Kojiro Tendo and the other officials watched the horrific scenes of torture on the screen, each drawing a sharp, cold breath.
The punishments were varied and brutal: limb amputation into "human pigs," death by a thousand cuts, being burned on a red-hot bronze pillar, being sealed inside a bronze bull heated by fire below... the list went on. Essentially, every condemned person was subjected to several different methods.
What was worse, the victims didn't die from their ordeals. It seemed the Celestial was deliberately keeping them alive without healing their wounds. Old injuries, still fresh and unhealed, were compounded by new ones.
Under this double-layered torment, their spirits were pushed to the brink of collapse.
Finally, even the usually cunning and composed Kojiro Tendo couldn't stand the visuals and the agonized wailing any longer. He shut off the footage.
Some officials, unable to stomach the scenes any further, bent over and vomited right there in the conference room. No one blamed them.
"Our most urgent priority now is to find a way to deal with the impending crisis," Tendo stated slowly, his eyes scanning the other pale-faced officials.
"Does anyone have any ideas on how to counter these... Cosmic Celestials?" he asked.
The room fell into a stunned silence. They were at a complete loss. Hadn't they just seen the Hokkaido military's attack be wiped out with a casual wave? How were they supposed to fight that? What weapons could possibly stand against such power?
As the officials remained mute, Takuto Hozumi, who had been standing to the side, spoke up after a moment of thought.
"Chief Advisor Tendo," he began, "I propose we deploy the final option."
"That thing should be capable of wiping out these so-called Cosmic Celestials!"
A slight change flickered across Tendo's face at Hozumi's words. The "final option" he referred to was, of course, a nuclear warhead. It represented one of the pinnacles of human weaponry.
Aside from nukes, there was also the "Sky Corridor," a linear super-electromagnetic launch system—a massive railgun capable of firing 800mm metal projectiles at sub-light speed. It was a weapon from the last great war with the Gastrea, now sitting unused and untested for years outside the city. Its current operational status was unknown.
Thus, nuclear weapons became their primary choice.
"Let's test it," Tendō finally said, after a moment of consideration. "But do not target the entity directly. Aim for the area around it."
He had thought of a way to try.
It seemed they believed that as long as they didn't target the being directly, its terrifying ability to erase things might not be triggered.
"Understood!"
The subordinates quickly received the orders and immediately went to carry them out.
The other officials could only silently pray that the nuclear option would work.
On the side of the Cosmic Celestials...
Aside from the Judge, the other Celestials had descended upon other nations.
They began rescuing the Cursed Children and those marked as good, while simultaneously delivering punishment to the guilty.
During the process, some attempted to plead for mercy or slip through the cracks.
But in the eyes of the Cosmic Celestials, there was not a shred of pity.
So, those destined for punishment received it.
Those destined to board the flight to the new world were invited onto the starships.
Meanwhile, Yuki, accompanied by Enju Aihara, arrived at another shelter for Cursed Children.
Compared to Enju's previous shelter, the conditions here were significantly better.
When Yuki arrived, the adorable little lolis recognized him instantly.
Without needing any persuasion, they immediately expressed their willingness to follow him.
Seeing this, Yuki opened a portal, allowing the girls to board the starship.
Enju, however, couldn't help but grumble from the side.
"Why is this shelter so much nicer than the one I was in?" she pouted, her little mouth forming a frown. "They even get to watch TV!"
Clearly, she was unhappy about the disparity in treatment.
No sooner had Enju finished speaking than a voice chimed in from behind.
"That's because the person in charge of each shelter is different."
"To people like them, we Cursed Children are just commodities."
"Some people don't see the point in providing extra benefits or comforts to their merchandise."
Enju's face fell at the words. She had to admit, the logic was sound, leaving her with no retort.
They turned to see a girl about Enju's age with long black hair tied with a white ribbon.
She had green eyes and carried herself with a quiet, samurai-like grace. The serene young girl walked up to them.
She first offered Yuki a deep, formal bow, then introduced herself.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Yuki. My name is Asaka Mibu."
"On behalf of all the Cursed Children across the world, I would first like to express our most sincere gratitude to you."
Asaka Mibu raised her head slightly, her eyes fixed seriously on Yuki.
"Without you, we would never have seen this day."
"Hello, Asaka Mibu." Yuki responded with a gentle smile. "I accept your thanks."
"Wonderful!" A smile finally broke through on Asaka's face.
"Ah! Please, just call me Asaka!"
"Alright, Asaka."
Yuki gave a slight nod. This Cursed Child, in the original story, was the Initiator of a man named Nagamasa Gado. But now, with the world's trajectory shifted, it seemed she hadn't been chosen by anyone yet.
Not that it mattered. From now on, they wouldn't be living the same lives as before anyway.
"Hey, hey! Don't just ignore me!" Enju piped up, desperately trying to reclaim the spotlight. "My name is Enju Aihara! You better remember it!"
Asaka Mibu merely glanced at her briefly before turning her attention back to Yuki.
Yuki sensed there was more on her mind and gently prompted her. "Was there something else you wanted to say, Asaka?"
"Yes. Aside from expressing my gratitude, I came to find you, Lord Yuki, with one more request." Asaka nodded gently, then, with utmost reverence, performed a formal dogeza—kneeling and bowing deeply until her forehead nearly touched the floor.
"Asaka Mibu wishes to serve Lord Yuki as her master. I hope you will accept me!" she declared, her voice firm. "I am willing to offer everything to you, to become the sword in your hand!"
Her tone left no room for doubt; such a profound bow was no joking matter.
"Ah... Serve Yuki as your master?! Offer everything?!" Enju's eyes went wide. "Including your heart and... body?!"
"Wah! So that's a move you can pull! How sneaky! Why didn't I think of that?!" Enju's face flushed red as her imagination ran wild, conjuring up all sorts of scenarios.
Kneeling on the floor, Asaka seemed to get swept up in Enju's implication. A faint blush also crept onto her cheeks, and her voice carried a hint of flustered urgency as she added, "Of course!"
"If Lord Yuki requires it, Asaka is ready to attend to him at any time!"
Well then...
Hearing such bold words, Yuki couldn't help but scratch his head awkwardly.
"Ahem, you should get up first," he said, helping Asaka to her feet. "I accept your pledge to serve me."
"But as for that other matter... we can discuss it another time."
Yuki had accepted her. As for those earlier, rather forward suggestions... he felt the timing was definitely not right.
After all, both Asaka Mibu and Enju Aihara were currently... far too young for such things. It was a legally precarious area, to say the least.
.
.
.
.
Support me with Power Stones to unlock bonus chapters.For every 30 Power Stones reached, one extra chapter will be released.
You can also read advance chapters on Patreon.com/lost_moon.