Chapter 404: 21. The Judgment Approaches (6k)
Fisher initially wanted to ask more about the world that Tang Zeming Asuka came from, but seeing her curled up in a ball, half-asleep while trying to survey her surroundings, he hesitated. Maybe she really was the great leader of the Creation Society later, but for now, she was just a little girl who had just come from another world.
He decided against asking further questions; after all, her story before arriving didn’t seem helpful for their current situation. Instead, he spoke up,
“Take a break. You look really tired. We can talk more when you wake up. Don’t worry, neither of us are bad people. We won’t do anything strange to you.”
Tang Zeming Asuka, unsure why she suddenly felt so exhausted, bit her lip and glanced shyly at the handsome man beside her with black hair, shaking her head softly,
“It’s fine. So, we’re being held captive by angels?”
“Yeah, but they can’t keep us locked up forever. They must have a purpose for keeping us around, or they would have killed us when they first discovered us. So, until then, it’s best for you to get some rest.”
Before Fisher could finish, he turned to see Tang Zeming Asuka had already completely succumbed to sleep in her curled position, leaving him speechless.
After a moment’s pause, he glanced at Gouwen, who was resting his chin in his hands, skeptical.
“Her exhaustion seems unnatural. Did you have a hand in this?”
Upon hearing Fisher’s inquiry, Gouwen, as straightforward as ever, nodded in admission,
“Yeah. This little girl is just an ordinary human. I was worried she might do something extreme to attract the attention of those bad-tempered angels, so I had no choice but to take such measures. However, Mr. Fisher, you see, I’ve basically answered all your questions, yet you ignore mine. Are you concerned that I may interfere with your aim here in the Holy Realm? Or do you find me so untrustworthy that I could harm you at any moment?”
“…”
Leaning against the wall, Fisher stayed silent for a while before speaking again,
“Sorry, I was being overly suspicious. In reality, if we have to get technical, neither of us truly belongs here. But unlike her, who comes from another space, I hail from a distant future. I came to the Holy Realm to obtain the Holy Grail controlled by the angel named Pandora; I need it to fulfill my wish to escape death.”
Gouwen looked slightly taken aback at this revelation. His long black ears twitched before he quickly raised his hand, saying,
“Wait, wait. Don’t say more. I understand now; it makes sense. Mr. Fisher, I was unaware of this before, just suspected you might be an outsider like this girl, which is why I asked. But now that I know, I must remind you not to mention this to others.”
“Why?”
Gouwen’s expression turned more serious. He pointed toward the ceiling, warning Fisher,
“Although I don’t know how Mr. Fisher plans to achieve this goal, it definitely cannot be accomplished within the original rules of this world, and that’s incredibly dangerous.”
“Once the gods discover you’re tampering with destiny, you will likely face destruction. Don’t even think about achieving your goal; even returning will be a fantasy. So, don’t talk about this, or any future occurrences, to anyone. From now on, just consider yourself an outsider like this girl; remember this carefully.”
Fisher glanced at Tang Zeming Asuka beside him and, after a slight smile, expressed his gratitude to Gouwen,
“Okay, I understand. Thank you for the reminder; I’ll be cautious about this moving forward.”
“No worries, no worries. While I’m curious about what may happen in the future, upon further thought, it’s better to avoid it—protecting our lives is the most important, right?”
Fisher regarded Gouwen, appreciating him; perhaps due to Jasmine, he felt an affinity towards the Whale Folk. Given that Gouwen was easy-going and gentle, Fisher didn’t find himself resistant or overly cautious around him.
However, when it came to preserving their lives, they were trapped in a cage, completely unaware of their surroundings, feeling like fish on a chopping board. The sudden appearance of the outsider, Tang Zeming Asuka, left Fisher in a state of confusion on how to face the long-lost president of the society.
The Fate Lord had guided him to find her, yet he wondered if finding her now counted and whether the Fate Lord had crossed over too.
Caught up in these thoughts, both Gouwen and Fisher ceased their conversation, and the cell gradually fell into silence.
