Devouring World Dragon

Chapter 145 The Disciple Named Judas

On the ground, humans were busy treating the sick and spreading their modified doctrines, while in the underwater temple, the dark figure sat on the throne, observing the humans' every move.

Both the dark entity and the shadow are manifestations of a random thought of the great serpent. Because of the different thoughts at the time of their birth, their personalities are also completely different. If the dark entity is more inclined to influence, manipulate, and deceive others with words, then the shadow is more inclined to observe and occasionally influence the behavior of the observed.

"Hmm? This is really interesting."

Looking at the man floating in the image before him, the shadowy figure nodded with interest.

"The Messiah? Is that mortal man the Messiah manifested on earth?"

Beside the throne, the fallen angel with thirty-six black wings coldly gazed at the mortal in the scene, who was trying his best to explain the doctrine to the human before him.

No matter how you look at it, he seems to be just an immortal mortal, fragile, insignificant, timid, hesitant... He has all the qualities that humans should have, and there is nothing about him that is related to the word "perfect".

For this fallen angel, the Messiah who replaced it was undoubtedly the object of its utter loathing. It couldn't understand why God would rather abandon the flawless it than choose the "perfect" Messiah. If he were truly more perfect than it, that would be one thing, but in its eyes, he was nothing more than a weak mortal. The idea of ​​him kneeling before this weak human was absolutely impossible!

"Although I can't sense anything particularly special about him, there is no doubt that this mortal is indeed related to the Messiah."

A deep voice echoed within the vast temple, but the only response was a sneer.

"Not worth mentioning."

With that sound, the fallen angel beside him vanished, leaving only the shadowy figure on the throne watching the humans in the scene. It watched as the humans before it continued to spread its doctrines, showing no displeasure, but instead nodding slightly.

"To twist the will of God with the will of man... Heh, how interesting. Omniscient and omnipotent, you can just sit back and watch the game end."

The shadowy figure glanced towards the distant past. The omniscient and omnipotent being who remained in the past did not answer it. In that past time and space, there was only eternal indifference. Only when the game of chess ended would He fulfill His promise and release the great serpent.

That was the moment when God was devoured by a violent monster.

……

On the ground, the human named Hanna was already thirty years old, and in that year, he had gathered twelve disciples around him.

Among these people were Hannah's relatives and friends, as well as his followers. Their backgrounds, personalities, and talents varied. These twelve people followed Hannah in Galilee, practicing medicine and preaching, and gradually began to gain fame.

So some people began to call this Hamna "Joshua," and some even said he was the child of God. It is impossible to know who first said this. Occasionally, some people would suspect that it was related to Judas, the most intelligent disciple of Joshua. But the eloquent Judas only appeared a few times and easily dispelled this doubt.

However, Hanna, who was at the very center of these opinions, remained very calm. In his view, if he wanted to spread the ideas of redemption and love in this world, he needed to be patient for the time being and it was best not to have any conflicts with the priests and officials.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them…”

Although phrased euphemistically, the underlying meaning of forbearance was self-evident. While the Jewish priests preached in the cities, he preached in the countryside. Since the Jewish priests focused on wealthy merchants and believers, he explained the scriptures to the poor villagers.

Hannah was well aware of his weakness, so he tried his best to avoid direct conflict with the Jewish priests. In addition, his cousin John, who was a Jewish priest, covered for him, so he did not attract much attention.

That day, Hamna preached to his disciples.

“In the past, there was a great flood that submerged the land, farmland, and mountains. It lasted for hundreds of days. When the floodwaters receded, only the descendants of Noah survived.”

"Noah's descendants multiplied and multiplied on the earth. Then some of them said, 'What if another great flood comes?' The others thought it made sense and decided to do something to prevent the flood. So they tried to build a tower that was taller than any they had ever seen before."

"At that time, all the people were descendants of Noah, and they spoke the same language. They worked together to build a tower that was never before tall, reaching to the heavens. The tower was so magnificent and tall that it startled the gods in the heavens."

"God was angered that he had made a vow never to destroy mankind again, but mankind did not believe him. Just as people are angry at the disbelief of others, God was also angry at the disbelief of mankind. So he divided the people on earth, making them unable to understand each other's languages ​​and skin colors. As a result, suspicion and strife arose among mankind who could not communicate. The unfinished tower was abandoned halfway and was therefore called the Tower of Babel."

Hannah did not like to preach using obscure and difficult scriptures. Having practiced medicine for many years, he deeply understood that the vast majority of people in the world lived in the countryside and had never lived in the city. They were simple and honest in mind, so he often used various easy-to-understand metaphors to explain the doctrines to his followers.

The disciples looked at each other. Some, like Judas, were quick-witted and immediately understood what Ham was saying, while others, like Peter, were straightforward and confused.

