Chapter 199: The Mercy of God (4)
0puKLWThe point where the laser struck began to overheat, and the statue started to vibrate as if it were about to explode at any moment.5F4z
UyDKkP“This cannot be. How can something like this be happening…?”5LZa
z85lGoThe executor clenched his teeth. He could neither throw himself at Shirone nor prevent the destruction of the statue.pRRA
LHRwAt that instant, the roar of a lightning bolt falling from the sky was heard.qF7
h3BiOd7Blue discharges descended in clusters, violently heating the area around Shirone.D3x6agy
wPwcOOfThe ground exploded, raising a cloud of dust.g7yaz5y
9o2UA5The executor looked up toward the place from which the lightning had come. From the entrance of the plaza, a group of fairies was approaching while flying.4vPh
ONOYEven from afar, Shirone immediately distinguished the fairy positioned at the center of the group.SgdSA5T
sdKt5Only she shone with a golden radiance, and her painted face was beautiful.k6j
9sPIt was Igirin, chief of the Department of Believer Administration.Rvp
3DCShirone’s friends positioned themselves around him. A tension different from what they had felt while fighting the believers quickened their blood.qyyBYjQ
GNAuThe strange thing was that the initial attack had been electrical.raT01h
hY7FElectricity was an attribute close to spirits, something that fairies could not handle directly.yoW
9OZ— Who launched that lightning?vSt2
3oKzG— We still do not know. But there must be a fairy who manipulates friction.Uju
ipqnIf the charge in the atmosphere were made to rub, it was possible to provoke lightning.Uru
1hnqCPDepending on the arrangement of the charges, electricity flowed, so it was natural that the precision was low.ut6Z8N9
PujwEfRian advanced while unsheathing his great sword.WM0J7a
erq“Full deployment of the fairy unit? The moment has finally arrived.”QxN3t
ko6nFZShirone had already foreseen it. They had broken the Law of Heaven, so it was normal for the internal administration to intervene.JZV20NA
k2LThe believers moved aside to both sides, opening a path for Igirin.puLFDe7
esCThe fairies, flying with an arrogant bearing, stopped ten meters from Shirone’s group.cwJp
FdIShirone saw Peophe at the end of the group.a6NPr
q0xUnlike the others, she looked ahead with a distracted expression, as if she did not understand why she had to be there.brSx
PJqJIgirin pointed at the group.l4WugKx
4CaRG“So it is you, the ones who pretended to be Nephilim in order to enter Heaven. That alone is already a serious crime, and now you attempt to interfere with the sacred Liquor of Anecdotes.”sP5eZ
rZJ8The executor frowned in confusion. Was he not a Nephilim, but someone pretending to be one?Xv8rM0
FWqbBut the ability the boy had just used was clearly of angelic nature. If he was not a Nephilim, how could he manipulate light?pcNIP
oGQ“Lady Igirin, are you saying they are heretics? That young man clearly used the power of light.”dlENlo
MFvJ“Do not be deceived. In the realm of the earth there are techniques to handle light magic. Besides, the others do not even need verification, they are obvious heretics. They even attempted to deceive the fairies.”HImnklO
mZsn7Kanis’s eyes hardened.DuWr
vla7fT0From what he was hearing, they had investigated them thoroughly. And the fact that Peophe, with low combat power, was there indicated that she had told everything.ryVFQ
3VxiQ“Damn it, that is why I said we should leave. That fairy betrayed us. We should never have trusted her.”Fg5YO
H6EGI87Peophe frowned.bOxfO4u
N1W2eEABetrayal? She had only followed Igirin by direct order. Until arriving there, she had not even known that they were present.kH0g2zG
vVa“Ha! Of course! I told everything! You are dead! You should have behaved more prudently!”lnB
f1VSJIn any case, she had no intention of declaring her innocence before humans. Peophe even assumed faults that were not hers, provoking them even more.EkJFFcN
JuaF“She did not betray us.”1cDjXq
UsPShirone spoke.RBsjaKE
iPam“Peophe issued a fair judgment. A fairy like that would have no reason to betray her own convictions now.”OtP
84lcIPeophe snorted and looked away. It was her way of saying that it was already too late for those words.hBav
qXXBut thoughts were boiling in her mind.3iiNC
OGSkauFair judgment. Convictions.9dc5XeG
zZMValues that her superiors had never acknowledged in her.be0A
WEqCVZIgirin paid them no attention. After living more than three thousand years, she could dissect concepts with a precision superior to that of humans.2Y6xyZ0
rRtWIf a human classified love into a hundred types, she could divide it into ten thousand.vps1p
Op5jmUpWhen that level is reached, every event becomes independent.Tykej
QsG7rgOLooking inside a house does not make someone a thief.I5l5RlI
nkXZDBreaking the lock does not either.bQT0T01
SRXPEntering after breaking it does not necessarily either.ySHwYyd
5fPmNot even taking an object makes someone a thief yet.qSbxsM
3IurGdvOnly when he leaves with the object in his hand does the concept of thief become fully established.HwcT
FjIrSIt was a cognitive capacity impossible for humans, who tend to judge the whole by a part.p01d4ID
2dnUtIn that sense, the conversation between Shirone and Peophe was independent of the current situation.rhisxLl
Bxi0o5“I am Igirin, chief of the Department of Believer Administration, the fairy of Authority. For the crime of pretending to be a Nephilim and entering Heaven, and for interfering with the noble Liquor of Anecdotes, I reduce your lives completely.”YhibMI
dxmeiVlShirone’s brow wrinkled.XD2xQ
q0fyTC“Is it always like this? Do you kill lives just because something displeases you? The same happens with the Liquor of Anecdotes. Why do you push believers toward death?”83p
nE4p“You were born from the giants. What is unjust about returning to them?”bek9
50SvKv“Nonsense. No father asks his son to return his flesh.”sdGBD
Ur2“The seed is sown to harvest it. Living beings die to feed others. You are also subject to that Law.”sjoBz
XRia“The seed is sown to produce new seeds. Living beings die to give opportunity to others. That is how humanity prospers. A life without meaning is like being dead.”Ilhl9
9unIgirin let out a sigh filled with sorrow. Why was that premonition never wrong? It was not a coincidence that Miro’s face crossed her mind when she saw Shirone.FWi5s
Ll9x“Worthy of a heretic. A human with whom one must not deal. What are you waiting for? Begin the Liquor of Anecdotes immediately!”FCEm
B8kAt the order, the executor acted without hesitation.bktNy1
paCWhen he pulled down the switch, the black water began to fill the ten glass spheres.NF5xK
Ciyc“Damn it! There is no time! We have to stop it now!”RrnI
5Jvi7NRian and Tess ran toward the statue to destroy it.rf4P6
fHyjHUIgirin raised her hand and gave orders to the fairies.XGQ0jA
Z0IPy“Attack! Do not let them approach!”cZ5q6
AKibJ3Shirone’s group adopted a combat formation.Qud
HClb2LsArin canceled the mental resonance, leaving only the channel connected to the group. Igirin’s resonance was already spreading throughout the place, so there was no need to translate.KTmfN
EwRmThe spirit of the shot began the attack. As it extended its hand, the air shot forward as if a hole had opened in the atmosphere.omQG
PM5Small masses of solid gas struck the bodies of Shirone’s group.F6n9A
dxCNVQThey did not pierce the body, but they were invisible and far too numerous to counter.yQTJAoD
nBKG“Fall back!”DdeRND
spGKanis raised Shadow Wall. The air bullets struck its surface with the sound of hail.eEu
kpN9F4NAt that moment, a sharp roar tore through the sky.2N8cvS
QWLThe spirit of friction generated static electricity and launched lightning, but Harvest absorbed it.H18Hxk
veeKsLBright lightning bolts fell repeatedly, but they had no effect against the magical creature.Ktj7D1
wfe“Hehehe! What is this? A new massage technique?”3m7mO
Xqp7EAmy, leaning against the barrier of Shadow Wall, made a Jack O’ Lantern float above the palm of her hand.MrO3
2GBQkgThe sphere of fire rose into the sky and multiplied into dozens, bombarding the front indiscriminately.Eyh
knPRdSince Jack O’ Lantern’s own ability was false flame, in reality there were only three authentic spheres. But since the enemy could not know which one was real, they could not avoid feeling fear.6S70
XSEWhen Amy’s bombardment scattered the fairies, Kanis finally withdrew Shadow Wall.frnu
9BPGWith the field of vision cleared, Arin quickly located the enemy positions and proposed a plan through the mental channel.KegGqxk
sVUNWNn— If the fairies are mental entities, I have a method. I can trap them with Mental Shock.tpXEkG
Z3PVOAIt seemed reasonable to Shirone.wh9bPl
JLyIn a battle of magic against magic there are affinities, but against a direct attack on the mind, not even fairies could defend themselves.cNf
NjouNul— Will you be able to do it? There are many of them.AGdlzh
s9nmiSw— I will launch an area Mental Shock. It will consume a lot of mental energy, but I can do it once. In exchange, draw them in. The radius will be twenty meters around me.e7E3Ffb
