Chapter 1393 – 1393. God’S Atlantis
Just one day after issuing the water control order, the citizens of Reltia gathered en masse in the plaza.
They weren’t protesting. The citizens knew that the 5,000 people who had protested yesterday had been massacred, vanishing in an instant. Fearing me, they didn’t dare even think of protesting. They knelt in the plaza, begging for my forgiveness and desperately wanting me to distribute water.
People were dying of thirst.
They were dying just one day after I had cut off the water supply. The citizens pushed the corpses of those who had died of thirst forward, pleading for water.
I felt something was off.
Even if this was a desert, it was strange for people to die of thirst just one day after the water supply was cut off.
The shaman Enas investigated the deaths and approached me, reporting,
“The people who died of thirst were slaves. They hadn’t been given water by their masters for about a week.”
“So, it means they didn’t die because I cut off the water supply.”
“Yes. But the citizens believe that people died because the Heavenly Demon cut off the water supply. They don’t know the full story at all.”
“Someone’s instigating them. How audacious. Very audacious. Bring me the master of that slave.”
“Yes, Heavenly Demon.”
The master of the slave who had died of thirst was captured by the Demonic Cult members in less than two hours and dragged to the palace. It also meant that I had completely taken control of this city. Well, it was natural since I had released the Demonic Cult members on the outskirts of the city to prevent anyone from escaping. I had also deployed a simple barrier to block any space-movement scrolls.
“Heavenly Demon! P-please, spare me!”
The man couldn’t even meet my eyes, prostrating himself on the floor. I sat on a luxurious chair, looking down at the man.
“Why did you do it?”
I asked, cutting straight to the point. Fortunately, the slave owner wasn’t a clueless idiot.
“I-I was just following orders for money!”
“Who paid you?”
“That… I don’t know. The person was wearing a mask, and… they came this morning, gave me money, and told me to let people know that the slave would soon die of thirst.”
I stared intently at the man. Cold sweat was dripping onto the floor. It didn’t seem like he was lying.
“Enas, what do you think?”
I asked the shaman, Enas, who was standing respectfully beside me. Enas was weak in terms of physical strength. She didn’t know many spells either. At best, she could summon desert wolves and heal minor injuries. In terms of raw power, Ersia was stronger.
However, Enas had an excellent political sense. She also had a thirst for power. She was also very quick-witted. She was quite capable, having protected the palace while I was away.
“It seems like the wealthy people of Reltia are up to something. They’re slowly instigating the people. They must believe that if all the citizens of Reltia rise up, they can bring down the Heavenly Demon.”
“Those pigs are trying to bring me down?”
“The pigs don’t know they’re pigs. And they’re probably thinking this: that you can’t possibly massacre all of them.”
The population of Reltia was about 300,000.
Even if I killed half of them, Reltia’s power would be severely weakened. Yesterday’s massacre of 5,000 people was also a significant blow to the city. Population was labor force.
“Those vermin are being annoying. Should I just kill them all?”
“Heavenly Demon, the pigs are just ignorant. If we remove the instigators, the pigs will realize their situation.”
“Capture the wealthy… no, there’s no need to mobilize the Demonic Cult members. Enas! Tell the pigs. Tell them to capture the wealthy people themselves. I won’t give them water until they bring those bastards to me!”
“Understood. What should we do with this man?”
I looked at the man, who was still trembling on the floor. He was wringing his wrinkled hands, repeating the words, “Please, spare me.”
“Cut off his head and limbs and display them in the plaza.”
“Yes. Everything will be as the Heavenly Demon wishes.”
“Aaaah! Heavenly Demon! Just once! Please, show me mercy! Spare me! I’ll give you my wealth, all my wealth!”
The man was dragged away by the Demonic Cult members.
“How amusing. A pig has no wealth. Your wealth was originally mine.”
“You are absolutely right. Everything in Reltia belongs to the Heavenly Demon.”
Enas’s words were pleasing to hear. Even though I knew it was flattery, I couldn’t hate it. How could I hate her when she praised me with a soft tone and gentle voice?
I reached out and grabbed Enas’s clothes, pulling them to the side. Her voluptuous body was revealed. Her white skin was covered with red patterns of unknown meaning. The pale nipples at the tips of her slightly sagging breasts were erect, and the pubic area between her thighs was covered with a thick bush of gray pubic hair, the same color as her hair. I parted her pubic hair, searching for her vagina. I could feel moisture from her crimson vagina.
“And you are mine too.”
“That’s right. I can do anything for the Heavenly Demon.”
“Really? Then get on top of me first.”
“Yes, Heavenly Demon. Haaah…!”
***
The desert is brutal.
Especially the scorching sun of the Scorpion Desert, which is one of the most brutal even in the western region of Atlantis. In such a place, if you don’t drink water, you won’t last even a week before dying of thirst.
For the desert people, water was life. That’s why no ruler could recklessly use the desert’s water. If they did, they would turn all the desert people into enemies, and their rule would weaken. The previous rulers of Reltia also didn’t do such an absurd thing as controlling the water supply.
The people of the desert, deprived of water, are enraged. Their anger builds up, and keeps building up.
The Heavenly Demon’s water control.
Someone died of thirst because they couldn’t drink water.
Their mouths were parched, and even saliva stopped being produced, tormenting the desert people with immense thirst. Many people were drinking their own urine because they couldn’t bear the thirst. There were also those who drank the blood of livestock.
The number of people gathering and prostrating themselves in front of the palace increased even more.
And then, something else happened that fueled their anger.
Discrimination.
Some people entered the palace and drank water to their heart’s content. They were the families of the beauties who had entered the Heavenly Demon’s harem. The Heavenly Demon liked women, and if they were beautiful, he would drag them into his harem without question. Even married women with husbands were no exception.
The women of Reltia dreamed of entering the harem. By entering the harem and offering their bodies to the Heavenly Demon, their lives would become easier. They could drink as much clean water from the oasis as they wanted, and they could taste rare dishes and fruits that were not found in the desert. They would also receive a considerable amount of money every month. And their families could also receive some benefits.
Today, too, the families of the women in the harem entered the palace and came out with refreshed faces. They showed no signs of thirst at all.
Anger builds up.
It builds up and builds up.
The breaking point has already been reached.
It has to explode. Their anger has to erupt, and they have to grab weapons and rush to the palace. They have to pour out their hatred on the Heavenly Demon and drink the water of life to quench this hateful thirst.
But the reality was that no one could explode with anger. Because those who had exploded with anger and rebelled against the Heavenly Demon had all died. Their families and friends had also died.
The citizens of Reltia trembled in fear as they looked at the hill next to the palace. That hill was made of human corpses.
The Heavenly Demon had no qualms about killing people. He wouldn’t even bat an eye after killing 1,000 people. All the citizens of Reltia knew that he was the kind of person who would massacre all the citizens of Reltia and then yawn nonchalantly.
The Heavenly Demon was, as his name suggested, a demon from the sky.
At that moment, a man opened the palace gate and walked forward. Wearing black clothes that signified his affiliation with the Heavenly Demon Cult, he spoke in a loud voice to the citizens who were prostrating themselves toward the palace.
“I will deliver the Heavenly Demon’s words. Open your ears and listen carefully.”
The man took out a piece of paper from his pocket. He shouted the names written on the paper in a booming voice.
“The following 127 people! Capture them and bring them to the palace! When all 127 people are gathered, the water of the oasis will flow in Reltia!”
The Demonic Cult member posted the paper with the 127 names on the palace wall and then went back inside.
The citizens of Reltia, who had been prostrating themselves on the ground until then, jumped up from their places. Their eyes shone like those of hungry beasts.
Their anger exploded. However, the direction of their anger was not towards the Heavenly Demon.
“Capture them! Capture those bastards!”
“If we capture and offer them up! We can drink water! We can drink water!”
“I know where that bastard is!”
“What are you doing! Go and capture them quickly!”
“We’ll capture Barakos!”
“You guys capture Belliman!”
***
In less than three hours, the 127 wealthy people and rebels were captured by the citizens and transported to the palace.
About 20 of them were seriously injured. They had been beaten by the citizens. None of them had died.
“Enas. Tell the pigs to wait in the plaza.”
“Yes, Heavenly Demon.”
I approached the middle-aged man standing at the very front. He had thick eyebrows and a stylish beard. His face was also clean, making him quite handsome.
“Barun. I know you’re the ringleader. Of course, I also know that you’ve joined hands with the rebels. Tell me everything you know. Then I’ll kill you peacefully.”
“Heavenly Demon. You are not qualified to be the ruler of this Reltia! For the sake of the desert, you must disappear!”
I flicked my fingernail. A black sword aura flew out and cut off Barun’s right ear. Thud. Even though his ear fell to the floor, Barun’s eyes didn’t waver.
“You insolent bastard. Don’t you still know your place? You’re already finished. The only choices you have are to reveal the rebels’ information and die peacefully, or to protect your pathetic loyalty and die in agony. Those are the only two options.”
“Heh heh. You’ll never get me to open my mouth. And soon, Karok will return with his army and kill you.”
That was the reason why Barun didn’t commit suicide the moment he was captured. He believed that Karok would return, kill me, and seize control of the 5,146th district, the Scorpion Desert.
“Heavenly Demon! No matter what you do, you will never break our spirit and loyalty!”
“Loyalty, my ass. In the end, all you want is money and power. I guess I’ll have to deal with the others first, and then you last.”
“It’s useless. They don’t know Karok’s exact information. I’m the only one who knows the exact information.”
“…I was trying to go easy on you… You’re being annoying.”
I took out a mirror from my inventory.
Mirror Tunnel.
An item that allows me to instantly teleport to the other side of the mirror.
“For you, death is no longer an option. Regret your choices and suffer eternally in a living hell.”
I pushed them into a living hell.
