Chapter 188

“If you hadn’t run, none of this would have happened.” The judge looked at the child hiding among the rocks and said softly, “Do you know how many people have died because of you?”

Lori didn't answer, but just looked up at him with a confused expression.

She was eventually caught up with.

The time that Spider-Man bought with his life, and the brief respite that Ark's team only managed to buy by being scattered.

It was all meaningless. When the verdict stood before her, all her efforts to prevent her from being caught were submerged in water. Life and possessions alike—all her efforts had become futile.

She was surrounded, among the rocks.

The battle between Benny and the Immortals had been suspended after they met, as it was no longer necessary, so they are now all around.

There were five saints in total, four of whom were here.

Those who uphold honor, those who are immortal, and those who are benevolent.

The triangle stands around, with only the judge getting close.

Because he is the only one who hasn't made a statement yet.

The current situation is two against two.

The benevolent person holds a crystal in their hand, and within the crystal, the image of an old man faintly appears.

He represents the guardian of the faith, a symbolic figure in the church.

These two are among the three most senior members of the church, and they were still active during the last war between demons and clergy.

Both of them advocated that the demon race should be rendered harmless.

The other two had just had a fight not long ago, but now they are standing several hundred meters apart as if nothing happened.

Although it's unclear why the Immortals would help Benny, it's still good news.

The decision remains undecided; the person making the final decision hasn't been chosen yet, so the final course of action is still undecided. He holds the crucial vote, and no one will interfere. He must make his own decision: whether to allow the child to live.

Lori looked at him for a while, then glanced around.

It's so dazzling; this must feel like an angel descending to earth.

To the demon, such angels are things to be hated; it's a two-way street—she hates these angels, and the angels hate them in return.

"Did Crizo risk his life just to give something like you more time to live?" the Arbitrator said softly. "Why not?"

“If you’re here to kill me, then hurry up and do it,” Lori said softly in return. “You have such a weapon, and you have such ability. Then don’t keep me waiting any longer.”

As she spoke, she grasped the tip of the spear in his hand with both hands. The sharp spear was held by her delicate hands, and with just a little force, it left a not-so-shallow wound on her fingers.

Blood trickled down her palm, wrist, and arm, forming strange patterns on her fair skin.

The spear was pulled up to her neck, and with just a little force, it could pierce her throat.

To this day, this child has absolutely no magic.

As a demon, she possessed abilities bestowed upon her by the demon god. Otherwise, she was just an ordinary child, with nothing.

Therefore, they are easily injured, and their injuries do not heal as quickly as those of other monsters.

They are easily injured and have difficulty recovering. They have no desire to kill, nor any excessive selfishness.

Is it because she is so ordinary that people want to help her, rather than because she is special?

The judge seemed to be thinking about it casually, his face slowly darkening.

But what am I doing?

Protecting children is indeed a matter of course. If humans need reasons and excuses to help a child who has no one to belong to, then humans are truly inferior to these thoughtless beasts.

Thinking about it this way, I realize I'm such a jerk.

Perhaps that guy is right; she is indeed safe, and there is no need to be too afraid of the child.

"Wait a moment. Whether you want to kill this child or forgive him, please say a few words."

Renai suddenly appeared out of nowhere and patted Judgment on the shoulder. Lori stared blankly at her hand, where the cuts had been instantly healed.

And one's own pain, whether it be a minor injury or the pain caused by hunger, disappears in an instant.

"Are you here to help me?" Lori looked at the smiling older sister, but a sudden, inexplicable fear gripped her.

"No, no, don't misunderstand, I'm just explaining to you how we'll deal with you." Ren'ai glanced at the judge beside her: "Haven't I explained the meaning of 'harmlessness' to you yet?"

Both of them were stunned at the same time. A blue crystal hung down from the benevolent one's wrist, and in an instant, a strange space was projected.

"Ah!" Lori screamed in terror, looking around at everything.

What kind of hell is this?

There were countless transparent containers, and inside them were things that could not be described as human beings.

Why do you say it's not human?

Because his limbs were cut off, his skin was peeled off, his facial features were gouged out, and even his skull was empty, his body was filled with tubes.

Even so, each one is bound by interlocking mechanisms.

"What is this?" The Arbitrator's expression completely broke down, and he turned around and grabbed the Benevolent One by the neck.

Her slender neck snapped the moment it was touched and grasped; in terms of physical strength, she was no match for the judge. The absolute difference in strength caused her to be destroyed in an instant, destroying what should have been the most important part of her being.

"Don't rush, don't rush, let me explain, okay?" Even so, her expression was still smiling, as if the neck that was snapped was not her own, as if she didn't care, as if the matter itself was as ordinary as patting someone's head.

"I don't understand, if they've gone this far, why not kill them?" The Arbitrator's voice was filled with rage, a rage that had burned away his last shred of reason.

How could I remain rational? All I could see were these strange, twisted things, none of which could be called human anymore; each one looked to be in excruciating pain.

But they are still alive, so pitifully alive, still living as human beings within this vessel.

"Because the method of recovering the magic seal is to burn it with holy fire, and coincidentally, the descendants of Flame Ash and the Tyrannical Demon Flaroth have high fire resistance." The Benevolent One explained to the students like a teacher: "The magic seals of these guys can't be destroyed using this method. But if we don't destroy them this way, demons could steal the magic seals at any time and become demons, wouldn't that be a waste of time to capture them?"

As she said this, she suddenly swung her hand and severed the Arbiter's tightly clenched hand, taking the severed hand and tossing it aside: "You should know when to stop."

