BAMN: Chapter 209/211

Chapter 209: Seitenshi

"I'm a little worried about those children."

Seitenshi shared her thoughts.

The moment her words fell, the entire room went silent.

She realized she had said something she shouldn't have. She wasn't supposed to show sympathy for the Cursed Children, those treated like sewer rats.

But she didn't understand.

The Cursed Children hadn't done anything wrong. They weren't born like that by choice.

Unlike most officials, Seitenshi was one of the few who was willing to approach the Cursed Children and treat them as equals.

"Enough, Seitenshi."

"Cursed Children are not worth pitying. They are no different from Gastrea, just monsters."

"Yes, you're far too kind."

"Those disgusting creatures must be plotting something."

"Otherwise, why are only the Cursed Children disappearing?"

"..."

No one was willing to accept the Cursed Children.

But if that were true, then why were they all gathered here? Why did they seem worried and uneasy?

The answer was simple. The power of the Cursed Children was indispensable.

Civil Officer squads were two-person teams.

And a human Civil Officer without an Initiator was no more than a beast without fangs.

That would drastically raise the difficulty of resisting Gastrea.

'Isn't it laughable?'

Suddenly, a voice echoed in Seitenshi's ears. She was briefly startled before hearing the voice continue.

'They rely on the power of Cursed Children to protect humanity.'

'Child after child dies fighting Gastrea.'

'To Civil Officers, they're nothing more than disposable tools.'

'One dies, and they adopt another. The merit system still works the same. Their IP ranks still rise.'

In the end, the Cursed Children gave everything, but couldn't even gain basic human rights.

'What a meaningless death.'

"Who are you?!"

"Who's speaking to me?!"

Seitenshi couldn't suppress the impulse. The words burst out of her mouth.

But then she quickly realized what she had done.

She turned, preparing to explain her outburst to the national leaders, but when she looked up, she was no longer in the meeting room.

Instead, she stood in a boundless white space.

Floating there, she looked up to see a young man seated in a chair.

"You are?"

"Sit."

Rin summoned another chair and gestured for her to sit down.

There were still good people in this world. Seitenshi, the girl before him, was one of them. She was kind, with a pure heart.

'As expected of one of this world's heroines.'

Rin had originally planned to summon a human with a good heart and sufficient status to explain the great flood.

He hadn't expected the person to be Seitenshi.

"You, you, are you the God the children spoke of?"

Aside from a miracle, Seitenshi couldn't imagine anything that could bring her from the conference room to this pure white space.

"According to human understanding, I'm no different from God."

Rin snapped his fingers, and the white world faded.

It was replaced by the beautiful scenery inside the Void Ark.

An unpolluted environment.

The Cursed Children played freely, laughing with expressions Seitenshi had never seen before.

"As you can see, I'm the one who took them away."

"As for where they are, you can call it Heaven, Eden, Wonderland, Utopia. It's all the same."

Rin conjured two cups of black tea and some pastries, inviting her to relax.

"Thank you."

It still felt surreal to her, but she could feel the genuine happiness radiating from the girls.

That was enough.

When she had first heard the news that the Cursed Children were disappearing, her first concern wasn't the future of humanity. It was for the children's safety.

Seitenshi was a qualified leader, just born in the wrong era.

Had it not been for this post-apocalyptic world, she might have become an excellent politician, devoted to serving the people.

"Did you bring me here because you have something to command?"

Her tone was very humble. She was a believer at heart, always praying for the children's salvation.

And Rin's appearance, presence, and abilities completely matched her concept of a God.

"You've heard it, haven't you?"

Rin said, "Today, I will unleash a world-destroying great flood and reshape the civilization of Earth."

"Is that true?!"

Seitenshi was shocked. She had assumed it was just cultist nonsense.

She never expected to hear this cruel reality directly from the mouth of God.

"Yes."

Rin stopped her before she could beg.

"I will eliminate all Gastrea, take the children away, and deliver proper punishment to the wicked."

"Punishment... you mean..."

"Death?"

"No. Death is far too lenient."

"True punishment is having one's soul fall into hell, to be burned by karmic fire and endure endless torment."

As Rin spoke, it was as if Seitenshi could see it.

The sight of hell appeared before her. Its countless tortures made her shudder.

"What?"

Rin asked, "Do you think it's too cruel?"

"...."

Seitenshi wanted to say yes, but she couldn't bring herself to deny God's judgment.

At least God wasn't destroying all of humanity.

He was judging it.

Which meant there were still people who would be spared.

"May I ask... how many will survive?"

"Approximately four-fifths."

"That means about one-fifth will die."

A single sentence wiped out 150 million lives.

But this was the most precise figure Violet had calculated.

The souls of this world's people were already too corrupted.

They were no different from Gastrea. In fact, they were even more twisted and cruel.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 210: Judgment Day

"I beg you, could you..."

Seitenshi was truly the kindest person in this world. "Could you give them a chance to turn over a new leaf?"

She was afraid, but she still gathered her courage and prayed for Rin's mercy.

"You are very brave."

"And very kind."

Rin could hear the sincerity in her heart. She wasn't a hypocritical saint, but a truly benevolent one.

