The Strongest Eriri in History

To be provoked like this—even if the person doing so was a very cute little girl—there was no way Yasuwaki Takuto would let her off lightly. However, he was currently standing before Seitenshi, and he didn't want to do anything that would tarnish her impression of him. After all, he was still planning to win her over and rise to the top.

"What nonsense are you spouting? When have I ever killed little girls for sport?" Yasuwaki countered righteously. Then, pushing his glasses up with a sly smirk, he added, "Ah, I see now. Your real target must be Seitenshi. In that case, you can go ahead and die."

At that moment, Seitenshi suddenly shouted, "No! Yasuwaki, don't harm her!"

Yet, it was as though Yasuwaki hadn't heard a word she said. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger on his handgun, confident he could end Ruri Gokou's life with one shot from such a close distance.

But the next moment left him completely stunned. His triumphant expression froze on his face, his mouth hanging open in disbelief.

 Ruri Gokou raised her empty left hand and effortlessly intercepted the bullet, catching it between her white and delicate index and middle fingers.

"Monster!" Yasuwaki exclaimed in terror, stumbling a step backward.

Behind him, Seitenshi, who had witnessed the scene, clutched her mouth in shock as she stared at Ruri Gokou, who looked to be around the same age as her.

The two other guards flanking Seitenshi were similarly horrified. Hastily drawing their sidearms, they pointed them at Ruri Gokou.

Before they could fire, however, Ruri Gokou gave them no opportunity.

With a swift motion, she swung the sword in her right hand—transformed from her Pink Fluffy Bunny Staff. Golden crescent-shaped slashes shimmered through the air, bypassing the guards' defenses and landing directly on Yasuwaki and his two subordinates.

A moment later, the three men screamed in agony as their gun-wielding hands were severed. Their pained cries filled the room with heart-wrenching intensity.

Ordinarily, losing a hand would cause excruciating pain, but the level of suffering Yasuwaki and the others were experiencing was far beyond what was natural—it was as if they were enduring an unthinkable torment, akin to being flayed alive.

 Ruri Gokou observed their misery with satisfaction and nodded approvingly.

The unbearable pain they felt was amplified fiftyfold, thanks to the unique properties of the sword she had conjured. This elegant weapon not only looked stunning but also carried the ability to multiply the pain it inflicted by fifty times.

Even a minor scratch from this blade would be excruciating beyond belief, let alone the complete severing of a hand.

Additionally, Ruri Gokou had carefully stopped the bleeding from their wounds, ensuring they wouldn't die quickly from blood loss.

The sight of the three men writhing in agony caused Seitenshi's face to pale with fear. Yet, as a ruler, she knew she couldn't afford to falter in such situations.

Swallowing hard, she forced herself to remain calm and addressed Ruri Gokou from a safe distance. "Why are you doing this?"

 Ruri Gokou's expression softened as she looked at Seitenshi, a faint smile appearing on her lips. Despite everything, Ruri Gokou had a good impression of this young girl who was roughly her age.

Ignoring the three wailing guards, Ruri Gokou approached Seitenshi with measured steps, the golden blade in her hand gleaming with an ominous light.

Despite the intimidating scene—bloodied guards crying out on the ground and Ruri Gokou advancing with a sword—Seitenshi surprisingly felt no fear. In fact, any prior trepidation she had seemed to dissipate entirely as Ruri Gokou drew near.

There was no malice in Ruri Gokou's expression, only a reassuring calmness.

In a matter of seconds, Ruri Gokou stood just two meters away from Seitenshi.

"Why am I doing this? Didn't I already say so? This man here likes to spend his days off roaming the Outer Area to hunt and kill defenseless little girls for sport. The other two? They're accomplices. You tell me—don't they deserve to be punished?"

"But… Yasuwaki said he didn't do anything like that. Could this be a misunderstanding?" Seitenshi hesitated, seemingly unwilling to believe that her guard could be guilty of such heinous acts.

Despite being the ruler of Tokyo Area, one of the five regions of Japan, Seitenshi was still incredibly naive. She dreamed of a world where humans and the Cursed Children could coexist peacefully, yet she remained blind to the darker sides of human nature.

"Seitenshi, you're too naive," Ruri Gokou said with a faint sigh, shaking her head. "But that's fine. If you don't believe me, I don't mind proving it to you. Let me show you just how vile humanity can be."

 Ruri Gokou stepped toward Yasuwaki and the other two guards, with Seitenshi following close behind her.

In Ruri Gokou's possession was a minor hypnosis ability she had obtained through the chat group's lottery. While it wasn't particularly strong—barely effective against individuals with transcendent powers—it was more than enough to compel Yasuwaki and his cronies.

A short while later, the three men ceased their agonized screams and fell into a trance, their expressions blank and devoid of emotion.

"All right, Seitenshi, I've hypnotized them. Now, you can ask them anything, and they'll answer truthfully. If you still don't believe me, then see for yourself." Ruri Gokou stepped back and gestured toward Yasuwaki.

Seitenshi hesitated, staring at the dazed guards before her.

To be honest, Ruri Gokou's confidence had almost convinced her already, but she still clung to a faint glimmer of hope that it was all just a misunderstanding.

