Only God

The deadline was drawing ever closer.

Was this Xilan's death sentence, or was it, perhaps, the day of salvation?

Among the three of them, none dared to be certain.

Hiris and Utus had decided not to kill Xilan, but Laren was still hesitating, wandering indecisively.

He aimlessly paced on the shallow lake, at times running quickly, at times sitting in the water, at times muttering to himself; he seemed as if he had gone mad.

Today was the third day; once today passed, as long as one of them wished for Xilan's death, then Xilan would go to his death.

And God would not bear a grudge for their sin, much less seek retribution.

Laren had once firmly said to Hiris, "Is it a sin if there's punishment and retribution?"

At that time, Laren was certain he would kill Xilan.

Because to kill Xilan, there was neither punishment nor retribution.

It was like a vault before a thief, with a Gatekeeper standing before it; the thief could only watch those gleaming pieces of gold, but now, the Gatekeeper was willing to be killed by him, allowing him to take away all the gold and silver from inside the vault.

But at this moment, the thief hesitated, he was lost.

"I must kill him, not just for me, but also for the Gods."

Laren clenched his fist, staring intently at Xilan.

It seemed he had finally made a decision.

But in the blink of an eye, he gave up,

"No... no, if I kill Xilan, won't that prove everything Hiris has said is true, that I only care about my own dignity?"

If he insisted on killing Xilan, then what would he be? He would become a despicable and indifferent being, a person who values dignity over offspring; how could such a person be called Divine?!

Was he truly such a person? Someone unworthy of being called Divine?!

Laren cradled his head in agony; before coming to this room, he had never thought he would struggle so, nor had he ever imagined that stripped of all pretenses, his soul would be so twisted and fearsome.

Fields of bitter herbs drifted along the ripples of the water.

Regardless of what he was struggling with, regardless of what pained him, the lake remained still.

"Oh, my father, you watch us tormented!"

Laren roared, throwing himself onto the lake water and lying in the moist earth as if dead.

Hiris looked at Laren with pity, and after a moment, he walked over and helped Laren up,

"Have you made up your mind?"

Laren was drenched, his hair twisted together like seaweed; he shook his head subconsciously.

But when he realized the person beside him was Hiris, his eyes suddenly flashed fiercely, and he violently pushed Hiris away, yelling:

"It's all your fault, all your fault!

If it weren't for you, would I be in such anguish? I must kill that man!"

Facing the deranged Laren, Hiris's face remained calm.

Here, whoever it was, had questioned themselves.

Some became calm after the interrogation, some became fanatically enthusiastic, and some, unable to bear the cruelty of the questioning, went mad.

Laren paced on the shallow lake, moving towards the room's edge, trying desperately to flee from there; he pounded against the blank walls, crying out in madness, but no matter how exhausted he became, the room remained utterly unmoved; finally, Laren collapsed weakly into the water, convulsing and weeping.

To kill a righteous man, it only takes a thought, yet it tortures the thief's soul.

If there's no cost to his death, why do people still suffer so much?

Or is it...

It is precisely because there's no cost that man suffers?

"We have harmed an Angel, and mankind has sinned without a path to redemption."

Hiris murmured softly.

Laren seemed to be provoked again as he shakily stood up and pointed at Xilan:

"Hiris, you again play the Prophet, the Shepherd!

Do you think I'm still struggling?

No, I won't struggle anymore, I will kill him, because you have angered me! I will kill him!"

Hiris raised an eyebrow,

"So, you have accepted yourself?"

Laren burst into insane laughter,

"Yes, I am a despicable wretch, I am cold and heartless, I value my dignity above my offspring. I will kill him to avenge myself!

In this room, I would rather admit I am human, I wouldn't admit I am divine!"

Laren seemed to finally pick up his resolve, his eyes filled with fury, determined to kill Xilan.

Hiris felt a rush of dread, he realized, Laren seemed to no longer hesitate.

Oh father... perhaps you have miscalculated.

You have left Xilan's life in our hands, showing us past and future, allowing us to recognize ourselves, you probably thought that after this, we would no longer kill Xilan.

But perhaps, you miscalculated with Laren, this Divine being who is beautiful on the outside but rotten on the inside, who claims to avenge his offspring but actually seeks revenge for his own dignity.

Oh father, why did you do this, why did you simply hand over Xilan's life?

Could it be that you hope to build a Heavenly City of goodness in the hearts of us mortals?

Xilan is really going to die, oh father, what will you do?

Seeing Laren no longer hesitation, Hiris couldn't help his fingers tremble; perhaps he had made a mistake, he shouldn't have prodded Laren further, as long as Laren kept hesitating, he would eventually give up on killing Xilan.

But all of this, it seemed to be ruined by his own hands.

Laren was about to destroy the miracle, to extinguish the candle, and they were unable to stop Laren; they watched this tragedy unfold with their own eyes, they were going to be accomplices.