LmaXVdRGathering them all was almost impossible, but if they managed to catch at least half, they could tilt the balance.xFv
G3nqq“Good! Let’s split up as well!”KoxrcRv
nbf5d87Individual combat began.wV4rh
QYNFIpJThe abilities of the fairies were not insignificant either. Perhaps they already expected a fight, because most represented concepts specialized in combat.FtNJF
sA6But the fact that the enemy was strong made the task of attracting them easier.DGS0
8ENEk“Eh? Eh?”UHJN
Wmy7tFZIn the middle of the battlefield filled with magic, only Peophe was flying without a clear direction.IQq1nS
Qk3uEIt was her first real combat, and the power of the exchanged spells was on a completely different level from hers.bNA3Kp0
JwiRwA flash approached her.JmWYJYE
JOuLvStartled, Peophe raised both hands, preparing to use her spiral ability.gxM
bKldGBIShirone, by reflex, charged Photon Cannon.R6x
13f4vkITheir gazes crossed as they recognized each other, and their pupils trembled.x6bhd
LlpMzPeophe bit her lip, unable to decide. Then Shirone canceled Photon Cannon and turned his body.jE7rBS2
XrwZbNPeophe looked at him in confusion, but he said nothing and ran toward another fairy.E1ul5Wx
th1eXKYPeophe’s head tilted in discouragement.E4qJGq6
QpE— Arin! We cannot hold anymore! This is the limit!HqNZ
59Q6Since the fairies could fly, concentrating them in a single point was almost impossible.sTnm
CcalrmHowever, the magicians of Shirone’s group also had great mastery of movement, and they managed to attract more than half into the designated area.dIhdC
Honyu— It is enough!Is8xjC
FukMovement is the union of time and space.v7zhl
9TtEThe only moment when Arin could launch her magic was that brief instant, less than a second, when the fairies entered the area.cWYoc
t3Q8BaArin crouched and placed both hands on the ground. Her shadow expanded like a sinkhole, and five fairies sensed the danger and propelled themselves to escape.UJKz
HQm1WHXBut it was already too late.gqWxV
KzeBoom!uhh
t0SA mental wave exploded, lifting the earth in all directions.kduSdr
W4AAaThe fairies lost control, staggering, and as if they had ingested insecticide, their wings stopped and they fell in cascade.1sw6J
69NWith half their force out of combat, the morale of the fairies collapsed, and they began to flee screaming.HVq
wG1zFKVWhile Harvest waved its claws to drive them away, Rian and Tess broke through the circle of the kergoines and managed to return the switch to its original position.0A7sW
tY6omArThe liquid that had filled one third of the glass spheres was absorbed back into the tank, and the level descended.y2eL
4faThe subjects exhaled in relief.mv5u2In
s3OzeBut even that must have been a form of torture. A minimal hope was nothing more than another word for almost absolute despair.RBO
3eww“Shirone! Now! Destroy it with the laser!”CBlBbps
BvHfHwTShirone was already prepared.uO7K
IiQo00If he destroyed the statue, the Liquor of Anecdotes would stop. With the fairies practically defeated, no one could interfere.WZIl
F1HWgxnJust as Shirone’s laser began to emit a red glow, Igirin’s voice permeated the battlefield.5ty7cEr
Ejupj9“In the name of divine subordination I order you, lacking authority in this world, kneel before me.”DFY
cc5When the decree ended, something astonishing happened.flC
LrgiRAs if the world had been turned off, all the humans fell to their knees. Shirone’s group was no exception.lDKWt
8famWith his knees driven into the ground, Shirone was bewildered.ARTgb
3TcDaHe tried to stand by applying force in his legs, but his body was as heavy as if he had turned into an elephant.LqV
LOGjdPVoices burst through the mental channel.n7pjYgZ
3DBxYP— What is happening? I cannot stand up!ipAL
xzvM— She said she was the fairy of authority. What does this have to do with authority?EX1IG
6dTMbRZ— It is not ordinary magic. It is an exceptional regulation.b0g
SFUwShirone thought the same. If it were not an exceptional regulation, it would make no sense.Su7hsnb
sIYThen how was it activated?zrm
TKcIMLpIt was not a simple verbal decree. It was not possible to force hundreds of people to kneel just by pronouncing words.mLy9nl
rQEdrP4Unlike Shirone’s group, the believers offered no resistance. They only looked at Igirin with eyes full of reverence.a3KQu
3j2bYcIgirin calmly advanced among them and approached the statue.SWL
edLxFAnd she lowered the switch with her own hands.P18
lojThe liquid began to fill the glass spheres again, and the subjects closed their eyes tightly.KG3lm
N7gSsSomewhere the sobbing of the families could be heard.V7sW2Yh
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