Chapter 65 : His Judgment Arrives as Promised

[It is said that tragedy and separation are more memorable, and this is indeed the case. You have said goodbye to three people who helped and cared for you, and their departure is more or less related to you. This has made you bear a lot of pressure in your heart without realizing it, but now... you no longer care about it.]

[After their guidance, you have determined the path you should take and your determination to change this place.]

[But... if you want to change this place, to change this Twilight Street which has long been a "place of chaos," you need... "power."]

["She" is right. Twilight Street… is a "place of chaos" chosen by everyone. Your kindness cannot be tolerated here, especially kindness without the guarantee of "power." It will definitely be torn apart and devoured by them.]

[If you want to change this place, you will be targeted by them and attacked by the "power" of the entire Twilight Street, and even... there may be "power" from the outside world.]

[So... facing this "chaotic place" that is dominated by "power" and regards violence as common logic, the only way to change it is... "stronger power" and more violent violence.]

[Therefore, you pray to "Her," and "She" is willing to respond to you and guide you.]

[And now, a deserved "judgment" is about to come.]

[In the morning, Aponia followed your instructions and stayed in the sanatorium with the children, while you went out alone.]

[Under the guidance of "Her," you easily found the gang that destroyed the church and took people away, or... did they find you?]

[They seemed to have set a trap, and one of the people inside pretended to be a "ghost," saying that he was dissatisfied with the leader's crazy style, so he wanted to rebel against him.]

[This is an obvious lie. You can see it yourself even without "Her" explaining it.]

[He almost forced a knife into your hand, put an unloaded pistol in your pocket, then held your wrist tightly and gently cut a wound on his finger.]

[Then he screamed in fear and called out loudly, attracting the arrival of others who had been lying in ambush.]

[He said you were dangerous and took his knife and gun for revenge.]

[He said that Father Yanzheng and the nun were indeed liars and did not abide by the deal at all. As expected, you came to take revenge. You were the first to break the contract. If you break the contract, then the deal is invalid, so they can take action against you.]

[We can infer a lot from his words... Apparently, the death of Father Yanzheng and Mammy was to prevent the gangsters from bothering you, or at least from killing you. This also explains why so many people looked at you with strange and amused eyes yesterday, but nothing happened in the end.]

[Of course, more importantly... his acting is terrible... No, this can't be considered acting at all. They just want to find a reason to deal with you. They just want to pull up a fig leaf and "break the contract." They just want to... kill you.]

[This undoubtedly makes you more convinced that only "power" can speak here, and if you want to change this place, you can only... a more terrifying "power."]

[But now, you don't care about all this. Facing their playful, triumphant expressions, you just find them funny and... boring, and even a little bit compassionate.]

[After all, the people in front of you are just thugs who were pushed out to do things, and they are just people who have been infected by the evil of this place.]

[Perhaps in the past, he was just like those refugees, running here just to survive; maybe he was once a good person, with kindness.]

[But no matter what... he has fallen into depravity now, immersed in this chaotic atmosphere and unable to extricate himself, and even enjoys this atmosphere.]

[And he should also be "judged" and receive the punishment he deserves.]

[Your pupils shine with golden light like stars, and the faint dark and scarlet colors in the outer circle are constantly squeezed, almost covering up their own colors with the gold... But in the end, your pupils are still those slightly weird three-color pupils.]

[The cross pendant you hold tightly in your hand is getting hotter, but you still hold it tightly.]

[Then, flames suddenly ignited from the knife in your hand, melting it into molten iron almost instantly, and dripped onto the arm of the person holding your arm.]

[His wailing sounded in an instant. The severe pain made him let go of you. The strange situation also stunned the people around him, and the following scene made them even more terrified.]

[The person who originally grabbed you begins to have an inexplicable rise in body temperature, his breathing becomes rapid, his face turns red and distorted, and even the breath he exhales becomes inexplicably hot, as if he is in a raging fire.]

[Finally, he couldn't stand the inexplicable pain anymore, and began to scream and wail. He fell to the ground and rolled around like a fish out of water. In the process, he even rolled onto the molten iron that hadn't completely cooled down yet. The severe pain caused him to scream again.]

[He rolled back and forth on the ground, as if this could extinguish the non-existent fire on his body. Occasionally, he would stop and slam his head against the ground, as if he wanted to use the pain of self-harm to distract himself.]

[But obviously... this is useless.]

[Finally, his voice became weaker and weaker, his breath gradually disappeared, and he left this world with a painful and distorted expression on his face.]

[Fire?... What a surprise! The power "She" gave you was so hot that you even subconsciously rejected it, even though the fire wouldn't hurt you, it would just make the surrounding area dry... Or maybe it's because you prefer water? In short, you were a little surprised by the appearance of fire, but as a believer in "Her," you didn't care about it. You believed that "She" would guide you.]

["What did you do?!" The screams of others around you also pulled you out of your thoughts.]

[They looked at this bizarre scene in horror, their bodies subconsciously shrank back, and unconsciously stepped back a little, their eyes moving back and forth between you and that person, but his strange appearance just now made no one dare to come forward.]

[You step forward a little... You have no extra intentions, nor do you intend to "judge" them. It's just because you need to get to their base, and they just happened to block your way.]

[As mentioned before, they were just thugs who were pushed out. Maybe they are not innocent at the moment, but they are still people who can be saved and redeemed.]

[Everyone deserves the opportunity to "repent" and "repay"—"She" tells you so.]

[More importantly, if the "trial" is carried out indiscriminately, there will probably be few living people in the entire Twilight Street. It is hard to say that the people in the "land of chaos" are all "innocent." Everyone carries "sins" to a greater or lesser extent. This is something they have to do in order to survive. It is understandable and should be tolerated.]

[What you expect is to change this place, not to destroy it, so be kind and tolerant—"She" warns you so.]

[Therefore, you don't want to pay attention to them, you just want to obey "Her" will, show "power," smash all the original rules here, and then reshape them.]

[It's just that… your actions have only exacerbated their psychological pressure.]

["Don't come over here!" They shouted in fear, and then pulled the trigger at you without hesitation.]

[But in the end, only a few beautiful fireworks flashed in the sky, leaving only the molten iron that quickly cooled down on the ground—the bullet spontaneously ignited and melted in the air.]

[The golden eyes shifted slightly, sweeping over those who were already panicking to the point of not knowing what to do, and sweeping over them who had subconsciously turned around and fled.]

[Immediately, they gradually slowed down their pace of escape, holding their necks in pain, with an inexplicable burning sensation in their bodies, as if a cluster of fire was burning in their bodies, and this cluster of fire was getting more and more fierce and hotter.]

[In the end, they followed in that man's footsteps, wailing and rolling on the ground, trying to put out the non-existent flames on their bodies, and then, they also left the world in pain and distortion.]

[If there are sinners who are arrogant and crave for "judgment," then we will give them the punishment they deserve—"She" warned them.]

[You look straight ahead, just slightly tighten the cross pendant in your hand and walk forward, silently memorizing the location of the corpse, preparing to take it away when you return.]

[The dead body should be buried properly, and the deceased should be treated with dignity—this is a matter of course.]

[The wailing of several people attracted the attention of others, who noticed the corpses and you walking slowly forward.]

[Those who don't want to cause trouble stay away from them, but some people quietly approach and steal the remaining supplies on the bodies, including guns, money, small items, and even clothes... They will not let go.]

[There are also some busybodies or people who want to take advantage of you secretly following you.]

[And you came to their base step by step. Anyone who attacked you died in pain due to the inexplicable reason. Anyone who fled far away survived. Almost in a short while, most of the people in the base ran away—no one wanted to fight against you, a "monster."]

[Finally, you came in front of that man, or to be more precise, in front of the leader of this gang. Looking at his terrified expression and the several extremely nervous confidants protecting him, you felt nothing in your heart.]

[They pulled the trigger frantically, but could only see fireworks flashing in the air and lumps of rapidly cooling molten iron falling to the ground.]

[The extreme fear finally destroyed his sanity. The incomprehensible events before his eyes made him want to stay away from you, the "monster." He frantically pushed the guards around him and moved them in front of him, hoping that they could delay you for a little while.]

[The guards were also shocked by the strange scene, their minds were overwhelmed by fear, and finally, they gave up on him and fled in all directions... But they didn't run far before they fell to the ground in pain, wailing as if they were burned by fire, and soon they were silent.]

[Finally, he panicked and jumped out of the window, limping away—he just wanted to stay away from you.]

[However, he didn't get far before his face started to turn red, his breathing started to quicken, his expression became painful and distorted, and then he began to wail and struggle in a way that made anyone who heard it sad and anyone who saw it cry.]

["Judgment" is coming, and escaping is neither advisable nor useful—"She" said.]

[You walked downstairs slowly, slowly came to him who was rolling back and forth on the ground, flopping like a fish out of water, and watched him silently.]

[He wailed and begged, speaking in a humble tone, burying his head at your feet and trampling his dignity into the soil. He reached out to grab your shoes, struggling to grab the corner of your priest's robe, begging you not to cause him pain.]

[You looked at him with a hint of revenge in your eyes, and even wanted to make some sarcastic remarks—but you didn't.]

[You just stared at him silently without saying a word.]

[So he began to curse, insult you and your God, insulting you for not being a priest, not even a clergyman, but a devil, a non-human, a monster.]

[You looked at him with a hint of anger in your eyes, and even wanted to deny him—but you didn't.]

[You just stared at him silently without saying a word.]

[In the end, he gave up trying to survive and just begged you to let him die, so that he would not suffer this pain any longer.]

[You look at him with a complicated look, with a little pity for the passing of life.]

[His humble begging appearance makes people sigh, makes people feel pity, and makes people want to alleviate his pain—but you didn't do that.]

[This is the "punishment" he deserves.]

[He died so suddenly and ridiculously. I wonder if he had any repentance before he died.]

[You just glanced around. Those who followed you for good reasons were already stunned. Their instinctive fear made them dare not approach or flee. They could only stare at you nervously.]

[You instructed several people to take all the bodies to the church cemetery.]

[The people who were called out did not dare to disobey, and they walked forward tremblingly and dragged the bodies away.]

[And you take light steps and continue to move forward according to Her will.]

[After completing the manifestation of power, you obeyed Her will and went to the territories of various gangs, telling them to go to the church for a meeting in three days.]

[Just a notification, not a request.]

[Under an inexplicable and terrifying force, they had no choice but to...go]

[You learned from them the cause of death of Father Yanzheng and Mammy.]

[In order to ensure your survival, Father Yanzheng chose to follow the rule of Twilight Street—"one life for one life," using his death in exchange for the gangsters' exemption from hunting you this time, and Mammy came here to witness and guarantee it.]

[Then, the gangsters used this incident to put pressure on Mammy, questioning her credit and ability to provide guarantees. They suspected that Mammy had an affair with the priest and threatened her with the children in the nursing home.]

[In order to prove her credibility and to seek their mercy, she committed suicide in front of everyone.]

[The gangsters watched a good show, and they were in a good mood and chose to let you and Aponia go, so you survived.]

[You just listen silently. When someone tries to lie or shirk responsibility, "She" will point it out, and you will punish that person—they will feel their throats burning, as if they had swallowed a ball of burning fire.]

[After the incident was told, the gangsters involved were worried that you would use that strange power to retaliate against them.]

[However, you did not punish those beings directly, but just listened to it all in silence. Then, according to "Her" will, you informed them about the "new rules" of Twilight Street.]

[First, no crime shall be committed during the day, let alone murder or looting.]

[Second, do not enter other people's homes at night. Private areas are sacred.]

[Third, maintain friendly transactions. All issues should be resolved through negotiation first and fighting last. Money should come from legitimate sources.]

[Fourth, children are hope. No matter when or what happens, children should not be targeted.]

[Fifth, books, and knowledge are the ladder to change your life. You need to set aside at least one hour every day to read.]

[Sixth, the minimum living supplies for each person and each household must be guaranteed. In addition, no one should be forced to do anything they are unwilling to do.]

[Seventh, keep clean and tidy, be polite and modest, avoid filth and dirt, and give up rash and impolite behavior.]

[Finally, the church is a holy place, it is "Her" residence on earth; therefore, no matter what kind of fight, no matter what kind of dispute, when you come before "Her," you must put down your weapons and prejudices. "She" will give you seven days of protection, no matter who you are.]

[You told everyone Her rules without missing a word, and then said nothing more.]

[Of course, this seemingly extremely restrictive "rule" made some people feel unhappy, but under your strange power, everyone just remained silent, neither agreeing nor objecting.]

