“Law? Does your law have a provision against murder?”
“Of course. Divine subjects must never harm each other. If murder is committed, severe punishment follows a verdict from the internal government.”
“Then what are you doing now? If your law includes murder, why are you proceeding with the Ilhwa Elixir?”
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about. Are you really a Nephilim? You sound like a heretic.”
“Whether I'm a Nephilim or not doesn't matter. I am someone who doesn’t know their own lifespan. That's why I can live each day to the fullest. But look at them. They’re alive but not really living. How is this different from murder?”
No voice of criticism or agreement came from the divine subjects, but the atmosphere was heating up.
It was a contradiction that every divine subject had felt at least once.
The Ilhwa Elixir clearly seemed unreasonable. But the reason no one refused it was due to the inertia built over hundreds of thousands of years.
Countless people had become giants through the Ilhwa Elixir. The fact that everyone had done it and would continue to do so blocked the divine subjects' judgment.
“You who deny Ra’s law, we were born from giants. The Ilhwa Elixir is a divine arrangement that revives our lives. Do you wish for your existence to be eternally extinguished? If any divine subject desires this, come forward. I will personally grant that wish.”
No one stepped forward. According to long-standing tradition, giants created by the Ilhwa Elixir travel through Purgatory and return to be separated back into individual entities.
It is better to live forever than to die. If they have no choice but to die, they want to leave at least a chance to come back.
That is life.
Ra governed life in that manner.
The executor, satisfied with the divine subjects’ silence, pointed at Shirone and shouted.
“You are a heretic! No, even if you are a Nephilim, you have no right to interfere with the law! Arrest him! Make him pay for defiling Ra’s sanctity!”
“Shirone, it’s getting complicated! We need to escape now.”
Amy held Shirone's hand. But Shirone shook off her hand and stood his ground.
“No, I’m not leaving. I have to save Canya’s mother, I need to save her.”
About ten Kerugos drew their swords and charged from the front. Their speed, using giant techniques, was like that of cheetahs.
Shirone dove into their midst. The leading Kerugo raised his sword. The later Kerugos surrounded Shirone, swinging their blades.
At that moment, Shirone’s Photon Explosion erupted.
A veil of light struck the Kerugos. Initially, the mass carried by photons was insignificant, causing only a tingling sensation, but when it struck at a speed of 20 times per second, it felt like it would tear the body apart.
All the Kerugos surrounding Shirone were thrown back.
Sliding long on the ground, dragging their hips, they all looked at Shirone with astonishment.
“Ne- Nephilim? He really was a Nephilim?”
The magic of light was very effective from a psychological perspective. It was a phenomenon that only an angel could manifest, and the magic reinforcing the fact that Shirone was a Nephilim.
Riding the momentum, Shirone focused his Photon Cannon.
The moment the executor, who felt a sense of crisis, blocked the bronze statue, a flash of light came out of Shirone.
The executor twisted his body with animalistic reflexes. As the flash grazed his side, he felt the pain of his internal organs being crushed.
But the pain was a secondary concern.
When the Photon Cannon struck the giant's statue, a majestic resonance echoed like a struck bell.
The divine subjects backed away, covering their ears from the sound waves vibrating in the area.
They was shouting something loudly, but the tinnitus in their ears was louder than the words.
Nonetheless, the giant's statue remained intact.
The power of the Photon Cannon was enough to dent an iron door, but there wasn't even a scratch on the statue.
Joy filled the eyes of the subjects.
“Ooh! Anke Ra! Save us!”
“Do not abandon us! Eternal life, eternal life!”
As the situation grew dire, Amy stepped forward. She had to somehow get Shirone and get out of this place.
At that moment, Rian grabbed her shoulder and turned her around.
"Wait. Shirone isn’t finished yet.”
“That's not the issue. If we don’t run now, we’ll have to fight them.”
“Then we can just fight, right?”
Only then did Amy turn her head. It didn’t matter what friendship they had shared before. Now, Rian was only Shirone’s knight.
“Why are you doing this, Rian? Do you have something to say?”
"There is. You guys are acting strange now. What do you plan to do by stopping Shirone?”
“Of course, we need to escape. If we become enemies in Heaven, no one will help us.”
“Then what about Canya’s mother?”
Amy's heart sank. This was because she realized that she couldn't feel the reality of someone’s death.
“Shirone is trying to save Canya’s mother. Just like he did for Marsha, who was an enemy, and for the students of the magic academy. But why aren't you trying to help? No way, you. Is it because you think that since this isn’t the world we lived in, we have no responsibility for the deaths of the people here?”
"Ah….”
Rian’s analysis was accurate. Since this is a place where different rules and laws apply, she thought there was no reason to take responsibility on the deaths they chose.
“Amy, whether this is Heaven or anywhere else, it’s happening right before our eyes. Shirone said he could save Canya’s mother. That’s why I’m going to fight with Shirone.”
Amy looked back at the square. Meca Clan members armed with Signa and Exud and Nor Clan members using ancient magic surrounded Shirone.
The human mind is not a trivial thing. Even if this was Heaven, the truth of life didn’t change.
The look of conflict disappeared from Amy's face.
“I trust Shirone too. Let’s go, Rian.”
As Amy launched herself forward, her friends followed immediately.