If necessary, Seitenshi would sacrifice herself to save others.

And she wasn't speaking up for those who were truly evil.

She simply believed that among so many people, not all were beyond saving.

Even if it meant saving just one more person, Seitenshi was willing to risk her life to bring her thoughts to God.

"Alright."

Rin didn't make things difficult for her.

He also thought Violet's calculated data was too cold.

If Violet's passing score was 30 points, Rin raised it by 10 or 15, allowing more people a chance to survive.

Of course, Rin didn't tell Seitenshi that he had lowered the judgment threshold.

"This matter, you'll need to handle it yourself."

Rin said, "I hope you, as Seitenshi, will convey my words to the public and the high-ranking officials of every country."

"I will give them a final twelve hours to sincerely repent and reduce their sins."

In a sense, Seitenshi was the Noah Rin had chosen.

Rin did not believe that laying down a butcher knife would instantly turn one into a Buddha.

Sin was sin. Evil was evil.

But Rin was still willing to offer those who could be saved a final chance.

If they truly repented, the weight of sin on their souls would lessen slightly.

That way, they could avoid being condemned to hell and instead have the chance to be reborn in the Cardinal World's universe to start over.

"Remember, this is the last chance."

"And it is my final mercy for humanity."

Rin said, "Go. In twelve hours, the Final Judgment begins."

"You and they have only twelve hours left..."

Before Seitenshi could even thank him, the moment Rin finished speaking, she found herself back in the conference room.

Around her, the noisy arguments continued as if nothing had happened, as if she had never vanished at all.

'Such power...'

Seitenshi was certain that what she had just experienced was not an illusion.

God had summoned her to deliver a message to the world, giving them one last chance to lessen their sins before Judgment Day arrived.

Clap!

Without hesitation, she stood up and loudly declared, "I have something to say to everyone..."

"She's a good girl."

Violet commented. Rin nodded. "Yeah. Her soul is pure."

"Are you planning to keep her?"

"We'll see..."

To be honest, Rin was indeed tempted.

"Next, I leave it to you, Violet."

"Mm. I'll handle it."

Rin didn't care about the fate of this world's people.

He trusted Violet to handle all arrangements properly.

Evening came.

The setting sun burned with a rare, blood-red brilliance, painting the sky in an ominous hue.

The thick haze outside the Monoliths gradually faded under the light.

At that moment, whether it was exhausted workers heading home or Civil Officers panicked over the disappearance of the Cursed Children, they all saw something truly shocking.

"What is that..."

Crimson-golden beams of light, like a spiderweb, stretched across the sky, slicing the world into segments like blades.

Boom!!

Then, a pillar of light descended, enveloping a Gastrea that had been rampaging through the city.

"Screech screech screech~~"

Shrill screams rang out from the Gastrea's mouth, and under the gaze of terrified pedestrians, it vanished into nothing.

"It... it disappeared!"

"The Gastrea, it was killed by the light!!"

"Is this divine punishment?"

"This is amazing! What Seitenshi said... it's true!"

"So there really is a God!!"

"…"

Scenes like this unfolded across Tokyo Ward and in every human district and settlement worldwide.

And what followed was something no one in this world could have predicted.

Swish swish swish!!

Pillars of light rained down like divine judgment, completely ignoring the Gastrea's defense and regeneration, annihilating them with ease.

Whether it was Level 1, Level 2, Level 3...

Even the eleven V-rank Gastrea known as the Zodiac were not spared. They howled as they were reduced to ash.

In just ten minutes, the Gastrea, which had tormented this world for over ten years and wiped out ninety percent of humanity, were completely exterminated.

"Is this the great flood Seitenshi spoke of, sent by God?"

Although what they saw was not water, the vastness and majesty of the light was no different from a true flood.

"Ah!!"

But before long, when a human was engulfed by the light and burned to ash, Violet's judgment of humanity had begun.

Panic erupted across the world.

People ran in all directions, desperately searching for shelter.

"Dead, they're dead..."

"Run, this light eats people!"

"Hide indoors, as long as we stay out of sight..."

"Ah!!"

It was useless.

The light completely ignored the laws of physics. Even hiding deep underground in sealed rooms couldn't stop it.

From top to bottom, no matter their status, rich or poor, all were equal in judgment.

Eventually, some officials and elites remembered what Seitenshi had said about repenting.

Especially when they saw their colleagues die right in front of them. Panic and fear overtook them.

"I don't want to die! I know I was wrong! Please, forgive me, God!"

"Lord, please forgive me! Just give me another chance!"

"What kind of God is this?! What a joke! No one in this world has the right to judge me!"

"…"

Crying, fear, pleas, curses, outrage.

All sorts of emotions distorted people's faces.

But Rin would not respond to any of it.

It was already too late.

If they truly wanted to atone, what had they been doing before?

If Rin could hear their pleas, he would tell them this:

'You don't know you were wrong. You just know you're going to die.'

(To be continued.)

Chapter 211: The Girl with a Pure Soul

"Is it over?"

Judging humans was far more complex than eradicating the Gastrea.

It had taken Violet quite a bit of effort.

