Deep within Upper Yard on the "God Island" of Upper Yard, in a dense forest, a towering palace stood upon a stretch of high ground. Around the palace, squads of God's Guards soldiers patrolled warily.
All of a sudden, a dazzling bolt of lightning tore through the sky and shot toward the palace's core at a speed too fast to react to—its central hall. More precisely, its target was that slightly hunched figure inside the hall.
"That is…" The sudden change left everyone stunned. Gan Fall, who had been enjoying fine wine, had his expression change drastically.
"BOOOOM—!!!"
At this life-or-death instant, Gan Fall's seemingly aged body displayed shocking agility. He threw himself forward, narrowly dodging the fatal strike of the lightning pillar.
In the center of the hall, the once-lavish floor had been blown into a bottomless circular crater—over a meter in diameter. The rim was scorched black, wisps of dark smoke curling up, with the occasional arc of electricity flickering.
"Th-this… what is going on?" Gan Fall stared at the crater, still shaken, his scalp prickling. He instinctively looked up at the roof that had been blasted open by the lightning pillar, but aside from the vast white sky, he saw nothing.
"What's happening?"
"Gan Fall-sama!"
"In broad daylight, how could lightning strike down?!"
The patrolling God's Guards soldiers all turned pale. They rushed into the palace in a panic, only to find their "God," Gan Fall, wearing a grim expression as he stared up at the sky, as if guarding against some unknown threat.
"Huh? Wh-what is that?" The soldiers stared at the horrifying crater in the hall, a chill rising in their hearts.
"You—immediately search the surrounding area carefully. This is absolutely not a coincidence…" Gan Fall turned to his loyal soldiers, his face heavy as he issued an order.
"Yes!" the soldiers answered in unison.
And then, right at that moment—
"SHHH—!!!"
A piercing tearing sound rang out again. Another brilliant lightning pillar descended from the heavens, carrying a momentum that could destroy everything as it slammed toward the palace…
One lightning pillar after another, wrapped in heaven-shattering force, hammered straight toward Gan Fall. The lightning was so blinding it washed everything around them in a ghastly pale white. Everyone present stared wide-eyed, their gaze locked on the pillars plunging from the sky, as if time itself had frozen.
"What?!" Gan Fall's face went ashen, terror spilling all over it. He kicked off the ground and exploded backward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
"SHHH—!!!"
As if it had anticipated him, the instant Gan Fall retreated, yet another dazzling lightning pillar crashed down without mercy—neither off nor wide, striking Gan Fall dead-center as he fled at full speed.
"AAAAH!!!" Gan Fall let out a shrill, agonized scream.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!!!" Along with that scream, the once-splendid hall was instantly reduced to ruin. Great sheets of tiles fell away, and thick dust filled the entire hall.
"Gan Fall-sama!" The God's Guards soldiers' expressions changed violently. Staring at the hall where yet another circular crater had appeared, they shouted in frantic alarm.
"Zzz… zzz…"
At this moment, Gan Fall's figure was nowhere to be seen. Only arcs of electricity flickered now and then across the scorched floor.
"What in the world is happening? Could this be punishment from the gods?!"
"In the middle of the day, lightning like pillars keeps falling one after another…"
"Could it be that Gan Fall-sama calling himself 'God' angered the true god?!"
Struck by such a catastrophe, everyone panicked. Many were pale as paper. They stared at the blackened crater, eyes full of fear, crying out in helpless chaos.
"Ah…" Just then, from within the crater came an old, painful cry. The sound made many people waver in shock, their eyes turning toward the third scorched crater.
"SHHH—!!!"
But before they could even react, another lightning pillar roared down from the sky, smashing heavily into the third crater.
"BOOM!!!"
The pitiful leader of the Divine Kingdom—Gan Fall, the one revered as "God"—was blasted to pieces by that terrifying lightning pillar without ever seeing even the shadow of his enemy.
"If he can still be alive after that, then that'd be downright absurd!"
At some unknown moment, Mieko appeared on the roof. Through the gaping hole the lightning pillar had punched open, he coldly watched everything unfolding below. Standing above, he looked down at the massive, deep, charred crater.
"Who is there?!"
The God's Guards soldiers all looked up in unison. When they caught sight of Mieko—electricity coiling around him, his face cold and severe—their expressions changed, shock surging through them.
"Was it you… who killed Gan Fall-sama?!"
"No mistake—look at that terrifying lightning wrapped around him…"
The God's Guards soldiers were furious, eyes wide with rage, as if they wanted to bore a hole through Mieko with their stares.
"Gan Fall was nothing but a negligible ant, yet he dared to call himself a god. I merely gave him a light punishment." Mieko's mouth curled into a cold sneer, his tone brimming with contempt.
The captain of the God's Guards glared at Mieko, eyes blazing as if they could spit fire. He ground his teeth. "Damn you… it really was you—Gan Fall-sama's killer…"
"Now, I'll give you a chance to live." Mieko's expression was icy. Lightning danced across his body as if he were a god descending upon the world. He declared with chilling indifference, "Either submit to me, or die!"
"Hmph—everyone, together! Avenge Gan Fall-sama!"
With a furious roar, the captain of the God's Guards swung his greatsword and leaped, lunging at Mieko.
But what answered him was not his comrades' response—
It was a thin, deadly bolt of lightning!
"BOOM!"
That bolt was fast as a flash. Under everyone's horrified gaze, it pierced straight through the God's Guards captain's forehead. Its remaining force didn't stop there—it continued onward to strike the ground behind him, leaving another deep, charred crater.
"THUD!" The captain's tall body crashed heavily onto the hall floor, making everyone else's hearts jump.
"Huh…? Captain… h-he's dead…"
At that moment, many soldiers stared up at Mieko in terror, thinking to themselves: This man is not human—he's a devil!
"My words—there are always some who refuse to listen." Mieko slowly withdrew his right hand, still wrapped in crackling arcs. His eyes held both a playful amusement and an icy cruelty as he looked down at the remaining God's Guards soldiers. In a flat tone, he asked, "So tell me—what is your choice?"
The atmosphere instantly congealed. The oppression was so suffocating that the God's Guards soldiers felt as if a boulder were pressing on their chests, making it hard to breathe. Cold sweat seeped into their palms. Mieko was like a demonic god descending, radiating a killing intent that made bones freeze. Those below him were filled with dread, staring at him without daring to blink.
"THUD!"
At last, one soldier could no longer bear the crushing pressure. His legs went limp and he collapsed to his knees. His mind completely broke, and he sobbed as he wailed, "Please, don't kill me! I'm willing to submit to you! I have an old mother at home—I'm the only one taking care of her. I really don't want to die…!"
"THUD!"
"I'm willing to submit too!"
Then, as if it sparked a chain reaction, the God's Guards soldiers dropped to their knees one after another. Before long, in the vast hall, two or three dozen God's Guards soldiers were kneeling in surrender.
"Hmph, bunch of spineless cowards! When Gan Fall-sama was alive, he treated you so kindly…"
But there were still a few hard-nosed God's Guards soldiers. They glared at Mieko with eyes wide, refusing to yield even when forced to choose between life and death.
For these iron-boned soldiers, Mieko didn't hesitate in the slightest. He lifted his hand, and bolts of dazzling lightning shot toward them one by one…
(End of Chapter)
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