Taking a deep breath, she steadied her nerves and asked Yasuwaki, "Yasuwaki, have you ever killed the Cursed Children for fun?"

When asked such a direct question under hypnosis, Yasuwaki, speaking in a dazed monotone, gave an answer that made Seitenshi furious:

"Yes, it's what I do every time I'm on leave. Shooting those pieces of trash one by one with my handgun is so satisfying."

Seitenshi, who had always championed the implementation of the "New Gastrea Law," was left bitterly disappointed. Not only did her guards fail to support her efforts, but they even engaged in actions that directly opposed her ideals.

Watching Seitenshi's shocked expression as she moved away from Yasuwaki and his accomplices, Ruri Gokou asked, "Not going to question the other two?"

"No need," Seitenshi said, shaking her head with sorrow. She no longer doubted Ruri Gokou's words. Even if she questioned the other two, their answers would likely be the same.

Turning her gaze to Ruri Gokou, Seitenshi's eyes held a spark of curiosity. "By the way, I never got your name. How should I address you?"

"I'm Ruri Gokou," Ruri Gokou replied nonchalantly. Then she added, "Alright, time to deal with these scumbags."

She then released Yasuwaki and the others from their hypnosis, and their agonized screams once again filled the room.

To avoid attracting any unwanted attention, Ruri Gokou had set up a soundproof barrier in the room beforehand, ensuring that no noise escaped.

Before she could proceed further, Seitenshi stepped forward, trying to stop her with a pleading tone. "Miss Gokou, could you leave them to us? We'll handle their punishment."

"No." Ruri Gokou refused without a second thought. "I know what you're thinking. Give it up. With your mindset, you'll never be able to save those cursed children."

"But…" Seitenshi attempted to continue, only to be interrupted by Ruri Gokou.

"Enough, Seitenshi. Let me spell it out for you—I'm not from this world. And it's not just me. There are others who've come here with the same purpose: to save the cursed children and punish those who torment them."

 Ruri Gokou didn't bother hiding her origins. If she cared about secrecy, she wouldn't have barged into the sanctuary in the first place.

Seitenshi's face paled with panic, her priorities shifting as she pleaded, "Miss Gokou, the people are innocent! They've only treated the cursed children this way because they've lost loved ones to the Gastrea war.

I'll do everything I can to help the people accept those children, so please don't blame them."

"What does that have to do with me?" Ruri Gokou retorted coldly. "All I know is that those children have been living miserably under the bullying and discrimination of your so-called people. They deserve punishment."

She added with a venomous tone, "And let me tell you this—our leader has already decided how to deal with those people. And trust me, she's far less kind than I am. You'd better hope there aren't too many of them who hate the cursed children."

"How… how could this happen…" Seitenshi staggered back a few steps, her face pale and desolate.

Ignoring her, Ruri Gokou spent the next half-hour finishing off Yasuwaki and his two accomplices before leaving the sanctuary without another word.

In the hour or so that had passed, the group members who had come to the world of Black Bullet had rescued many cursed children and dealt with countless tormentors.

Thanks to the real-time spread of information via the internet, their names quickly became infamous worldwide—though the stories circulating were all negative portrayals.

For the cursed children, however, the group members were nothing less than angels of salvation. In one case, this sentiment was literal, as one among them was a true angel.

The experiences of that hour confirmed to the group members just how rotten the adults of this world were—beyond redemption in almost every case.

Shockingly, many children, influenced by the prejudices of their elders and parents, also harbored severe biases against the cursed children.

"Eriri, where are we going now?" After leaving the IISO's Tokyo branch, Enju Aihara looked up at Eriri, who was holding her hand.

Enju no longer appeared as the malnourished girl in a thin white camisole and disheveled hair she had been before. After some care and adjustments by Eriri, and now dressed in a lovely white dress with ruffled edges, Enju had transformed into an extraordinarily cute little girl.

After dealing with the IISO staff and the combatants earlier, Eriri had freed all the cursed children being held in the facility.

Each child had worn a collar with a number engraved on a tag, resembling merchandise waiting to be selected.

The deaths of the staff and the mass release of the children naturally drew the IISO's attention.

In response, they deployed a large force of combatants, including some of the strongest cursed children under their control, to encircle Eriri and her companions.

This only led to the entire IISO Tokyo branch meeting the same fate as the initial staff, while all the cursed children under their control were liberated.

Before acting, Eriri had already probed the thoughts and attitudes of the IISO staff toward the cursed children.

As she had suspected, every single one harbored deep prejudice or outright malice toward the cursed children.

It's said that time fosters affection, and even a beast can form bonds with humans given enough time together.

Yet despite spending extensive time with the cursed children, these staff members never once saw them as equals. In this world, humans are worse than beasts.

So, Eriri simply eliminated them all. With her upcoming plan to cleanse the world, those who discriminated against the cursed children were doomed anyway.

Their deaths at her hands merely hastened the inevitable.

Patting Enju's head gently, Eriri smiled and said, "Let's take a look around first."

Compared to earlier, the only addition to Eriri's group was Enju herself. The other cursed children had been left behind in the now-empty IISO facility.

After all, it wouldn't be long before Eriri's plans were put into motion, and the IISO would no longer exist.

Thus, there was no need to worry about the cursed children returning to their previous plight.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon: 

Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven