Galos City experienced an uptick in tension as a result of the widespread dissemination of the horde's information.
Thank goodness, each leader was able to bring their individual races together in the designated city segment.
Many of them kept talking quietly about their situation because this wasn't enough to allay their anxieties.
…
Aron was also moving toward the Galos city square at this time, which was at the very heart of the city.
After gathering their troops and joining Aron in the square, the leaders each left a capable subordinate to keep an eye on the bystanders because it was obvious that this was where the device had been placed and from which it would be activated.
The other leaders remained nearby as Aron got closer to the object. They still couldn't completely trust him, so it was probably best to be close to him in case something happened.
He brushed aside their suspicion of him and knelt down close to the base of the contraption.
On the device's other side, there were also a few flimsy golden lines that appeared to decorate the ground but did not reach it.
Aron and many other people skilled in runes had spent a long time creating these hazy golden lines, which could be seen all around the city.
He carefully took off his helm, showing the somber look that graced his face.
"Yohan, lend me your pen."
Without pausing to turn around, he extended his hand to take the pen that Yohan had not even started to remove.
During his third-stage evolution, his own runic pen had been destroyed. His arcane arms had survived, along with some other equipment he had left at home.
Even though his legacy ring wasn't really useful in Pesia, he was only truly grateful that it was unharmed. In the case of Limbo, it would be different.
"Right away!"
Yohan couldn't conceal the delight on his face as he immediately handed him the pen after reaching into his leather brown coat.
He was eager to learn exactly what this technology did as a scholar.
Yohan didn't turn around after giving Aron the pen; instead, he stayed there, waiting with one eye peeled toward the device's base.
A single moment he didn't want to miss.
Aron turned to Yohan, disregarded him, and began to attach the flimsy golden lines to the device's first foundation.
"You do the honors, here." He offered indifferently while returning the pen to a wide eyed Yohan.
"Really? If you will, please." Yohan was momentarily surprised, but he dared not to decline the offer because at the time he lacked even the slightest resemblance to his typically depressing and self-conscious self. Instead, he was like an impatient child.
Aron held his helm in his left hand while standing up without saying anything further.
Yohan was suddenly the center of attention for everyone as he knelt down, sucked in his saliva, and mentally prepared himself.
This was a significant event, one that changed history, and one that...
"Please, this day!"
Yohan's preparations were making Ezra feel even worse, and her racing heart was unabated.
"Don't rush me,"
Yohan took a long breath and returned his focus to the device before becoming combative and growling at the woman with a frown.
He connected the first line, followed the second, and then hesitated on the final one.
"Just a little statement before this,"
"Oh, stop talking. Connect the damn lines already. Nobody wants to hear you."
This time, it was the boy's own grandfather, Lord Triess, who roared at him impatiently.
"Fine!"
Yohan quickly connected the final line while frowning in frustration at the amount of strain being placed on him.
"You folks don't have any aesthetic sensibility." Indignantly, he murmured.
Rumble!
Light tremors started to ring out over the city, but before anyone could respond. The slender golden lines soon became more and more visible as they glowed brightly.
The sun in Pesia had almost set by the time it was late in the evening, making the view even more stunning to those who could see it.
All of the people, whether they were commoners, aristocrats, or members of other races, simply gazed in awe at the lovely thin ribbons of golden light.
The majority just stood there and stared because they had never witnessed anything like it before.
The more they observed the light streaks, the more at ease they felt as though all of their problems were being carried away by those very lines. It was truly mesmerizing.
Their statuses quickly changed from being merely comfortable to drunk, and their vision became foggy until abruptly...
Thumb!
They started to fall to the ground one by one like flies in a poisoned environment.
Despite this, the majority didn't even notice and just kept staring at the lights until they, too, suffered the same fate.
"What is this?"
Elise questioned her grandchild after swiftly coming to her senses when feeling a heavy weight on her body.
As he only stoically observed this scenario, Aron said, "Filtering."
Afterward, without pausing to turn his head, he quickly glanced to his left and right to see other people who had not been affected.
While Evanora stared at the lights in delight and even tried to catch them, Rose simply looked with her arms folded as if she were bored.
Jin took a sip from the tiny bottle of alcohol he kept hidden while Jagu snapped his tongue in annoyance and swiped the lights like a bothersome bug.
"Oh, what a show." While watching, Jin laughed loudly.
Aron noticed a few people who remained standing as he continued to glance around him.
When all was said and done, there were fewer than 500 people still standing throughout the entire Galos City.
Lord Triess, Yohan, the pillars, the arch mage, and many more people regarded as powerful or above the fourth tier all fell to the ground, demonstrating that whatever was happening wasn't just targeting strength.
"Filtering? What filtration?"
The only pillar that was still standing was Victoria Vonstein, who swiftly turned to face Aron and gave him a troubled look along with the rest of the survivors.
Confusion-filled murmuring was already audible from all sides, originating from those who were perplexed by what was happening.
"Pesia cannot be saved; the only way to survive is through this—a portal to Limbo. Sadly, not everyone can survive in such a setting."
"Those of you still standing are people with hardened wills and fractured minds that don't fit the norm, those on the ground have dismal survival rates and poor mentalities... To avoid wasting mana crystals, they are better used to charge the apparatus."
Given the city's current deathly silence, everyone could easily hear Aron's chilly comments.
Sss~
At his comments, they took in a chilly breath and stared at him in shock.
It was all a lie, then. When Victoria realized this, she shook, and the other people who were staring at Aron like he was some kind of twisted monster also shivered.
He had been making them all look foolish the entire time. It was terrifying that someone could build such a strong foundation for a lie.
How could they know if he wasn't lying once again even now that they were witnessing all of this? Their hearts were torn apart by the thought that they couldn't tell, and they felt utterly powerless in his presence.
"Yes, a necessary one, but keep in mind that, had I wished to, I might have rendered you all unconscious by using this configuration." Aron revealed before turning to face Victoria Vonstein and the other heads behind him.
They had deliberately assisted him in creating something he could have used to kill them if he had desired it, so his statements simply served to make them feel even more helpless.
Even the mere concept caused their hearts to race in fear of his tactics.
For someone who had been so meticulous in his planning, would he really allow them a chance to react if they had any intentions of attacking even now that he had made everything clear? No, he had to be completely certain that they were powerless even at this point.
"I've given you my opinions, but you, the leaders of your respective races, have the final say. As of this very second, in accordance with an earlier understanding, I abdicate the throne to Belle Ettenheim."
Bastard!!
Belle, one of the few people still standing among the humans, screamed inside at what he said.
If she actively assisted him, he would give her the position of power, believing that she would take that position after the disaster was over. Even her bloody contract might attest to this.
But what good was it to rule over a civilization that was soon to end?
"He deceived me!" At this idea, her once-beautiful face turned ugly.
The others beamed pitifully, understanding the sentiment because it was also true for them.
Anyone with the ability to make connections could see Aron's justification for this choice.
He gave them a dire decision, and both options would have dire repercussions.
The possibility of them having trouble caring for the weak in an entirely new territory would emerge if they decided to sacrifice mana crystals and preserve lives.
The elderly, children, and citizens would add to their burdens and hasten the depletion of resources.
However, sacrificing the weakest member of their group would boost their odds of survival and leave them with a surplus of resources as well as a better chance of rising up.
Though it was not an easy decision to bear, individuals who would lose loved ones in the process would eventually harbor resentment for the leaders.
The idea that Aron would escape any serious consequences made this situation incredibly difficult to accept.
Why? A person seeking retribution will go after the murderer rather than the guy who created the weapon. This was obvious because Aron offered a possible way for people to live.
Although Belle wanted to cry, she was unable to do so. She was confused and on the verge of feeling both helpless and angry.
"Oh my, this is excessive." Jin, on the other hand, started laughing heartily and seemed to be having a great time.
He had the greatest contempt for aristocrats, so how could he not like a situation where they were cornered?
"Is Hinako seeing this?" A young woman could be seen quietly observing the events in the square from a rooftop on a building nearby while Jin wiped the traces of tears that were starting to form on the corners of his eyes.
Just one quick glimpse from Aron was all it took for him to recognize her as Jin's cousin, a girl he had started the journey with. She too had managed to stay standing.
She received little more than a fleeting glimpse before his attention returned to the leaders.
"The horde is coming, so you had better make a decision soon."
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