The three ritualists were tightly bound by Great Sin Power, letting out shrill wails as though invisible millstones were slowly crushing their bodies.
"—Just as expected."
Iver watched his attackers suffer, but there was no smile on his face.
The Sin-Laden authority was, in essence, an ability of control and judgment "based on moral determination." It was the best manifestation of the Fallen Angel's power of Sin and Punishment—anyone bearing a great sin was unable to escape the restraints and torment of their own sins. Even without a great sin, it formed extremely sturdy chains.
The heavier their sins, the stronger the Great Sin Power winding around them... The sturdier the chains, the more agonizing the torment.
The great sins mentioned here did not refer to the laws of a country, nor were they related to one's own sense of morality. Its criteria were extremely vague, because the laws of "great sin" were based on the Fallen Angel's design.
But no one knew which matters He had defined as "great sins" when He ascended to godhood. The Fallen Angel had never taught this knowledge to the believers of the Material Realm, either. It could be said that He had always deliberately concealed the specific criteria, preventing people from fully studying and deciphering them.
What the ritualists had been able to determine over the years amounted to only a handful of universally condemned taboos, such as "using members of one's own race as ritual materials" and "eating members of one's own race."
And according to Iver's judgment... there could not be many innocent people in this damned desert. Especially not ritualists... There were indeed Purist Ritualists who swore not to use materials from their own race, kill people, or use curses.
But clearly, ritualists dispatched to kill people and massacre cities