Chapter 118: Let the World Listen to the Voice of Humanity

Thank you all so much for your incredible support this week!

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

August explained his ideals, all based on his deep love for humanity.

People nearby—Adventurers, demi-humans, and elves—stopped in their tracks. What did he mean? He had just said he wasn't a good person, but now he claimed to love humanity. The contradiction was strange and confusing.

"What the hell are you saying?"

Dix Perdix was completely confused. August denied being a saint, admitted he could be cruel, and still claimed he acted out of love for people. None of it made sense to him.

"My heart is clear, and so are my actions. Everything I do is justice!" August spread his arms and spoke loudly so everyone in the crowded street could hear him.

"I save my fellow humans from suffering. I do it without a single shred of guilt."

The crowd watched in shocked silence.

They thought August would give up on morality, but instead, he stuck to his own version of it. He didn't care about looking good or what others thought. He just followed his beliefs, convinced he was doing the right thing.

Justice was an old idea. Many Familias had stood for it before, but now August used it in a much harsher way.

"What a grand ideal."

The crowd saw that, even though August was ruthless, his morals were solid. He wasn't pretending to be someone else for attention. He simply acted on what he believed and kept moving forward.

"A God," Ais Wallenstein murmured, tilting her head.

She didn't really understand why August acted in such a contradictory way, but something about him felt familiar. It reminded her of how the Gods cared for the people of the lower world.

"Selfless love, without any human desire," Riveria Ljos Alf said softly. "That's what a God wants."

She realized August was thinking like a deity.

The Gods listening in on the streets heard every word.

"Argh! How can a kid be this amazing??" Loki's face showed her jealousy.

She pulled at Hestia's clothes, upset. It didn't seem fair that someone like August wasn't in her Familia.

August showed the same ideals the kind Gods always talked about: loving the people of the world without conditions. As a member of the Hestia Familia, his words matched Hestia's role as the Goddess of the Hearth, who protects the home.

What he said would make her even more respected all over Orario.

It wasn't just Loki. Even friendly Gods like Takemikazuchi, Hephaestus, and Artemis were jealous.

August was a mortal who lived by divine ideals and didn't care about criticism. The Gods all wanted him in their own Familia. But for now, he belonged to Hestia, and that frustrated them.

"Hehehe." Hestia was practically floating.

She always knew August was special, but his strong beliefs amazed her. If other Gods weren't around, she would have laughed out loud.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

Across town, atop the Tower of Babel.

"WHAT IS THIS?"

"HIS SOUL..."

"WHY IS IT ACTING LIKE THIS?"

With her ability to see souls, Freya finally saw what was at the center of August. His soul was no longer ordinary. After his speech, it shone with a strong, bright light that turned into a burning red.

The first time she saw him, his soul looked plain. The second time, it was filled with a strong, almost overwhelming love. But now, it burned like a fire.

Freya clutched at her eyes and collapsed.

"Lady Freya!" Ottar rushed forward, alarmed by her cry of pain.

"STAY BACK," Freya gasped, holding out her hand. She felt her own power burning inside her. It was the brightest, most intense soul she had ever seen.

Ottar stopped in his tracks. He had never seen his Goddess so shaken.

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

Back on Daedalus Street, Ryu Lion stood motionless.

She cared deeply about justice. August's confidence in people, his strong love, and his harsh way of carrying out his own justice made a strong impression on her.

'My heart is clear, and so are my actions. Everything I do is justice.'

"Is this your justice?" Ryu whispered.

For the first time, her confusion faded. She understood how he thought. "Mr. August... maybe you're not such a bad person after all."

The entire city's attention focused on Daedalus Street.

"You bastard." Dix Perdix felt jealous.

He used to think August was just a killer. Now he saw someone with strong determination. August didn't like killing—he did only what he thought was necessary. He didn't care about his reputation or his mistakes. He just did what he believed was right.

"I despise self-righteous pricks like you!" Dix roared.

He pushed off the ground, charging at August with everything he had. He thrust the cursed spear straight at August's chest.

"You're right. I am a self-righteous prick." August matched his volume. "So let the world listen to the proud voice of humanity!"

August swiped his hand.

The severed heads hanging from the chains vanished. In their place, a massive array of artillery materialized from the spatial void. Countless barrels locked onto the target.