The adjudicator was completely dumbfounded, utterly bewildered.

Death is definitely better than being treated like this; at least the dead can rest, but once you're in this petri dish, there's no such thing as freedom anymore.

It was indeed rendered harmless.

After stripping the real world of all influence, it exists merely as a form to preserve the magic seal, lest it be stolen by cunning monsters.

"Never mind, I still need to explain to that child." She turned off the gem projection and looked at the child who was trembling with fear: "So don't worry, we won't kill you."

The benevolent one moved forward step by step, speaking softly.

"You are indeed a lovely child. Perhaps I could make a doll in your likeness to amuse myself after peeling off your skin. Look at your eyes, they are like gems. I would keep them carefully if I were to carve them out."

She spoke slowly, making sure the child could hear every word: "I'll leave you with your tongue, after all, such a lovely child would be boring if he couldn't even groan."

She was pierced through, and this time the Benevolent One was thoroughly enraged. She slowly turned her head and looked at the Arbitrator standing there.

"You're really annoying." The benevolent one's smile was awkward, but he still forced himself to maintain it. "You're such a biased person, you really annoy me. Why did God choose you to be my successor?"

She gripped the spear and forcefully pushed it back. Her injured body was completely healed in an instant, and the gap in her clothes indicated that she was indeed unharmed.

"Your ability stems from love." The Arbiter's expression was equally unpleasant: "I think you're the one who's broken. I even doubt why you can activate your ability."

"Love? You, a man of only favoritism and selfishness, have no right to discuss this word with me." The benevolent one laughed in anger, shaking his head and saying, "What do you think love is? Speak boldly, and I won't laugh at your naivety. You ignorant child, a selfish person who only sees yourself, I find you disgusting."

It would be strange if anyone could tolerate this situation; the Arbitrator wasn't exactly known for his good temper. The two stared at each other, the invisible pressure feeling like a mountain.

The benevolent one was the first to back down; he frowned and shook his head as if lamenting his own incompetence.

"Forget it, I won't stoop to your level. You have plenty of time to mature." She said softly, "I hope you'll be more sensible by then, so at least I won't feel disgusted by you."

She spoke as if she were an elder speaking to a disobedient child, then turned and continued walking towards the child.

The arbitrator, however, felt he should suppress his anger and that there was no need to get angry at this guy, especially since they would indeed be working together for a very long time, long enough that he felt a bit hopeless.

The thought of having to spend all my time with this guy makes me realize I should probably consider traveling around instead.

Lori retreated in fear, running away from the rocky ruins.

She was indeed prepared to die; death would end everything.

But she was even deprived of the right to die. This guy didn't want to be so comfortable at all; on the contrary, he wanted her to suffer eternal pain.

The footsteps of the benevolent are light, but each sound is like a hammer blow to the heart.

There was no way to escape from the surrounding area; it had been sealed off by holy magic, although any calamity could escape from such a fragile barrier.

But she was not a calamity; as a girl without magic, she had already been driven to the brink of ruin.

She crashed into the wall of holy magic, desperately pounding her fist on the empty surface.

“Your fear makes me feel like a bad person,” the benevolent one said in a gentle voice. Before she knew it, he had appeared behind her, placed his hand on her shoulder, and smiled like the bright sunshine.

I've never seen anyone laugh so calmly and refreshingly, for no particular reason, just a warm smile.

That was a smile that still believed in the existence of beauty in the world even after witnessing the ultimate darkness, but this guy himself had already touched upon the unknown side of the world.

Her hand stroked Lori's pretty face, and Lori knelt down in terror.

And she breathed sweetly into Lori's ear.

"Don't worry, my lovely child, I will try my best to make you more beautiful." She said softly, "With such a beautiful child in the making, I can't bear to ruin such a pure masterpiece of nature."

"Why?" Lori asked desperately, realizing her end had come.

"Hmm? What are you asking?" This question stumped Ren'ai, who felt her explanation was sufficient.

"Why should I be the one to suffer all of this?" Lori lowered her head, not daring to look her in the eye.

All the tragedies, perhaps, boil down to one simple thing: it's because the person in question is oneself.

The world is so big, yet I have to bear all of this myself.

“Who knows?” the benevolent one thought for a moment and said, “Actually, I’ve never understood why you see yourself as so pathetic.”

Lori paused, then looked up at her.

“You could have easily resisted with your own abilities, couldn’t you? If you hadn’t refused to acquire magic and had gone to the Land of the Dead from the start, I might have been forced to prepare for war years ago.” The Benevolent One shrugged. “Why? Why do you feel like you’re such a pathetic person? You possess power that so many people crave, you’ve received immense favors, yet it feels like you’re being forced. I truly don’t understand.”

Lori listened blankly, then slowly lowered her eyes.

Yes, why is that?

She always immediately assumed she was a defenseless girl, but she never was. Only she herself thought that way.

Ultimately, they're all just afraid.

If they weren't afraid of her, the church wouldn't have needed to mobilize such a force.

They would never go so far as to kill her, even if it violates ethics and morality.

Ultimately, the person who promised to protect me is no longer here. He broke his promise first, so I have no reason to keep my promise.

It wasn't because she was afraid of the church that she relentlessly pursued her; on the contrary, it was the church that was afraid of her, which is why it spared no effort to cut off her chance of survival.

She was never a vulnerable person from beginning to end.

The benevolent one suddenly leaped dozens of meters away, and her arm had already turned to ashes.