LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 27: Chapter 27
After Bronya updated me with a handheld speaker, we gathered to finalize the plan one last time. Only one hour remained before Kallen's execution, and the preparations for her rescue were nearly complete.
Meanwhile, somewhere else, Kallen stood before Judge Arthur, the man who was once her mentor. His gaze was cold, though a flicker of sympathy passed through his eyes.
"How ironic," he muttered.
"Oh, how refreshing it is to see an enforcer like you acting as a warden. Looks like I'm truly out of options, huh?"
Kallen's voice was steady, her eyes unwavering.
The judge sighed, his tone pensive. "Why don't you plead for mercy?"
Without a second's hesitation, Kallen replied, her voice as light as a breeze.
"I have my own principles, you know that. I won't speak against my beliefs just to save my life."
He fell silent, and in that brief moment, he remembered the girl he once knew—unyielding, unchanged. As the sun reached its peak, he cleared his throat, as if shaking off a final weight.
"It's time. Do you have any last words?"
Kallen looked at her former teacher, a faint smile crossing her face, but she didn't answer.
"I understand." Arthur sighed with a touch of regret. This was an order from above, one he had no choice but to follow.
Back at the rendezvous point, Bronya, Kiana, and I were in the final stages of preparation. Bronya said nothing, but I could sense a hint of worry in her usually cold eyes. Kiana, on the other hand, seemed almost excited, as if anticipating something grand. She turned to Bronya, a grin on her face.
"Bronya, update my weapons. I'm ready!"
Bronya looked at both of us, letting out a soft sigh. "Bronya will upgrade both of you. But… are you truly prepared?"
Kiana's eyes sparkled. "More than ready. We can begin anytime!"
The three of us exchanged determined glances, each of us ready to act at a moment's notice.
---
The hour of execution drew near, and a crowd had gathered thick around the platform. They murmured among themselves, yet every gaze was fixed on the scaffold, where Kallen was set to face her fate. I scanned the crowd and spotted two guards standing like statues on either side of the gallows.
A smirk crept across my face as I stepped onto the stage. The guards immediately moved to grab me, but before they could touch me, Kiana swung down from a nearby rooftop, taking them both down with a powerful kick. Meanwhile, Bronya stood on a vantage point nearby, observing, ready to alert us of any changes.
Surveying the scene quickly, I lifted the speaker in my hand, raised it high, and began to speak, my voice ringing across the square.
"Hello! Testing, testing! Can everyone hear me?"
The crowd froze, confusion spreading across their faces. I took a deep breath and looked directly at them, speaking loudly and clearly.
"If you can hear me, then listen up! Let me ask you this: are you just going to stand there, stuffing your faces and staying warm, while you turn your backs like this? Even animals know how to repay a debt, yet you all stand here, whispering, staring at someone else's pain as if it's entertainment. You're worse than beasts!"
My words cut like knives, and the crowd erupted with angry curses.
"Shut up! Who the hell do you think you are?" one man shouted, his voice filled with rage.
"Yeah, who do you think you are, you lowlife!" another yelled.
I simply stood there, unfazed, listening to their insults, a smirk on my lips.
"Call me a beast, I don't care. Call me a dog, so what? At least I know how to repay kindness! When that girl saved you, helped you, what did you do in return? Did you mourn? Did you shed a tear? Please. You're all just here for a good show, playing the part of the tragic bystander. If you're so unhappy with what I'm saying, then come up here and face me yourselves!"
The crowd fell silent, their expressions darkening. The curses died down, and no one dared step forward or speak another word.
Kiana, standing beside me, glanced at the scene and whispered, "Was that a bit too harsh?"
I scoffed, "Then let them come up here if they have a problem with it. I'll punch each and every one of them in the face, to teach them a lesson, haha"
Kiana looked at me, and said cautiously
"So, you've been talking nonsense all this time just to find an excuse to fight? Do you seriously want to save my ancestor Kallen?"
I looked away and said:
"99% of the time I want to save her."
Kiana laughed and said:
"So the remaining 1% is to beat people up."
"..."
