Chapter 609
Deep underground, a labyrinth of tunnels twisted and turned like a rabbit’s warren.
In a space that felt more like a burrow, a dim light flickered weakly.
The air was thick with the stench of decaying bodies and bizarre idols.
At the heart of this underground maze, a woman sat in the center of a chamber. Around her, people lay prostrate, hanging onto her every word.
“Do you remember the day the sky opened?” she asked.
“I saw it with my own eyes. Do you know what my first words were then? ‘Wow.’ It might be hard to believe, but it’s true. Even though it felt inappropriate to say it at the time, witnessing that scene was truly overwhelming.
“When you see rain made of light falling from the sky, even if it seems like it’s going to crash down on you, you can’t help but be amazed. It was a sight that was both awe-inspiring and despairing.
“A judgment, perhaps. Yes, it was a judgment. A judgment of light, cast upon those who failed to recognize the prophet. Those who tortured, threatened, and tried to kill him. The flashes struck the earth, and the warp gates that once served humanity became something that needed to be eradicated.
“That day, I saw the Demon King for the first time. He looked so sad. So sad that it seemed he had given up on everything.”
After a short pause, she went on, “His eyes told the story of a man who had faced failure time and again, simply because no one ever believed in him.
“Yet, the Demon King spoke. With urgency, he laid out a plan to navigate the impending chaos, striving to minimize the bloodshed. He poured his heart into his words, regardless of whether anyone believed him.”
“‘That demon spawn is just trying to survive,’ people said. ‘He’s making empty threats about what will happen if we don’t let him go.’ Everyone thought that way. I did too, back then. But the Demon King spoke the truth. We paid dearly for the sin of not recognizing the prophet among us. And I am one of those sinners.”