The attack, which had split Kaelor in half, had killed him instantly—that was certain. But the slash didn't just stop with his body.

The spatial blade continued traveling through the entire courtroom, cutting through the air itself and extending far beyond the chamber walls without hitting anyone else present.

It was Leon's Intentional precision and Complete control.

Leon had deliberately used only his Spatial Aura for this technique, ensuring the attack wouldn't be too violent or create excessive collateral damage. It needed to be sharp, strong, thin, and surgically precise.

The cut itself was only an inch wide, but it remained perfectly consistent throughout its entire trajectory. A single continuous line that bisected stone, air, and flesh with equal ease.

It was terrifying nonetheless for those who witnessed the display of absolute mastery and spatial devastation.

Leon's gaze swept across the room, immediately detecting several sources of intense killing intent directed at him.

First was the nun, who was openly crying while simultaneously glaring at him with pure hatred radiating from her tear-filled eyes.

Tears streaked down her cheeks in broken lines, but her fists stayed clenched so hard her knuckles turned bone white.

She clearly wanted nothing more than to kill him for what he'd done to her party member.

Pretty justifiable reaction, honestly.

Second was the masked assassin girl from their party, who looked ready to attack at any moment despite the horrific demonstration she'd just witnessed. Her entire body was coiled like a spring, trembling with suppressed rage.

Arthur, their party leader, stood the farthest away. He was visibly gritting his teeth, but his killing intent was practically nonexistent compared to the two women.

His fearful eyes told Leon everything—this man wasn't ruled by emotion like the others. He'd quickly understood the genuine danger Leon represented and was exercising caution accordingly.

Or he's just a bit of a coward. Either way, I don't particularly care.

The ten council members standing in the luxurious gallery were collectively shocked. One of the finest young adventurers of their generation had just died before their very eyes at the hands of this terrifying monster in human skin.

However, not everyone viewed Leon purely as a monster. The reactions were divided—some privately believed he had been quite merciful and reasonable, considering the circumstances of how he'd arrived here and what had been done to his companions.

Among those with more nuanced perspectives was the supreme leader herself.

The sixth supreme leader's thoughts were racing.

What is that abomination in human form?

Others in the room might not be able to detect it properly—the true nature was far too out of reach for their limited perception—but she felt it clearly the moment she'd laid eyes on him.

The instant he entered this courtroom, I knew things had gone terribly wrong. We won't be the ones judging here. We'll be the ones being judged.

What did she actually feel about witnessing one of the talented younger generation adventurers die so brutally?

Not much, other than the fact it's a pity. The outcome was brutal, yes, but I know Kaelor was entirely to blame for how he ended up.

But one thing she genuinely appreciated was that this abomination wasn't completely unreasonable despite the extreme circumstances.

And I know exactly why that might be.

A quiet sigh of relief escaped her lips as she appreciated her earlier decision to wait until finding the final and main suspect before attempting any thorough interrogation of the three women from before.

I knew it would have been violent if we'd pressed them. That single decision probably saved many lives today... including my own.

Leon assessed that the immediate violent situation was over, but he absolutely couldn't just leave things like this. The amount of mental torture and stress this entire ordeal had caused him—being arrested, handcuffed, dragged here like a criminal while his companions were held hostage—he wasn't going to let these people walk away without consequences.

One dead. That was his own foolish choice after I gave fair warning.

Leon's eyes fixed on the mysterious figure still sitting in the highest seat—powerful by normal standards, certainly, but weak compared to him.

He teleported directly in front of the robed figure without warning.

FWOOSH!

The sudden appearance made the supreme leader visibly flinch backward.

Leon's voice came out as a direct command, cold and brooking no argument.

"Remove your covering cloak and mask. Show yourself."

Gasps erupted throughout the courtroom at his audacious demand.

No one had ever seen the faces of the seven supreme leaders. Their identities were among the most closely guarded secrets in the entire middle domain. But this man was casually ordering a supreme leader to remove her concealment as if she were a common servant?

Some council members scoffed internally.

Just because he killed one talented and powerful adventurer in a single attack doesn't mean he can do whatever he wants in front of a supreme leader.