I decided to keep quiet about this matter, saying anything more would make me the villain.
Seeing me like that, Kiana just shrugged and said nothing more.
Then, facing the crowd again, I let out a defiant laugh.
"Hah! What a bunch of cowards! No, actually… you're a herd of pigs, aren't you? Satisfied with life in a pen, are you?"
I scoffed, looking at them with disdain.
"Listen up, you swine! That girl didn't save you because she's strong. She didn't volunteer herself so that you could feel at ease with your pitiful lives! Stop fooling yourselves! You're nothing but dogs that come running when in need, then turn tail when you don't! If any of you still have a shred of self-respect, of dignity as a human being, then pick up a weapon and fight! Get angry! Stand on this stage and demand justice for the girl you abandoned!"
My words sparked something in them. The crowd shifted uneasily, people looking at each other. Then, one person raised a clenched fist. Then a second. A third. Soon, the square filled with cheers, fists raised, weapons drawn, their eyes burning with rage, as though they had awakened from a long slumber.
Bronya, who had rejoined us after surveying the area, and Kiana stood close, watching the crowd now brimming with righteous fury.
Bronya sighed softly, her gaze turning to a wagon rolling into the square. Inside an iron cage sat Kallen, looking exhausted yet resolute.
Kiana whispered, her voice heavy with sorrow,
"Kallen ancestors..."
The eyes of the townsfolk also turned toward the wagon, not with curiosity as before, but with fierce determination. They gripped their weapons tightly, as if ready to free her themselves.
I raised the speaker one last time, shouting across the square.
"YOUR TARGET IS HERE! IF YOU DON'T WANT YOUR ANCESTORS TO HANG THEIR HEADS IN SHAME, THEN CHARGE FORWARD! SAVE THE INNOCENT GIRL SUFFERING IN THAT IRON CAGE!!"
My words were like the firing shot of a cannon. The crowd surged forward, weapons raised high. No longer a fearful mass, they had become an army for justice, ready to reclaim what was right. Even a child clutched a stone, hurling it at the first guard blocking their way.
Bronya looked at the scene unfolding before her, filled with both admiration and worry. Her gaze followed the townspeople as they transformed, moving from confusion to fierce determination. It had been a long time since she'd seen anything like this.
"Wow, Yumeji's reputation has echoed throughout history; Bronya has to admire it,"
she said, though deep down, a concern for everyone's safety lingered.
Kiana, standing beside her, felt nervous as she observed the intense situation. She glanced at Bronya, her face showing obvious surprise.
"Not infamy? Aren't you worried at all that he can say things like that without any repercussions?"
Kiana's question was more than simple curiosity; it was like a mirror reflecting her own nervousness, as if everything was spiraling into a storm.
Yumeji, lost in his powerful words, paid little attention to what was happening around him. He only saw the determined gazes of the crowd, watching as these once-timid people transformed into warriors, yearning for justice. Each of them now held a flame within their hearts.
"Everyone, the time is now! Stand together!"
Yumeji shouted, his voice echoing through the crowd, fueling their courage. The people shouted back in unison, each cry as sharp as a blade striking at the pride of the guards.
"The time has come! Fight for her!"
Their voices rose, and the pounding of their feet on the ground sounded like a battle drum. They were no longer mere bystanders but warriors, committed to a fight for truth and justice.
The atmosphere grew heavy, their anger surging like waves crashing against the shore. They advanced toward the gallows with unwavering resolve, eyes steeled with purpose.
A glimmer of hope lit up as Kallen, inside the iron cage, sensed the encouragement from outside. She closed her eyes, resting her head against the cold metal bars, but deep within, she felt a warmth rising, like a flickering light in the night, urging her to hold on.
Yumeji wasted no time. Raising the megaphone high, he shouted words that burned with intensity, each one igniting the hearts around him.
"Teach them the value of life and compassion! We will not back down! Charge forward!"
His call to action reignited the flame of determination in everyone. The crowd began pushing toward the guards, abandoning fear and hesitation. They were ready to rescue Kallen, ready to prove that the strength of humanity could overcome anything, no matter the enemy.