Chapter 257

Another King of Truth who came again.

His first friend.

The arrogant, disdainful Golden One.

Of course, they still had many differences.

"That person" was cynical; he would blast those shitty guys to pieces, trample the fools, and place his throne upon their bones.

In his eyes, almost everyone else was weak, a commoner, a fragile creature that needed to be protected and controlled.

Yet Maitreya always thought about how to edify the world with compassion, like a peaceful and calm "good guy."

…But actually, one can tell from this very statement that since he naturally placed all people in the position of "needing to be edified," he was actually quite similar to his friend in this regard.

Back then, his smile was still warm and innocent. Even if his body was stained with mud, his heart had not yet been stained with dust. Even the villains of Tokyo at the time admitted their admiration; he was an almost spotless, perfect man.

In Tokyo, they hunted demons and suppressed monsters together. Long hair and small curls swept away the villains together, rewarding good and punishing evil.

"That person" established the [Lionheart Society], using organization and power to push his own order, making it more convenient to achieve what he wanted to do.

…But as a result, gradually, the differences between them finally began to emerge.

Once, Maitreya couldn't help but ask his golden friend:

"By creating so much killing karma, the dead will only suffer in vain. Reincarnating again, it is still endless suffering in the cycle. How can this be called saving all living beings?"

The Golden One calmly replied:

"Leaves fall and grow just the same. Does that mean you don't sweep them?"

"If killing is useless, does that mean you don't kill?"

"You will die one day, does that mean you don't live?"

"I never save for the sake of saving. It is because there are people worth saving that I pick them out to be saved."

Picking, selecting.

Very reasonable, and very secular. This was a method that Maitreya could understand, but could not accept.

He could not, like his friend, easily deny the lives of those evil people.

All living beings suffer; everyone lives in this world of five turbidities. As an exalted being descended to the world, how could one, based on personal likes and dislikes, divide who can be saved and who should be abandoned?

The King of Gold only saved the people he chose; as for the rest, killing them all was fine. And he had absolutely no psychological burden about this.

This concept itself was something Maitreya could not accept.

Because this was not universal salvation, not redemption for all of humanity.

This was divisive, a selfish kind of self-perfection.

To Maitreya, that was not "saving."

…Maitreya wanted to save all of humanity, but he couldn't.

He always had to abandon some people, so he was always distressed, in pain, and self-doubting.

Finally, one day, he couldn't help but ask his friend again:

"Why is it that as the descended Buddha, the incarnation of Maitreya, I am not enough to convince the world and save all living beings?

"This should have been a prophecy written in the scriptures, bound to be realized."

…He had originally just asked casually, venting his frustration, not expecting his golden friend to give him an answer.

Unexpectedly, the Golden One pondered for a moment and actually answered him, telling him:

"Because your creator does not wish for it."

"She only wants you to cleanse the world and kill those she believes would affect her experimental results."

…This unexpected truth finally pushed open the door to a new world before Maitreya's eyes.

Volume 6: Thunder █ Hero · Lunar Expedition: 236: The Son of God and Papiyas

Finally, through the introduction of the Golden Friend, Maitreya understood everything.

Perhaps in his own view, he understood the truth.

…Actually, you are a tool created by the Creator, her cleaning device for the petri dish.

This world is also the Creator's simulation of the upper world, a copy of the upper Tree of Life universe.

Such a terrifying truth, even if an ordinary friend knew it, would probably be hard to say out loud.

But the Golden One never cared about that much. He was very honest; as long as he thought you had the qualifications to ask, he would answer every question, never hiding or lying.

As for what reaction the person who obtained the truth had, it could only depend on the individual's own free will.

At least Maitreya, at that time, was quite broken:

"So, I am not really Maitreya at all, and I was never endowed with the power to save all living beings?"

—Technically speaking, that is indeed the case.

He was just a device created by Samael to clean the petri dish and prepare for new experiments when the experiment had already failed.

Samael never loaded him with any function to convert all living beings, nor did she expect him to do such a thing.

…Ultimately, Sasa had always despised the idea of lowering the threshold so that everyone could practice, and even reciting the Buddha's name counted as cultivation and liberation.

She was an [atheist] Nietzschean devil! How could she possibly want to create a future Buddha who could save all living beings just by gathering people to preach?

However, the Golden One did not speak to Maitreya like that.

"Whether one possesses the power itself cannot be proof."

He just asked calmly:

"Besides, how do you know whether you have enough power?"

"If Siddhartha Gautama had lost to himself before defeating Papiyas, where would there be any Buddha?"

"Whether you are Maitreya or not does not affect what you do."

"The only thing that can truly decide is yourself."

—His words must be correct.

But for Maitreya, such correctness was still too painful for him.

He was not Maitreya, which meant he did not have the inherent power to save all of humanity, nor was there such a destiny.

Use only his own power like the Golden One? But if you use your brain just a little, you know that it is impossible to save all of humanity that way.

Making all of humanity enlightened and liberated is absolutely, absolutely impossible to achieve by human means—at least, Maitreya could not think of a reliable way. It would definitely include being chosen and being abandoned; there would definitely be division and selection.

