Chapter 177 No Faith
The wide open space in the center of Giant Tree Town was already crowded with people.
Opposite the temple of Zeus, the king of gods, a temporary wooden platform had been built. It was originally prepared for the drama performance that had already ended, but it was expanded again and several more rows of seats were added.
Ender's performance only required one person, but the trial of the unbelievers gathered all the people of a certain status in this town. The priests of the Temple of Law were undoubtedly at the top, and they would be the ones to give the result of this trial.
However, the referee should not have left the field, so the ones who actually reprimanded the unbeliever were actually the other people sitting there.
At this time, half of the people were already sitting in front of the table and chairs on the platform. They chatted and laughed with each other in a relaxed atmosphere, and did not take what would happen next to heart at all. After all, the result of this trial was self-evident.
Human beings were created by God, the Creator is still on earth, and the blessings of the gods are real. They really can't imagine what kind of words that unbeliever would use to exonerate himself.
Rather than a trial, it was more of an entertainment event. Because of the drama master, the newly built Giant Wood Town had recently attracted a large number of foreigners. Therefore, the priests of the temple were so enthusiastic about holding an event in the name of God and under the pretext of judging the unbelievers.
They had even thought of how to deal with the poor guy in advance - let him serve the temple for the rest of his life. Anyway, humans did not have the death penalty at that time, and the gods did not clearly say what to do with the unbelievers. And most importantly, the guy did not have time to do anything truly blasphemous.
His current behavior is more like that of a fool who has suddenly gone crazy, although everyone who has come into contact with him thinks he is a nice guy.
"So what did the unbeliever do? He refused to make a sacrifice to the gods?"
Standing in the crowd below the platform, Cohen relied on his excellent physique and sense of balance to stand on an irregular boulder. From here, everything on the platform was in full view.
"That's not the case. Although some godless people do that, that unbeliever is different."
Holding Cohen's sleeve tightly, Evans was now standing on top of the boulder. The surface of the stone was very smooth, and if it weren't for Cohen, he felt that he might fall off at any time.
But besides being nervous, Evans also felt a little excited, which is why he chose to stay there.
"It is said that the non-believer is not against worshipping the gods. He is just against believing in the gods. That's what he said. That's why we call him 'non-believer'."
"But then again, isn't offering sacrifices to gods a sign of faith? Anyway, I don't quite understand his thinking. So many people have gathered here today, and many of them are here to laugh at him. Everyone wants to hear how he can be 'offering sacrifices' and 'not believing' at the same time."
Nodding, relying on his extraordinary hearing, Cohen gradually understood the whole story from the communication between the people around him while talking to Evans.
The reason why the unbeliever was arrested was not because he committed any direct blasphemous acts or refused to offer sacrifices. On the contrary, his usual behavior was no different from that of other people.
He would regularly go to the temple to offer sacrifices and never complained about the priests. In fact, the only thing he did was to openly question the nobility of God in Giant Wood Town.
He believed that sacrifice and faith were different. Sacrifice represented the recognition of God's power, while faith represented the recognition of God's spirit. However, this non-believer felt that on a spiritual level, God and man were equal, and between equal beings, there was naturally no question of faith.
So while he offered sacrifices to the gods, he also expressed that he did not recognize the gods' code of conduct. He offered sacrifices to the gods because of the difference in power, and did not believe in gods because of spiritual equality.
It is difficult to directly judge him guilty of this behavior, after all, his unbelief is only in his unjudgeable thoughts, and his actual behavior is impeccable. Therefore, the priests decided to hold a trial and let all the onlookers decide the fate of the unbeliever.
At least until now, that's what they say and think.
"There's no need to think too much about it. It's just the nonsense of an ignorant person. The Creator strived for perfection when creating our bodies, but that's all. You'll always run into a few not-so-smart guys like this."
Waving his hands, Evans looked around. It was the first time for him to stand at such a high place. Suddenly, he seemed to have discovered something.
"Here he is. Look, that is the Faithless One. I thought he would be under guard, but I didn't expect him to come here on his own."
"Let me see."
Looking in the direction of the sound, Cohen was about to recognize the person. In that direction, a young man dressed in black with a very friendly smile was walking towards the platform. On the way, he even had time to say hello to others.
However, it was this young man who made Cohen's spirit tense in an instant.