Their weapons were already drawn and ready. It seemed the supreme leader had wanted to prevent escalation earlier—sensing this man's terrifying strength and ordering the younger fighters to stand down. But now it would be different.

We'll gang up on him together. Overwhelm him with numbers.

The nun and assassin from Kaelor's party were more than ready and eager. They desperately wanted revenge for their fallen comrade.

However, what happened next made their mouths hang open in absolute shock.

The exact opposite of their expectations occurred—something only one person in the room had actually predicted: Cassandra, who watched with knowing calmness.

It was just a fortunate guess, really.

The sixth supreme leader stood up from her grandiose seat without resistance. Then she actually began removing her concealing cloak, layer by layer.

RUSTLE... SWISH...

What was revealed made several people's eyes go wide with disbelief.

A young woman stood before them wearing completely casual clothing—comfortable pink pajamas with a matching loose shirt. She had striking ocean-blue hair and bright blue eyes that seemed to hold depths of hidden power.

Most bizarrely, she was standing on a small, thin, floating platform made of water beneath her feet, whose sole apparent purpose was to make her appear taller than she actually was—even taller than Leon.

Her age appeared no older than twenty, possibly even younger, which was somewhat surprising. Her youthful appearance was credited to excellent skin quality and delicate facial features. But he knows she was much older. She looked completely non-threatening to Leon's assessment based on just pure looks.

I definitely didn't expect this.

Leon coughed slightly and gestured downward with one hand.

"Get down from that."

The sixth supreme leader immediately realized what he was referring to—the water platform boost. She couldn't help but feel mortified inside.

I'm dying of embarrassment. Everyone has seen how I really look now...

But no outward reaction showed on her face whatsoever. She was using her mana and water affinity to manually control her facial features and expression with supernatural precision.

A stone-cold face with only slight redness—conflicting signals that betrayed her inner turmoil.

The water platform dissipated.

SPLASH...

Her feet hit the actual ground.

Leon immediately noticed she was incredibly small. She wasn't even five feet tall—he calculated approximately four feet eleven inches at most.

She's tiny. I kind of understand now why she was the way she was before, with all the concealment and platform tricks.

Without asking permission, Leon walked past her and sat down casually in the grandiose seat she had been occupying just moments before, right in front of her eyes and everyone else watching.

Most people in the courtroom were shocked simultaneously by two things: the unexpected appearance of the sixth supreme leader, and how utterly disrespectful this silver-white-haired man was being while their leader remained quiet and compliant the entire time.

Everything feels completely unreal.

Leon crossed one leg over the other in a relaxed posture. The small supreme leader stood directly in front of him like a subordinate awaiting instructions.

His voice came out smooth but carrying an edge of dangerous authority.

"Little Isabella, how exactly do you think you're going to make things right with me after this disaster?"

At that very moment, thick blue runic chains materialized out of thin air and wrapped around the small blue-haired woman, merging seamlessly with her body.

SHIMMER! CLINK!

It was Leon's Arcane Shackle technique—the same one he'd used against Morpheus. He'd employed it deliberately, even though this small woman appeared completely non-threatening, because he had his own reason to do so.

Isabella was shocked, embarrassed, and terrified simultaneously.

What?! How?!

How did he know her real name? No one was supposed to know that! Her true identity was buried under layers of official secrecy!

He called me "little Isabella"... I want to disappear right now...

And most terrifying of all, her ability to control mana had vanished completely. The connection was severed.

A hollow thump echoed inside her skull, as if her mana core had been slammed shut with divine authority.

Everything had happened far too fast for her to react or defend herself.

The air warped sharply, as if space itself held its breath in fear, causing ripples in her ocean blue eyes, contrary to a red hue on her cheek, recalling the word "little Isabella"; it was a turmoil of different emotions at once.

Leon leaned back even further into the oversized throne, draping one arm across the armrest with royal laziness.

"Now then," he said, voice as smooth as chilled steel, "let's talk—politely, of course."

He tilted his head.

"There's no need for panic, little Issabella. Speak slowly and... I prefer my apologies sincere and well thought out."

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