[Of course, there were also some people who were too angry or acted rashly... who spoke first.]

"You mean the new rules are the new rules?"

A gang leader of some size exchanged a glance with someone inconspicuously, then slammed the table and stood up. The loud noise immediately attracted everyone's attention.

But when Nozomi looked at him with those golden pupils, his neck shrank slightly. That inexplicable power was terrifying, but... at this moment, he could not show cowardice.

"Heh... [No crime in daylight], you priest, don't you think about where this place is? If you really want to count, what is there here that is not a little dirty?"

He points to the broken idol behind you.

"Where do we get the money to buy supplies for you? Don't you know what's going on? Even the statues in your church, even this church, a piece of glass, a piece of brick, a piece of wood, which one doesn't have a bit of dirty color?"

What he said was true. Most of the building materials for the church were purchased locally on Twilight Street, and the church only provided funding.

"What? According to you, should we tear down and throw away everything here? After all, according to you, even if we sell it, the money we get is dirty. Oh, no... even if we exchange items normally, we shouldn't leave anything in Twilight Street. After all, according to you, everything here is dirty."

"So it should be corrected."

Nozomi said so.

"Haha, you're not going to talk about it now? You are such a double standard, you self-righteous clergy... you hypocritical fellows."

Seeing that he couldn't get any more reaction from you, he looked at someone again, and when he saw that the other person nodded imperceptibly, he continued.

"And we are also asked to ensure everyone's living supplies? This is so funny. Why doesn't your so-called 'God' conjure up food for us? Just what? Bread and red wine? I have never tasted red wine. I really want to try it."

Nozomi did not answer.

"You're done talking, right? Haha... what else? Children? Oh, you know they are the hope of the future, but don't you think that instead of blaming us, you should blame the parents who fled here. They knew the situation here was terrible, but they still brought their children here. The problem should be with them, right?"

You raised your head slightly and looked into his eyes.

"Hey? You finally showed some reaction, didn't you? I thought you were just like that statue, made of stone and won't move. You never know when it will break."

He said sarcastically.

"Let me think about why this topic caught your attention... Oh, right? Is it because of the children? Because of the [nursing home] you used to go to? No way, no way? Is it really because of the children? If it is, you shouldn't have let them stay there, because you know what they will become in the end."

"Oh, I see. It's because of that nun, right? If I remember correctly, you seemed to have a very good relationship with her, and she's pretty too... You're such a perfect match, just like the couple before."

Boom!

The hand holding the cross pendant suddenly clenched, and the gold in his pupils flashed for an instant. A raging flame appeared out of nowhere and burned all the clothes on the man's body. The high temperature left a large area of burns on his body. The severe pain made him let out a terrifying wail, and the sound of pain echoed in the church.

"...Since you were only told these things by someone, you don't have to endure any more pain."

Nozomi stared at him with a face full of fear, his golden pupils were calm but full of majesty, and every word he said was clearly heard by everyone.

"Since your words did not involve any further insults, and what you said was limited to words, I will only give you a few [warnings], and I hope you will keep them in mind."

"Yes… yes…"

He responded in horror, curled up on the ground, trying his best to cover his naked body which was extensively burned, and spoke tremblingly while enduring the pain.

"And you."

Nozomi shifted his gaze and looked at the person who had once looked into his eyes.

!

He subconsciously tightened his grip on the weapon hidden at his waist.

"I understand the act of testing others, but I don't allow pushing others into danger. Therefore, you must be fined for half a month."

"Uh…"

The man suddenly covered his neck, his face turned red, his voice became strange in an instant, and the breath he exhaled became hot as if a ball of fire was stuck in his throat, making him lose the ability to speak or even move.

"Everyone, this is for notification, not discussion."

Nozomi glanced at the others and spoke softly, with an unquestionable tone.

"[She] is watching you and me, so these rules must be followed. If anyone violates them, I will punish that person according to [Her]'s words."

After that, Nozomi stopped talking, and the gold in his pupils gradually dimmed and turned into a normal color.

"......"

There was silence for a long time. Everyone looked at each other. Seeing that Nozomi had no intention of speaking again, someone stood up cautiously and asked him softly if he could leave.

Nozomi glanced at him, nodded silently, and said no more words, and no longer focused his attention on them.

Everyone left in a panic.

From then on, there were new rules on Twilight Street.