It was almost noon when a group of inner and outer elders were walking towards the clan leader's pagoda, a palace which towered above everything.
Outside the clan leader's pagoda was a crowd of over two thousand people, in front of them was a large screen showing the interior of the top floor of the pagoda, where the inner elders and the main characters for today were located.
In the middle of the crowd was Gray along with his adoptive grandparents, Cena and Meno Anarkin, who was walking towards the pagoda.
Grandpa Meno had a slightly anxious expression on his face while Grandma Cena had a fierce expression which seemed to show that she was willing to defend her grandson at all costs.
In comparison, Gray was completely relaxed and looked complacent, he didn't feel nervous at all.
"Does such a huge crowd form whenever there are trials like this?" asked Gray curiously.
"No... although there are usually a few dozen people who watch these hearings, only when famous clan members are involved do crowds this big usually form. As for today, quite a few big shots are involved so a lot of clan members are curious and want to see how it will unfold." said Grandpa Meno with a slightly shaky voice.
"Interesting…"
Although he wasn't someone who liked to show off and be the center of attention, he also wasn't the type to shy away from it.
In fact, he even enjoyed it to some extent. For someone like him, he quite enjoyed having an audience to watch his performance.
He had already planned on humiliating Jamal and his father, Elder Gustav publicly in front of the clan leader and inner elders, but he never would've expected that he'd have a chance to do that for all the clan members to see.
As they walked into the pagoda, he saw that it was an extremely luxurious interior. Similar to high end hotels in his previous life.
He also noticed that there were two circular crystals the size of a tennis ball floating above the sky which reflected the whole room.
'So they're even watching us as we walk towards the top floor huh' Gray thought to himself. He resisted the urge to wave at the camera and say, 'Hey mom, I'm on TV!'
A few moments later, Gray, Grandma Cena, and Grandpa Meno arrived at the top floor of the pagoda. The clan leader's pagoda consisted of over 10 floors.
The inner elders were sitting on the side of the halls.
It was at this moment when Gray saw Jamal and his father, Elder Gustav along with 2 other inner elders and Jamal's lackeys, already gathered together as a group in the middle of the large hall.
Jamal looked towards Gray and frowned.
He and his lackeys were the ones who tortured and killed Gray, he personally confirmed that he had died.
He didn't understand how he's still here, alive and healthy.
Could he be an imposter? But why in the world would someone impersonate someone like Gray who had no standing in the clan?
At the same time Jamal looked at Gray, he looked back with an amused smile as he reminisced about his days back on Earth. As his eyes landed on his rival, the System's new passive ability, the [Threat Assessment Scanner], activated for the first time.
Three lines of text, visible only to him, floated above Jamal's head.
[Power Level: 1,023]
[Intimidate: 10,230 SC]
[Defeat: 102,300 SC]
[Kill: 1,023,000 SC]
'So this is Jamal,' Gray thought, his amusement growing. 'His body's built like a stout gas tank, and his threat level is barely a spark. Not that impressive.'
His confident smile made Jamal feel even more irritated. He and his lackeys all glared angrily at Gray.
Gray's gaze then drifted past them, sweeping over the row of Inner Elders who sat with expressions of stern indifference. As his eyes passed over them, new sets of numbers flooded his vision, each one more staggering than the last.
[Power Level: 1.24 Million]
[Intimidate: 12.4 Million SC]
[Defeat: 124 Million SC]
[Kill: 1.24 Billion SC]
[Power Level: 1.39 Million]
[Intimidate: 13.9 Million SC]
[Defeat: 139 Million SC]
[Kill: 1.39 Billion SC]
Gray's amused smile froze on his face. For a fraction of a second, his mind went blank. He did an internal double-take, his brain struggling to process the sheer number of zeroes.
'Wait... is that... millions?' he thought, a cold sweat he hadn't felt in a very long time trickling down his back.
The reality of his situation crashed down on him with the weight of a mountain.
These weren't just stronger opponents; they were on a completely different plane of existence from him.
He wasn't a delinquent king facing rival gangs anymore. He was an ant staring up at a row of indifferent giants.
Any one of them could crush him, his grandparents, and his ambitions without a second thought.
His plan to use his wits wasn't just his preferred option anymore; it was his only option.
There was absolutely no room for error.
The inner elders glanced at him but remained indifferent. To them, this whole ordeal was just an annoying chore that they had to go through for formalities.
None of them considered Gray and his grandparents a threat.
Jamal took a quick look at the Imagery Crystals floating above the room and smirked.
He then walked towards Gray. "Ehem, ehem. Hey Gray! Ehem."
Gray looked over at Jamal as he raised an eyebrow, wondering what he wanted. It wasn't just him, Elder Gustav also looked worriedly at his idiotic son.
At that moment, everyone in the room and the people outside watching the broadcast had their attention on Jamal.
Jamal opened his mouth and said,
"You think you're smart, you think you're bold,
Coming in here with your justice so cold.
Father and son, both looking so proud,
But you're nothing but ants under this big, mean cloud.
I'm Jamal, the muscle, the might, the brawn,
The one who crushes dreams from dusk till dawn.
You came to this place thinking you'd win,
But I'll stomp your hope before it begins.
Justice? Ha! You've got no clue,
Who you're dealing with, what I'll do to you.
Prepare to be humiliated, prepare to fall,
You're nothing but pebbles, and I'm the wall!"
Jamal struck an awkward pose, flexing his muscles dramatically after reciting his poem.
