Chapter 910 909 - Judgement [1/2]
As Erik's words echoed through the hall, all eyes were on him. Looking down with a frown, he presented a stern image, only somewhat softened by the obviously conflicted Naeku, who was battling between fury and compassion as she looked at the people on stage.
At the same time, Erik released some of the hold on his own power. Instantly, an aura of strength pulsed through the hall. As these Wulfs were only first- and second-rankers, the presence of not just a third ranker, but a powerful one, was enough to make them forget to breathe. Most of them had been in either Ankhur's or Enkai's presence before, but neither had been this suffocating.
Meanwhile, Naeku's fresh third-rank power quickly became just a blip in the ocean. No one noticed her jump in strength. In fact, in that moment, they barely noticed her.
After a moment, Erik restrained his power once more. Instantly, everyone remembered to breathe. They gasped softly, unwilling to disturb him with their noise. A mix of reverence and fear simmered in their eyes, but there was elation there as well. Their god walked amongst them, and he was powerful.
More than that, they agreed with his worldview and enjoyed his teachings. Now that he had made clear his intention to protect the submissives against abuse, it was especially they who looked up at him with devotion. Meanwhile, the doms were a little more fearful and reverential. To them, he was an entity enabling their fantasies and desires, while simultaneously policing them with an iron fist.
"Proceed," Erik then growled, tearing through the hall's tension.
Nora slammed her staff on the ground in response, and the spell was broken. Everyone sheepishly turned to watch Elora again, barely resisting the urge to look over their shoulder every so often.
Nora then looked down at Kato with a cruel smirk. "I dare you to contest the right my Master bestowed on me, Kato. Let's see if it goes well for you…"
The man remained silent, with fearful eyes turned up at Erik and Naeku. Two pairs of fierce, predatory, third-ranked eyes glared down at him, locking his body in place with fear.
"Good," Nora grinned, and gave a sign to Anne as she picked up her staff. "Then let's get to judgment!"
Indifferently, Anne kicked Kato's side to roll him on his back, then planted her foot on his stomach and pushed him flat on the floor. He groaned. Then she took out the one-handed sword she used in combat, and swung it down in an arc… to cut open Kato's already torn shirt.
"Death would be a mercy!" Nora boomed as she raised her staff vertically. Finally, everyone could see the metal symbol placed on the end of it. Suddenly, it looked suspiciously like a branding iron. "You will be made an example of! To remind those who serve that the church will protect them, and to remind those who lead that their privileged positions of power come with severe consequences if abused!"
Everyone now felt the staff gathering power as aetherium began to swirl around it. In moments, the metal symbol started glowing hot red. Kato finally ripped his eyes from the upper balcony to stare with horror at the extreme heat he felt coming from that thing. "W-Wait, wait, wait! W-What are you doing?! I-I'm sorry!"
Nora looked at him with disdain. "There is no forgiveness here," she scoffed and mercilessly pressed the brand onto the top of his chest.
"Aaaaaaaaaah!"
Instantly, a horrifying scream melded with the sizzling of flesh to create a cacophony that made everyone's skin crawl. Kato twitched and squirmed violently, foam sputtering from his mouth, but Nora and Anne worked together to keep him in place with their feet. Though they were all second-rankers, Erik's servants had grown quite powerful over the past months, despite their low-ranking affinities.
Some among the crowd looked away, but there was no escaping the smell or sound. It was a horrifying display that burned itself into the minds of everyone watching just as this symbol burned its way into Kato's skin.
Up on the second balcony, neither Erik nor Naeku looked away, but the latter had to gulp, eyes wide. A whisper escaped her lips, but fell quickly silent. "This is…"
Not looking away from the scene below, Erik answered somberly. "Do you think he deserves better?"
Naeku's lips parted and closed several times, trying and failing to find the words. But then, Nora's accusations, Kato's admissions, and the tearful eyes of Neema flashed back in front of her. She glanced at Neema again, who was still on stage. Tears spilt from the pain in her eyes, but she kept her composure. What Naeku saw was the desire to be strong and show everyone that submissives weren't weak, just different in their desires.
Something Naeku appreciated and agreed with, for obvious reasons.
"No…" she finally answered, eyes hardening, her voice a growl. "If anything, I'm glad you, Nora, and Anne take this so seriously. I just wonder if it would have been necessary if it hadn't been for this cult. Promoting the idea of essentially bdsm relationships for everyone was always bound to enable abuse."
Erik raised an eyebrow, his voice calm, stern, and easily cutting through the screaming and sizzling. "Was it? Don't you think this man would have found a woman to abuse, no matter what? In fact, he's old enough to have done just that, even before the awakening. I don't claim there are no potential issues here, but in this case, I believe the cult just made it easier for Neema to step forward and for Kato's abuse to be brought to light."
Naeku fell silent, her expression thoughtful and difficult.
Kato's torture continued for another few moments. The screaming became hoarser, but not diminished. Eventually, Naeku frowned. "Why… Why is it taking so long?"
"She's not just branding him," Erik explained, eyes still on the stage. "What she's using is the most cruel, but also most permanent way of inscribing a sigil into a person's body. We presume that this is what the hunters are doing to any supernaturals they enslave."
"I-I see…" Naeku muttered, also keeping her eyes on the stage below.
It took a full minute for Nora to finish. She took the staff of his chest to leave a sigil behind that flashed once to signify its activation, before turning dull. At that point, Kato's scream finally came to an end, instead turning into quick, pained panting. As a second-ranked shapeshifter, his powerful body wouldn't allow him to faint from even this much.
He still twitched a few times, but mostly just stared at the ceiling with wide eyes, nearly catatonic from the pain he'd just endured.
Meanwhile, Nora planted her staff on the floor with a heavy thump. "It is done," she declared, and looked up at Erik for approval. He nodded, and with that, judgment was delivered.