Everyone, even those still coughing and wiping away tears, instinctively looked up.
The blood-red sky, painted by flames, seemed to churn as if stirred by an invisible giant hand. The crimson hue receded like a tide, replaced by a blinding, pure, majestic golden light that felt like it could purify anything in its path.
The sky cracked with a soul-shaking snap, like fragile glass, splitting open to reveal a massive fissure. Endless golden light poured out like a river from the heavens, sacred and overwhelming, engulfing the entire village in a radiant sea too dazzling to look at directly.
A figure descended slowly, bathed in this radiant golden glow.
He wore a simple, spotless white robe, his feet bare. Each step he took in the air rippled with golden waves, as if he were walking on invisible stairs. Behind his head floated a halo, blazing like the midday sun, emitting countless piercing rays of golden light. But this light wasn't warm—it carried the weight of divine judgment, an irresistible authority that commanded all creation.
The moment he appeared, an ethereal, ancient female voice began to hum, resonating through the heavens and earth. It seemed to come from beyond the skies, yet echoed deep within every soul:
'Samia dostia
Ari aditida
Tori adito madora
Estia morita
Nari amitia
Sori arito asora'
The song! Each note carried an indescribable weight, striking directly at the heart of everyone present. It wasn't in any human language; the melody was ancient, eerie, filled with divine majesty, as if sung by a being from the depths of the cosmos, gazing down on insignificant mortals.
Buzz—
A primal, uncontrollable fear gripped everyone's hearts, like prey facing a predator. They wanted to scream, to flee this strange land!
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But their legs felt bound by countless hands of earth clutching their ankles. No matter how frantically their minds screamed to move, their bodies wouldn't budge. Like lambs pinned in place, they trembled under the blinding golden light, teeth chattering, their hearts reduced to the humblest of prayers:
Don't see me! Don't punish me!
"Why have you harmed my envoy?"
A voice exploded in their minds—majestic, vast, neither male nor female, a fusion of thunder and holy hymn. It didn't reach their ears but seared directly into their souls! Several timid villagers collapsed, their courage shattered by this soul-piercing judgment. Their knees buckled, and with a thud, they fell to the ground, a foul stench spreading as fear overwhelmed their bodies.
A burly man fought through the splitting headache and the trembling in his soul. He'd never heard this language, yet he understood every word perfectly.
Envoy? Could it mean… those three kids?! Panic surged through him. Squinting against the stinging, tear-inducing light, he tried to make out the blurry figure in the glow. His trembling hands pressed against his chest as he forced out his most respectful voice:
"Hon… Honorable Lord! We… we were blind! We didn't know they were your envoys! We…"
"Bullshit! What kind of envoy?!" A young man, burned by the flames and driven mad by pain, snapped his head up, his face twisted with venom as he roared, "They're demons! And you're just some fraud playing god—"
A nearby villager, still clinging to a shred of clarity, lunged forward in terror, clamping a hand over the youth's mouth and pinning him to the dirt. In a frantic, fear-choked whisper, he hissed, "Idiot! Are you trying to get us killed?! Open your damn eyes! This… this is a real god descending! Only gods have envoys! Only gods have this kind of power!"
"Think about the statues in the church! Don't they… don't they wear white robes? Don't they… have light?!" His voice shook, breaking into a sob by the end.
But before anyone else could plead or explain, the ethereal, commanding voice rang out again, undeniable, declaring the "truth" directly into their chaotic minds:
"Not long ago, I sensed a disturbance in this land's domain of faith, tainted by the presence of a demon."
"Thus, I sent my envoy to descend, taking the form of a mortal girl. Through her hands, I wielded my power, ultimately purifying and annihilating the demon that plagued this place."
"Yet, my envoy's strength was depleted, and she fell into a deep slumber within the girl's body. The girl's mortal flesh was cursed by the demon's dying malice, transforming her right arm into the 'demonic form' you now see."
"You foolish mortals! Not only did you fail to honor my envoy for vanquishing the demon, but you treated her as the source of your woes! You tormented her relentlessly, and today, you even dared to set fire to her home, intent on taking her life!"
"At the brink of life and death, my envoy awoke from her slumber! With divine magic, she protected the girl's body and, in her true name, called upon me to descend to this wretched world!"
The crowd below felt as if they'd been struck by an invisible hammer, their faces drained of color. They opened their mouths to cry out, to plead their case, but a terrifying force, heavy as a mountain, crashed down upon them!
BOOM!!!
Every person—man, woman, young, old, standing, or kneeling—was slammed to the ground like squashed insects, utterly powerless against the overwhelming pressure. Their faces pressed into the cold, filthy dirt, unable to lift even a finger.
Mud and ash choked their noses and mouths. The shadow of death had never felt so real.
Crackle—
The sky darkened abruptly! Thick, inky black thunderclouds rolled in from nowhere, swallowing the remaining golden light. Within the clouds, countless golden lightning bolts danced like frenzied serpents, their crackling roars deafening.
"Those who harbor evil in their hearts shall face divine punishment!"
BOOM! CRACK!!!
A bolt of pure golden lightning, thick as a barrel, tore through the dark clouds without warning, carrying an aura of utter destruction. It struck the ground less than ten meters from the crowd!
BOOM!!!
The earth quaked violently in the deafening blast. A scorched crater several meters wide appeared instantly, its edges molten, spewing acrid black smoke and waves of searing heat that nearly singed the front row's hair and eyebrows.
"No—! Mercy! Lord, have mercy!!" The raw terror of death shattered the last of their nerves. Wails and pleas for forgiveness filled the air, raw and desperate.
But the only response was the furious roar of the storm clouds above.
CRACK! BOOM!!!
"Argh—!!"
"My leg!!"
"Help me!!"
Countless golden lightning bolts, denser and more ferocious than before, rained down mercilessly! This time, they weren't warnings—they struck precisely, targeting those Lisanna had named and the loudest instigators in the crowd.
Each flash of golden light brought a blood-curdling scream. The air filled with the sickening stench of charred flesh.
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