General Masao froze, his mind shattered by the sight before him.
That colossal meteor, blotting out the sun—such power was beyond anything he could imagine.
"Th-this…!"
His voice trembled.
"This is divine punishment."
Kaede's tone was calm, merciless.
"Come. From this day forth, this city will no longer exist."
He turned and walked away. The mystic followed, forcing himself not to look at the meteor hanging over the heavens. Yet his heart quaked. The sheer force of it was unimaginable.
So this… this was godly wrath.
In that instant, he truly believed—Kaede was no mortal. He was a god.
"No! Divine one, immortal! Please, do not abandon this city! Spare us!"
Masao, once so proud, now felt nothing but despair.
He had mocked this god, dismissed him as a fraud. He had been given a second chance and thrown it away. Now, punishment had come, and he could not protect his soldiers, nor his people, not even himself.
But Kaede did not look back. He had given them their choice. They had chosen death.
Masao's eyes burned with regret and anguish.
"Run! Run as far as you can! Leave the city before it falls!"
His desperate cry spurred chaos.
Tens of thousands—soldiers, nobles, common folk—poured into the streets, stampeding toward the gates. Fear made beasts of them, trampling neighbors and kin.
A man carrying his child fought through the madness, gasping with relief as he reached the gate first. But when he tried to cross, he slammed into something unseen.
"W-what?!"
His head reeled as he pressed trembling hands against the air.
A transparent barrier stretched across the city's edge. Unbroken. Unyielding.
"No! No!"
He screamed, clawing at the invisible wall, searching for escape.
But Kaede's words had been clear: the city would be erased. No one would leave.
More and more fled to the gates, only to crash against the barrier, trapped like animals in a cage. Despair spread like wildfire.
And when their eyes turned toward Masao—the man they once revered—they no longer saw their savior. Only the fool who had brought ruin.
Rage replaced fear. Farmers lifted hoes and stones. Soldiers raised broken weapons. They descended upon Masao, striking him again and again.
And then, at last, the meteor fell.
"BOOOOOOM!"
The heavens roared. The ground convulsed. Even hundreds of kilometers away, people felt the earth quake. Those who saw the sky shatter wore faces of sheer terror.
This was power beyond human reckoning. This was divine punishment.
Kaede returned with the mystic to the Divine Nation, leaving the ruin behind.
In the palace, Kaguya approached him.
"I felt the tremors. That power… was it your doing?"
"Yes. Just a disobedient city. I erased it."
Kaede's voice was even.
"Why? You could have just slain the guilty. Why kill so many?"
Kaguya's eyes softened with pity. She still could not bear the slaughter of innocents.
"No. Mercy to them is cruelty to yourself."
Kaede's gaze was steady.
"If you had been there, you would have seen it. At the moment of death, they turned on the one they loved most—the general who once saved them. Their gratitude vanished the instant fear took hold.
Think, Kaguya. If one day I am gone, and the Otsutsuki come, if you fail to protect these people, do you think they will thank you? No. They will blame you. Curse you. Some may even side with the Otsutsuki against you. That is human nature. Never forget it."
He smiled, though it held no joy. "I have seen too many tragedies. Humans are laughably fragile in their hearts."
"I… I understand."
Kaguya bowed her head at last. Yet, she studied him quietly, sensing something deeper.
His eyes on her were strange, as though he already knew her fate.
"Kaede… tell me. In the future you come from… do I still exist?"
She had pieced it together—he was not of this era. No one born here could have grown so strong. The Otsutsuki always targeted unruled worlds. Entering one with a true powerhouse would bring them disaster.
"Of course you exist," Kaede answered. "But I cannot say more. To reveal too much may change fate itself. Just remember this: if something ever happens to you, always leave yourself a backup path."
(End of Chapter)
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