"You’re lying!" Shirakawa Miki screamed.
"Oh yeah, he also said that only those who escape reality would blindly believe in such doctrines." Fushimi Roku struck again.
"Impossible! Master Asahara could never say such things!"
Shirakawa Miki’s face twisted, she struggled frantically to pull her head out, scraping blood all over her cheeks.
In the cluttered room, Minamoto Tamako and Fujiwara Homare were petrified, exchanging looks but daring not to utter a sound.
"He did say it, why would I lie to you? Unfortunately, I didn’t record it, otherwise you’d be able to savor his disgraceful demeanor before he died... Logically speaking, he should be the least afraid of death, right? He’s about to enjoy the Western Paradise, so why would he be scared enough to run away?" Fushimi Roku pushed further.
"Impossible! Impossible! You’re lying to me!" Shirakawa Miki repeated endlessly.
"Am I lying to you, or are you unwilling to admit you’ve done something foolish? As far as I know, you d all the insurance money your husband exchanged his life for to the sect, right? Not only that, but you sent your bullied daughter into the sect to accompany men... Is this really something a mother would do?" Fushimi became more aggressive.
Shirakawa Miki screamed hysterically: "I did it for her good, for Junko and Kei, so they could be liberated in the future—"
"Really touching! Such words would surely be encouraged within the sect, wouldn’t they? The Master and your fellow believers likely praise you as a competent mother, right? But is that truly the case?"
Fushimi changed his tone, leaned beside Shirakawa Miki, and coldly mocked: "Junko is already dead, you know."
"Eh?" Shirakawa Miki was stunned.
"I sent her to the Western Paradise, according to you, she’s liberated, right?" Fushimi continued: "And your son, Horie Kei, he’s still serving time in prison, possibly suffering abuse each day from inmates, exploited by the warden and guards, yet without a single person to confide in. He can’t even tell you about these things because you’d feel it’s his... inescapable suffering, right?"
"No... it’s not like that..."
Shirakawa Miki broke down, she suddenly burst into tears, babbling incoherently, sometimes mentioning the uncompleted trials by the Master, other times saying she failed her children.
She inexplicably recalled the days when her husband was still alive, how they could have continued living happily if he hadn’t lost his job; how they could have pulled through the tough times if he hadn’t taken his own life; how Junko and Kei could have depended on her as their mother if she hadn’t joined the Om sect...
How could I have such disrespectful thoughts!!
This was all for their happy liberation, to reunite in the Western Paradise in the next life, living is harder than dying... That’s right, living is harder than dying...
But Kei is still alive.
Shirakawa Miki regretted, she slowly slid to her knees on the ground, her head still caught in the door, hair cascading down. She was trapped, torn between choices, much like her life, caught without head nor tail, manipulated at will.
If only someone could help her...
If only she could escape this swamp...
Shirakawa Miki finally realized something, she sobbed, muttering softly: "I’m sorry... truly sorry..."
"I know I was wrong... I..."
"Please give me one more chance..."
Minamoto Tamako witnessed this scene, her chest weighed with emotion.
She began to feel that the person outside was indeed Fushimi Roku, only he could have such eloquence to sway a believer who had lost their mind.
A prodigal son returning is more than gold, as long as Aunt Shirakawa can acknowledge her mistakes, she was willing to give her another chance...
However, a chilling declaration came from beyond the door:
"Sorry, it’s too late."
As the words fell, Shirakawa Miki lifted her head, eyes wide, still wanting to speak. A blade flashed past the door crack, her head trapped in the narrow frame, body slumped to the floor, her face frozen with an expression of pain and regret.
"I want you to die in remorse," the executioner stated.
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