Tengoku e no Hangyaku - Rebellion against Heaven (english version)

Chapter 6: The Herald's Judgment

Ryuusei felt his breathing become irregular. That being... No, what was in front of him was not just any enemy. It was not a curse, nor was it just any beast. It wasn't something he could defeat with sheer will or with a better executed technique. No.

It was a sentence.

Death was tired of this game. He had sent the beast first, a formless abomination that swept away everything, as if despair itself had become flesh. And now... now he had sent the Herald.

The Herald of Death.

It was confirmation that this had to end.

Ryuusei felt the cold creeping down his spine, freezing his back, paralyzing his muscles. He wanted to move, but his legs refused. His body trembled, not from fatigue, but from something far worse.

Fear.

The Herald did not say a word. He simply raised his dark sword and moved forward with absolute calmness, as if everything was already decided. As if Ryuusei were already dead.

And maybe he was.

There were people who wanted to confront him, and this Herald with just a wave of his sword eliminated them without difficulty.

Ryuusei could barely react as the sword cut through the air, tracing a perfect arc. She bent down instinctively, feeling the edge brush against her hair. Wasting no time, he spun and activated his teleportation with the daggers, reappearing behind the Harbinger to attack him with his warhammers.

But when his punch was about to impact, the dark figure simply turned its head.

Two orbs shone behind the helmet, inhuman, devoid of all emotion. And then, without any effort, the Herald stopped the attack with one hand.

It was like hitting a mountain.

The Herald looked at him for a moment. And then, with a simple movement, he threw it into the air as if its weight meant nothing.

Ryuusei felt the air escaping from his lungs as his body flew out of control. The impact against the ground was brutal, causing it to roll several meters before stopping. His vision became blurred and a stabbing pain ran through his entire being.

He coughed, spitting blood. His arms were shaking. He wanted to get up, but his body did not respond.

No...

No, no, no.

A shiver ran through him as he saw the Herald approaching again. His steps were slow, sure. There was no hurry in his walk. There was no impatience. It was as if everything had already been decided. As if this fight was never a real fight.

It was an execution.

Ryuusei tried to get up, but her legs were unresponsive. His hands were soaked in blood and trembling uncontrollably. His mind screamed, his heart pounded, his throat closed. Sensing his end approaching, an idea struck him with absolute coldness.

I'm going to die.

Not as a hero. Not as a legendary warrior. Not as someone who gave everything and managed to get ahead. No.

I'm going to die helpless.

His thoughts choked in a torrent of pure panic. His vision blurred. Her bones felt like crystal about to break. His breath was erratic, his throat wanted to scream, but there was no sound. Only the echo of his own despair.

The Herald stopped in front of him, raising his sword.

The edge reflected his image.

His emaciated face, his trembling body, his broken gaze.

That was how it was going to end.

—...

The Herald did not move immediately. He didn't put down his sword, he didn't finish him off instantly. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, as if noticing something curious.

He noticed Ryuusei's weapons.

The hammers of war. The teleportation daggers.

They didn't look like ordinary weapons. They were not made with ordinary materials. They were something... more. Something that caught the attention of the emissary of Death.

The air around him became heavier.

The Herald turned his head toward a point on the horizon, where the darkness itself seemed to writhe. As if he were seeing something that Ryuusei could not perceive.

A guttural whisper escaped his lips, a language that did not belong to this world. Then, he turned his attention to Ryuusei.

—...

The trial had been postponed. For now.

The Herald lowered his sword and slowly walked away. Ryuusei didn't dare to move, or even breathe. She could only see him disappear into the blackness, leaving behind an echo of his overwhelming presence.

Death was to be informed.

And Ryuusei...

Ryuusei still didn't understand why he was still alive.