The reason Carl suddenly showed some rare compassion was simple — he didn't want any other man to see Lily's "overly womanly" side. It wasn't because of some special fetish.
After all, considering what had already happened, Lily could be considered his woman now.
Glancing at Nusjuro and the others kneeling on the ground, Carl slowly spoke:
"Saint Saturn, Saint Nusjuro, Saint Mars, you may rise."
At his words, the three visibly trembled. After a brief hesitation, Saturn slowly rose to his feet — only to be sharply berated by Nusjuro.
"Saint Saturn! Are you going to show disrespect to Saint Imu?!"
Saturn's expression didn't change as he replied calmly:
"This is an order from Saint Carl."
Still kneeling, Nusjuro's aura grew overwhelmingly sharp.
"Fool! Can't you see Saint Imu standing there? He is the true master of Mary Geoise!"
Mars quickly added his voice to the attack:
"Saint Saturn, have you forgotten your place?!"
Seeing Saturn under fire from both sides, Garling snorted coldly and said:
"The lockdown of the Holy Land has not yet been lifted. Right now, all matters of the Holy Land are to follow Saint Carl's orders. Saint Saturn's behavior is beyond reproach!"
Nusjuro, however, was more stubborn than ever — it was as if Warcury himself had possessed him.
"Saint Garling! As the Warrior God of Science and Defense, you should know better than anyone — Saint Imu stands above all law! Saturn's behavior is an affront to Saint Imu's supremacy! It is a crime punishable by death!"
At these words, there was almost no room left for reconciliation.
This whole conflict had started from just one sentence from Carl — yet he hadn't said another word since, simply allowing the fury between the Four Elders to build higher and higher.
The Knights of God had already subtly formed a loose circle around Nusjuro and Mars. It was obvious: the moment Garling gave the order, they would swarm in and attack.
Yet Nusjuro and Mars showed no signs of fear. A chill and fiery blaze erupted from their bodies respectively, black cloud-like flames twisting slowly around them.
...
At that moment, Lily finally spoke:
"Saint Nusjuro, Saint Mars, I have already handed control of the Empty Throne to Carl. From today onward, Saint Carl is the master of Mary Geoise — and your master as well."
"What?! Saint Imu, how could you...?!"
Nusjuro was struck as if by lightning. Always the most composed of the group, he now burst up from the ground in shock. Mars, meanwhile, stood there dumbfounded. For hundreds of years, he'd believed Nusjuro understood Saint Imu better than anyone, always reflecting Imu's will in his actions.
Thus, siding with Nusjuro had always seemed like the safest bet.
But now, he had bet wrong — disastrously so. There wasn't even room left for correction.
Yet could anyone really blame Nusjuro for the misjudgment? Who would have thought Lily would willingly abdicate to Carl? And yet, she had done exactly that.
To Nusjuro, it was nothing short of betrayal — "We were ready to fight to the death, and yet you surrendered first."
Even worse, Lily's abdication shattered the very faith he had upheld his entire life.
Nusjuro's bloodshot eyes locked onto Lily. Unable to accept the truth, he roared:
"How dare you! You're not Saint Imu at all! No! The supreme Saint Imu could never be a woman! You're a fake! You deserve death!!!"
With a final shout, Nusjuro activated his "Bone Horse" form — his lower body transforming into that of a skeletal horse, exuding a piercing cold.
Carl merely shook his head with a chuckle.
"Lily-hime, he's certainly loyal to you, isn't he?"
Without even glancing at Nusjuro, Lily replied coolly:
"I don't need it."
"Such a cold answer. But a disobedient dog doesn't deserve to be kept around anyway..."
"Do whatever you want. I already told you — the master of Mary Geoise is you now."
"Hmm? Lily-hime, it seems you've misunderstood something. I wasn't asking for your permission."
"..."
Faced with Carl's casual rebuff, Lily simply drew a deep breath and chose silence.
...
Carl didn't continue teasing her. Instead, he turned his golden gaze toward the furious Nusjuro. In Carl's pupils, a faint golden emblem of the sky flashed — so tiny only Lily, closest to him, noticed it.
Nusjuro felt Carl's gaze lock onto him and, for the first time, felt a pang of fear.
But he had no time to think. Nusjuro funneled all his rage toward Carl, roaring:
"Saint Carl! You dare to make a woman impersonate Saint Imu! You deserve death!!!"
Watching Nusjuro, who had completely lost his mind, Mars muttered:
"Gone... completely gone..."
Nusjuro raised his blade high, skeletal wings bursting wide, and launched himself toward Carl, cloaked in a suffocating chill.
Garling was just about to intervene — when Carl's golden eyes flashed.
In that instant, Nusjuro froze mid-charge, as if someone had pressed pause. All the savagery on his face drained away, replaced by sheer terror.
Black mist began to rise from Nusjuro's body. The sight was painfully familiar to everyone — they'd just witnessed it moments ago, with Peter. And Peter's end had been death.
"AAAAHHHH!!!"
Nusjuro's body stiffened, maintaining his charging posture, while bloodcurdling screams tore from his throat like the wails of a tormented ghost.
Unlike Peter, Nusjuro's flesh was disintegrating much more slowly — prolonging the agony severalfold.
Even worse, as an awakened Mythical Zoan user, Nusjuro's regenerative powers kept him conscious, forcing him to endure the full, unrelenting pain without slipping into shock.
...
Hearing Nusjuro's shrieks echo across the Holy Land, the members of the Ethanbaron family hurried back.
The moment they saw Nusjuro's horrifying state, they were so terrified they wet themselves on the spot.
A few of the braver ones stammered, their voices trembling:
"F-Family Head!!!"
Carl glanced lazily at them and said lightly:
"I don't recall giving you permission to return. It seems your family has no further reason to exist either. Knights of God!"
"Yes, sir!!!"
"From now on, the Ethanbaron family is stripped of its place in the Holy Land. In three days, expel them from the Red Line."
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+150 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg