Peaceful Life System: I only need to live peacefully-Chapter 181: Duriel’s warning (2)

"You are a heretic and a disgrace to the cloth you wear."

Lysaria’s words, simple and direct, struck Elian harder than any physical blow. His defiance crumbled. "No... I was doing the Light’s work... I was..."

Before he could finish his pathetic excuse, another voice cut through the air. It was sharp, cold, and laced with contempt.

"You are just a coward hiding behind an excuse of the stupid light."

All heads turned. Sherry stood up from her seat, her arms crossed, her dark robes a stark contrast to the bright silks of the jury.

A wave of shocked whispers immediately swept through the plaza.

"A dark mage?"

"What is she doing on the dais?"

"This is a sacred trial! It’s blasphemy!"

King Harius raised a hand.

A heavy silence fell instantly. His gaze was firm. "The witness will be heard," he declared, his voice leaving no room for argument. He looked at Sherry. "Speak. Tell this court what you saw."

Sherry stepped forward, her eyes locked on Elian. "I saw this man declare a ’holy quarantine’," she said, her voice clear and carrying. "I heard him proclaim to everyone that these children were cursed. I saw him hold the torch himself."

She pointed a finger at him. "He didn’t speak of healing. He spoke of ’cleansing by fire’. He didn’t try to save anyone. He tried to burn children alive in their beds. That is not the act of a holy man. It is the act of a murderer."

The crowd broke into whispers once again. Some noted the severity of the Vestarch’s crimes, while the others noted that a dark mage’s words could not be taken into account.

However, just as the King was about to ask the jury for their final verdict, the world was bathed in light.

A wave of warmth washed over the plaza. The sky above, once a clear blue, blazed with a pure, golden radiance. A heavy, sacred pressure descended upon the crowd. It was a pressure so immense, so absolute, that it felt like a physical weight pressing down on their very souls.

Knights, nobles, and commoners were forced to their knees in reverence.

On the dais, even the most powerful figures were not immune.

The Flame Matron gasped, her knuckles white as she gripped her chair before being forced to bow. King Harius, his face a mask of shock, grunted with the effort to remain upright before his knee hit the stone. Seraphina, the Grand Luminar, trembled as the divine power washed over her, and she too knelt.

"Look in the sky.... it is bursting..."

Only one person remained standing. Riku.

He did not bow. But he was shocked. His eyes were wide, his mind reeling. I didn’t do this, he thought, a jolt of genuine surprise running through him. I didn’t summon him.

A figure of pure, blinding golden light descended from the heavens. It hovered above the dais, its form indistinct but its power undeniable.

It was Duriel, the Herald of Judgment.

"Rise, everyone." Duriel said in a calm tone.

King Harius, his voice filled with awe, slowly rose to his feet. "Herald Duriel," he said, his voice trembling slightly. "We are honored by your presence. What brings your divine radiance to our humble court?"

"I have come to judge.The sins of the mortal Elian have been laid bare," his voice was not a sound, but a command that resonated in every soul. "His corruption has stained the Light he swore to serve."

Duriel raised a hand. "His punishment is not for you people to decide."

He pointed a finger at the trembling, terrified Elian.

"You are a blight. A failure. You were stripped of your connection to the Light. Now, you are exiled from this kingdom. Should you ever return, should you ever again seek to twist the Light to your own dark ends, your soul shall be extinguished without trial, without warning."

Duriel lowered his hand. "Take him away."

King Harius, his face pale with awe, found his voice. "Guards! You heard the Herald! Take the prisoner away!"

The Royal Guards, shaking, dragged the now powerless, weeping Elian from the dais.

With the sentencing complete, a collective sigh of relief passed through the crowd. They thought the divine intervention was over. The King began to stand, ready to dismiss the court.

"There is one more thing. Something of grave importance. I hope that everyone can pay attention to what I am about to speak next."

Duriel’s voice cut through the plaza, stopping everyone cold. freeweɓnovel~cѳm

The King froze, halfway out of his throne. Seraphina, who had started to rise, looked up in shock. A new wave of hushed, confused whispers rippled through the thousands of onlookers. The Herald was not finished.

His golden gaze swept over the silent, kneeling crowd. The earlier warmth of his presence was gone, replaced by a grim, urgent chill.

"A great evil has been stirred from its slumber," Duriel’s voice boomed. "A seal, ancient and powerful, has been broken. An ancient hunger awakens and threatens to roam the lands again."

"The entire world is in danger."

"What?"

A palpable wave of fear washed over the plaza. This was no longer about the sins of one man. This was a warning for the entire world.

"The shadows in the north lengthen," the Herald continued, his gaze seeming to fall upon Sherry for a brief moment. "From the frozen wastes, a primal being stirs. It will not be content with its long slumber. It will seek to feed."

"Be prepared, followers of the light. A war is coming. A war unlike any you have ever known. And it will be fought not just with swords, but with wits and persistence. Only with resilience, trust, and unity can you prevail."

With that final, cryptic warning, the figure of Duriel dissolved in a shower of golden motes. The pressure vanished. The sky returned to its normal blue.

But the chill of his words remained, a cold dread that settled deep in the hearts of everyone present.

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