As the divine subjects surrounded Shirone, a flash of light scattered about ten people outward. As Shirone, who had cast Photon Explosion, appeared, Amy leaned on his back and asked.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Yeah. Signa and Exud are weak at long range, and most of the ancient magic seems to be wind-based. And it's weak. They seem to be less skilled than Clove.”
From Heaven's perspective, Purgatory was hell.
No matter how incompetent Clove's skills were, being a mage who navigated the difficult purgatory, he could be said to be of a higher level than those here.
Shirone's group defended against the attacks of the divine subjects from their respective positions.
The problem was that it was difficult to counterattack. In a situation where the divine subjects had to be persuaded, if a death occurred, there was a possibility that the situation would worsen.
“Tsk! This is annoying.”
Canis placed his hands on the ground and cast Shadow Wall.
Sharp thorns sprang up from the surface of the shadow that rose like a fortress wall.
The Meca Clan members with Exud stood in front of it, but they had no way to attack either.
- Shirone, we can't hold out forever. You have to make a decision now.
Shirone's thoughts were in turmoil. In fact, there was one way he could end the battle without fighting.
It was the light magic, Shining.
If he blocks the enemy's view by momentarily shooting an intense light, the atmosphere of the battle cools down quickly.
‘But can Shining alone be enough?’
The biggest problem was that it was broad daylight. No matter how much he increased the intensity of the light, he couldn’t surpass sunlight.
The reason it was difficult to create a light stronger than the sun was due to the oscillating nature of light.
The number of photons in a single area had to be increased as much as possible, but the oscillating light had a limit to compression.
'How can I increase the intensity of light?'
At that moment, Shirone's eyes gleamed.
He couldn't stop the oscillation of light. But it might be possible to emit light stronger than the sun.
- Close your eyes! I'm going to cast Shining!
Shirone stopped moving and entered Spirit Zone. Light particles began to gather quickly.
Although his friends closed their eyes, Canis, who was maintaining the shield, looked back at Shirone.
‘What’s that? Why does the light look like that?’
The light gathering around Shirone was much dimmer than the usual Shining. The weak light meant reduced luminescence. Ultimately, it meant that the oscillation was being suppressed in some way.
‘He’s unified the polarization direction.’
Some particles oscillated vertically, others horizontally. Shirone applied gravity to the photons to unify the direction of light oscillation.
The result was astonishing. An unprecedented number of photons were gathering in a single point. Because it was more stable than ordinary photons, the color of the light was closer to gray. When Shining began to emit white light, it boasted dozens of times the normal density.
- Casting now!
Shirone tightly closed his eyes and released his control over the photons. The light particles burst in all directions like a herd of untamed horses.
The brightness of the white light that swallowed the world reached a staggering 300,000 lumens. It was more than twice as intense as staring directly at the midday sun. (1,000 lumens flashlight is able to produce a beam range of 150 to 200 meters – Mr. G)
Shirone knew the magic had succeeded even without seeing it.
The light was so intense that he could vaguely discern shadows even with his eyes closed.
‘It worked! It really worked!’
The divine particles were the core principle of Shirone's magic.
The Photon Cannon was mass, the Laser was energy, and this time, the Shining Impact was a flash explosion created by compressing photons.
It was a non-lethal magic that could neutralize living things regardless of time and place because it exceeded the intensity of natural light.
Even after the light disappeared, the divine subjects kept their eyes closed. For fear of being attacked, they had their upper body tilted back and was covering their face with both arms.
There was silence.
Shirone and his friends opened their eyes first, and then the divine subjects also raised their eyelids and looked left and right.
“Ne- Nephilim. It’s a Nephilim.”
As someone mumbled, the Meca Clan began to drop their weapons one by one.
The Shining Impact had achieved beyond just stopping the fight.
Even if one had a contract with a spirit of light, it was impossible to create a light stronger than the sun.
If there was a being who could, it would undoubtedly be an angel who wielded the power of light.
Tess wiped the sweat running down her chin.
“Phew. Shirone, what kind of magic is this? I was shocked, I thought I’m going blind.”
Though spoken as a joke, it was sincere. She had never experienced such an intense light in her life.
Rian sheathed his greatsword and approached.
“Anyway, we’ve neutralized the enemies so it’s fine. Then, should we stop the Ilhwa Elixir now?”
“It won’t be easy. Unlike the other divine subjects, the Kerugos are standing firm.”
As Amy said, the executor and other people involved in the ritual were glaring at Shirone with fierce eyes.
Of course, they were also intimidated by the power of Shining Impact.
But if they believed it was the power of a Nephilim, there was no reason for them to be mentally shaken.
To those who only followed Ra, the lower laws were not frightening.
“Do you think you can get away with this, Nephilim? You have disrupted the sacred law of Ra. Once the internal government moves, your life will also end today.”
“If you want, try as much as you can. You can’t control my lifespan, which even I don’t know about.”
The executor's nose twitched.
He wanted to behead Shirone immediately, but honestly, he had no desire to fight.
It is 187 years that he has earned by dedicating his whole life. With eternal life just within reach, he couldn’t end his life here.
A red glow appeared on Shirone’s palm.
Now that the divine subjects were frightened, this was the last chance. Instead of provoking them clumsily with a Photon Cannon, the strategy was to destroy with a Laser.
As the red rays extended toward the statue, the divine subjects recoiled in terror.
But no one dared to rush forward anymore. If Shirone was indeed a Nephilim, he was not someone the divine subjects could handle.
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