178. "Do you believe in miracles?"
In Earth's language, miracles were called miracles.
In Earth's culture, miracles were divided into two kinds. One was created by the gods they believed in, by the workings of heaven and earth. Calling it a miracle was less fitting than calling it a manifestation of divine power.
The other was when an extremely small possibility ultimately led to a certain outcome.
But no matter what, the reason a miracle was a miracle was that, in the eyes of Earthlings, it had to be a seemingly unbelievable event with some degree of justification behind it, a low-probability occurrence that came to pass.
Whether subjective or objective.
And miracles were always unbelievable.
When the executioner's blade came down on Li Aoz, his brain could not react at all.
That strike carried divine laws. It had once slain countless philosophers who betrayed nihilism, and it had also opened the door to narrative for Void Embracers despairing over the state of existence.
It could not be dodged and pierced through invincibility. Once it locked onto someone, even if they stood outside its range, they would still be struck directly.
The only option was to withstand it head-on.
Silent, unhurried, relentless.
It was so slow that one could not escape it, suffering in torment.
Yet it was so fast that even space-time could not react. Air resistance and thermal energy offered not the slightest obstruction.
But just as the blade was about to cut across Li Aoz's neck— a miracle happened.
Clang!
The sound of colliding metal rang out, crisp as a clear rushing stream falling swiftly from the heavens, tapping lightly against an ice sheet, trembling, scattering, and finally spilling outward in a wash of clear silver light.
"...Oh?"
The executioner, Ha Mai Jia Lai, tilted his head.