At the same time, as if sensing Cohen's gaze, the guy he was staring at also turned his gaze over. The two of them stared at each other from a distance.
".The unbeliever you are talking about, is that the guy in black?"
His tone remained the same, but the power was already flowing through his body. The young man in black was handsome and had a gentle smile, not at all like the "stupid" unbeliever in the rumors. But Cohen felt a faint sense of threat from him.
In addition, there is an extremely negative emotion.
"That's him. Why, have you seen him before?"
As if noticing the change in Cohen's attitude, Evans at the side couldn't help but ask.
".I don't know him. By the way, do you know his name?"
Since he found the other party, Cohen's eyes have not moved away. This is a dangerous person, but if possible, he does not want to fight with him here. After all, a person who can make him feel a little threatened, even if the other party is not his opponent, the traces of the battle between the two sides are enough to easily destroy this town.
But obviously, Evans had no idea who the person next to him and the one in the distance were. He and everyone in the town were on the line between life and death.
"Name? His name is a little hard to pronounce. Let me think about it—"
After a brief thought, Evans said with certainty:
"Mephisto, or Mephisto? They sound similar anyway, so who knows."
"Since the real master has come, the trial should start soon. I hope this guy won't be speechless in front of the priests. At least he should say something. Don't you think so?"
Cohen did not reply. He had just arrived at the human tribe and ran into such a special guy head-on. He didn't know if it was a coincidence or something else.
But it must be said that after listening to Evans' words, Cohen, while being vigilant, also couldn't help but feel some anticipation for the upcoming trial.
Although he didn't know why such a dangerous guy would come to be "judged", the reality was that Cohen would not insist on digging into the matter. But what kind of explanation would a guy with such strong negative emotions give about faith and God?
Cohen, who has been looking for answers all the way, still wants to know.
Chapter 178 Judgment
Withdrawing his gaze of implicit confrontation, Mephisto continued walking on the road. He still faced everyone with a smile on his face, as if nothing had happened.
But obviously, for the two people who just looked at each other, the existence of the other party was unexpected and could not be ignored.
"Strange. A demigod? That doesn't seem like one. I don't feel threatened by ordinary demigods. Without divine power, he is probably much stronger than me."
"And what is he here for? Before I came to the human world, I only heard about the existence of wizards. That was the power that the Goddess of the Magic Net possessed before she became a god. I didn't expect that there was a different way that could allow mortals to master power?"
Mephistopheles thought to himself that he was not too worried, but just a little surprised and curious.
Before, humans lived together in one place, so the great devil from the Nine Hells naturally didn't dare to do anything under Prometheus's nose. But what he didn't expect was that when he came to this town that had only been built for two years, he actually met an unusual character.
The other person had divine power, which was why Mephisto initially thought he was a demigod. But after a brief perception, he denied that assumption.
That divine power came from the light rain decades ago. It now exists in the bodies of many animals on earth. I think the one in that human also came from there - but what really made Mephisto feel fearful was the other party's vigorous blood and powerful physique.
He had no doubt that all the means he could use in the world would be of little use to him. And that person only needed a pair of hands to easily tear apart those giant beasts with divine blood in the wilderness.
Fortunately, it seemed that the man did not want to fight him in Giant Wood Town. In this case, today's plan would proceed as usual.
The priests were living in such a safe and secure way that they were lucky enough to think that their deception of the gods would not be discovered, and that the gods would not hold them accountable if they were discovered. In this case, let him personally fill their graves with a shovel of soil.
I hope they can make the right choices under the real threat.
"Mephisto, I have one last piece of advice for you. If you take back what you said before and pray devoutly in the temple, you can still be forgiven."
While he was thinking, more and more people noticed Mephisto's arrival. Some of them came to watch the fun, some looked disgusted, but they all spontaneously made way for him to reach the platform.
As one of the protagonists today, no one wanted to stop him from coming.
But perhaps out of kindness, or to make the trial seem more in line with the rules, when Mephistopheles came to the platform, a priest in charge of worshipping the goddess of the hearth gave him a final warning in righteous words.
"Thank you for your kindness, sir, but I insist that I am innocent. And I believe that everyone will agree with me soon."
