Xaris’ bodyguard took a whole second to react and it was almost enough to crush his pride. When he got out of his daze, he promptly moved to grab the arm hovering above his shoulder but despite being physically much faster, Rakna casually managed to distance himself with Star Flash.
It was as if he had been able to react before the action had even been initiated.
‘What a tremendous reading ability… or perhaps instinct,’ the bodyguard thought as he caught a glimpse of gold in the therian’s eyes, through the holes of the crimson mask. He quietly raised his guard, making sure he would be able to properly neutralize anything thrown his way next.
Rakna silently gazed at him for a moment before giving his surroundings a cursory glance. With a squint, he reached for his mask and slightly moved it sideward, uncovering half of his face.
Interestingly enough, his eyes’ color was a gradation of crimson and purple while Mask of Phobos was active. “Astraea,” he eventually spoke up with a deadpan face. “Didn’t I tell you to avoid asses with annoying smirks?”
The winged woman hiccupped and pressed her index fingers together. “Um… well, Lord Monarch, if I am not wrong, you specifically said ‘blond men with annoying smirks’, right?” She said with a cough. “Look! He isn’t blond, is he?”
The therian raised an eyebrow and looked back at Xaris. True, the man had dark brown hair.
“Soo… I didn’t do anything that went against your warnings?”
“I see. Good job then.”
Astraea breathed a sigh of relief and wiped her forehead; Shin-Woo watching their tension-lacking exchange with a stunned expression. It was almost surreal at how unpreoccupied they were.
Meanwhile, the elegant rosy-haired man that had appeared just before still had his eyes forming perfect crescents as if everything pleased him. But if the widening of his smile was anything to go by, he seemed to be entertained by the sight.
“Now, let’s see… what shall I do with you?” Rakna returned to the topic at hand, directing his only uncovered eye toward the aristocrat. “Nefertrion, huh? Let me download a few things,” he uttered to himself before several lenses showed themselves in his dual-colored eye.
[Shortly said, it is a powerful family involved in the inner circle that governs New Athens,] Ceres took it upon herself to summarize things while her Host received the information. [This family, in particular, is mainly in charge of casinos, hotels, banks, and gray institutions such as brothels and legal slave shops. They also enjoy partial ownership of the Arenas, albeit small.]
“Oh… more than I expected,” Rakna tilted his head. “It would probably be a pain in the ass if I killed him,” he muttered, apparently not talking to anyone, but Xaris flinched and his defenders got even more on edge.
However, the nobleman recovered quickly, his experience in social dealings ultimately winning over his nervousness. “If I may ask…? Would you happen to be… Rakna Xiorra, by any chance?” He asked as politely as his stiff tone could muster.
Rakna stared at him in the eyes and the Mask of Phobos’ ever-present dread made most people in his line-of-sight shiver. “Oh, right, sorry about that,” he swiftly said and fully took off the mask. His eyes returned to normal and he tossed the mask in the noble’s direction.
Xaris bit back a yelp as it hit the ground in front of his group, shattering on impact and freeing the air of its grasp. The head bodyguard visibly relaxed a bit when that happened.
‘What a powerful subjugation skill... It didn’t even seem like it took anything out of him to pull it out either. He removed it like it was an old trinket,’ he couldn’t help but comment inwardly.
“T-thank you for releasing it,” Xaris followed up after clearing his throat. “It seems I’ve entered a conflict with a… retainer affiliated with you,” he went straight to the point. He had already thrown away any of the preposterous thoughts he had earlier. Having your life at someone’s mercy was that much of an eye-opener. But that didn’t mean he was about to bend his knee.
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“Wait,” Rakna raised his hand before the man could continue. “I don’t need to hear you speak or even explain the situation. I saw everything through my wolf here,” he said whilst pointing at the shadow lupine. “I already have my answer as to who is in the wrong,” he declared and swiped his hand to the side, opening his Terminal. He had learned how to use it better in the past weeks.
“Hm? What are you doing?” The rosy-haired man asked curiously and Rakna glanced at him, not offended by his questioning. He had activated Crystal Sight upon his arrival and in the blink of an eye, he had collected the basic information of everyone in his sight. That man wasn’t an exception.
“Basically; calling an enforcer,” the therian casually replied.
“Oh?”
“A-an enforcer…?” Xaris raised his voice in slight confusion. Internally, he was sighing in relief that this would be far easier to deal with than anticipated. ‘Good… he’s just a kid, in the end. Emperor or not, he doesn’t know how to wield power,’ he thought with a sneer.
Outwardly, he displayed a smile of fake awkwardness. “Your Majesty, there is no need to involve the city’s forces for a small affair such as this. I will be sure to compensate you for today.”
“Did you not hear me?” Rakna instantly replied and scowled at him. “I was having a good time and you forced me to come here. Unfortunately for you, I have deep grudges. Furthermore, I am plenty aware of why Astraea confronted you; did you really think I would let you go?”
