The barbed whip landed on the young man's body, tearing through flesh with ease. As the whip pulled back, it yanked away chunks of flesh, leaving raw, exposed bone. Blood spurted out in a gruesome spray.
"Ahhh!"
The teenage offender let out a harrowing scream as the first lash left a gaping wound, flesh peeled back, revealing the stark white of his bones.
"You old fool! I'm a formal member of the family! How dare you treat me like this? Mark my words—I'll repay this pain tenfold, no, a hundredfold!"
CRACK!
The elder remained impassive in the face of the threat, responding with another lash. Blood and bits of flesh sprayed through the air, accompanied by another wailing scream, raw and agonized.
"Put on your Star Armor," the elder said calmly, watching the young man's body now marked with two searing wounds. "Without it, your body won't last through ten lashes. And I intend to whip you a few more times."
"You old bastard! I'll make you regret this!" the boy spat, writhing in pain. Gritting his teeth, he activated an earring that emitted a brilliant light. Segments of Star Armor materialized around him, enveloping his body for protection.
But as soon as his armor was complete, the youth summoned two small floating cannons from his Star Armor's earring. Without hesitation, the cannons powered up and fired two beams of light directly at the elder.
CRACK!
The steward shook his head in mild disappointment. A single flick of the whip obliterated the incoming beams and smashed the floating cannons into scrap.
As the Douglas family's steward for six decades, Pais was no mere weakling. His combat prowess ranked among the upper echelons of the family. A spoiled and reckless boy like Orvis was utterly outclassed.
"Orvis, you're quite bold. In my sixty years as the family steward, you're the first formal member to dare attack me."
"And you, old man, are the first to ever hurt me this much!" With his Star Armor protecting him, the boy seemed emboldened, though his voice still dripped with venom.
CRACK!
Pais didn't bother to reply further. Another lash struck the youth, eliciting a guttural scream. This time, however, the sound was weaker.
To the boy's horror, his supposedly indestructible Star Armor began to crack under the whip's impact. When the lash retracted, shards of the armor fell away like splinters, scattering across the ground with crisp metallic clinks.
"You—!" The young man froze in fear. His "invincible" armor, designed to withstand nearly anything, was being torn apart like paper. He opened his mouth to protest, but another lash landed, cutting off his words.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
The steward lashed him repeatedly without mercy, his expression emotionless. Each strike found a new part of the boy's body, avoiding any single area to ensure the punishment was prolonged rather than fatal.
Each lash ripped apart the youth's armor, pulling fragments and chunks of flesh along with it. Blood splattered everywhere, and the fragments glimmered like crimson butterflies in the sunlight.
Gradually, the boy's screams weakened. His bloodied figure hung limply, a pitiful sight. Observers, initially filled with righteous anger at Orvis, grew silent. Some women turned away, unable to stomach the scene.
By the time the Star Armor was entirely destroyed, and the boy's body was a mangled mess of exposed bone and torn flesh, a luxury car roared to a stop at the city government's entrance.
A man and a woman hurried out, pushing through the stunned crowd of demonstrators to reach the steward.
"Stop!" the man bellowed upon seeing his son's battered form. His face twisted with rage and grief.
CRACK!
Before he could say more, Pais whipped him across the face. The force sent the man sprawling, his corpulent frame landing heavily on the ground.
"Watch your tone. Who do you think you're speaking to?" Pais said coldly, standing over the man.
The woman froze, torn between fury and fear as she helped her husband up. Her face alternated between anger and disbelief as she stared at the elder.
"Who are you?" she demanded.
"The steward," Pais replied tersely. He raised his whip to continue punishing Orvis but paused as the woman stepped in front of her son.
"You're just a steward! How dare you whip my son? Do you know who he is? He's a formal member of the Douglas family! Only the Elders' Council or the Family Head has the authority to discipline him. What gives you the right, old man?"
"Formal member?" Pais's voice was calm but cutting. "As of an hour and twenty minutes ago, he no longer is. By order of Family Head Genos, Orvis has been stripped of the Douglas name and expelled from the family."
His words were like a thunderclap. The couple stared at him, wide-eyed with shock, while the surrounding protesters erupted in excitement. Journalists frantically recorded every word, their adrenaline spiking.
"That can't be!" the man stammered. He collapsed onto the ground, dazed.
"Pais, there must be a mistake! My son has over 60% Star Piloting aptitude. The family wouldn't expel him!" the woman pleaded.
"Only 60%? The family has plenty of members with higher aptitude. But none are as vile as your son. He's a disgrace—a tumor festering in the Douglas family. The sooner he's removed, the better."
Pais's voice was icy as he recounted the boy's crimes. Orvis had used the family name to commit atrocities, dragging the Douglas reputation through the mud in the process. The family's influence in the region had plummeted because of him.
"Enough. I had planned to finish whipping him before announcing this, but since you asked, now you know," Pais said flatly.
"Pais, please! My son is still young. He's just a child! Can't you give him another chance? He could still contribute to the family!" the woman begged, her voice cracking.
"A child? He's thirteen—old enough to face the consequences of his actions under federal law, which sets the age of criminal responsibility at ten. He will pay for his crimes," Pais said, unmoved.
He turned to a nearby government official, who eagerly approached.
"Orvis no longer has the family's protection. You know what to do," Pais said, clapping the man on the shoulder.
"Yes, I understand," the official replied with a deferential nod.
"Good."
Satisfied, Pais boarded his spacecraft with his entourage, leaving behind the shattered family. Without the Douglas family's shield, Orvis would face the full weight of federal law. At best, he would receive life imprisonment. More likely, he would be sentenced to death.
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