The "Lotus Sutra" is the fundamental scripture of Mahayana Buddhism. It says "all living beings can become Buddhas."

(By the way, Maitreya will become the future Buddha, which was first recorded in the "Lotus Sutra." In the history of Buddhism, Maitreya actually originated very early.)

The "Maitreya Upapatti Sutra" states that when the timing is ripe, Maitreya Bodhisattva will succeed Shakyamuni Buddha and be born into the world, and will hold three grand dharma assemblies under the Dragon Flower tree, converting 9.6, 9.4, and 9.2 billion living beings respectively, causing them to open their Dharma-eye wisdom, attain Arhatship, escape the suffering of life and death, and bring long-lasting eternal peace and happiness.

Unless he relied on such an incredible miracle, no matter how much Maitreya thought about it, he could not think of a way to convert [all] living beings. There was simply no way.

He couldn't be like his friend, without any psychological burden, just picking a portion of people to save and chopping the rest into minced meat, leaving their souls scattered.

Maitreya simply could not accept this point of view—this was not a question of reasoning, he could not accept it no matter what!

This was the most fatal difference between the two of them.

After that conversation, Maitreya did not give up immediately. He still continued to work hard, trying to save and enlighten people from pain and desire… But even if he occasionally achieved something, somewhere deep in his heart, he was already faintly losing the drive.

Disappointment, powerlessness, meaningless.

Things that were originally "rationalized" were no longer rational, which had already made Maitreya start to waver and lose his direction.

Then, as if that wasn't enough pressure,

On March 26, 2003, his friend met his future wife.

"There are no interesting enemies lately."

The Son of God told Maitreya later,

"Before the world changes drastically and the ancient demon king returns from another world, I plan to take a break for a while. About twenty years or so."

Although his friend was right, Maitreya was still very speechless: "…What are you going to do about the [Lionheart Society] you just established?"

"Leave it alone. I'll cut off a lock of hair and leave it for them; the Valkyrie will continue to operate it themselves."

"Then what are you going to do during this vacation?"

"I'm going to marry Asuka. After that, I'm going to open an inn with her in Aomori."

"Huh?"

Maitreya could never have expected this.

His friend was simply too free and casual.

When I want to save people, I am the Young Master of the [Lionheart Society], subduing demons and slaying villains.

When I don't want to do it, I go to the countryside to get married, go to Aomori to open a hot spring inn and be a chef.

This was too free; he must be the freest man in all universes.

Such freedom must be what Maitreya envied, but couldn't reach out to get.

As a result, this could only cause him greater anger and annoyance.

What a joke?

What the hell are you doing?

Can you stop thinking of one thing and then another? Can you stop doing whatever you want? Can you stop saying whatever comes to mind and commenting on other people's worlds casually?!

I've had enough.

Just one month later, Maitreya left Tokyo.

The once firm, compassionate, adherent to right principles, friend-having Maitreya was gone forever.

After that, how Papiyas's thoughts changed, and how he slid all the way down, actually didn't matter anymore. Anyway, the former Maitreya was already dead, buried by his own hands; anyway, the six years of his life that were the happiest and saddest could not be repeated.

He walked into the darkness without looking back.

After that, twenty-two years passed in a flash.

Today, Papiyas is finally going to implement his plan.

Since I am not the real original Maitreya, since this universe is just an inferior copy, and even I am just an inferior copy of the real Maitreya—

Since I cannot make all living beings enlightened and liberated, and since I do not want to become a device used by the Creator to clean the petri dish and prepare new experimental grounds—

Then I will simply chop all living beings into minced meat, let their souls scatter, and have no afterlife!

"Not saving anyone"… let everyone no longer suffer, no more misery, this is the fair, silent Nirvana for everyone!

—This is the story of the Demon Buddha Papiyas.

Through the divine power of Sasa's [Illusion] and [Truth], all these intense memories of the past were hammered into Qi Xing's heart like speech during the most intense battle.

He and Sasa finally understood Papiyas's story.

[Laughing to death! You are just pushing all the failures of your life onto me!]

Sasa's reaction was so fast, almost like a conditioned reflex; the first reaction was sneering and contempt.

[Listen to me clearly, runaway AI!]

[You have become this ridiculous look now, I don't think I have even a tiny bit of responsibility!]

[This is entirely your own choice! You willingly walked into the mud, insisted on rolling in the rotten pit, and ended up like this—don't try to splash dirty water on me!]

As expected of Sasa! This is the true style of a devil!

But Qi Xing did not learn from Sasa. For a moment, he even felt some pity for Papiyas.

That irreconcilable rift in values with his friend, that sense of loss of wanting to save but always being powerless, must be the main reason why he turned from Maitreya into a Demon King.

Although Qi Xing was not familiar with him and had no time to get familiar with him, Qi Xing could at least see—he was not black and white. The Maitreya of the past indeed carried kindness and arrogance; and the Papiyas of today, even if crazy, still retained a trace of kindness.

Papiyas was indeed Sasa's dark creation, Sasa's child, and had the same problem as his creator.

"Papiyas, listen to me. I can actually understand you…"