"Stop."
A dry, ancient voice echoed. With that command, everyone immediately restrained their cultivation and turned to the old man. He was the judge for this trial, but at the same time, everyone felt immense respect for him.
Then their eyes widened in shock, and a surge of fury swept through the room. They watched in horror as the old man coughed blood, a curved blade protruding from his chest. Behind him, a small figure stood, smiling darkly.
"How dare you!" a furious High Elder roared but didn’t dare move.
That old man was someone deeply admired—he was the former Vice Emperor. He had abdicated his position recently because he was nearing the end of his life, and his power had been declining rapidly.
He’d only taken on a role as an advisor and judge for significant events—something that practically never occurred. So, he’d been living out his last days peacefully.
Now, he was suddenly attacked, the blade piercing him before anyone could react. The element of surprise, combined with the underestimation of these golems, had proven a grave mistake. The female golem clearly had no scruples. With just her will, she could reduce the old man to a bloody mist, and no one would be able to save him.
The old man murmured, "Miss..."
"Mrs. I’m very much married," Ruri retorted dryly. "Now, sit tight and listen."
Everyone around clenched their teeth in fury. Even the couple of High Elders now looked hostile—these two golems had clearly stirred up a hornet’s nest. Carod had gone pale again; this was an absolute disaster—there was no turning back now.
Then the round golem let out a low, dark chuckle and looked at the old man. "Tell me—what’s the accusation, and what’s the evidence?"
The old man nodded and spoke calmly, "You’ve been accused of conspiring with important figures to extort, kill, and steal from the third and eighth legions. We haven’t revealed who aided you for obvious reasons, but this is a grave matter in the empire. This trial was meant to make everything clear, but… it seems there’s no need to judge anything after what you’ve done here. Do you think you’ll get away with threatening me?"
The old man’s gaze was sharp as a blade, but the golem only laughed.
A harsh voice rang out: "Don’t even think about leaving here alive! Tell her to release him! You seem to be the one in charge—think carefully. If she kills him, neither of you will have any hope. But if not, we might at least spare her life afterward."
The one speaking was a High Elder with a dark, twisted expression. Suddenly, everyone heard the old man cough up more blood. They froze as they watched the blade in his chest cruelly twist.
"Who asked for your opinion?" the female golem snapped, turning toward the High Elder who had spoken. "Please, keep interrupting—I’d love to see how much this old man can take."
"You…" The figure swallowed hard.
The golem turned back to the old man. "Didn’t I ask what the evidence was too?"
The old man nodded with a heavy sigh. "That young woman who was with Pouzek. Please, don’t kill her. We’ve already recorded everything, and it’ll be useless." He pointed to the commander of the eighth legion. "From her memories, we saw that you used her alongside other High Elders. You orchestrated everything in a sinister way and even used their elevated influence… this is a grave crime."
All five High Elders tensed at hearing this for the first time. They exchanged glances, trying to figure out which one of them had done something so heinous.
"Hahaha."
Alm couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing uncontrollably. Everyone narrowed their eyes at his audacity and malice. This vile figure was tired of living, but now he wouldn’t be able to escape.
Suddenly, he moved. Everyone held their breath as they watched him grab the head of the woman nearby. She had been by Pouzek’s side before, but now she didn’t seem like his lover. She looked frozen and confused, even after his death, as if she didn’t know how to react. The reason?
The golem’s eyes glowed, and their soul invaded hers. Within two seconds, her entire body pulsed with black marks spreading across her skin.
"What?" someone shouted in shock. The marks were sinister—a sign of a vile slavery method. "This… this can’t be! How did we not sense anything?!"
Alm and Bruno scoffed at the sight of the woman. Earlier, they’d noticed that she had realized what an unscrupulous and unpredictable person Pouzek was. He had no respect and wasn’t trustworthy. If she wasn’t like him, she would’ve surely wanted to break away. But would Pouzek allow that? Of course not.
She was beautiful, powerful, and having her by his side gave him significant status. This situation was a perfect opportunity for him, so he acted quickly and did this to her.
But after placing something like that on her, all the top figures of the empire had examined her. They hadn’t detected that she was enslaved, nor that her memories were false. That should’ve been entirely impossible.
"You’re not idiots, are you?" the golem said dryly. "Does anyone here have the power to hide something like that on her? You should know."