The voice was not loud, but gentle and firm. Mephisto's answer once again caused a commotion among the crowd. People were talking about it, but it did not affect the man in front of the platform at all. He just took a step forward and looked at the priest who was blocking his way.
"I wonder if I can go up? In fact, I'm looking forward to speaking later."
".Since you insist on your opinion, then come up. I hope you won't regret it."
He frowned, but under the gaze of thousands of spectators, the priest still turned sideways and made way for the steps to the platform.
"Thanks."
With a polite smile, Mephistopheles stepped onto the platform.
He walked to the center and stood still. In front of him were priests from different temples and people who were recognized as wise; behind him and not far away on both sides were densely packed crowds of people.
The judge of this trial declared that in order to obtain a fair result, everyone present, whether on the stage or off the stage, whether a resident of Giant Wood Town or not, had the right to speak if they wanted to, regardless of which side they stood on.
But everyone knows that no one will stand on the side of this unbeliever. This just gives the onlookers a sense of participation.
So when Mephistopheles stood in the center of the platform, the host on the platform stood up immediately as the "clown" of the play arrived.
With a mocking smile on his face, he looked at this guy he once knew. The reason why he could stand here and preside over this grand event was because he was the first person to report Mephistopheles for spreading unfaithful ideas.
The reason why he did this was somewhat due to some personal grudges, although this grudge was completely unilateral on his part.
"It seems that you insist on your own opinion, Mephistopheles. I have to say that your existence really makes me feel ashamed of the gods. There are actually people like you who have no faith among humans, and you don't even feel ashamed."
"People feel ashamed of their mistakes, but I don't think I made any mistakes. As for you, I don't know. Besides - you should just be the host of this trial, right?"
With a calm tone, Mephistopheles did not look like he was facing a judgment, but rather like a wise man who was promoting his own ideas.
In contrast, the person standing in front of him is naturally a sinner who prevents the spread of truth.
"you--"
Unexpectedly, the other party dared to refute. The host was about to say something, but he noticed the priest of the Temple of Law who was sitting in the center and looking at him.
As judges, even though they did not approve of Mephisto's dishonesty, they at least had to act fair and just.
Taking a deep breath, the host had to control his emotions, no longer paying attention to Mephisto, but looking at the crowd of onlookers.
"Everyone, I think everyone knows why we are gathered here today."
"He, Mephisto, a resident of Giant Wood Town, is also a human created by God like us. He openly admitted his lack of faith and believed that humans should not believe in God. This is undoubtedly an evil act that cannot be tolerated."
"But as a bronze man who worships God, we will fairly grant him the right to defend himself in front of the temple, instead of blindly judging him. Now, everyone, please be quiet!"
After saying the last sentence, when the scene quieted down, the host took a step back and looked at a middle-aged man sitting on the left.
That was the priest Devers who was in charge of worshipping the God King in Giant Wood Town. It was said that he was also a good friend of the high priest Orson. Receiving the host's gaze, he nodded in response, then stood up and looked at Mephisto who was standing in the middle of the platform.
As the person with the highest status here, he should be the first to speak.
"Mephistopheles, as a priest of the God King, I cannot understand why you are unfaithful, because the gods are so great; as a human created by the gods, I also cannot understand why you are unfaithful, because they are so kind. Now, in front of so many humans, can you explain your point of view to us and tell everyone the reason for your unfaithfulness?"
Perhaps to make the trial more interesting, Devers did not launch a verbal attack right away.
The crowd also agreed with his words. Although they all knew the thoughts of this unbeliever through various means, it was not as real as hearing him tell it in person.
"Of course, in fact, I have been waiting for today for a long time."
Under the gaze of everyone, Mephisto smiled and said, but no one present could understand the hidden meaning of his words.
"The main reason why I stand here today, opposing belief but not worship, is because in my opinion, spirit and matter are not mixed, just like worship and belief are not mixed."
"Gods have powers far beyond those of mortals. They can bring benefits to humans, so humans should pay tribute to them with sacrifices. This is understandable, but beliefs are different."
"Faith means recognizing all the thoughts of an existence, or the existence on which one places one's hopes, and in this respect, the gods are obviously far from being qualified to be believed."
Looking around, Mephisto finally reiterated:
"The God King is above all other gods. All gods obey him and pay respect to him, but they do not believe in him, because the relationship between the God King and all gods is interdependent. Without ordinary gods, the God King's throne would have no value; the status of priests is higher than that of ordinary people. People respect you and obey your orders, but they do not believe in you, because the relationship between priests and ordinary people is also interdependent. Without ordinary humans, there would be no need for priests to exist."
"When I deny faith, I am not denying the power and existence of the gods, but I am denying their higher position."
"I approve of sacrifice, but not faith, because in my opinion, God and man are not one-sided requests from the other, but need each other. If this is the case, then faith naturally has no soil to exist."
Chapter 179 God and Man
"absurd."
As soon as Mephistopheles finished speaking, a priest stood up.
"Since you acknowledge that God has bestowed material gifts on mankind, you should not deny your faith. How can you rely on God to obtain your current life and not want to believe in God? How can such a good thing be possible?"
The crowd nodded one after another. It was reasonable to give what you gain. However, facing the other party's accusation, Mephisto seemed unhurried.
"Your Excellency, I think you may have misunderstood what I meant."
"Except for humans, animals can reproduce. Their children are born from their parents and exist because of their parents when they are young, so they respect their parents, but this is not faith. Gods also have offspring, and their offspring are born from their parents. They respect their parents, which is also unrelated to faith."
"I acknowledge sacrifice, but not belief, because the two are separate and cannot be confused. Gratitude to the helper, awe of power, and recognition of their spirit and behavior are two completely different things. What do you think?"
When Mephisto finished speaking, there was a brief silence on and off the platform.
The onlookers thought that this unbeliever would say something ridiculous and then be easily refuted by them, but after listening carefully to his explanation, they felt that it seemed to make some sense.
Indeed, gods have helped humans a lot. Without gods, humans would probably be like ordinary beasts, fleeing everywhere to avoid monsters with extraordinary powers, without a fixed place to live. But gratitude and faith are indeed not the same. If one person saves another, the one who is saved will not become a believer of the former.
"Mephisto, you are just twisting the gods' meaning."
After a while, a tall young man on the high platform broke the silence. He was the priest of Poseidon, the god of the sea. Unfortunately, due to the ban of the God King, humans could not get close to the ocean at all, so the Temple of Poseidon had never had much presence.
"You think that humans can repay the gods' gifts with sacrifices, without having to believe in gods. But what use are mortal sacrifices to gods? They only value the piety of the sacrificer."
"The gods use the amount of sacrifices offered by mortals to measure their piety, and piety is what the gods value. If no one believes in God, what is the point of offering sacrifices to God?"
"So you admit what I said before, that there is mutual value between humans and gods, but the 'value' provided by humans is not tribute, but devout faith?"
"But if that's the case, I'm afraid this way of judging is not very reasonable."
With a smile on his face, Mephisto pointed at himself.
"My existence is proof of this. From the beginning, I didn't believe in any god, but I still paid enough sacrifices, so my house is not damaged by wind and rain, and my stove is always burning. Then I suggest that the gods change their way of judgment. Otherwise, an unbeliever like me can also enjoy the blessings of the gods, which is somewhat undermining the justice of the gods."
The Poseidon priest was speechless. He wanted to say something but in the end he remained silent.
This is a trap. Whether God requires faith or sacrifice, it proves that God has something to ask of man. Since God has something to ask of him, then in some ways God and man are put on the same level.
Although he could also say something like "Then we should believe in God even more in exchange for gifts", the Sea God Priest knew that if he really said that, it would be a complete failure.
If God really needs humans, then the blessings bestowed by God should be seen as a "transaction" rather than a "gift." If everyone believes in God with the intention of "exchanging faith for rewards," then this so-called faith is definitely not pious.
Faith that arises because of profit will naturally end because of profit. Now, the Sea God priest just feels that today's trial should not exist.
Faith should never be discussed.
"What about the Creator, Mephistopheles, do you believe in the Creator?"
Suddenly, someone in the audience spoke up. Perhaps realizing that when faith is used as a "trade item", faith has lost its sacredness, that person decisively chose to avoid the topic and instead brought up the existence of Prometheus.
The Creator created bronze humans, taught them knowledge, and opened up wilderness for them, all without asking for anything in return. If Mephistopheles dared to slander the Creator, no one would tolerate his behavior.
But obviously, all this was within Mephisto's expectations.
"Of course I don't believe in the Creator either."
Nodding, Mephisto said affirmatively.
But before the audience could get angry, he asked the person who asked the question back.
"I think that if you believe in a god, you should let his thoughts guide your own thoughts. If you really agree with the Creator's thoughts, then you should not believe in him."
"He does not establish temples or shrines, nor does he collect sacrifices. It must be said that the Creator is indeed worthy of human belief, but he does not want us to believe in him. Then can I draw a conclusion: Those who need human belief are not worthy of human belief; on the contrary, those who do not need belief are the gods that humans should believe in?"
"If this is the case, then we should not offer our faith to any gods. This is also the standard that the Creator has established for us with himself, isn't it?"
The questioner was speechless, and the expressions of the onlookers also calmed down, and many people fell into deep thought. They were somewhat happy to hear this unbeliever praising the Creator, but what the other party said seemed to be true.
If the gods must be ranked, then in the hearts of bronze humans, Prometheus is undoubtedly the most superior, even the king of gods cannot be half as good as him. But as Mephisto said, the Creator built temples for the gods, but not for himself. Does this prove that the truly great gods do not need the faith of mortals?
At this moment, the atmosphere in the field has become a little serious. The previous lightness disappeared, and the humans under the high platform began to think about Mephisto's remarks, while on the high platform, a strange atmosphere spread among the priests.
If we really talk about not believing in God, in fact, these priests are the ones who are truly unbelievers. But they also understand that they can not believe in God, but if the entire bronze human race no longer believes in God, that would be a huge trouble.
The Creator had warned them that the gods might not be able to tell whether a person was pious without coming in person, but they could feel the overall changes in human beliefs, so Prometheus repeatedly reminded them not to let ordinary people know about the sacrifices.
And now, if Mephisto's words were really accepted by people, the gods would definitely discover the problems among humans.
Only God knows what will happen then. After all, reason is reason, reality is reality. What you said makes sense, but it does not mean that the gods will really tolerate humans giving up their faith and continue as usual. As the priests closest to God, they will not think that the gods are kind and benevolent like ordinary humans.
But he couldn't say these words directly, so Devers stood up decisively. He couldn't tolerate the other party continuing like this.
"What about the God King? Mephistopheles, even the Creator created humans under the order of the God King. Are you unwilling to offer your faith to one of your own creators?"
Devers didn't think this question would stump the other party. He just hoped that Mephistopheles could recall the power of God.
They can create you, and they can destroy you. But obviously, his idea failed again.
Opposite him, Mephisto shook his head slightly. He no longer looked at the priests on the platform, but looked around and looked at every human being below the platform.
"God King, you are right. It was indeed he who instructed the Creator to create humans. But if we want to offer our faith for this, I am afraid it is not convincing."
"As I said before, it is well known that gods can give birth and reproduce, but gods will not believe in another god, so the children of gods may respect their parents, but this has absolutely nothing to do with faith."
"This was also my initial point of view - we can offer sacrifices to the gods to show our respect for their greatness, but faith is not necessary. I am in awe of the gods' power, but they are far from being able to make me submit spiritually."
"and--"
"That's enough!"
This time, before he finished speaking, Devers interrupted Mephisto with a cold voice. His face was very solemn, even to the point that everyone could see it.
He had already realized that it would be difficult to convince the guy in front of him with words. But if possible, he really didn't want to do anything else.
Force cannot change thoughts. But faith lies in thoughts.
"Mephisto, your mind is indeed sharp and your words are indeed inflammatory, but these are not reasons for you to be so arrogant."
"Admit your mistake now. As long as you take back what you just said, we can forgive your previous behavior."
Staring at the young man, Devers tried to make him understand his decision, and he was sure that the other party saw what he meant.
But to his disappointment, the other party just responded with a faint smile.
"I stick to my opinion, Your Excellency."
Looking at Devers, Mephisto opened his hands and said calmly.
"Take him."
With a cold expression, when Devers said this, everyone around him was stunned for a moment. But the next moment, under his gaze, the two assistants beside him walked towards Mephisto.
As a priest serving the God-King, Devers knew that from today onwards, no matter what happened to Mephisto, he had already lost.
Now, he can only choose to make his loss smaller.
Chapter 180: Fire
Without resistance, Mephisto allowed two ant-like mortals to subdue him.
Looking at the scene on the podium, the audience below was in an uproar.
Before, although they also felt that what Mephistopheles said made some sense, the past decades of experience had made them blindly trust God and priests. They were expecting someone to refute this unbeliever with a more powerful point of view, but they did not expect that the priest on the platform would choose to use force.
This really surprised people. In the past, human tribes had never used force against their own kind.
"Why, it seems that since you can't convince me, you are going to use other methods to deal with me?"
With a calm expression, Mephisto looked at Devers in front of him, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
"Your Excellency the Inquisitor, as priests of the Goddess of Law, shouldn't you uphold the fairness of this trial? Or is this a trial in which victory is not allowed?"
On the high platform, the two priests looked a little unhappy. They had already felt the suspicious gazes of the people below the stage, but due to the majesty of the priests in the past, no one dared to step forward to stop them.
They also wanted to maintain the so-called "fairness" and maintain their image in the hearts of others, but thinking about the words of the unbeliever just now, the two priests were in a dilemma.
Mephistopheles' words were too dangerous. If he won, the entire bronze human race would be in danger. They didn't know what would happen to ordinary people, but once the gods came in person, the priests would be the first to be judged.
In desperation, they had to turn their attention to Devers, who had just made the decision.
"Stop talking nonsense, Mephistopheles. This trial is certainly fair, but we intend to take a more reasonable approach to resolve this matter rather than making a long speech."
Seeing the Inquisitor's dilemma, Devers said in a deep voice.
Mephistopheles had been restrained and the other party had no intention of resisting, which made his idea of terminating the trial on the grounds of "disturbing public order" fail.
With his fists clenched, there was no other way to go. Devers didn't know if what he was about to do was right or not, but he had to do it anyway.
Such a dangerous guy must not be allowed to exist any longer.
"Let the gods judge you." Devers said coldly: "The gods have not said how to punish people without faith, and we dare not speculate."
"In this case, let the creatures given by God judge right and wrong. If you are right, then nothing will happen to you. If you are wrong, then your fate will be determined by God's decision."
Standing on the stage, Devers scanned the crowd, many of whom were dissatisfied with the sudden end of the debate and objected to the priests' use of force, but as Devers linked the trial to God, they dared not say anything more.
Even those who thought that what Mephistopheles said made sense, no one dared to stand up and question God. After all, if one's faith in God was shaken, it would be hard to tell from the outside, but publicly questioning the gods was another matter.
Most people, after all, remain silent.
"A creation given by God?" Mephisto's smile became increasingly difficult to suppress, and he slowly asked, "I wonder what you mean?"
"Of course it's fire."
"God gave us fire to drive away wild beasts, illuminate darkness, avoid disasters, and bring warmth. It is the most suitable creation to express God's will."
"If God thinks you are innocent, then you will be safe. Otherwise, the fire given by God will give you the punishment you deserve. This is the most fair judgment."
Devers thought that no one knew better than himself whether the gods had noticed this. The gods would not care about such a small matter, so he had foreseen the fate of this unbeliever.
He will die wailing in flames, paying the price for his words.
Having personally caused the death of a human being, Devers didn't know how the Creator would react when he found out about this, but he thought that no matter how bad it could be, it wouldn't be as bad as it was now.
So under his order, a scaffold was erected and the holy fire from the Fire Temple was brought in. They tied Mephisto to the scaffold, and he did not resist at all from beginning to end, but just watched the people calmly.
"You have one last chance to regret, Mephistopheles. Admit your mistake. There is no need to alarm the gods about mortal affairs."
Holding the torch high, Devers' hands were shaking. Although his words were merciless, he still backed off when he was really about to take the life of a fellow.
He warned them for the last time. In fact, Devers really hoped that the other party would give in, but unfortunately, the result disappointed him.
"I insist on my opinion." Mephisto said slowly, "I just don't know if you can still stick to yours in a while."
His eyes twitched. Since it was irreversible, Devers no longer hesitated. He threw the torch at the viaduct, but his feet involuntarily took a few steps back.
In front of him, as the torch fell to the ground, a fire burned fiercely.
······
"Why stop me?"
In the sky of Giant Wood Town, behind a white cloud, a goddess with a long sword hanging from her waist looked at the humans below with anger on her face.