Everyone stared blankly at the posing Jamal.
A few moments later, the entire clan roared with laughter, this included the inner elders in the hall and Jamal's lackeys.
Elder Gustav covered his face in embarrassment and even his 2 uncles had to awkwardly look away, as Jamal was truly too painful to watch.
Grandma Cena looked at Jamal with concern as if she was looking at a mentally ill patient.
Meanwhile, Grandpa Meno couldn't help but laugh out loud. Jamal's poem took away every last bit of nervousness he felt.
Gray couldn't even laugh as Jamal's poem was simply too pathetic, it was to the point where he just felt pity.
"Jamal! Get your ass back here this instant, don't make me whoop your ass in front of the whole clan!" Elder Gustav roared in embarrassment and anger.
Jamal couldn't help but cuss under his breath and go back to their group. "What the heck's up with everyone's reaction? I couldn't even sleep a wink the whole night just to write that."
"All that in a single night? Remarkable." Gray praised, looking around at the roaring crowd with a thoughtful expression. "I have to admit, I've never seen a poem so effective at... boosting clan morale. Look how happy you've made everyone."
Everyone in the room and those watching from the outside burst into another bout of laughter.
Jamal looked as if he had just eaten a fly, and felt like a joke.
"What the f*ck would an uneducated and uncultured swine like you know about poetry? I bet your stupid adoptive grandparents didn't even teach you how to read or write, you damn orphan!" Jamal shouted, pointing his finger towards Gray, while cursing to his best ability, no longer wanting to pretend to be some scholar anymore, he was truly pissed.
This time, none of the elders laughed.
The words spoken by Jamal had gone too far.
Jamal had been warned multiple times in the past by his father not to speak in a disrespectful way towards the adopted children in the clan as it might incite unnecessary internal conflicts.
This time, the whole clan was watching, and there were hundreds of adopted children who were quite talented and made up a huge part of their clan's foundation.
Even amongst the inner elders, there were 3 of them who were adopted by the clan leader.
Gray's smile was wiped off his face as he listened to Jamal's words.
An unprecedented urge to kill someone emerged from him.
This was the first time Gray had felt this kind of killing intent, it was faint but everyone in the room felt it.
Elder Gustav frowned but didn't do anything.
Gray ignored everyone and stared straight at Jamal, but instead of feeling overwhelmed by his emotions, his mind became incredibly clear as he slowly took a deep breath.
"Jamal, your words, a venomous blight,
Spoken not in wisdom, but petty spite.
To mock the orphans, to tear them apart,
Reveals not strength, but a coward's heart.
Do you measure worth by birth or name?
A shallow metric, a legacy of shame.
For lineage alone builds naught but pride,
While true greatness blooms where hardships reside.
I stand here today, seeking no man's favor,
But for a debt of justice that will not bend or waver.
You sought my life, left me for dead,
Yet here I rise, where you thought I'd bled.
The orphan, cast adrift by fate,
Knows struggle, loss, yet refuses hate.
We rise unbroken, by trials refined,
A lineage of courage, by choice designed.
You call us swine, uneducated and crude,
Your ignorance and arrogance truly make one brood.
Tell me, Jamal, what legacy you weave,
When even your father looks on with grief.
The Anarkin Clan bear witness today,
To who builds the clan, and who tears it away.
Let this be clear: justice does not sway,
Not for wealth, blood, or a grand display.
To all who watch, let my truth ring clear:
We orphans stand as pillars here.
It's not birth, but deeds, that define a man,
A truth that binds this noble clan.
Jamal, reflect on what you've done,
Your empty boasts shames only one.
You sought to wound, to scatter and break,
But strength like ours, you cannot unmake.
Today, I demand what is right and just,
An end to bias, to blind mistrust.
Let judgment fall, let truth be laid bare,
For justice, like us orphans, has no need for an heir!"
As Gray finished, the hall fell silent.
His words weighing heavily on everyone present, forcing even the most indifferent elders to reevaluate their stance.
The crowd outside also fell silent, still absorbing Gray's wisdom.
After a while, they roared in support, especially the orphans who were adopted into the clan, Gray's speech made them feel both vindicated and empowered.
As the silence stretched on, a young adopted member near the front of the crowd clenched his fists, eyes burning with emotion.
"That was one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard," he whispered. "Way better than that trash Jamal spat out earlier."
Another adopted member, an older girl with a scar on her cheek, crossed her arms and smirked. "I knew Jamal was dumb, but I didn't think he'd get verbally bodied like this in front of the whole clan."
A smaller boy, barely past ten, tugged at the sleeve of his friend. "Did you hear that? Gray said we stand as pillars in the clan! He's right! We're not just some leftovers they can look down on!"
A stocky adopted member with calloused hands nodded firmly. "Damn right! We worked just as hard, no, even harder than the ones born with silver spoons in their mouths. It's about time someone said it loud enough for the whole clan to hear."
Another adopted member, leaning against a pillar, let out a low whistle. "I gotta admit… I just came here for some juicy gossip, but this? This is better. This is history in the making."
A girl crossed her arms, watching Jamal wobble. "Gray rose from the dead, now look at Jamal, digging his own grave in front of the whole clan."
Another girl leaned on her spear, shaking her head in disappointment. "Do we even need to continue with this trial?"
The laughter that followed was loud and unapologetic, and the morale among the adopted members of the sect soared. For the first time, they didn't feel like outcasts, they felt like a force.