The Strongest Eriri in History

Had it not been for the higher-ups' orders to capture them alive, the self-defense force members would likely have opened fire already. They cared little for the lives of the cursed children accompanying Ruri Gokou, viewing them as less than human. Killing them all wouldn't have left a dent in their consciences.

The arrival of the pursuit team immediately caused unrest among the cursed children. While they knew Eriri was exceptionally strong, the sight of so many armed soldiers made it difficult to suppress their fear.

Irritation flashed across Eriri's face as she glanced at the self-defense forces that had interrupted them. As she pondered how to deal with them, the encirclement parted, allowing an officer, apparently the leader, to approach. He was followed by dozens of civil police units composed of men and their child initiators.

The pursuit force's target was Ruri Gokou, so the officer's gaze immediately searched for her. Amidst a crowd of little girls, none older than nine, the heights of Eriri, Ruri Gokou, and Liliana made them stand out. It didn't take long for the officer to locate his targets.

However, upon seeing Eriri among the crowd, a flicker of greed crossed the officer's eyes, though he quickly masked it. The civil police behind him were far less restrained, their expressions openly displaying avarice, depravity, and lechery.

These men had always been troublemakers. Becoming civil police had only emboldened their unruly behavior.

"You're under arrest!" the officer declared, addressing Ruri Gokou in a loud voice. "I know you so-called Endbringer Witches possess unusual abilities, but if you care about the lives of these cursed children, I suggest you surrender quietly."

At that moment, Matsuzaki hobbled forward with his cane. Despite the overwhelming sight of hundreds of guns and the destructive aura of five tank cannons aimed their way, he gathered his courage and stepped before the officer.

"Sir, I beg you to show mercy. These are just helpless children with no home. Please spare them," Matsuzaki pleaded, trembling slightly.

"They're just spare tools. If they die, they die. Who gave you the right to interfere? Do you want to die too?" the officer snapped, glaring at Matsuzaki with disdain.

The oppressive gaze forced Matsuzaki to swallow his words. Bowing his head in dejection, he shuffled back to his previous position. Deep down, he could only hope that Eriri and the others could handle the situation.

The officer sneered at Matsuzaki's retreating figure before turning his gaze back to Eriri and Ruri Gokou.

"Well? What's your answer?" he demanded.

"Onee-chan..." The purple-haired cursed child beside Eriri clung to her arm in fear.

"There, there, don't be afraid," Eriri comforted, patting the girl's head gently. "Big sister will make all these pieces of trash disappear in no time, okay?"

Her warm words to the child sounded like thunderous provocation to the officer and his men.

The officer's patience snapped. "Hmph! So you're refusing my kindness? If that's the case, don't blame us for—"

Before he could finish, a crisp snap of fingers echoed through the air. In the next moment, the officer crumpled to the ground, life draining from his body.

And he wasn't alone. Every one of the fifty or so civil police officers and five hundred armed self-defense force soldiers collapsed simultaneously.

A faint breeze stirred, scattering their bodies into ashes that dissolved into the air. Only the stunned child initiators remained standing, bewildered and unsure of what to do.

Far away, in the first district's command center, Kikunojou Tendo shot to his feet, staring in horror at the live satellite feed.

"How is this possible!?" he exclaimed.

Kikunojou's expression was grim. While he had seen footage of the Endbringer Witches' devastating powers online, witnessing such a clean, inexplicable eradication of hundreds of people left him deeply shaken.

He immediately realized capturing them alive was impossible. But even eliminating them seemed far-fetched. With such unpredictable abilities, close combat was out of the question.

His mind turned to missiles. He doubted even the so-called witches could withstand a barrage of missile strikes. The destruction of the Outer Area was a small price to pay if it meant averting global catastrophe.

Without hesitation, Kikunojou issued the command to deploy missile strikes.

The annihilation of the pursuit team had little impact on the cursed children in the Outer Area. They already harbored no goodwill toward the adults who had persecuted them.

As for the remaining child initiators, none bore any resentment toward Eriri. For them, the deaths of their oppressive partners were a form of liberation.

Matsuzaki, however, viewed the situation differently. His perspective had shifted dramatically. While he had previously felt gratitude and reverence toward Eriri, he now regarded her with a deep-seated fear.

As Eriri had anticipated, Matsuzaki's human nature took precedence. He understood why Eriri had killed the soldiers and police, but her casual attitude, as if extinguishing hundreds of lives was no different than swatting flies, sent chills down his spine.

Despite wanting to distance himself, Matsuzaki remained rooted in place, unable to abandon the children relying on him.

Suddenly, a faint roar echoed from above. Many cursed children with sharp hearing instinctively looked skyward.

"What's that?" A little girl with braided pigtails tugged on Matsuzaki's sleeve and pointed toward the sky curiously.

Snapping out of his daze, Matsuzaki followed her gaze. His eyes widened in terror as he recognized the incoming objects.

"Missiles..." he whispered, his voice trembling.

Several white missiles streaked through the sky, closing in rapidly. In mere moments, they would arrive, bringing devastation that would turn the area into a wasteland.

Panic seized Matsuzaki as he turned his desperate gaze toward Eriri. She was their only hope.

When Matsuzaki saw that Eriri was also gazing at the missiles in the sky without the slightest hint of panic, the terror gripping his heart eased somewhat.

But what happened next completely overturned his understanding of reality...

As time passed, the missiles in the sky drew closer to Eriri and the others. However, when the missiles were about 100 meters above Eriri's location, they suddenly stopped mid-air, motionless.

Eriri was far enough from Matsuzaki that the little girls around her didn't notice his reaction upon seeing the missiles. Curious, they asked Eriri, pointing at the frozen missiles high above. "Onee-san, what are those things?"

Having never received any formal education, the little girls didn't recognize the missiles, nor did they comprehend the immense danger looming above them.

Instead of answering, Eriri gave them a mysterious smile. "Do you want to see fireworks?"

"Yes, we do!" The little girls nodded eagerly, their bright crimson eyes brimming with anticipation as they gazed at Eriri.

They had seen fireworks from afar in the city and loved their beauty.

But then, one of the girls voiced a question. "But fireworks can only be seen at night, right?"

"Is it not nighttime now? That's easy to fix."

Eriri made a casual motion with her hand as if pulling on the sky itself. In an instant, the daylight turned into night, complete with a bright moon and a sky full of twinkling stars.

Next, Eriri raised her hand toward the missiles frozen above. With a simple motion, the missiles converged into a single entity, doubling in size.

Under her control, the newly fused missile exploded high in the sky. Yet, instead of the expected fire and smoke, it transformed into a dazzling display of fireworks.

The result was spectacular, far surpassing ordinary fireworks. Unlike the fleeting bursts of conventional fireworks, this display continued to expand across the sky, painting it with brilliant hues.

The explosion's reach was vast, covering the entire Outer Area. Even people in the city center could see it clearly.

Although the sudden change from day to night initially caused panic among Tokyo's citizens, the sight of the fireworks quickly suppressed their alarm. Many began calling friends and family to marvel at the breathtaking display.

In the command center, Kikunojou Tendo slumped into his seat, despair etched across his face. Eriri's godlike display of power crushed any remaining resolve he had to pursue her further.

At the Sanctuary, Seitenshi stood on her balcony, gazing at the sky with a forlorn expression. A foreboding sense of doom clouded her mind, refusing to dissipate.

The fireworks display, though abnormally beautiful, seemed to herald the impending doom of the majority of humanity and the dawn of a new era.

The fireworks created from the missiles burned brightly in the sky for half an hour. As the display reached its conclusion, Eriri made an announcement in the chat group declaring the official commencement of the cleansing plan.

With her overwhelming power, Eriri conjured a colossal cube, approximately 1,000 kilometers long, wide, and high, hovering in the Earth's stratosphere.

Adorned with intricate, mysterious patterns, the massive cube rotated slowly, visible from every corner of the Earth over a 24-hour period due to the planet's rotation.

Inside the cube was an independent world, containing an enormous city capable of accommodating all life on Earth with room to spare.

With a wave of her hand, Eriri unleashed a powerful force that lifted every Gastrea on the planet into the air.

The sudden appearance of the cube and the sight of countless Gastrea blotting out the sky sent humanity into a state of shock and fear. The unknown is often the most terrifying.

But the next moment filled humanity with elation.

The floating Gastrea—including even massive Stage V variants—were all drawn into the mysterious cube.

When the Earth was finally cleared of all Gastrea, people across the globe erupted in jubilant celebration.

"Hahaha! This is amazing! Those damned Gastrea are all gone, trapped in that box! The Earth belongs to humanity once more!"

"That's right! Now we just need to wipe out those disgusting cursed children, and peace will truly return to Earth. No more worrying about Gastrea destroying our homes!"

"Exactly! We don't need those tools anymore. Let's eliminate them as soon as possible so we can feel secure."

"But most of the cursed children are being protected by those hateful Endbringer Witches. What can we do?"

"We need to focus all our power on dealing with the Endbringer Witches. There's no way a dozen witches can stand against all of humanity! Victory will be ours, and the witches and cursed children can all rot in hell!"

"That cube in the sky must have been created by the great Lord to save humanity! Those witches who oppose Him will surely face His wrath!"

"Oh great Lord, why didn't You capture the witches and those filthy cursed children in the cube as well?"

"…"

Throughout the remaining human territories, cries against the cursed children and Endbringer Witches echoed in unison.

Online forums buzzed with heated discussions, and within minutes, people had proposed hundreds of ways to entrap and annihilate the witches and cursed children.

Yet the euphoric humans remained oblivious. The judgment awaiting them had only just begun.

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