Chapter 160: Are You Worthy?
"What?!"
"Oh my goodness!!"
The collective gasp of the crowd was a tangible thing, a wave of shock that rippled through the town square. All eyes were fixed on the sky, where two figures descended with a chilling, almost predatory stillness.
"Is that?!" a voice whispered, lost in the murmur that spread through the assembled citizens.
"Oh my God! That’s Jolie’s father!" another person exclaimed, their voice thick with disbelief.
"Who’s the second man in white?"
"I don’t know," a reply came, laced with a tremor of fear.
The people instinctively took a step back, a tide of humanity recoiling from the two descending figures.
In her mind, Lola’s thoughts screamed a desperate command to run, but she remained rooted to the spot, her gaze fixed on the two men who now stood before them:
’The one in white is a God-rank, stage one, and Jolie’s father is a Demi-god rank, stage five!’ she noted, her internal alarm bells ringing.
’Both are elders of the immortal council,’ she thought, a cold certainty settling in her heart.
"Dad!!" Jolie yelled, her voice a mix of relief and hope.
"Grandfather!" Frederick’s cry echoed hers, the two of them seeing a glimmer of salvation.
Lola, however, addressed the two newcomers with a different tone:
"Mr. Jabari, and..." she paused, turning her gaze to Jolie’s father, "and Richard... Interfering with worldly laws is against your council’s rule. Do you really want to break it?" Her voice was steady, a stark contrast to the fear she felt. She stared directly at the third and eighth elders of the immortal council.
Richard bristled, his face contorting in a sneer:
"What right do you have to punish my family? You’re just a kid!" He turned to Jabari. "Third elder... you have to help me! My family is being framed!" He then looked at Jolie and the others.
"Right?"
Frederick, ever the opportunist, was quick to seize the moment. "Yes! Yes!! She’s framing us!!" he yelled, his voice rising in frantic desperation.
"She deceived the people! And they all believed her! You must help us, grandfather."
"You heard that?" Richard said, turning back to Jabari. The elder in white slowly nodded his head.
"Young lady... can you tell me the crimes you said they committed?" Jabari asked, his tone unnervingly calm.
Lola frowned. ’This is a God-rank! He alone can wipe out this planet... But...’ Her gaze flickered up to Jabari, a fierce resolve hardening her expression.
"My name is Lola, daughter of the late princess of this nation... These guys are being punished because they killed not only my parents but twenty more families!! They’re being punished as the law sees fit!" she declared.
"And where is the proof?" Jabari’s tone remained as calm as ever, a placid facade that hid an unknown depth of power.
Lola gritted her teeth and turned to Vince, who immediately pulled a laptop from his spatial storage and showed a video to the two elders.
Jabari’s eyebrow twitched as he watched the footage: Jolie and Frederick in full armor, with Jolie nonchalantly revealing her crimes:
"Okay... This seems like valid proof," he said with a small, noncommittal nod.
"Seems? You can see it yourself! She exposed all her doings!" Lola’s frustration boiled over, and she yelled at him.
"Hey, child... Forging a video is easy, but trying to deceive a God-rank... do you think that’s easy?" he asked, his voice suddenly cold, a palpable wave of energy spreading out from him, pressing down on everyone present.
"Are you going to use your powers and escape justice?! If that happens, I will make whatever happens here public! I’ll see how your council explains it!!" Lola threatened, her voice ringing with defiance.
A flicker of surprise crossed Jabari’s face. ’Did... did she just threaten the immortal council?’ he thought, momentarily stunned.
"Yes!! The Queen is correct!!" a woman’s voice cut through the air, surprisingly loud and clear.
"What is your immortal council for?! It was formed to keep the nations in peace!! And you won’t interfere with our laws and punishment! But now!! You’re defending someone who committed countless crimes!!" The woman’s words were fearless, and her passion ignited the crowd.
"Yes!!" The people chorused their agreement, a unified roar of support.
"Silence!!" Richard hissed, his face contorted in rage. A dense amount of celestial energy burst from him, a violent wind that pushed the people back, their feet scraping against the ground.
"You common people don’t have the right to speak here!!" he thundered.
He then turned his cold gaze to Lola. "You are the real culprit!! You forged fake evidence, and conspired against your Queen and her senators! All for the throne! You should be the one who’s getting punished!"
His accusation was a vicious strike, and he moved his cold gaze to the soldiers and the crowd:
"Not only that, you colluded with another nation! This is a carefully planned attack, if I haven’t acted, you would have succeeded."
"Lies!! You are changing the truth!! You can’t deceive us!!" The woman’s voice rang out again, a beacon of defiance.
"Yes!! You can’t!! We aren’t stupid!!" another person yelled.
"Correct!!! Leave our nation and let the criminals get punished!!"
"Get off this planet!!"
"We don’t want you here!!"
"You aren’t taking the criminals with you!!"
The crowd erupted in a chorus of shouts, their voices fueled by indignation. They were ready to defend their Queen and themselves.
’Who is that woman?’ Jabari scanned the crowd, his eyes searching for the source of the rebellious voice, but he couldn’t pinpoint her.
’And... Lola here is just a Grand Master... What gave her the guts to challenge a God-rank and a Demigod-rank warrior?’ He mused, his gaze moving to the soldiers, who stood ready, their hands on the hilts of their swords.
’We can’t act rashly here... There must be someone hiding. Richard also said this child is working with another nation, but no nation has produced a Demigod or God-rank warrior...’ He exhaled, a slow, calculated move as he silently scanned the scene.
’Maybe I can bring this person out from hiding.’ He turned to Lola.
"Release them now, or I will act... These people here can’t go against the immortal council, unless they want to live miserable lives," he said, his voice cold and commanding.
"What?!! Now you’re looking down on us?!! How dare you!!! My fellow people! Let’s show these fools we aren’t to be messed with!! Strength isn’t everything!! Come on! He won’t dare hurt us!" The woman’s voice sounded again, a clear and taunting challenge.
"Do you only know how to hide and yell in the shadows!!" Richard roared in frustration, his gaze sweeping the area.
’This woman isn’t simple... I can’t even detect her whereabouts,’ he thought, and looked over his shoulder at his daughter.
’Who did you offend? This person isn’t even scared of the immortal council... No!! I will never let them kill my family!!’
He clenched his fists, and with a flash, he vanished, reappearing directly in front of Lola.
’If I take her... I’ll have leverage over the people!!’ he thought, his plan a desperate gamble.
"Richard! Wait!" Jabari called out, a flicker of surprise in his voice. But it was already too late.
"Come here, child!!" Richard’s hand shot out.
BAM!!!
WHOOSH!!
Richard flew backward, a blur of motion, and smashed into the ground twenty meters away, a crater forming beneath him.
"....?!"
The crowd was stunned.
"...?!"
Jabari was dumbfounded:
’Who is strong enough to attack a Demi-god rank warrior without me detecting him?’ he thought, his mind racing.
A new voice, smooth and resonant, echoed through the town square, seemingly from all directions at once: "I don’t know the immortal council is this arrogant? And Leonardo tried to recruit me in such a council."
"Who are you?!!" Jabari yelled, his calm facade finally cracking into mild surprise.
’I can’t even detect his presence... And! Why the hell am I shaking?’ he thought, a cold shiver running down his spine.
"Are you worthy of knowing my name?" the voice responded, a casual but utterly devastating question.