Judas glanced at Peter beside him, who was scratching his head and deep in thought, and couldn't help but sneer.

Among the many disciples, he was the most gifted, always arrogant about his own abilities, and believed that his brothers were far inferior to him in judgment and ability. He thought they neither saw their opportunities nor knew how to use their circumstances. The church would never prosper if it were led by such shallow-minded people. Peter was impetuous and acted without thinking, which led Judas to believe that he was incapable of doing anything with foresight.

Looking at Peter in front of her, even Hanna couldn't help but shake her head and say, "Stone."

In this era, Jewish names were very common. For example, two of Hamna's twelve disciples were named James. So people were often given nicknames to distinguish them. Peter's nickname was "Stone" because he was a stubborn man.

Peter could only scratch his head and smile sheepishly at his brother. However, Hamna was clearly not blaming him; the nickname "Stone" was, in fact, a reflection of his affection for Peter. Then Hamna turned to another of his disciples.

"Jacob, tell us your understanding."

Among the twelve disciples were two Jameses. The younger James was called James the Younger, while the older James was Hamnah's cousin. Both James and another disciple, John, were born to Salome, the sister of Hamnah's mother, Mary. They came from wealthy merchant families and were the most privileged among the disciples. However, James diligently studied the doctrines with his cousin.

Looking at the crowd in front of him, Jacob, who was usually a man of few words, began to speak.

"God's punishment is to discipline humanity for its arrogance and pride, and for its disbelief in God's promises."

This was a standard answer, in line with most people's understanding of the scripture. Many disciples nodded in agreement, but Hamna keenly noticed that Judas, standing to the side, frowned slightly and shook his head almost imperceptibly.

"Judas."

Looking at Judas before her, Hamna spoke, gesturing for him to explain his understanding.

However, Judas did not speak directly. Instead, he bowed respectfully to Hamna before rising and speaking.

“My Lord, you will be the King of the world.”

Many of the disciples were astonished, and Hamna also looked surprised.

Looking at Hannah in front of him, Judah's eyes revealed a deep fervor. If Hannah could know the future, he would understand... This was exactly the look of a brainless fan looking at their idol, with eyes full of little stars.

"The scriptures say that God divided the language of mankind, causing people on earth to not understand each other, which led to disputes and conflicts. In other words, when the language is restored to a unified state, it will be the time when mankind will regain peace."

"On this earth, there are countless religions, countless ethnic groups, and countless countries. It is because of these differences that mankind has conflicts. My Lord, is your coming precisely to bring the earth back to one faith? Under the same faith, mankind can once again be as close as brothers and live in harmony as before. Is this not your wish?"

"Jews, Middle Easterners, Greeks, Romans... all the nations of the world will surely come under your rule!"

Speaking excitedly, Judas bowed down again to Hamna in front of him.

Staring blankly at Judas before him, Hamna felt a deep joy in his heart. He knew that Judas was the most intelligent among his many disciples, and he had always valued Judas highly, but he had not realized that Judas could actually understand his thoughts and feelings...

He once stood on that battlefield littered with corpses, watching the bodies being pecked at by eagles and devoured by beasts, and pondered for a long time. He finally realized that differences were the root of all conflicts. Without differences, there would be no conflicts, and without conflicts, the world would be at peace.

Bringing humanity under a single faith is only the first step.

Born into Judaism, he naturally chose to try to spread Jewish thought. However, he soon realized that Judaism's excessive closed-off and conservative nature, as well as its overly academic atmosphere, severely limited the spread of the faith. Therefore, he chose to reform Jewish doctrines.

However, amidst the joy, a hint of unease flashed through my mind...

Lowering his head, Hanna looked at Judah, who was bowing down to him, with a complicated expression. He understood where this unease came from. Judah was too clever. This was not something that could be accomplished overnight. It might not be possible to complete it even a thousand years later.

He did not doubt Judas's reverence for him; as long as he lived, Judas would remain steadfastly loyal. But after his death, who among the disciples could restrain him? After his death, where would Judas lead the sect he had founded, in his pursuit of the great cause of the same faith and his vigorous expansion? What would become of this sect that initially strived to advocate love and forgiveness in Judas's hands…?

A hint of worry flashed through my mind.

But this worry didn't last long, because soon a believer rushed into the preaching area and shouted urgently.

“Joshua! John he…”

After hearing the believer's account, Han Na's eyes widened, her mouth agape, her mind went blank, and everything went black...

"host!"

In his final moments before losing consciousness, he saw the panicked and anxious gazes of his many disciples…

John, his cousin and godfather, was imprisoned and about to be beheaded for mocking King Herod to his face!
(End of this chapter)