Tang Zeming Asuka woke up late that night, close to midnight, having slept for about six or seven hours. Looking outside, she could see the silhouette of a planet at the end of her vision, where the dazzling sun was slowly rising from the east, illuminating the land. She was unsure if the night on the Eastern Continent was as pitch black as Fisher remembered; after all, there was a massive World Tree there.
When Tang Zeming Asuka awoke, Gouwen’s earlier meddling had likely worn off. She remained dazed, still hugging her knees in the corner of the cage, occasionally squeezing her finger joints hard until each knuckle turned red.
She stayed in that dazed state until after many minutes had passed, realizing she had indeed crossed over and was no longer at school, neither in Japan nor on Earth, but alone in another world.
During those quiet minutes, she suddenly felt a tremendous sense of loneliness and helplessness, starting to silently shed tears, her mind blank as she had no idea what to do now.
Although her sobs were quiet, both Fisher and Gouwen, not being ordinary people, noticed her distress but did not speak. Fisher had his eyes closed, meditating, while Gouwen rested his chin, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.
Uncertain how much time passed, the sudden sound of the cell door opening abruptly broke the somber atmosphere. With a click, Tang Zeming Asuka, who had been sobbing with her head down, tightened her grip on her legs. Fisher abruptly opened his eyes, looking towards the door alongside Gouwen.
“Hello, how did you sleep last night? I brought you some food. Oh, when did this little kitten arrive here?”
Standing at the doorway was the angel with golden short hair who had appeared yesterday, and Fisher remembered her being called “Hela” by another angel.
With a lazy and enchanting smile on her beautiful face, she hugged her arms, appearing quite friendly. However, upon seeing the deep space outside, which was more vivid than anything, along with the pairs of blue-golden wings floating behind her, Tang Zeming Asuka shrank back like a chick, too scared to look at her, causing the angel to cover her mouth in amusement.
She beckoned with her hand, and several fruits and food flew toward the cage. Gouwen smiled and said a “thank you,” casually taking one to start eating. Fisher wasn’t very hungry, so he didn’t touch the food, while Tang Zeming Asuka, seemingly terrified, didn’t make a move to grab anything.
“Don’t be so stubborn; I brought this from afar, and if you don’t eat now, there might not be a chance later.”
Fisher glanced at the angel, noticing she showed no intention of shutting the cell door, quickly realizing that the angels were about to discuss how to handle the prisoners.
From what Fisher had heard from Emhart or Eil, these angels were generally not friendly beings, and as mythical beings, they wouldn’t harbor any sympathy for humans; thus, the outcome could be extremely dangerous.
Yet, the angel before them clearly radiated a terrifying mythical aura, far surpassing the base aura he had encountered before. She wasn’t a mindless creature, and neither he nor Gouwen were of mythical rank; combined, they wouldn’t be able to withstand even her single hand. Moreover, Emhart was still in their hands; even if he fled, he couldn’t abandon him.
With these thoughts, Fisher no longer hesitated. He lowered his head and started eating the food she threw over. While eating, he forced some onto Tang Zeming Asuka, saying,
“Quickly eat up, don’t just shrink back there.”
“Okay, thank you.”
Tang Zeming Asuka slowly reached out to hold the piece of fruit Fisher offered her; she had never seen such a large green fruit before, let alone eaten it. She hesitated for a moment before bringing it closer to her face and began nibbling the soft flesh.
“Not bad, not bad. Eat quickly; once finished, we’ll head to the Seventh Day. The angels are already waiting for you there.”
After consuming several fruits, Gouwen raised his hand with a bitter smile, looking at the dazzling beautiful angel, and said,
“Um, Angel, I just want to see how the angels practice medicine; this isn’t a serious crime, is it? Can’t you let us go?”
Hela continued smiling, nodding her chin,
“Sorry, whether or not I can release you is not up to me. However, based on my understanding of the laws of the Holy Realm, trespassing by other races is a heavy crime, and Lord Raguel and Lord Uriel seem quite angry. So, are you missing your home in the ocean?”
Gouwen’s once-smiling face became increasingly strained, but he had no choice but to sigh and say,
“I just hadn’t informed my wife that I would be gone for this long; she might be worried about my safety.”
Hela didn’t respond further; taking a step back, she floated outside the cage where Fisher could no longer see her but called out,
“Once you’ve finished eating, come out. I’ll take you up. Hurry up!”
Fisher chewed the sweet fruit in his mouth, his mind racing with strategies. No matter how he thought about it, all paths seemed dead ends, and escape was impossible. To mythical beings, even a hundred of him wouldn’t equal one of them in strength; he could only approach it from a different angle.
“Um, where exactly is she taking us? Did she just say we’ve committed a crime?”
Gouwen turned to Tang Zeming Asuka, kindly explaining,
“Just understand it as us having trespassed a den of very powerful beings. Unlike Fisher and me, who intentionally came here, you arrived unintentionally, but they don’t care whether you meant to come.”
This statement terrified Tang Zeming Asuka, and she quickly clasped her hands, mumbling words that Fisher didn’t understand,
“What should we do? Will we die? I don’t want to die. Namo Amitabha. Namo Amitabha.”
Fisher laid the finished fruit aside, looked at Tang Zeming Asuka beside him, and then stood up,
“You won’t die.”
“Eh, huh?”
Tang Zeming Asuka stared blankly at Fisher’s back, asking,
“How do you know?”
“I just know.”
If you were to die now, the Fate Lord wouldn’t have directed me to find you.
Fisher thought to himself.
Conversely, Tang Zeming Asuka was momentarily stumped by Fisher’s vague answer. She, who had just been crying, now felt even more confused, sniffling.
“Let’s go; have you finished?”
Fisher’s voice came again. She looked up only to find that both Gouwen and Fisher had already reached the cage door. While she had thought they were monsters yesterday, now that they were about to leave, Tang Zeming Asuka felt scared, struggling to stand and run towards them,
“Okay, I’m sorry.”
Silently, she followed behind Fisher, perhaps thinking that since Fisher was also human, he was better than Gouwen, who had whale ears and a tail.
They stepped out of the cage, finding themselves on a white road suspended in the air. This seemed to be the edge of the Third Day, as Fisher saw no other angels besides the one in front of him.
Everything was quiet; once they left the cage, they immediately felt weightless, but once they stepped on those white stone slabs, it was as if they were firmly attached and could no longer float about.
“Please watch your step and follow me.”
“…”
The beautiful angel ahead spoke up, and after a moment’s hesitation, Fisher obediently followed her down the road towards the center of the Third Day.
Along the way, they passed numerous beautifully designed buildings of unknown purpose, in which many angels were sitting, each with ethereal wings and different adornments. Their expressions varied, but they shared a similar indistinguishable ambisexual beauty that made it hard to identify their specific genders.
They all silently stared at Fisher and the others below, and Hela waved warmly at them. Several angels nodded or returned the gesture, causing Fisher to unconsciously fixate on a beautiful angel standing apart from the rest.
She wore a heavy robe, obscuring her precise figure, standing shorter than him, and after a moment’s contemplation, he was about to inquire about her origins when she suddenly spoke without turning around,
“Hela, the Morning Star Hela, that’s what they all call me. I’m a seraph responsible for some minor matters in the Seventh Heaven.”
Tang Zeming Asuka blinked but said nothing, maintaining her silence.
“Fisher Benavides.”
“Oh, it’s rare to see such a strong human. Not bad, not bad.”
“May I ask if the talking book I was with is still well? This is important to me.”
“Oh, him? No need to worry; you’ll find out soon. He is indeed very important; remember that.”
“…”
Fisher gazed at her back, pondering for a second, momentarily unsure of her words’ meanings, but he refrained from inquiring further, as they had now arrived at the peculiar cylindrical passage connecting different layers of the Holy Realm, the same one he had seen before within the sealing cage. Hela paused before the tunnel, turning back to address Fisher and the others,
“Please jump into here; don’t worry, you won’t fall.”
