"4th King of Tepes, accused of mass murder. Total humans killed: 493."
I stared at this disgusting piece of shit.
But he slammed the stand again: "I object! I'm a vampire. Drinking human blood is in my nature. There's no difference between that and drinking animal blood."
I shot back, "So is draining them completely dry and killing them part of your 'nature' too? We let farm animals grow to a certain point before slaughter, but here in Romania, a bunch of villages is basically your personal feeding pens."
"It's exactly like a farm," he said, suddenly calmer, looking me dead in the eyes.
"We shoot lame horses. I did the same thing."
I cleared my throat: "Even when we kill livestock, we give them a quick death. And humans have awareness—self-awareness. The only thing separating you from them is raw power."
"I'm powerful. Why should that be considered wrong?"
I smiled.
Judgeman's voice suddenly boomed like thunder: "Verdict: Guilty. DEATH PENALTY!!!"
A sword appeared in my hand.
The king lunged at me, but I sidestepped easily.
"DIE! DIE! DIE!"
He kept coming, swinging wildly.
But after the first trial, he had almost no strength left…
I slipped behind him and drove the executioner's sword straight through the center of his chest. "4th King Tepes… you make me sick."
The domain collapsed.
We were back in the real world.
The guards immediately started kicking the fallen king.
Some drove their spears into him without hesitation.
One of the guards grabbed my hand, tears in his eyes: "Thank you… for showing me the truth…"
He tried to kneel, but I pulled him back up: "I just killed an extremely vile man. Please, stand."
Marius watched from the side the whole time.
He snapped his fingers once.
Valerie appeared out of thin air.
Her eyes were empty.
"Well, the girl's mind is broken," Marius said casually.
"That's why you can have her. You knew she had a Longinus from the beginning, didn't you?"
"Yeah. And if you don't want me to put you on trial next, stay out of my way. One more thing—don't start a war with the Carmilla vampires right away. If you do, I'll come visit both sides."
Marius gave a small, aristocratic bow. "Don't worry. Everything's under control. This girl has no use left anyway."
I walked over to Valerie. "Good choice, Marius. But if you turn into another disgusting bastard like your father… I'll come for you too."
Marius actually broke a sweat: "I-I'll change. I'll try to be a better man."
"I'm skeptical. I'd prefer our next meeting not to be hostile." I grabbed Valerie's arm and teleported us out instantly.
Right before we vanished, I gave Marius one last look and a thin smile.
The guy was shaking.
He'd just watched his father's full power become completely useless against me.
And with the strength I gained from killing him… I'd reached mid-Ultimate-class.
Even Cleave and Dismantle felt noticeably sharper.
We reappeared on Judex clan territory.
Valerie finally spoke, voice flat. "What do you want me to do…"
"Nothing. We'll talk when your mind comes back. Right now, you're too emotionless. I'm not going to take advantage of that state."
For the first time, a tiny flicker of something crossed her face.
"…I understand."
"You'll stay here. You'll live in this place. Your only real duty is simple: when you want food, just order it. There's also a button—press it once a day and the whole house cleans itself automatically. Other than that, do whatever you want. But for now, don't go outside. You're being kept here secretly."
Valerie nodded slowly. "That's… it?"
"That's it. Do what I said. Otherwise, whatever. But right now, stay inside."
She nodded again. "I understand… I won't cause trouble."
"You sound like a robot. How about trying a smile?" I mimed one with my fingers, pulling the corners of my mouth up.
Her face showed the tiniest hint of expression.
She let out a soft sigh.
I turned and headed straight for the training grounds.
Sudden power spikes can lead to loss of control.
And the last thing I wanted was that.