Especially when they looked up, they could see the enormous hand of the god that had dropped it there atop that great mountain.
Once the people of Terra came to their senses, they began discussing who this newly descended Divine Messenger was, what abilities she possessed, and whether she would cause another land-wide upheaval like last time.
There was no helping it. They were utterly powerless against an existence on the level of a Divine Messenger.
After this happened once, twice, and then a third time, the people of Terra gradually realized that, when faced with such an existence, lying down and waiting for death was probably the optimal solution.
But this time, they had still made a mistake in their understanding.
When Heart of the Corrupted Skadi descended last time, she had been enormous too, but she had floated the entire time and never touched the ground.
But this time?
That great mountain had slammed directly into the ground.
In an instant, the earth shook and the mountains swayed. Even Kal'tsit and the others, far away on Rhodes Island, could feel the ship beneath their feet trembling.
Not to mention the three nearby nations of Kazimierz, Columbia, and Victoria.
The aftershocks caused by the tremors alone nearly sparked nationwide riots, with screams ringing out without end.
And what about Siracusa, the place at the very center of the quake, where that great mountain had practically been headed?
On the contrary, Siracusa remained filled with birdsong and blossoms, completely unaffected.
It was an apocalyptic scene like a meteor strike that should have caused a mass extinction; a destructive spectacle of mountains collapsing and earth splitting, with the ground peeled away and flowers, birds, and trees sent off on an impromptu journey.
Yet strangely, aside from the snow on the branches being shaken loose, not even a single unlucky person fell over from losing their footing anywhere in Siracusa.
"Y-Yelagund has revealed herself!!!"
"Yelagund above! Please, let us overcome this crisis..."
"The Saintess! How is the Saintess now? Is she all right?"
After regaining their senses, the people of Siracusa immediately offered their devout faith to their god, Yelagund.
But Chuxue, the Saintess who was supposed to commune with and serve the god, wore a completely bewildered expression.
"Y-Yal... did Yelagund really reveal herself...?"
She had only said it casually, hadn't she?
Yal herself, the god in question, furrowed her brows and stared fixedly at the great mountain that had crashed down in the distance.
Then, in a tone that allowed no refusal, Yal said, "Saintess, please go back inside. Quickly."
The other people of Siracusa might have reacted more slowly, because they lived among the mountains and had nearly forgotten what this snow mountain looked like in its entirety.
But Yal was different. This snow mountain was her very body. How could she possibly fail to recognize what she looked like?
So Yal recognized it at a glance.
That great mountain falling from the sky was not a mountain at all, but...
Herself?
Having suddenly realized something terribly serious, Yal hurriedly tried to get her Saintess to leave.
But unfortunately, she was still a step too late.
"I knew it. You said, 'Lord God, just let me take one look,' but was that just one look? You jumped right out of my hand. I almost didn't catch you."
That god's voice descended from the starry sky.
"I know you were desperate to save your children, but at least let me enlarge or shrink you first."
"Otherwise, you'd be shouting about saving your children, then sit on them and crush them all to death. What kind of hell joke would that be?"
"Oh... you landed out in the wilderness, huh? Forget it. As long as nobody was hurt, it's fine."
"All right, Yelagund, go have your fun. Call me when you're done, and I'll come pick you up."
Then Lord God fell silent.
But all of Terra sank into a strange silence, especially Siracusa.
Only after a long while did someone from Siracusa cry out:
"Yelagund?! W-Wait! Did that god say the mountain that fell down was called Yelagund?!"
"W-Which Yelagund...? Is it the Yelagund I'm thinking of?"
"What kind of stupid question is that?! Who else besides our god is called Yelagund?!"
"That's right! Look! I only just noticed—the outline of that mountain... doesn't it look exactly like Siracusa's holy mountain?!"
"Yelagund above!"
"Yelagund above!"
"Yelagund above!"
Amid wave after wave of devout cheers, Chuxue atop the holy mountain became even more confused.
S-She really was Yelagund...?
After landing, the great mountain that had fallen from the sky barely paused before charging wildly toward Siracusa.
It continued muttering, "Children... my children... don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'm coming to save you now!"
But Yal's heart skipped a beat at the sight. She hurriedly raised her hand, intending to use her divine power to stop that great mountain from approaching.
That mountain was simply too enormous. Every step it took made the earth shake and the mountains tremble.
If it charged straight into them, Yal's true body might be fine, but what about her children who lived in Siracusa?
Yal was practically about to shout, "Stop right there! Don't come any closer!"
Fortunately, although Yelagund was overjoyed and desperate to save her children, she still retained some rationality.
With the fundamental rule of not harming her children in place, Yelagund suddenly came to her senses and forcibly slammed on the brakes.
Yal naturally breathed a sigh of relief, but her children... the people of Siracusa—
"Look! Yelagund is so kind and compassionate. She couldn't bear to hurt us!"
"Of course! She is our divine mother!"
"Yelagund above!"
But to those people of Siracusa, wasn't it only natural that Yelagund had stopped?
God loved the world, and their god, Yelagund, naturally loved them as well.
For Siracusa, which had remained isolated for generations, their faith in Yelagund was incomparably devout—
Though the current Saintess was someone irreverent toward the gods, and the Snow Leopard family, one of the three great families under her, even wanted to overthrow divine rule...
But that did not matter.
Because as that "great mountain" continuously whispered, Children... my children are alive..., all of Siracusa erupted in the most devout cheers in its history.
Yal: "?"
What?
Why were they being devout toward her? That wasn't me! Oh, no... it was me, but it was another me!
I'm right here! Who are you praying to?
Yal: "Did I become a stand-in...? Did I become the fake one...?"
Before you continue