The Higher You're Raised, the Harder You Fall

The two on the rooftop looked at each other and suddenly broke into a knowing smile.

The somewhat oppressive atmosphere was instantly broken. Kallen shrugged helplessly. "Seeing you're okay, I'm not worried anymore. It was mealtime, but you weren't there. You really gave me a scare."

"Now that I see you can still eat and even joke around, I can finally relax..."

Kallen stood up, holding the empty basin, ready to go back and finish her interrupted meal. But just then, Himeko shook her head.

"I wasn't joking," Himeko said calmly.

"Huh?" Kallen turned back in astonishment. Himeko's sudden reversal almost gave her whiplash.

Himeko sighed and looked into the distance. "I'm sure I'm not the only one. After Shu left, whenever we run into trouble, the first thing we think is, What would Shu do?"

"Without us realizing it, Shu has become our benchmark, even the standard by which too many people act. Everyone is relying on him, and this dependence has reached a critical level...

"It's even gotten to the point where we've become a constraint on his actions."

The direction Himeko was looking was toward the skyscrapers in Sapphire City that had been melted by the Lava Emperor. No matter how many times she saw it, the sight always sent a jolt through her heart.

The frontlines are tough. Even the "easiest" second frontline is on the brink of danger, with the constant threat of a direct assault from the zombie horde.

We don't know if supplies will arrive tomorrow, or if reinforcements will get here in time if we run into trouble. How much longer will we have to live like this...?

These questions, like "Will tomorrow even come?", are unknowable variables that torment the frontline soldiers relentlessly.

But whenever confusion set in and they felt the urge to retreat, everyone would look up at those melted skyscrapers, and inexplicably, their motivation would return.

"It might look like we're the ones working hard and getting things done now, but in reality, all the responsibility still rests on Shu's shoulders.

"A burden that should be shared by all of us is being carried by one person alone..."

Himeko paused, her smile tinged with an indescribable bitterness.

If Shu's position were merely that of a spiritual pillar, it would be fine. As long as he stayed the same, everyone could maintain this state.

But the ones rallying around him are humans, a species that is, by nature, extremely greedy.

People are never satisfied with the status quo. They always want better, imagine better, and demand better.

And all of these growing expectations are projected onto Shu, lifting him higher and higher, up into the clouds, deifying him, elevating him to a status even he himself couldn't hope to reach.

Until the person they've pushed so high can no longer withstand the biting winds at the summit, and the tower they've built collapses in an instant. The falling fragments of their expectations will batter and bruise the very people who built it, and the height of the fall will shatter the one who was pushed to the top.

Unfortunately, by the time Otto realized he might have pushed too hard, it was already too late. Shu had already become a [God] in everyone's hearts.

A god merely named [Shu].

Reversing this mindset isn't actually that difficult in theory, but therein lies the problem.

What Otto wants to do is by no means destroy Shu; otherwise, he could simply spread some slanderous rumors about him to achieve the same effect.

You can use such tricks against enemies without hesitation, but Shu is an ally. Besides, the unique nature of his power, [Wish], means they can't resort to such self-tarnishing methods.

So, the problem Otto is facing now is something like: [What is one plus one? You're not allowed to use addition.]

It's not unsolvable, but the problem has become very complex.

Otto has tried many things recently, like bringing in a large number of newcomers who don't know Shu well, trying to dilute the intense atmosphere of reverence.

He established the ARC Broadcast to report on the deeds happening in other parts of the MOTH, redirecting people's attention away from Shu.

He even went undercover among the masses, stirring up fan rivalries between different members, shifting people's efforts from promoting Shu to promoting their own "oshi."

With this multi-pronged approach, Shu's status within the MOTH has finally dropped a bit, demoted from an omnipotent god to "a legendary figure you must remember."

Himeko has seen all of this, or rather, Theresa and the others could all see Otto's intentions.

"So, I think Bishop Otto meticulously planned this rescue operation to shift everyone's focus from Shu to us for this very reason...

"To change the pillar that supports everyone from Shu to something else... like dreams, responsibility, honor... or even the MOTH itself."

At the very least... we can't let Shu bear everything alone.

"I see..." Kallen nodded thoughtfully. Although she didn't fully understand everything, she grasped the importance of the matter.

"Looks like I'll have to eat my fill this time," Kallen mused, then very seriously stated her own commitment. "I can only perform at 120% when I'm full!"

This time it was Himeko's turn to be a little stunned, but then she sighed, smiled, and shook her head.

She's right. What's the use of being nervous? No matter how you look at it, I have to give it my all anyway. So there's no need for all these distracting thoughts. I just need to focus on the fight.

"Let's go, let's hurry to the mess hall! If we're late, we might not get enough to eat!" Kallen urgently pulled Himeko to her feet, ready to rush to the mess hall.

"No, I'm already full." Himeko waved her hand with a smile. "I'd better go and properly inspect the Titan mechs, just in case they fail at a critical moment. We can't afford to fail this time."

Kallen nodded, said no more, and ran off with her empty basin.

She knew Himeko's appetite wasn't very big, and besides, Himeko didn't have any ability that made her stronger the more she ate. It would be much more effective to have Himeko give those Titan mechs a thorough inspection.

But she had only run a few steps when she saw a truck in the distance that had clearly been through a major battle.

Theresa and her group had arrived.

As planned, they had made it through the zombie horde. The truck was almost undamaged, the supplies were intact, and no one was injured. The three of them had crossed the horde with just a single truck.

The most conspicuous among them was probably the blonde woman, who was covered in filth and blood. Her chest was still heaving slightly, and one could only imagine how perilous the battle had been.