"What are you talking about?" Gabriel stood up, appearing right before the Villagers. "What children?"
"Lord Gabriel." The Villagers greeted Gabriel respectfully.
Gabriel ignored their greeting. "I asked you something. What children were you talking about?"
"Oh, that. We were talking about the execution of the last remnants of gods. With their deaths, almost all of their Bloodlines are extinct," the Villager exclaimed. "This was Lord Ezekiel's instructions. He said we need to finish what we start."
"Finish what we start?" Gabriel frowned. He turned around and left. He went straight to Ezekiel to ask him.
Ezekiel was discussing something with the Lord of the Village when Gabriel appeared before him.
"Why did we have to kill little children? Couldn't we have devoured their Divinity?"
Ezekiel looked back at Gabriel. He had already expected a response like this when Gabriei found out. That's why he hadn't told Gabriei about this plan.
Ezekiel had lived in the darkness for a long time, so his mind had already grown numb to the feelings of guilt, but Gabriel wasn't the same. His mentality was still somewhat weak when it came to such things.
"Do you think we are the bad guys because we killed some children?" he asked Gabriel. "Do you think they would've loved you if you had forgiven them and let them live?"
"How many lives would they have taken for their revenge in the future? We took tens of lives to save thousands in the future. It's the necessary sacrifice," he added. "If you want to call it evil, then it would be considered Necessary Evil."
"How would they take lives if they were devoured of their Divinity?" Gabriel asked.
"And you think they could never recover their Divinity once you devoured it? Are you certain that it was never going to happen?" Ezekiel responded.
He had been with Gabriel for quite some time, and for some reason, he was very fond of the young man. He considered Gabriel like a family, but he also knew that sometimes one had to be cruel to protect their future.
"Being merciful to your enemies is being cruel to yourself. Remember that," he stated as he patted Gabriel's shoulders.
"For you, the loss of some children might be an unnecessary act, but it was necessary. At least we did it for a cause. But what about the gods? How many childrens did they kill? For what reason?"
"Look at him." He pointed towards the Village head. "Just like I lost my entire family, he lost his son and his daughter in law thanks to the Gods. Even his two year old grandson wasn't left alive. It's the same for every other villager!"
"All of them are victims of the ruthlessness of gods. All of them are ones who have lost everything! They had been living with hatred for hundreds of years, all for this moment!"
"This war, it was more than just our war. It was their war. It was the war of everyone who suffered, and it was a war to prevent something like this from happening in the future."
"You see those children as helpless children, but they've learned the knowledge from the Realm of Gods. Even if you weaken them, or imprison them for life, it's all a hidden danger that could come to make us regret in the future."
If it was someone else, Ezekiel wouldn't even bother to explain his actions, but it was Gabriei so he went out of his way to justify his actions.
"Look at me. I had no Divinity. I was born a mortal with only a slightly stronger physique, but today I'm able to slay gods. Every single villager was also mortal, but they're able to kill gods!"
"Divinity isn't everything in this world. There are thousands of ways for one to become stronger. Do you still think that we should've just devoured their Divinity and let them go free?"
Ezekiel didn't speak further. He had spoken everything he wanted to.
Gabriel stood silently, not knowing how to respond. Ezekiel's words made sense. Even an ordinary mortal could become strong, let alone those who had learned the knowledge of gods. Just leaving them free was certainly a potential risk for the future.
He couldn't find any reason to oppose Ezekiel's decision. In some corner of his mind, he knew that this was a logical decision.
Moreover, it wasn't as if he hadn't killed children. When he fought in the past, many houses were destroyed, so it was likely that many children had died as well. At least Ezekiel had a cause. It was for their safety.
Ezekiel didn't wait for Gabriel's response. He could already see that Gabriei didn't have anything to counter. It was only a matter of time before he came to terms with it.
"If you're uncomfortable with it, just blame me for it. It was my decision, so you don't have to feel guilty about it." He ruffled up Gabriel's hair before walking away with the Village Head, continuing his discussion.
Gabriel watched Ezekiel leave. Even though he was accompanied by the Village Head, his back seemed lonely.
Gabriel could only sigh in response as he turned around. He walked back to the house temporarily assigned to him in the Village. They weren't returning to the Realm of Gods as they were still waiting for Janus' revenge after Caen's death.
Ezekiel didn't want to make it difficult for Caen to find them. Janus was the only God left at this point, at least according to their knowledge.
Rather than actively searching for Janus, it was more strategic to adopt a passive approach and wait for him, akin to sitting ducks. Ezekiel was fully aware that Janus could recognize the trap, yet he awaited his arrival.
"Are you certain that he will arrive? It would be no different than accepting his death. Would he really be that naive?" The Village Head asked.
"Sometimes, this is the biggest weakness of gods... Their feelings for their family," Ezekiel answered. "And Janus is one such god, which is proven by the fact that he came here to protect Caen despite all of us here. I'm sure he'll come, if not for revenge than for cure."
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