Dix's eyes widened as the cannons took aim.

Whirrrr.

The shells flew through the air. Just like August said, he didn't talk about big ideas. He let the strongest weapons speak for him.

"Gah!"

Dix tried to dodge, but at point-blank range, evasion was impossible. The shells hit with overwhelming kinetic force, tearing through him before he could even react. The heavy munitions didn't detonate on impact. They punched straight through his torso and exploded only after striking the ground behind him.

The pedestrians scrambled backward in terror. Riveria Ljos Alf quickly deployed a magic barrier to shield the onlookers from the shrapnel and shockwaves.

The smoke cleared.

Dix Perdix was gone. Only a crater and his broken red cursed spear were left. A cold wind swept through the street.

The crowd stood in complete silence. A Level 4 Adventurer had been destroyed in an instant. It was as if he had been brushed aside without effort.

"Dix..."

Gran forced himself up. He was still breathing. August had focused all his firepower solely on Dix.

"YOU KILLED DIX." Gran grabbed his broadsword. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

He charged, desperate to avenge his boss.

"Commendable."

August watched Gran charge forward.

Gran didn't hesitate, even with all the guns pointed at him. He just lifted his sword and ran. August respected his courage. Even if it was misguided, this kind of stubborn willpower was what August admired most.

"Since you have the guts," August raised a hand, "I won't let you die easily."

The cannons vanished.

Heavy iron chains shot out of the spatial void. Steel bear traps clamped shut around Gran's ankles and wrists, locking his limbs in place and dragging him to a halt.

"What are you doing?" Gran struggled against the iron. He expected to be blown to pieces. Being captured alive filled him with a creeping dread.

"Simple." August stared him down. "Your bloodline is a rotten, evil plague."

"I'm going to exterminate it."

He spoke in a strangely calm voice. He wasn't questioning Gran. He was declaring that he would wipe out an entire bloodline.

"The Daedalus bloodline needs to be erased. I'm going to sweep your twisted family tree into the garbage bin of history."

Gran's blood ran cold. He thought August wanted secrets about the labyrinth. Instead, he was declaring a literal extermination campaign.

"You'll tell me everything."

August drew a combat knife and drove it straight into Gran's leg.

"GAAAAH!" Gran shrieked in agony.

August didn't hesitate. For the first time, Gran felt the same torture he and his group had used on the Xenos monsters. Now, he was the one screaming.

"You're not dying today."

August channeled [Healing Fire], mending the torn flesh. The second the wound closed, he dragged the blade across Gran's femoral artery.

"Stop."

Ais Wallenstein stepped in. She couldn't watch a human being tortured in the middle of the street. She didn't fully understand the politics at play, but she knew this was wrong.

Drawing her rapier, she slashed through the iron chains.

Gran fell to the ground, shaking and crying out. The quick cycle of pain and healing was too much for his body. His mind couldn't handle it.

"Why bother?" August didn't look angry. He was harsh with people he thought were evil, but he respected good people like Ais.

He treated good people kindly and was much harsher with those he saw as monsters.

The Loki Familia executives watched closely. They expected August to snap.

Ais herself braced for a furious reprimand.

Instead, his calm, disappointed sigh hit harder than any shouted rebuke. It made her feel painfully naive. Unable to find a response, she glanced back at her Familia for help.

Bete Loga, Tiona, and Tione quickly looked away. They were fighters, not talkers. Trying to argue with someone who remained so calm and composed, even while carrying out something so ruthless, was beyond them. If they kept arguing, they might even find themselves agreeing with him.

Finn Deimne tightened his grip on his spear and stepped forward. He had to handle this.

"August, Captain of the Hestia Familia. We haven't formally met. I am Finn Deimne, Captain of the Loki Familia."

Finn chose his words carefully. "We aren't here to stop you. However, certain things shouldn't be done in the middle of a public street. There are children watching."

He glanced at the blood-stained cobblestones.

"I also have to ask... what exactly did the Ikelos Familia do to warrant this?"

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

BULK UPLOAD OF 6 CHAPTERS IF WE HIT 1100 POWERSTONES THIS WEEK!!

—•——•——•——•——•——•—

~ Every 200 Power Stones = Bonus chapter!

~ 20 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon

https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx

(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)

If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.