For a fraction of a second, Arthur's dark eyes locked onto mine.
Then, he moved.
There was no warning. No massive surge of spiritual pressure. No intricate hand seals or chanted spells. It was just a standard, physical movement—a casual strike that required absolutely zero effort on his part.
But the impact was incomprehensible.
The sheer kinetic force slammed into my chest before my brain could even register the shift in his posture. It felt like I had been hit by a freight train. Beside me, Haroku dropped like a stone, his eyes rolling back as he instantly lost consciousness.
My own knees violently buckled. I hit the stone pavement hard. My vision instantly fractured into a blurry, static tunnel. I tried to push myself up, but my body was completely offline. My strength had been entirely erased in a single millisecond. I was paralyzed, hovering right on the jagged edge of blacking out. I couldn't move a single muscle, but through the ringing in my ears, my hearing remained intact.
The silence that followed the strike was heavy.
Through my blurred, half-open eyes, I could see Namino Shiki standing completely frozen. As a 7th Elite, he was powerful, but even he hadn't anticipated Arthur acting with such ruthless, effortless speed. Beside him, I could feel Makeno tense. The ancient guardian didn't attack. She was smart enough to recognize the colossal gap in power. Stepping toward Arthur right now would have been suicide.
Arthur slowly lowered his hand, his posture returning to its relaxed, lazy slouch. There was no anger in his aura. Just a terrifying, absolute authority.
"So, Namino," Arthur said, his voice calm but demanding an immediate answer. "How did you even bring them in here?"
He didn't yell, but the weight of his voice pressed down on the courtyard.
Namino hesitated. I could hear the subtle shift in his boots as he looked down at Haroku and me. As an Elite, Namino knew the strict protocols of the Society, and he had bypassed them on a gut instinct regarding my bloodline.
"I apologize," Namino said quietly, dipping his head respectfully. It wasn't just a formal excuse; he genuinely realized how reckless he had been.
Arthur observed him for a second. The lethal tension in the air softened just a fraction, though his face remained entirely serious.
"It's fine," Arthur replied smoothly. "But you're still getting a penalty for this. You acted recklessly, and actions like this cannot be ignored."
Namino didn't argue. "Understood. So... what happens now?"
Arthur paused, clearly running the tactical variables in his head.
"For now, we take them into custody," Arthur decided, his tone measured and logical. "And we call a full assembly. This is not a decision we can make out here in the dirt. It requires a collective vote."
Through the fading static in my head, I listened to the 1st Elite dictate our fate.
"We don't even know if they are telling the truth," Arthur continued, glancing down at my paralyzed body. "They claim his bloodline belongs to the former Supreme Commander... but that hasn't been officially verified. And even if it turns out to be true, it changes nothing right now."
Arthur's voice was completely firm. He respected power, not ghosts.
"They are still unverified outsiders," Arthur stated. "It doesn't matter if his grandfather ran this place a generation ago. That alone is not a free pass. Rules exist for a reason, and we do not break them just for the sake of history."
Namino let out a steady breath, accepting the chain of command. "Understood."
Turning his attention away from Arthur, Namino projected his voice toward the perimeter shadows.
"Hey—sniper," Namino called out.
A low-rank hunter, who must have been holding position on the nearest rooftop, immediately dropped down to the courtyard, snapping to attention. "Sir!"
"Go and inform all the Elites," Namino instructed, his voice hardening back into the authoritative tone of a commander. "Tell them an urgent assembly is being called."
"Yes, sir!" the scout responded quickly.
"And sniper," Namino added, a hint of deep respect bleeding into his voice. "Make sure you personally inform mister Kagetora Reizen ."
The low-rank hunter visibly stiffened at the mention of that name. "Understood!"
Without wasting another second, the scout vanished, rushing off to trigger the Society's highest alert.
I lay on the cold stone, my mind struggling to hold onto the information. Kagetora Reizen. Another variable. Another massive hurdle standing between me and the army I needed to build.
Arthur remained silent, his dark eyes looking down at Haroku and me, already calculating the outcomes of the assembly. Makeno stood watch over us, unable to intervene without triggering our executions.
Our fate was completely out of my hands.
My vision finally darkened entirely. The ringing in my ears faded to a dull hum, and I lost my grip on consciousness, slipping into the black.