"Judgment completed."

Inside the Void Ark, Rin asked Violet for the results.

"Report. Gastrea have been completely eradicated. Human casualties are approximately 47.2 million."

Nearly fifty million lives were extinguished by Violet.

Rin remained unmoved.

"The vast majority of them directly or indirectly harmed, killed, or persecuted the Cursed Children."

"Depending on the degree of harm, the harshest penalty was death. The lightest punishment was to make them endure the pain the girls once felt."

Rin had taken in all the Cursed Children, so he naturally had to carry their hatred and anger for them.

To avenge them was justice.

As for the rest, Rin didn't approve of their actions either, but he didn't kill them. He simply left a curse on them, out of discontent.

He had no choice. If he didn't do something, his mind wouldn't be at ease.

"Let's cleanse this world."

Rin was very satisfied with Violet's judgment. He gave the final order. "Let this downpour be the curtain call to our journey."

Rumble~

At Rin's command, the skies across the entire world turned dark with clouds.

Under the pouring rain, all traces of the G-virus—whether in the environment, in humans, or in other organisms—were completely eliminated.

Even all forms of pollution disappeared under Rin's power.

The earth would be revitalized through this rain.

The world was reborn.

Splash splash~

Seitenshi stood silently in the rain, gazing at the dim sky.

An hour had passed since Judgment ended, yet her heart still hadn't settled.

It wasn't just Rin's unimaginable divine power that overwhelmed her.

It was that she had personally witnessed countless people turn into ash right in front of her.

If it had only been that, her heart would be pained and sorrowful, but not shaken.

The Gastrea had been eliminated. Humanity would rise again.

That alone was a blessing for the survivors.

Compared to the Gastrea, who had killed seven billion in an instant, Rin's judgment wasn't extreme at all.

However...

"Why... why is it like this?"

Seitenshi trembled uncontrollably.

What shook her wasn't the loss of life, but the identities of those who perished.

So many glamorous politicians, businessmen, and educators had all fallen under God's judgment.

"Was it all a lie?"

Almost all of the top leaders of Japan's administrative districts, aside from Seitenshi herself, had perished.

Based on the standards of judgment that Rin had embedded into her mind, she couldn't understand why so many of them had died.

Had Rin made a mistake?

She questioned it.

But deep down, she knew he had not.

Those people had committed sins so great that not even God could forgive them.

Human experimentation. Abuse of power. Violent extortion. Oppression of the people.

If Seitenshi wanted to, she could dig up mountains of evidence to sentence every one of them to death.

"Are you confused?"

Suddenly, Rin's voice rang in her ear.

Seitenshi came to her senses.

She found herself, once again, standing before Rin.

But this time, it was not in a white space.

She was sitting peacefully in a quiet courtyard, tranquil and still.

"You..."

Before she could say anything, a gentle breeze swept over her, drying her soaked clothes.

"Thank you..."

Seitenshi instinctively bowed her head.

"I know what you want to ask."

Rin raised his hand, stopping her before she could speak.

"The answer is cruel, but I did not wrong any good person."

"Even by the laws of your own country, the crimes of those people would be enough to sentence them to death ten times over."

When Rin first reviewed the reports from Violet, he had been shocked too.

He hadn't expected the darkness and corruption of this world to run so deep.

One could only say that the Black Bullet world was a dark fairy tale.

And people like Seitenshi only existed to prove how small the light was in a sea of despair.

"Come with me."

"Huh?"

His sudden invitation left her stunned.

"Leave this world. Come with me and those children to a new one."

Rin did not value her for beauty.

He saw in her something far more precious: her soul.

In Rin's eyes, her soul was the most brilliant gem in the world.

Pure. Flawless. Dazzling. Warm.

If one were to evaluate her by the Cardinal World's standards, she was a born Saint.

One who could awaken fully in the future.

An awakened Saint was equivalent to an awakened Demon Lord.

Rin already had Artoria, a quasi-Hero, under his banner.

Now that he had found a potential Saint, how could he possibly let her slip away?

"...Sorry. I cannot leave right now."

But Seitenshi turned him down.

She couldn't leave.

After the fall of so many leaders in Japan, order still needed to be rebuilt.

The people needed someone to stand with them, to guide them through this storm.

An unprecedented burden now rested on her shoulders.

How could she abandon her people and flee to paradise?

"Have you made your decision?"

"Yes."

She didn't hesitate.

"Even if this is your only chance?"

"I..."

She paused, but then nodded again, this time firmly.

"You really are extraordinary."

"In a place so corrupted, to bloom like a lotus... you are even more precious."

Rin didn't press the matter.

He wouldn't force a girl to join him. That would be too crude.

"But what if I told you that leaving doesn't mean abandoning them?"

"Huh?"

Seitenshi blinked, confused.

Snap!

Rin didn't explain.

He simply snapped his fingers.

In the next instant, the two of them stood in the same place where Seitenshi had been before.

"This is...?!"

In her view, the falling rain had stopped in midair.

The water that had been flowing on the ground froze in place.

The people in the houses, the sounds in the air, the movement of light... all of it was paused.

(To be continued.)