Xaris’ smile stiffened a bit. “Your Majesty, I believe there are better solutions to this problem. How about 100 million Talys for the trouble?”
The therian gave him a flat look before pressing enter on his Terminal. “As you don’t seem to have caught on yet, let me explain a few things to you. First of all, I can smell dishonesty on you. While that does not mean you weren’t going to follow through with your claims of compensation, it does put a perspective on what’s going on in the back of your mind, doesn’t it? I wonder what you’ll try to plan after this to get back at me.”
The nobleman froze on the spot.
“Secondly, what gave you the idea I was contacting New Athens’ law force?”
“W-what? Then, who--?!” Xaris closed his mouth as he heard a sound that he had come across only once in the past. He looked up and started quivering when he saw a gap in space being torn open above the street.
From inside, a large silhouette measuring about ten meters in height slowly emerged; a pure white body, and wings made out of a material akin to marble, and wielding a double-sided spear. Its two pairs of eyes were filled with undulating light that stretched to its entire form like a set of clothes.
The oval head quietly turned toward Xaris, the spiral symbol etched onto it glowing fiercely.
“That cannot be…! Why is an Adjudicator here?!”
“Oh my,” the rosy-haired man opened his eyes from the side. “A Commander-Rank as well. It could match a level 600 Host in raw strength.”
The spectators gawked at the marble soldier in awe. It was rare for normal Hosts or Locals to ever see an Adjudicator appear. Usually, they would only appear when a situation was severe enough to constitute a threat to the System.
“Perhaps you were not aware,” Rakna spoke up calmly and Xaris snapped toward him. “Emperors are eligible to request intervention from an Adjudicator when conditions are right.”
“That’s nonsense!” The aristocrat shouted disconcertedly. “This situation couldn’t possibly justify the involvement of an Adjudicator!”
“You think?” The therian smiled faintly. “You were about to kill those children, weren’t you? It was a threat against Locals; a resource of the System.”
“What? That is not--!”
“Enough?” Rakna cut him off. “You would normally be right. An Adjudicator would only appear for large-scale offenses endangering the lives of thousands of people at once. As for you, there is no doubt that you can laugh off this kind of small crime without issues. After all, New Athens’ laws are made by nobles; if they want to kill, they can simply say they are allowed. And the System does not care in the slightest as it doesn’t affect its infrastructure. Small fry like you is ignored.”
Xaris gritted his teeth and his expression contorted as the therian’s nonchalant words continued to resound without interruption.
“However, don’t you already know? The world is not fair,” Rakna said with a silent scoff. “People are not equal. Nor you and I. The one who dispatches Adjudicators is Eva and let’s say we currently are in a mutually beneficial agreement. She can grant me this small favor.”
“You… must be lying! Why would Eva collude with a recently-recruited Host?!”
“That is none of your business,” Rakna retorted and glanced at the Commander Adjudicator. “Do it,” he ordered and the creature silently pointed its palm at Xaris who stepped back in fear.
“D-do something!” He yelled at his bodyguards who could only look at their boss. It was suicide to go up against a Commander Adjudicator and no one wanted to alienate Eva herself.
“…stand down,” the head bodyguard eventually said.
“Crayn…! You traitor!”
“Regrettably,” Rakna’s voice then echoed and everyone focused on him. “It seems I am not allowed to give you the death sentence,” he uttered coldly. “So, I’ve settled for the next worst. Adjudicator, Verdict, Code 1.”
[| Approved, |] the being spoke mechanically. [| Descendant Host; Xaris Nefertrion. Confirming Code 1 Sentence. Gathering Credentials… |] A light began to swirl around the Adjudicator’s hand.
Xaris swallowed in terror and after staggering backward for a few seconds, he immediately made an escape, pushing off his bodyguards and running off. His speed was between level 150 and 200 at best.
Rakna’s eyes calmly followed his figure as he whispered one word, “[Valkal.]” On cue, an invisible force ensnared Xaris’ body, and despite it being relatively weak, the accuracy of the timing as well as the swiftness disrupted the nobleman’s movement skill and made him crash.
Then, before Xaris could recover, the Adjudicator was already hovering above him, his palm still pointed at him. [| Credentials Authenticated. Beginning Code 1 Sentence, |] it declared, and Xaris was suddenly grabbed by the giant hand. Right afterward, he felt extreme pain that was translated into screams of agony.
Everyone in earshot winced as they saw a stream of energy being sucked out of him back into the Adjudicator’s arm. After a long minute, the creature dropped the unconscious body.
[| Ruling Enacted. Subject’s Status Has Been Reinitialized and Downgraded. |] After leaving these words hanging in the air, the Adjudicator quietly opened a gap in space again and departed. When it was gone, a suffocating silence overtook the area.
Rakna watched as Xaris was picked up by his bodyguards before finally turning toward the two people who had come in earlier to help Astraea. “Now then, let’s talk,” he uttered in a completely relaxed tone as if nothing had happened.