed of white spots burst.

Blinded by the sudden radiance, James found himself unable to see, while an ocean of voices filled his mind.

"Oh, Great Father God! May I enter your kingdom after death, to serve you eternally."

"Father God, as I approach death, will I be blessed to witness your divine presence again? Does your kingdom truly exist, Father? If so, may I have the honor of serving you forever?"

"Father God, your people are lost. Guide us, Father."

"Father God, you are the molten flame, the earth, the light of the stars; as we leave this world, please protect those who remain on earth! Oh, Great Father God..."

Countless voices drowned out James's thoughts, accompanied by scenes of pious dinosaur-like beings at the ends of their lives, some crying, some fearful, others filled with hopeful anticipation.

Through their prayers, James understood. This was faith.

As he watched these fleeting visions, he was struck by a deep awareness of the significance of life, and he saw the weight that faith bore for these creatures in their final moments.

The scenes, though brief, seemed endless, impacting James's view of the world and awakening him to a truth: these beings desired to enter the "kingdom of God."

They wished for a place to continue serving him, to find solace in an eternal rest that would give meaning to their existence.

After an indeterminate time, James awoke from his "blind" state.

But this awakening was not physical—it was something more profound.

When James opened his eyes, he saw a realm of pure white.

Clouds and mist surrounded him, creating an atmosphere of tranquility and peace.

There was nothing here, but as James's thoughts took shape, the white smoke dispersed, and a barren desert emerged in its place.

The landscape was desolate, marked only by the occasional surge of magma rising from the ground.

It resembled a wasteland.

This realm was small, ring-shaped, with a diameter of less than a kilometer, a world of emptiness.

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