The power emanating from Envy exerted pressure on everyone in the Path of Knowledge faction within the room, except for Lucien, who was absent and spared from the brunt of the force.
"Please maintain order, Grand Councillor Envy!" Cyrus interjected, his tone laden with heaviness, attempting to calm Envy down, considering they were in the midst of a court session. However, behind his eyes, a glimr of delight was evident. This was an opportunity for his faction to gain control over not just one, but two of the Witch of the 7 Deadly Sins' powers.
Envy, well aware of the facade of civility, saw through it effortlessly. Having lived far longer than anyone present, she understood that she, as an advocate for harmony, equality, and order, could not reveal her unsavory side for all to witness. Therefore, she had to suppress her violent urges.
Envy closed her eyes montarily, and when she reopened them, her deanor exuded greater calm and clarity.
Greed, on the other hand, gazed fearfully at the screen, her face drained of color, trembling with trepidation. Ragnar observed Envy with a concerned expression but ultimately chose to trust Greed's judgnt, recognizing her exceptional cunning among the Witch of the 7 Deadly Sins.
"It's impossible! Wrath lacks the power to destroy others' souls, and she possesses no knowledge of spells capable of doing so," Greed countered.
"Miss Greed, do not forget that I am His Majesty Victor Justius' master. I possess his soul crystal, which has now been shattered, indicating the destruction of his soul," Lucien asserted, presenting the evidence to support his claim.
The evidence consisted of the remnants of the soul crystal, although it remained unknown whether this crystal truly belonged to Victor.
"That cannot be considered as evidence. We cannot verify whether it is Victor's soul crystal or not," Greed responded with reason.
Lucien on the screen nodded in acknowledgnt. "You are right. That is why I beseech Grand Councillor Cyrus to detain Miss Greed at headquarters until we can have this evidence examined."
Upon hearing this, Envy realized that Lucien's intention was not to implicate Greed but rather to detain her. Envy was well aware that the Hightower Enforcer was controlled by "The Path of Knowledge" faction, which would grant Cyrus permission to extract Greed's blood and magic essence.
The enforcer within the courtroom began to approach Greed, but unexpectedly, Greed, who appeared disheartened, suddenly posed a question.
"Lucien, can you swear upon this courtroom that Victor Justius' soul has undeniably been destroyed?"
Lucien, consud by greed, did not pause to reflect. However, if he had taken a mont to think, he would have recognized the sudden shift in Greed's fearful deanor as she made her inquiry.
Lucien, still consud by greed and filled with overconfidence, contemplated the mory of the black sli that he had expelled from Victor's body when he unsealed Satan from the seed of sin within Victor's original body. He had subsequently incinerated the room, firmly believing that Victor had perished in the ensuing flas.
"Yes, I swear before this court that my words are true," Lucien proclaid with unwavering confidence. However, as soon as he uttered those words, he felt a sense of detachnt, as if sothing had left him, and the greed that had consud his heart suddenly diminished.
Greed's face brightened with a satisfied smile as she confidently made her way toward the podium. With deliberate intent, she produced a small jar from within her suit, containing a writhing mass of black sli.
The sight of black sli struck Lucien with a wave of shock and horror, as he finally realized the true extent of his folly. It beca clear to him, Cyrus, and all the mbers of the "Path of Knowledge" faction present in the courtroom that they had fallen right into the trap set by the Witch of Greed.
Unbeknownst to Lucien, Victor, though devoid of a physical body and reduced to a sli-like state, had managed to survive by slithering into a secret compartnt that connected to the basent where Yuki had taken refuge.
Yuki, designed as a homunculus to serve Victor, recognized his trapped soul within the black sli. She retrieved Victor from the basent and fled, seeking assistance from Klause. Together, they approached Daniel and struck a deal.
"Your honor, allow to introduce you to Victor Justius, the forr King of Tessia Kingdom and one of our esteed councilors. This is all that remains of him," Greed declared, her satisfaction evident in her smile.
Envy and Cyrus, upon witnessing Victor's current form, imdiately recognized the source of his misfortune. While Cyrus muttered curses at Lucien's foolishness under his breath, Envy's smile grew wider, knowing that this would bring about Lucien's downfall and serve as evidence of Wrath's innocence.
