Return of the Youngest Son with SSS-Rank Talent-Chapter 187: Prayer

Observing the development of the area, Kael was inside a house.

On the desk, there were some carefully organized sheets of paper; on them, Kael had written improvement plans for the place.

Everything was going according to plan. There had been no deaths in recent weeks, and the children who had previously suffered from malnutrition were beginning to show signs of recovery.

It wasn't an immediate change, of course. Malnutrition doesn't disappear overnight; it was a slow, tedious, but steady process.

That was his job: to build, step by step, the image he wanted to project. To make his name resonate throughout Zone 1 as that of a savior.

The more that idea took root in people's minds, the deeper its influence would be when the time came to act.

Today would mark the beginning of the next stage: the recruitment phase. Kael planned to begin preaching the words of the Ancient Sun God, presenting himself as a humble believer who had found the light and wished to share it with others.

However, that was only the surface. Behind his serene expression and pious tone lay the machinery of a meticulous plan.

This was the most crucial part: the moment to transform his image from that of a benefactor to that of a leader. And once again, he would execute his trick with precision, so that everyone would believe the Ancient Sun God chose him.

Suddenly, the door to the room opens, and Rosan enters with tears in her eyes; she approaches and covers her face with her priest's robe.

"What happened?" Kael asks, patting her on the head.

It takes Rosan about two minutes to calm down, because it seems that what she saw affected her quite a bit: "Mr. Rasen, five people were found hanging in a house," she finally says after calming her tears.

"Oh..." Kael made a sound with his mouth, but did not react in the slightest; his expression was like a stone wall. "Show me the way," he said in a kind tone.

Rosan nods, wiping away her tears and snot, takes his hand, and leaves the place.

Once there, a group of people had gathered, whispering among themselves. Their fear was evident because it had been many weeks since they had seen so many deaths.

When they sensed Kael's arrival, they fell silent because they knew that he was more affected than they were. If he weren't, he wouldn't have helped them so much and improved their living conditions.

He walks past them and enters the house, where he is met with a peculiar and somewhat disturbing sight.

The air, thick and metallic with the stench of curdled blood, was still.

Hanging from the high ceiling, five bodies swayed slowly.

They were not complete bodies, but torsos and sections of trunks that had been stripped of their skin. The musculature is a purplish red, crisscrossed by burst veins and whitish tendons.

It wasn't a clean cut, but rather a meticulous skinning, where you could see the scratches and pulls that had torn the dermis into strips.

The walls weren't just stained; they were a mad fresco of arterial splatters.

Large splashes of thick blood were projected, and pulsating organs clung to them. A lung was crushed against the wall, while shiny, serpentine entrails formed a glyph.

The floor was a mosaic of human carnage.

Legs and arms, separated from their joints with obvious brutality. Fingers seemed to have been torn off with a single tug. Tongues, nibbled at the ends, were mixed in with eyes. Teeth, some broken, were scattered on the floor. And ears, small and fragile, completed the gruesome collage.

Some of the swollen, purplish male members also attracted a constant buzzing.

A dense, black cloud of flesh-eating flies feasted on them, entering and exiting tears and holes.

Kael watched the scene with utter indifference.

It didn't seem like a death caused by a momentary impulse, nor by a random quarrel. Everything in that scene spoke of something more.

It was a measured and calculated act.

Anyone who came across it would be terrified. But not Kael. His gaze showed no revulsion or surprise, only a slight glimmer of understanding.

He already had a rough idea of what was happening.

In recent days, his name had begun to spread rapidly. His influence was growing, his fame spreading like wildfire.

And with each new rumor, with each new achievement, more hostile glances appeared.

Many did not say it out loud, but the resentment was evident. To them, Kael had come out of nowhere and was rising too quickly, at a speed that bordered on the impossible.

That's why the murder.

It wasn't a common crime.

It was a message and a silent warning to make him understand his place, to remind him that his rise had not gone unnoticed.

Kael looked at the scene once more before turning away.

He didn't say a word.

...

Once outside the house, everyone saw Rasen in tears. His eyes, filled with deep sadness, seemed to reflect all the pain he carried inside. That young man, so kind and pure, had always been an example to others... so seeing him like this, broken, was a blow that was difficult to bear.

For a few seconds, no one dared say anything. Silence enveloped everything, interrupted only by Rasen's soft sobs. It was impossible not to feel empathy in the face of such naked sincerity, in the face of a heart that still retained kindness in a world that had long since forgotten what it meant.

Many could not hold back their tears.

Seeing such genuine, pure kindness was something almost extinct in this era. At that moment, everyone understood that purity was not weakness... but a strength that, though fragile, continued to shine even in the midst of darkness.

Kael wiped his tears with the back of his hand. His breathing was slightly shaky, but his eyes showed a mixture of sadness and determination. He looked at those present and said in a hoarse voice:

"I need a favor from you... Will you help me? But only adults can come. This is too much for the children."

The silence that followed was heavy, filled with exchanged glances. No one moved at first; doubt hung in the air, as if they didn't know whether they had the right to respond.

But then, one by one, they began to nod. First timidly, then more firmly.

It was not an order or an obligation; it was a gesture born of respect and gratitude.

That young man had been with them for days, sharing with them, feeding the hungry when no one else would. If it weren't for him, many would have already starved to death.

Now that he was the one asking for help, how could they refuse?

Little by little, the faces hardened by misery softened. In their eyes, for the first time in a long time, there was something resembling hope.

Seeing their positive response, Kael smiled gently. His gaze reflected a calm serenity as he said:

"I want to pray for those people... and it's much better to do it with you than alone."

One of the men nodded immediately, a sincere gleam in his eyes.

"Of course, we'll accompany you."

Another woman, her hands still stained from the day's work, added with a slight smile:

"That's nothing. You've already done so much for us... Praying is nothing compared to that."

And a third, his voice somewhat trembling, added:

"Yes... Let us pray for those souls who died in suffering and pain."

So, with heavy hearts from what they had witnessed earlier, Kael and the others returned to that horrific scene.

The air was thick, the smell of blood still lingering.

As soon as they crossed the threshold, everyone fought back the urge to vomit. Some women couldn't take it and collapsed completely; their sobs filled the space.

What they saw before their eyes was too macabre, too cruel to believe that it was happening in a sacred place.

Wasn't this the city of the great Ancient Sun God?

Why were they allowing such atrocities in a place that was supposed to be sacred, pure, and protected by the divine?

But suddenly, all eyes turned to the young man with long black hair. His body began to emit a faint golden glow, soft at first, like a sunrise breaking through the shadows.

That light began to envelop the entire room, bringing with it a warm and serene atmosphere. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Kael advanced without hesitation. He knelt in the middle of that gruesome scene: scattered organs, blood still dripping from the walls at a slow and grotesque pace.

He clasped his hands together and closed his eyes. His breathing became calm, and the golden glow emanating from his body became more intense, more pure.

Under everyone's astonished gaze, the walls began to clean themselves.

The floor, once covered in death, was filled with a faint glow. The shadows receded, and with each golden flash, the room regained its life.

They didn't need to understand what was happening; they knew that the light came from the young man kneeling before them.

Then, a soft voice, filled with emotion, was heard behind him.

"Thank you very much, young Rasen..."

Everyone turned and saw the translucent figure of a man, his eyes filled with infinite gratitude, placing a luminous hand on Kael's back.

Then more appeared, one after another, figures of diffused light approaching reverently, touching the young man tenderly and gratefully.

No one fully understood what was happening.

Some wept, others simply watched with their souls shaken.

It was as if, for a moment, the Ancient Sun God had worked through the young Rasen, purifying not only the place, but also the hearts of all those present.