Only God
Chapter 289 - 249: The Price of Sin is Death!

Chapter 289: Chapter 249: The Price of Sin is Death!

Xilan stood atop the square.

The crowd that had originally gathered in the square had either joined the ranks of the uprising or scattered, hiding in their own homes.

The rebels had completely surrounded the palace.

The execution posts, chopping blocks, ropes... Various execution devices were stained with different blood traces. They seemed like martyrs’ names, eternally engraved here.

Xilan looked up to see the body that hung high above.

The body was exposed to the elements.

In the eyes of the Three-eyed Ape People, hanging was the most humiliating of punishments. First, the condemned would suffer great pain before death, and second, their bodies were exposed post-mortem, sometimes for as long as thirty days, to declare their crimes.

Xilan cut down the rope and took down the body. The tightly closed eyes and lips showed no trace of the horror of facing death, at the gallows where Xilan stood, the blood had already dried.

Daniel was dead, died as a martyr.

Xilan ordered someone to draw well water, then gently touched Daniel’s eyes and washed his face, finally kissing his forehead.

"The necklace of death..."

Xilan whispered as he looked at the rope that had hanged him,

"Is this your necklace?"

The disciple who once answered every question he had, now would no longer respond.

Xilan was clearly aware of every last word Daniel had uttered before death.

His voice trembled as he said,

"I know, I know, before your death you said, ’Justice lies in my blood.’"

Now, divine justice was about to descend with the sword.

The mission that he had long speculated about but could never confirm, had now become completely clear with the arrival of a ray of light.

But the old friend who had always supported him had passed away.

Xilan’s eyes moistened, blurring his vision. He looked at the cold body of Daniel, and in a low voice, he recited a prayer, comforting the departed soul.

"Lord...

You are great, you are merciful, you are eternal,

Merciful Lord, take him in, let the pain of this world part from him.

Great Lord, take his hand, relieve him of all the burdens he once bore..."

After reciting, Xilan had people bury Daniel’s body.

He turned around,

Taking one last look at the resting Daniel,

"Please do not let this soul be lost..."

"God,"

"His soul is now in your hands."

The clouds no longer obscured the sky; light shone broadly across the earth. In the vast expanse, unseen by all, a Great Angel stood, spreading pure white wings, guiding the direction of a soul after death.

Xilan slowly left the square and ascended the steps of the palace. The rebellious crowd had entirely surrounded the palace, and they did not rush in on their own, all waiting for Xilan’s move.

Inside the palace, the ministers were in chaos. They crowded at the palace’s main doors, seeing the massive revolt like a gaping maw of a sky-devouring serpent, ready to completely destroy the palace.

The palace guards who had attempted to block the crowd were torn to shreds. Their armor and weapons were taken, and in an instant, even their corpses disappeared without a trace.

The ministers trembled on their feet, having never witnessed such a scene before. Fear controlled every inch of their skin.

Since the Three-eyed Ape People had established their kingdom in this river-nourished land, more than three thousand years had passed. There had never been an uprising of the Stone Slaves so massive, even to the point of destroying the entire palace.

They watched the man leading them, sword in hand, stepping up the stairs. His whole body was nearly covered in blood, still dripping.

Seeing him, those noble ministers who could determine the fate of the kingdom were now panic-stricken, their faces slowly losing color. Some collapsed to their knees, while others clung to pillars, wailing pitifully, begging for the protection of the Prophetic God...

He was a True Believer, a disciple of the Prophet...

The ministers, already skilled in scheming, could tell that before they arrived at the Palace, they had already been through the Great Temple, where they easily slew the Priests of the Kingdom and were now coming to murder the King and the ministers within the Palace.

Did they not fear the divine punishment of Kagawus?!

Were these people aiming to overthrow the entire Kingdom?!

As Xilan drew nearer, the ministers became increasingly terrified, their minds gradually emptied, while, in contrast, the cries of the rebellious throng intensified.

Xilan stood in front of the Palace gates, sword raised high, pointing at King Anuket upon the throne.

As the sword fell, the rebellious crowd surged into the Palace like a tide, and within moments, the noble ministers could not even cry out before they died at the hands of the people.

King Anuket nearly collapsed on the throne, his face turning pale when he saw Xilan; for the first time in his life, he saw death closing in on him.

He clutched the scepter in his hand in an attempt to suppress his shaking, but the crown fell from his head; he hurriedly fell to the ground to pick it up, like a beaten dog.

Xilan was shrouded in shadow, his expression unseen by anyone.

"I am the King of the Three-eyed Ape People! I am your King! I am the King blessed by Kagawus!"

King Anuket shouted, his spirit already deranged with fear as he made futile threats to Xilan.

Xilan approached step by step, the bronze sword in his hand gleaming with a cold light.

King Anuket backed away until he could retreat no further upon reaching the throne, pleading in a base manner:

"Spare me... spare me... I am a person blessed by Kagawus, if you spare me... I will let you continue... continue your preaching... I swear in the name of Kagawus!"

In the midst of his pleas for mercy, Xilan had already reached in front of King Anuket.

"Kagawus has never blessed you."

Xilan’s hoarse voice little by little eradicated the will of the King.

"No, it’s not possible! It can’t be!"

King Anuket, who had always been fanatical, could not accept this reality.

"Even if you had been blessed, what of it?

You have committed grave sins."

Xilan uttered a chilling sentence,

"Your Majesty,

the price of sin is death!"

The sword pierced into King Anuket’s abdomen, intense pain washing over the King’s spirit, and in an instant, Xilan had shredded his intestines.

King Anuket fell from the throne, clutching his belly, but his severed intestines spilled out through his fingers; his eyes widened in pain, and he died with his eyes open.

Xilan’s hand trembled; he had finally exacted revenge, signifying justice.

The coarse fabric of his clothes fluctuated with the roars, as the rebellious crowd gathered inside and outside the Palace, cheering the victory before them.

The King was dead!

Above the grand doors of the Palace, a rope was tied around King Anuket’s neck, and he was hung high before the splendid façade of the Palace.

The King had intended to expose Daniel to the sun, to showcase the True Believers’ crimes; yet now, it was his body exposed before the people, his vile posture on display under the sun.

Xilan stood before the Palace, immovable, pointing his sword at the corpse of King Anuket,

"Once, King Dovlo and his son murdered the Divine Angel.

And now, King Anuket has persecuted God’s righteous ones."

His voice was calm, yet it overpowered all other sounds.

The crowd cheered and celebrated; the triumphant joy, the thrill of avenged wrongs, surged through every heart.

The former suffering, under the shadow of victory, almost vanished like smoke and clouds.

"The sins of King Dovlo are as those of Anuket."

Xilan’s voice boomed like thunder,

making his final proclamation:

"And the price of sin... is death!"