The moment she spoke, Tang Zeming Asuka instinctively leaned to peer down the cylindrical passage. What lay below was a massive planet that seemed to stretch endlessly, triggering her fear of heights, nearly causing her legs to give way beneath her.
“Are we really jumping down? Really?”
“Really.”
Tang Zeming Asuka’s lips trembled; she turned to look at Gouwen and Fisher. Gouwen shook his head and lightly leaped into the cylindrical passage, then floated there. Yet, before he could turn and speak to Tang Zeming Asuka, he was quickly enveloped in light, shooting upward.
“Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!”
Watching Gouwen’s figure vanishing as he flew up, leaving a wisp of an afterimage, frightened her further, making her too afraid to move, and she plopped down onto the ground.
“So scary.”
Hela covered her mouth, silently chuckling at the scene, while Fisher sighed in response. He walked over to Tang Zeming Asuka, reaching out his hand and saying,
“It’s okay; come with me.”
“Uh-huh.”
Tang Zeming Asuka felt like crying again, but as she looked at Fisher’s outstretched hand, she was about to grab hold of it when she suddenly felt herself uncontrollably flying towards the passage, and her face turned pale. Before she could even cry out, she transformed into a wisp of an afterimage, soaring upwards,
“Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!”
Her screams grew distant, and Fisher’s outstretched hand froze in midair. He turned to look at the angel, who said apologetically,
“Sorry, sorry. While it would have been nice for her to hold your hand and overcome her fear warmly, that wouldn’t have been as fun.”
“Fun?”
Fisher frowned; just as he intended to retract his hand in midair, Hela almost instantaneously appeared before him, tightly grasping his cold hand. Fisher’s pupils constricted slightly before he could even look at her; he only heard her respond,
“Indeed.”
At her response, the next second, Fisher’s vision was enveloped by countless dazzling lights, and he felt as if he were weightless, being pulled upwards by an extremely light force.
In the dark universe, the seemingly motionless stars transformed into meteors, trailing luminous tails. Even Fisher found this unprecedented sense of displacement somewhat uncomfortable; he clenched his teeth as he unconsciously tightened his grip on Hela’s hand, but the next second, her icy grip vanished.
“Buzz, buzz, buzz!”
“Ugh!”
Fisher suddenly appeared on a vast, bright circular platform, where Tang Zeming Asuka was on the ground, heaving, while Gouwen remained unfazed. He glanced at Fisher, who appeared pale and dizzy,
“Mr. Fisher, are you okay? The angels’ teleportation is a bit rough.”
“I’m fine.”
Fisher, feeling uncomfortable, covered his head and looked around, realizing they were standing on a circular stone sculpture with a peculiar glowing pattern around its edge. Just as he was about to step closer to examine the patterns, Gouwen urgently instructed,
“Don’t move, Mr. Fisher. We can only stay on this circular stone sculpture; don’t go near there, or you’ll be instantly incinerated by the flames of Angel Uriel. This is a punishment device used to penalize those at that level in the Third Day, something we cannot withstand.”
“…”
Fisher halted in place, turning his gaze towards the edge of the stone sculpture, where Hela was smiling, standing and looking forward, seemingly focused on a massive high platform. The light from that platform was so blinding that Fisher could not look at it directly.
Suddenly, the light on the platform appeared to be drawn toward some grand force, dispersing and revealing distinct layers. The pressure emanating from the dazzling platform surged, causing both Fisher and Gouwen to go pale and feel a heart-pounding fear, instinctively avoiding the direction of the light.
Meanwhile, Tang Zeming Asuka, still retching, was oblivious to the ominous presence descending.
Beside her, Hela’s smile faded entirely. She knelt on one knee facing the overwhelming light, declaring,
“Angel Lords, the three intruders in the Holy Realm are here; you may begin discussing how to handle them.”
As her words fell, the light before Fisher gradually coalesced, enveloping the terrifying aura until it became imperceptible.
On that platform overlooked seven incredibly radiant, blurry silhouettes.
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(End of Chapter)