Envy swiftly cast a spell to amplify Victor's soul within the sli, freeing him from its deford confines.
Victor's soul erged from the black sli, escaping the glass jar and adorning a white royal gown—the very garnt he wore during his encounter with Lucien. He cast a hateful glance in Lucien's direction before turning his attention to Envy.
"Thank you, your honor," Victor expressed, bowing before the judges.
Greed inquired, "Can you tell us what truly transpired?"
"Yes, your honor," Victor responded, proceeding to recount the events without deceit or misleading information.
As Victor continued his testimony before the court, Greed couldn't help but wear a triumphant smile as she gazed at Lucien, patiently awaiting the conclusion of Victor's account.
Following Victor's detailed account, Cyrus's expression beca conflicted. Unsure of how to proceed, especially with Envy present, he pondered his next steps. In any other circumstance, outside the confines of the courtroom, he would have imdiately eradicated Victor's soul himself, silencing him once and for all.
However, Envy's presence acted as a deterrent for Cyrus. He couldn't take any drastic action, as it would likely lead to a full-blown war between factions, and Envy, being one of the Witch of the 7 Deadly Sins, possessed powers far surpassing those of a normal mage. Even though he had confidence in his ability to hold Envy off, her utilization of her demonic form could potentially sink the entire Hightower HQ into the depths of the sea, given that England was an island nation.
Now, everyone from 'The Path of Knowledge' faction in the courtroom realized that both Klause and Greed had rely feigned weakness, intentionally fueling Lucien's overconfidence. Lucien, not being present in court, thought that he would be unaffected by Envy's or Greed's powers, which incite their respective aspects of sin. However, Greed was an exception.
Due to her relatively weak raw power, Greed had dedicated her efforts to honing her other aspects, especially the abilities associated with her identity as the Witch of the 7 Deadly Sins.
This enabled her to incite greed in anyone who laid eyes upon her, regardless of the dium used to observe her—be it through a cara or from a distance. As long as Greed recognized the other person, regardless of their proximity, she could amplify their aspect of sin and even manipulate their actions, much like what she had done to Lucien.
Cyrus could do nothing but seethe with anger as he locked eyes with Greed, who detected his dark and malicious intent. However, Greed paid him no mind, knowing that Envy's presence restrained him within the court.
After Victor had entered the soul containnt prepared by Klause, Greed resud her rciless assault on Cyrus and his faction.
"Furthermore, there are two more matters that require the court's attention. First, this," Greed announced, producing a parchnt from her suit. It was the favor contract between Wrath and the Willow family, outlining their agreent.
She presented the contents of the parchnt to the court, allowing everyone to see.
"According to the old law, the Willow family failed to honor their agreent, and to this day, Mr. Magitek, also known as Daniel, has not received his identification. I implore the court to enforce punishnt upon the Willow family in accordance with the old law!" Greed declared.
"And also..." She revealed another stack of docunts and placed them on the podium.
"These docunts serve as evidence of Lucien Blackscar's attempt to expose the existence of the Curtained World to the masses. He signed this docunt, instructing the Willow family to modify the 'Mana Blast Bomb' into a weapon that surpasses the mundane world's understanding. This is a grave cri against our society!" Greed emphasized the severity of the offense.
Cyrus's face turned an alarming combination of green, black, and red as anger consud him. If it weren't for Envy emanating her power, cautioning Cyrus against any reckless actions, he might have imdiately reduced Greed to ashes.
Both accusations held great weight, but the charge against Lucien for breaking the taboo was especially severe. Everyone in the courtroom sensed the unmistakable Lucien magical trace emanating from the docunts, confirming the authenticity of the evidence.
"Do not overstep your bounds, Greed! You do not want to witness my anger!" Cyrus roared in fury as he rose from his seat.
"Sit down, Cyrus! Maintain order!" Envy commanded, her glare intensifying as her eyes transford into slits reminiscent of a snake's. This subtle shift revealed her readiness to unleash her demonic form should Cyrus dare to act recklessly.
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