"Damn it! Why are bastards like you here to destroy our peace?! We Eldians were just about to be accepted by the world—why are you ruining all of this?!" An Eldian middle-aged man still wearing an armband grabbed a Restorationist soldier by the collar and shouted angrily.
Behind him stood quite a few Eldians wearing armbands as well—old and young, men and women alike.
When the victorious Eldian Revival Army soldiers excitedly spread the news throughout the Liberio Internment Zone that they had taken the Marleyan capital and liberated their fellow Eldians, what they received was not cheers, but countless strange gazes from the Eldians inside the zone.
The Revival Army soldiers probably never even dreamed that their own people would step forward to condemn them. Why? Why would they condemn the very people who came to liberate them?
When Yago hurriedly arrived, what he saw was this shocking scene.
"You bastards! We Eldians have worked so hard over the past hundred years to atone for our ancestors' sins, and yet you colluded with the devils of Paradis Island! You're going to ruin the future of the Eldian people! We finally managed to live peacefully with the Marleyans! Damn it!" the Eldian man roared at the Revival Army soldier.
What chilled Yago even more was that behind the man stood a large group of Eldians echoing his words.
"Old Josef is right! You devils who destroy peace, get out!"
"Get out!"
"Devils!"
"We are good Eldians!"
"We will never associate with people like you!"
Perhaps nothing struck the Revival Army soldiers harder than the condemnation of their own people. Among them were even some of their own family members, who joined the crowd in denouncing and even cursing their relatives.
Many of the Revival Army soldiers turned pale, their pupils trembling. At that moment, even their beliefs were shaken. They had fought to liberate the Eldian people, yet now their own compatriots—and even their families—were insulting them.
There were quite a lot of people at the scene, and more kept arriving. Many soldiers from Paradis Island stood on high ground, wearing Vertical Maneuvering Equipment and observing. Meanwhile, the unrepentant Eldians below also noticed the Paradis soldiers, shouting at them, hurling insults, and even picking up stones to throw.
The Paradis soldiers, however, didn't understand these so-called compatriots at all. They were already furious. They had crossed the ocean to fight here, yet these so-called fellow Eldians not only showed no gratitude but even cursed them as devils?!
"These bastards!" Connie's neck veins bulged with anger. He almost couldn't hold back from firing a Thunder Spear, but Jean grabbed him tightly. Jean himself was also furious, and even Levi lowered his eyelids slightly, a trace of killing intent appearing in his gaze.
Floch felt it was utterly absurd. What the hell? These were their compatriots? They looked more like loyal tools raised by Marley!
Thud! The Eldian called Old Josef was kicked away, rolling several times on the ground and letting out a painful groan. Then came a gunshot—bang! The sudden turn of events stunned the Eldians who had been shouting.
The Eldians in the Liberio Internment Zone looked at the young man who had kicked Old Josef away—Yago—with fearful eyes.
Yago's expression was icy as he looked around at these armband-wearing Eldian compatriots. Rage surged in his chest, and a trace of killing intent rose within him.
Yago's arrival also gave the Revival Army soldiers a sense of backbone.
"Boss Yago!" Serena hurried over with the core members of the Revival Army.
Under everyone's gaze, Yago slowly spoke,
"I really didn't expect this… Marley's skill in raising tools is truly top-notch. What a bunch of loyal hounds."
"Cough, cough… You're their leader? Do you even know what you've done? The hard-earned peace of the Eldians has been destroyed by you! You're a sinner!" Old Josef struggled to get up and pointed at Yago's nose.
"Peace?" Yago sneered. He strode forward, grabbed Old Josef by the collar, yanked his arm over, and pointed at the armband on his shoulder.
"This is what you call peace? Wearing armbands and living like tools? Being locked inside this massive cage called the Liberio Internment Zone?
Letting the Marleyans trample on your dignity? For this so-called peace, you're willing to let your descendants remain inferior forever, never able to leave this cramped Liberio Internment Zone?
For this peace, you let your loved ones, your children, go to the battlefield as cannon fodder for Marley, dying without even leaving behind their bones, gaining nothing in return?
For this peace, you allow yourselves to be treated as lives lower than animals by Marley and the world, exploited at will?
Your 'peace'… is truly cheap."
Yago mocked as he tore the armband off Old Josef's shoulder and flung it into his face.
Yago's words shook the hearts of those around him. Not all Eldians in the Liberio Internment Zone were willing to live as inferiors—otherwise, the Revival Army would not have grown. Everyone stared blankly at Yago.
But Old Josef did not waver because of Yago's words. Instead, he stubbornly insisted:
"No! We are atoning! Our ancestors committed sins—we are simply atoning! The Marleyans will see our determination! General Calvi once promised us that the Eldians would stand in the light again! One day, the Marleyans will be moved by us!"
Numb and indifferent.
Yago was so angry he almost laughed. He pointed at the surrounding Eldians and roared:
"And you?! Do you all think the Marleyans will be moved by your loyalty? Huh?! Answer me!"
The Eldians around were intimidated by Yago's aura. No one dared to speak.
"Good! Good! No one wants to talk, huh? Fine! Then let me show you whether the Marleyans will be moved or not."
With that, Yago directly called over a Revival Army soldier. After giving a few instructions, he stood there waiting.
As the situation escalated, more and more Eldians in the Liberio Internment Zone came out of their homes, gathering to see what was happening.
The crowd kept growing, while Yago and the core members of the Revival Army quietly waited.
Soon, two Revival Army soldiers brought over a tightly bound Marleyan officer prisoner. The officer looked terrified. Why were there so many Eldians here? Were they going to execute him publicly? Use him as an example?!
"No! Don't kill me! Please don't!" The Marleyan officer let out a pig-like scream, struggling desperately—but it was futile. He was quickly dragged in front of Yago.
Old Josef was also tied up. Not just him—no one present understood what Yago was trying to do.