Suddenly, that couple of High Elders moved in perfect sync. Two golden spears appeared in their hands, their wings beat once, and they aimed their weapons swiftly. They surrounded the High Elder with the twisted expression.
The old man let out a dry sigh, clearly surprised. Then his eyes turned cold and furious, like a blade being unsheathed. "High Elder Porkez, you truly have admirable courage."
His voice carried a bloody aura. This old man, when younger, must have been a skilled and powerful warrior. He was clearly outraged at being deceived like this. He’d almost made a huge mistake, right at the end of his life.
"No..."
"Damn it!" the old man roared, not letting him finish. "Everyone knows your family ties with Pouzek. And your power is the only one capable of pulling off something like this… but not on your own!"
He pointed and shouted, "All disciplinary soldiers! Move immediately and capture all 99 Elders under Porkez’s command! Don’t let anyone escape!"
In the next moment, thousands of soldiers moved with serious expressions toward a specific area of the capital. Everyone connected to that High Elder would be arrested and thoroughly investigated.
"And as for you… seal his cultivation and lock him up. I’ll personally check his memories and find out what other dark deeds he’s done in the past."
The old man spoke, and the couple nodded. Without letting Porkez utter a word, they used their cultivation to bind him completely, golden chains wrapping around him. He couldn’t speak or even move anymore.
The old man turned to the round golem. Then he felt the blade in his chest move slowly and withdraw. Ruri stepped forward, and the space around her rippled as she appeared beside the golem.
Alm and Bruno quickly gestured, and the sound of something breaking was heard. The slave mark, which had been deeply connected to the woman’s three life energies, was shattered.
Everyone watched in surprise. They didn’t need her now, as the evidence against the High Elder would be easy to gather. But they would have had to make a huge effort to remove that mark from her later. Now, the golem had done it in seconds.
Her eyes trembled, and life seemed to return to her body. Ruri gave a slight smile and handed her a recovery pill.
"You two..." the old man began, deep in thought.
Another High Elder spoke with a heavy tone, "Rules are rules. Even if they’re not guilty of the accusations, they didn’t have to kill young Pouzek."
"Damn it, that bastard did so many dark things with this other High Elder. Do you have any idea how many lives he took?!" Ruri spat out sharply.
"It doesn’t matter. The rules are the same for everyone in the empire. You couldn’t have killed him—he would have died eventually, but now…"
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The round golem spoke up, "True, but that doesn’t apply to the two of us."
Everyone narrowed their eyes at that. Were they so spoiled they thought they could do whatever they wanted? It was absurd.
"What? Did you forget that we’re still in the process of testing to get in here?" the golem continued, unfazed. "We’re not part of your empire full of rules. We’re just newcomers without any ties or major obligations. Also, I don’t recall anyone asking me or explaining the rules when I showed up to take the test. Since I didn’t know and I’m an outsider, you can’t hold us to your rules."
The old man snorted, and everyone around jumped. It was true—someone taking the test wasn’t officially part of the empire, and without informing him of any rules or telling him he had to follow them, they couldn’t judge him based on that.
There was no such thing because, obviously, what could a young person taking the test possibly do?
"Hahaha, being young and reckless is really something," the old man said, chuckling lightly. His wounds were already healing. Despite being old, he had once been at the peak of cultivation, and this was nothing.
Ruri laughed out loud, and Alm and Bruno just stared at him without saying anything. Did he think he was old compared to them? Even Ruri had memories from dozens of lifetimes, so despite their youthful bodies, this old man was nothing.
"Anyway, my time is precious. It looks like the misunderstanding is resolved; the Ninth Legion and the two of us have nothing to do with your internal schemes and plots. I would never conspire or even think of disappointing my wife by doing anything sneaky or dark..." Bruno said, his eyes sparkling with innocence.
The old man laughed again, "Hahaha, I like you. Yes, you may go. You’re dismissed. Carod!" The old man turned to the young man who jumped to attention.
"Yes!" He quickly composed himself.
"When these two finish the test, we’ll reassess the legions. After that, everyone will focus on preparing for the grand event. You may leave."
The old man concluded, and the entire Ninth Legion left with shaky, uneven steps. The couple, however, remained calm and serene, as if this was just another routine event for them.