Episode 412: The Pros and Cons of Extermination Permission
The Israeli government building.
Yuma and the others stepped into the building that was the equivalent of the Prime Minister’s Office in Japan.
They were led to what seemed like a conference room, where a large round table was surrounded by about thirty people.
Most were older men, but there were also younger men and women.
The three of them, Yuma, Rui and Akito, standing at the entrance, were taken aback by the unusual atmosphere.
Ethan Noble, who had guided them, paid them no mind and began to speak enthusiastically.
“Everyone, thank you for waiting. These are the Messiahs who will save us. Yuma Mitaka-kun and his companions!”
Only Ethan clapped his hands. Akito, who had been introduced, grumbled, “Hey, weren’t we treated like an afterthought?” but Rui chided him, telling him it was his imagination.
The people sitting at the round table also seemed restless and uneasy. Then, one person raised his hand.
“Please, Prime Minister Rabin. You may ask him anything.”
When Ethan Noble said “Prime Minister,” Yuma and the others flinched and stared at the man.
A white-haired man in his sixties. He was thin, and his eyes seemed sunken.
This man was the Prime Minister of Israel…
“I’m sorry. Mitaka-shi, was it? Dr. Noble seems to have foreseen your arrival for some time, but I would like to ask again. What do you intend to do here?”
Asked this, Yuma exchanged glances with Rui and Akito beside him, looking perplexed.
He didn’t know what the correct answer was. Akito advised Yuma, “Just say what’s on your mind.”
Yuma thought that was right, and raised his face to meet Rabin’s eyes.
What he wanted to do was clear. There was no need to hide it.
“I will defeat the White King. To do that, I want to dive into Orpheus, so please grant me permission to enter the Dungeon.”
The commotion grew even louder. Rabin looked at Yuma with a serious expression.
“Hasn’t the Doctor told you the situation yet? Orpheus is currently in an unprecedented state. It’s impossible to enter.”
“Is that so?”
Yuma turned his gaze to Ethan, who was standing beside him. He just smiled.
◇◇◇
A small hill overlooking Orpheus. Yuma and the others stood there, looking at the sky.
Directly above the Dungeon, four glittering Archangels floated. Each was quite large, unmoving, simply floating there.
“Are those the problematic angels?”
When Yuma asked, Ethan, who was next to him, opened his mouth.
“We call them the Four Archangels—Michael, Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel. Their danger level is Triple A. What do you think? Do you think you can defeat them?”
Ethan asked with a smile. Yuma thought for a moment, “Hmm, I suppose so,” and looked at Ethan next to him.
“I think it will be easy.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear!”
Ethan beamed with joy and took out his phone to make a call. Yuma looked again at the angels floating in the sky.
–If I defeat these angels, I can enter Orpheus and defeat the White King.
Yuma suppressed his impatience and waited for permission from the Israeli government.
◇◇◇
The Israeli parliament, the Knesset, was in turmoil. Opinions were divided over how to handle the visitors who had suddenly come from Japan.
“I am against allowing such incomprehensible people to approach Orpheus! We have no idea what might happen!”
The one who raised his voice was Israel’s Minister of Defense, Gantz. The cabinet members attending the meeting all groaned in unison.
One of the female cabinet members, the Minister of Energy, Cohen, nodded in agreement.
“Indeed, it’s a nuisance. I don’t care if the Japanese die on their own, but if they provoke the angels and cause them to go berserk, it will be a disaster. In fact, the Four Archangels’ wide-range attacks have already caused a large number of deaths, so they should be stopped from doing anything unnecessary.”
The majority of people were against attacking the angels.
Rabin, the leader of a small political party, could not ignore the opinions of the coalition government. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, wondering what to do.
“I understand everyone’s opinions. But we cannot ignore Dr. Noble’s opinion either. The IDR seems to agree with the Doctor as well. Faybel, what do you think?”
The one Rabin turned to was Faybel Azlay, the Seeker directly under the Ministry of Defense, said to be the strongest in Israel.
Faybel, who had been sitting at the end of the table, stood up and looked around at the attendees.
“I am also skeptical of the abilities of the Seekers from Japan. However, I don’t think we should ignore the IDR’s intentions. Why don’t we take them near Orpheus once and let them feel the enormous Mana of the angels? If they see those angels up close, they will lose their will to fight and withdraw on their own. That way, we will have listened to the IDR’s opinion as well.”
“I see…”
Rabin nodded slowly, looking at Faybel as he sat down. Certainly, that would avoid conflict and allow them to maintain the status quo.
A vote was immediately taken at the meeting, and permission for an Extermination Survey was granted to the Seekers from Japan.
◇◇◇
“Alright! Let’s go then.”
Yuma and the others were staying at a hotel in Tel Aviv, but upon hearing that permission for an Extermination Survey had been granted, they had come down to the hotel entrance.
Yuma, Rui, and Akito were carrying their weapons, ready to go.
Then, a tall man named Faybel, who had come with Ethan, raised his voice.
“Please wait! It’s not permission for Extermination, but only permission for an Extermination Survey. Please don’t misunderstand that.”
“There’s not much difference between the two. We’ll just take them down quickly.”
“It’s completely different! Listen, it’s only–“
The argument between Akito and Faybel continued endlessly even in the car heading to Orpheus.