Federal, Mississippi.
As the state ranked last in the Federation for GDP, with a poverty rate of 14%, at least one murder every day, and so close to Mexico, Mississippi was also one of the Federation's most devoutly religious states.
There had once been a joke: Mexico was hell because it was too close to the Federation's heaven. Mississippi, then, was like the thorny path between heaven and hell, where countless demons and monsters fought and committed murder at the edge of darkness. Winners took their money to Las Vegas for pleasure; losers tied rocks to themselves and went sightseeing in the Gulf of Mexico.
In Lena Town, Leake County, every resident had come out of their homes, staring fearfully at the burning church beneath the night sky.
The police were maintaining order, but the residents were all silent, standing outside the cordon without a word. Though there were hundreds of people at the scene, it was utterly quiet. Beneath the night sky, there was only the crackling of flames roasting the church's wooden beams, along with human screams.
Viktor, the Watcher who had finished treating the wounded, could not help shuddering. He pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and muttered, "Creepy as hell."
At that moment, a fierce-looking man walked out of the burning church. He was covered in blood and held two children under his arms.
The instant he appeared, all the residents outside the church immediately knelt down, pressing their foreheads to the ground as they wailed, "Judge me, forgive me, save me!"
"Judge me, forgive me, save me!"
They repeated those words without end, but under the Blazing Light, their faces were filled with fanaticism and joy, like warriors awaiting rewards for their achievements.
"I am not qualified to judge you. Only the law is qualified.