Ch.307Cradle of Abundance. Hargal Plains (3)

“My lord, please calm your anger. Am I not by your side?”

“Your love cannot melt my frozen heart. The rulers of this land have made it so! How should I deal with the cold-blooded ones of this city?! Even before the majesty of a god, they refuse to topple their tower of desires!”

The aura emanating from the enraged Victor turned the soldiers into melting taffy.

Even the party members who were Aura users couldn’t withstand it and had to hide in their rooms, while the soldiers were receiving care from priests as they collectively suffered from respiratory distress.

Seeing Simon faint before him, Victor briefly withdrew his anger, but that didn’t mean his fury had cooled.

“Clearly my heart was enraptured while gazing upon the vast horizons of Hargal, yet how dare they freeze it with humanity’s wickedness! Is it truly human nature to whip those laboring before them and then cackle mockingly as if it were amusing?!”

Crackle…

Unable to bear it any longer, Victor took a shuttle down and climbed to the summit of the mountain overlooking Karluk. The overwhelming heat he emitted began melting the glaciers and eternal snow atop the mountain, and the rocks supporting him turned red-hot and started to flow.

As the melting glaciers collided with the molten rock, an enormous cloud of steam arose, and behind it, the divine figure’s eyes gleamed ominously.

Even if that city were erased, the designation of Hargal Plains as a landmark would not be revoked.

What mattered was the “plains,” not the “city.”

However, it was also true that the geographical advantage of Karluk City brought tremendous benefits to the people of Hargal Plains. Therefore, it would not be wise to erase the city in a moment of anger and then try to solve the economic problems of Hargal Plains afterward.

“Grrrr…”

His teeth chattered and his jaw tightened.

Despite being a god, he found it frustrating that he could not purify one city full of sin.

At least in Long Legs, there had been the crime of blasphemy when it was cleanly erased in the name of the Apostolic See. The tragedies that arise from humans disrespecting other humans are beyond the control of even a god.

“Haa… haa…”

Victor’s efforts to control his anger gradually succeeded.

Slowly his body temperature decreased, and the boiling water around him began to calm.

“Darling… have you calmed down now?”

“…I’m not sure… But I think there’s nothing more to gain by staying here. Let’s return.”

Victor cooled his heated body against his wife’s coldly shining form and returned to the shuttle.

Had he not calmed his anger, even the shuttle would have melted.

“Let’s go back. Pilot the ship.”

“Yes, my lord. This is Shuttle One. The lord is returning. Be prepared.”

Soon the shuttle took off again, and in Karluk City, the night lights began to glow.

*

“12 hours of labor! 12 hours of rest! 12 hours of sleep!”

“Let’s punish the politicians who give us neither food nor money!”

“The Sun God stands with us!”

“We can’t live like this! Let’s change everything!”

The next morning at dawn. The dock workers who were supposed to unload the ships that had arrived overnight erupted in fierce anger, beating warehouse managers and storekeepers with all sorts of makeshift weapons and setting warehouses ablaze.

Yesterday they had been too busy to think about it, but when they lay in bed trying to sleep, they realized that everything that fellow Curtis had said was absolutely right.

Everyone working in this field had experienced contemptuous looks, their wages were always meager and often delayed, and working dangerous jobs at the harbor meant their clothes were constantly worn out, forcing them to go around looking like beggars.

And seeing those nobles and the wealthy who called them “lowly creatures” while parading around with parasols, pretending to be important, made their insides twist with rage even as they lay in bed.

That’s what led to the situation that morning.

Once someone began to voice their complaints, the protest instantly became a riot, and the riot quickly spread throughout the entire city.

“Drive out the corrupt wealthy!”

“Lady Moneta, please watch over us!!!!”

As if putting into practice the saying that destruction breeds creation, the city burst into flames in an instant.

The anger of the poor who had been oppressed for so long. The common people who had been walking on eggshells. The middle class who were quietly trying to get their share. And finally, the members of the Yangwol Order who came out to burn the city that had insulted their god—together, they formed a force that could not possibly be contained by ordinary police, necessitating military intervention.

“Why haven’t you declared martial law?! Rioters are roaming the streets!”

“Shut up, you fool! The Sun God’s flagship is hovering right above our city, and you want to deploy the military?! If we do that, we’ll all be blown away along with the city!”

But they couldn’t use force.

Everyone in Karluk City and throughout the Hargal Plains knew that these people had risen up because they could barely survive, and the moment they were suppressed by force, regardless of whether the suppression succeeded or not, the election would be lost.

Moreover, what triggered their uprising was the Sun God’s great fury at witnessing the victims of wealth disparity, polarization, and social conflict in Karluk. If they forcibly suppressed a riot sparked by his anger, the city might literally be annihilated.

Just like Long Legs.

“Th-then what do we do now? The docks have already fallen, so we can’t escape by ship…”

“You idiot…! We have the bunker…”

The mayor of Karluk, who was about to declare that they had a bunker, frowned at the messenger who suddenly burst through the door.

“Who are you?!”

“The Sun God has deployed his army!”

“What?!”

Well, game over.

Karluk’s weak regular army would never be able to defeat the Sun God’s armored division, armed with fanatical ideology and faith.

*

“Destroy the infidels and heretics who dare create a hell under the sun! Advance! Our destination is the Council Hall!”

“Yes, sir!”

Following the orders of the senior commander, the armored units advanced along the main road.

Thousands of armored vehicles and tanks crushing concrete and asphalt as they advanced made a tremendous impression on the rioters. The majesty of the Sky Warden hovering slowly above, broadcasting with thunderous volume, firmly imprinted upon the 60 million citizens of Karluk what power a god could wield.

-Listen, subjects! Our master will judge this city, so who will join this holy war of purification and seize glory! Fighting for justice is not a sin that leads to hell but a virtue that leads to heaven, and those who sacrifice themselves against evil and injustice will find eternal rest under the guidance of the sun, so fear not death!-

The priests’ clear voices descended to the ground through speakers, and the rioters, already believing the Sun God had heard their anger, climbed onto the armored vehicles and tanks, cheering as they raced through the burning city.

-Behold, you arrogant ones! You dared to create a hell on earth under the sun, did you think you could escape your evil deeds! Quietly accept his justice and receive his aura! His way is the way of justice and righteousness, prosperity and order! You demons, shed tears of joy! The solemn and holy constitution of the new empire will be applied to you!-

The priests of the sun began singing hymns through the speakers, and the crowd, rushing like a tsunami down the main road, was stunned to see tanks breaking through the police barricades that tried to stop them.

Bang! Boom!

“Damn! Cannons! Take cover!”

“Aaaagh!!!”

The roof of the Council Hall was blown away, and the main beams collapsed.

The building symbolizing a nation’s administrative power began to crumble, and the high-ranking officials, ministers, and the mayor who were desperately trying to survive were captured by the angry mob like witches during a witch hunt and dragged before the field commander.

“You! You know your crimes! How could you, wearing a human face and bearing the heavy responsibility of ruling this city, allow all this suffering and misery to continue!”

“Th-that is…”

“HA!!! Do not make excuses!! No doubt you’ll say it didn’t start in your time. There were too many problems to solve. It would cost too much. You need social consensus—such pathetic excuses!”

The field commander blew the mayor’s head off with a cannon, and the remaining surviving officials were crushed to death under tank treads.

The crowd rejoiced, chanting the Sun God’s name, while the soldiers received enthusiastic treatment with kisses from women and embraces from men.

“The fact is that Karluk is being normalized.”

And up above, standing on the bridge, Victor muttered those words as he withdrew the fires spreading through the city.