At that moment, Haruki turned his gaze to Babara and the other two members of the Assassin Society standing beside the general and asked,
"So, you were involved in the Fukamura incident too?"
"We were all acting for justice." Babara replied firmly.
"Hahaha! That's the funniest joke I've heard all year. An assassin claiming her actions were for justice? What about you two? Do you think the same?"
Haruki burst into laughter, then looked toward Chelsea and Taeko, who stood silently nearby, lost in thought.
"Yeah, we were the ones who tipped off the army that day. But I didn't expect them to massacre the villagers!"
"I... I didn't know about that."
Chelsea and Taeko responded one after the other.
Chelsea had once served as a maid in the local governor's mansion and had firsthand experience with the corruption plaguing the bureaucracy.
One day, she stumbled upon the Teigu, Gaea Foundation, and used its power to assassinate the governor. From that moment, she resolved to change the twisted state of the world and joined the Revolutionary Army.
She became part of the Assassin Society, a Revolutionary Army partner, and was mentored by Babara, one of its top operatives.
Like most, Chelsea believed the Revolutionary Army truly fought for the people's good. But the day the Revolutionary Army slaughtered innocent villagers shattered that belief. Now, hearing Haruki suspect her of participating in the massacre, she hurried to explain herself.
As for Taeko, she had been trained by Babara since childhood. Though remarkably skilled among her peers, she had never formed a clear idea of what "justice" meant. Babara had trained her rigorously, but never taught her anything beyond assassination—after all, what the Assassin Society sought were tools of death, not individuals with their own thoughts.
Still, something deep inside told Taeko that both the Revolutionary Army's actions and her mentor's conduct were wrong. Yet, after living so long with Babara in a relationship that was both maternal and disciplinary, she couldn't bring herself to doubt her. That was why Haruki's question left her deeply conflicted.
In truth, the reason the Assassination Unit was ambushed that day was because the three members of the Assassin Society had revealed the unit's details to the army. That explained how the enemy knew Gozuki and his group's daily routines so well. After all, not everyone had Haruki's sharp senses—when Chelsea transformed using her Teigu, few could ever tell.
"Chelsea, Taeko, don't listen to his lies. He himself is one of the roots of the Empire's corruption. What right does he have to judge others?"
Seeing how shaken her two disciples were by Haruki's words, Babara quickly stepped in to interrupt.
"So, the esteemed Minister of Security doesn't plan to surrender peacefully? Then don't blame me for what happens next. Guards! Arrest the Minister and his companions!"
The allied forces' general was furious that Haruki had ignored him. Arrogant by nature, he immediately barked an order to the twenty soldiers surrounding Haruki's group.
The soldiers, filled with confidence, shouted in unison and advanced in a tight formation. This army was the main force the Empire had previously dispatched and had achieved a significant victory. That triumph had given them a massive boost in morale, which explained their current fervor.
"Tch, worthless scum. Did you really think I'm all bark and no bite? I was going to let you crawl a bit longer, but if you're that desperate to die—fine by me."
Once Haruki confirmed that this was the army responsible for the massacre of the villagers who had lived with him for three years, he had no intention of showing mercy. He'd planned to have a chat with some of the main characters first, but these clueless extras just had to rush in.
The general was just about to mock Haruki's arrogance when Haruki's next move shut him up completely—like a slap across the face.
Haruki stood atop a Danger Beast, raising his right hand high above his head.
Before anyone could process what he was doing, a sudden and dramatic change erupted.
Originally, the 30,000-strong army had surrounded Haruki and his group in a wide circle, forming a battlefield with a radius of several hundred meters and Haruki's group at the very center.
After Haruki made his move, everyone noticed that the sky, which had already darkened toward evening, suddenly lit up. A massive, radiant golden vortex appeared in the heavens, casting light across the once-dim earth as if it were broad daylight. The vortex was just large enough to encompass everyone present.
But before anyone could even marvel at the breathtaking sight, weapons of all kinds began to emerge slowly from within the vortex—swords, spears, sabers, halberds, axes, hooks—every kind of weapon imaginable. They floated high above the crowd, like the Sword of Damocles suspended overhead. The sight instantly shattered the morale of the previously confident soldiers, and a wave of unrest rippled through the crowd.
After a thousand years of training in the Imperial Capital, Haruki had improved not only his personal strength but also his mastery over the weapons he commanded.
Now, Haruki could open the Gate of Babylon not just behind him like the legendary hero Gilgamesh, but at any place within a radius of thousands of miles.
More importantly, within the firing range of the Gate of Babylon, he could control each weapon with pinpoint precision to strike any target, with zero risk of collateral damage.
In other words, the area covered by the Gate of Babylon was now Haruki's domain. Within this space, the fate of every individual was entirely under his control.
Haruki paid no attention to the chaos among the soldiers. The hand he had raised suddenly dropped.
And with it, so did the myriad weapons suspended above the crowd.
"Spare us...!"
Explosions erupted, screams echoed, and cries for mercy rang out without end.
It must be understood—each weapon in Haruki's Gate of Babylon was a prototype of the world's legendary armaments.
Every single one was on par with, or even far surpassed, an average Teigu. Dropped from such great heights, their impact was far beyond that of ordinary falling objects.
Now, the battlefield—no, the slaughterhouse—was consumed by blasts and thunderclaps. The devastation left everyone near Haruki who had not been attacked utterly shaken.
With just a single move, the elite allied force of 30,000 was utterly annihilated.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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