She stretched out her right hand, as if she was going to do something, but on her wrist, another hand was grasping it, stopping the divine power that was about to be released.
"Don't you know it's best not to use divine power in the mortal world?"
With a slight smile, Ryan answered the question irrelevantly.
But obviously, the goddess of justice would not be fooled by his words.
"You know what I mean. I'm asking you why you're stopping me from maintaining the integrity of this trial."
Mortals do not understand God, not even Mephistopheles. They think they know everything, but they have no idea what kind of power God has within the scope of his authority.
If the judge of today's trial was a priest from any other temple, everything would go as they wished, and no god would pay attention to this little thing, but Themis was different. As the embodiment of justice and law, she noticed everything the moment Mephistopheles stood on the podium.
All of this includes the causes and consequences of today's trial, the powerful strength Mephisto hides beneath his mortal appearance, and the priests of the Temple of Law who have no faith in her.
However, as for the priests' disbelief, the goddess had no intention of punishing them because she had never actively asked humans to sacrifice to her, and her existing temple only existed because of Zeus and Prometheus' respect for the power of the ancient Titan. But this trial was different.
Since the trial was witnessed in her name, Themis would not allow an unfair verdict to occur even without her permission.
"But he will be fine, right? You should be able to see that unless Hestia does it herself, the fire enshrined in her temple, even if it is a thousand times more fierce, cannot hurt this guy."
Ryan had a headache, but he still tried to explain. But obviously, the goddess would not be easily convinced.
"That's just the result, Ryan. Justice in the process is also justice."
"But the premise for you to maintain fairness is that there are indeed people who think this is unfair. But judging from the current situation, Mephisto is obviously enjoying it."
At this time, the flames on the high wooden frame were already burning Mephistopheles' body. A burning smell was carried by the wind and drifted into the crowd, causing many people to show expressions of pity and pity.
Although there are all kinds of people among the bronze humans who have never suffered, the majority are those with good intentions.
When the granaries are full, people know etiquette; when they have enough food and clothing, they know honor and disgrace. Whether it is now or in the future, the principles are always the same.
But in comparison, Mephisto, who was truly in pain, still maintained a smile.
". Maybe, you are right. If both parties feel that this result is correct, then it is not unfair."
After pondering for a long time, Themis finally accepted this statement. If there is no victim in a matter, then she insists on upholding the so-called justice she believes in. This forced justice is probably not justice.
"So you can let me go now?"
Glancing at her right hand, Themis said slowly.
"——Of course, it's very offensive."
Ryan let go of his left hand that was holding the goddess' wrist and smiled apologetically.
Now, due to the suppression of the laws of the world, he could not use his power casually. So in order to stop the goddess who hurried over, he had to use some more direct methods.
"So these two people are related to you?"
A consensus was reached on the matter of trial, and the Goddess of Law finally turned her attention to other things. Under the divine perception, the two biggest abnormal factors here were clearly visible.
If Mephisto was discovered because he took the initiative to intrude into the realm of the goddess's authority, then Cohen was discovered because he did not know how to hide.
His vast energy and blood made Themis frown slightly. With this kind of power, many weak true gods in the mortal world might not be his match.
This is not only a difference in strength, but more because, without divine power, few gods actually know how to fight.
"One who has some relationship with me. In fact, I don't know how he came to believe in me. He obviously doesn't even know that I created his existence."
Glancing in Cohen's direction, Ryan decided to talk to him when he had time, but of course, not as the golden human creator.
"As for the other one, he has some relationship with an old friend of yours. Why don't you guess?"
"——I guess it's Kronos."
She spoke calmly, but directly told the truth of the problem. In Ryan's surprised eyes, Themis turned her head and looked at the god she had known for ten thousand years.
"Given the great changes a hundred years ago, the Mother Goddess would doubt the Lord of Darkness, but I won't."
"No one else can do this, only you can do it."
First of all, I want to make it clear that the views of both parties in the article are not the author's views, so just read these two chapters for fun. Secondly, true saint-level believers have their own beliefs, and these priests here are definitely not at that level. In addition, I also want to know, besides the protagonist appearing and defeating everyone in seconds, what is the plot that everyone is looking forward to? In fact, because the comments and feedback are mixed, and the myth itself is scattered, I was not very clear when I was writing which aspect should be emphasized more.