The group passed the borders of the Icy Pride Empire without anything happening. Just like any other Empire they had passed through on the way, no one bothered to stop a leader of an Empire.
Some hours later, everyone arrived at the base of the Mountain of Pride. The squad and Gravis were used to the mountain's imposing appearance, but the Emperor felt intrigued. After all, he hadn't seen the Mountain of Pride yet.
"Truly impressive," the Emperor said with a sigh after a minute. "No wonder the Empress is one of the most powerful level three Emperors," he said.
Gravis' ears perked up when he heard that. He hadn't known the specific power of the Empress in relation to her Realm. Yet, somehow, it didn't surprise him that she was one of the most powerful level three Emperors.
Gravis had already guessed that the Law of Pride wasn't as simple as the normal Laws. One could observe matter and elements, but it was difficult to observe Pride. Just like Gravis' Law of Suppression, the Law of Pride was also a Law that couldn't be easily observed.
Gravis had already realized that his Law of Suppression wasn't simple. This Law alone allowed him to jump an entire level in the Nascent Nourishing Realm. If Gravis had understood no other Law and had basically no fighting experience, this Law alone would let him triumph over a King a full level above himself.
One had to remember that a level four King knew around four Laws. Yet, with only one Law, Gravis would be able to jump an entire level. Using only one Law to defeat someone that understood four Laws one entire level higher than oneself seemed ridiculous.
Gravis guessed that his Law of Suppression was about as powerful as the Law that had allowed the Inquisitor to summon these powerful Spires. It was simply on another level than the Initial Laws.
Gravis was right in that regard. He didn't know much about the classifications of Laws, but emotional Laws and Laws that didn't really physically exist, like the Law of Suppression, were generally considered Low-Rank Laws. This was an entire Rank higher than Initial Laws. One had to remember that one needed to understand at least three Initial Laws to understand a Low-Rank Law.
"Follow me," the Grand Elder said as he suddenly appeared in front of them with serious eyes. For the first time, the Grand Elder was looking at Gravis with a judging and severe look. Obviously, he had already been informed about what had happened by the Emperor.
The Emperor and the squad lowered their head in a show of respect, while Gravis only raised a questioning eyebrow at the Grand Elder. When the Grand Elder saw that, he huffed and went upward. Even in this situation, Gravis didn't follow basic protocol.
Some seconds later, everyone arrived at the peak of the Mountain of Pride. The squad immediately lowered their heads and didn't dare to look at the Empress. In comparison, the Emperor looked at the Empress with an intense stare. Since he was an Emperor, he didn't need to show subservience to such a degree. A basic show of respect was enough.
The Empress opened her closed eyes as she looked into the Emperor's eyes, who immediately started shivering. The pressure he was experiencing was unreal. It was almost like a God was looking at him that could kill him with just a thought.
'I want her!' he thought intensely but didn't show any of that on the outside. On the outside, he simply lowered his head slightly in a nodding gesture, which was the basic show of respect.
"Hi!"
Gravis' words made every other beast become nervous and fearful. Did Gravis have a death wish?
The Empress didn't seem to react to his words. It was like he had said absolutely nothing just now. The Grand Elder stepped forward and took his place beside the Empress as he looked neutrally at the gathered beasts.
"Elite Striking Squad, come forward," the Empress commanded with an imposing and cold voice.
The squad didn't dare to make the Empress repeat her order and took several steps forward.
"In front of me, no one will be able to threaten your lives," the Empress said. "Tell us honestly what has transpired ever since the traitor joined your squad."
Gravis rolled his eyes in exasperation as he heard the Empress refer to him as a traitor.
Then, the squad told the Empress the entire story honestly. They wouldn't dare to lie in front of the Empress. When one of them said a vague statement that could be interpreted in multiple ways, the Empress commanded them to rephrase the statement.
In order to feel the lie, the statements had to be direct. Half-truths were a known way to lie to a more powerful beast.
The squad didn't intend to lie, but they were simply too nervous, which made them refer to things vaguely in fear of saying something that wasn't true.
The squad told the Empress everything. They told her about their first meeting with Gravis and about what they had all talked about. Then, they told her about how they arrived at the defensive line and how their dead squad leader had lured them into an ambush.
After that, it became a bit harder for them to explain everything. They didn't hear all the conversations, and they also didn't know how Jessy, Gravis, or the Inquisitor performed their attacks. Their power was simply too high for them to judge accurately.
After over an hour, the squad was finally finished with explaining everything. The Empress allowed them to leave the mountain and go back to their homes. When a new squad leader was chosen, they would be informed.
With that, the squad left the Mountain of Pride. Now, only the Emperor, Gravis, the Grand Elder, and the Empress remained on the peak.
"Traitor," the Empress said.
"Excuse me, it's Gravis," Gravis interjected, making the present Emperor sweat in nervousness.
The Empress didn't seem to react to his words. "Which Laws have you comprehended in the battles?"
"Against Jessy, I comprehended the Law of Danger. Against the Inquisitor, I comprehended the Law of Organ Growth," Gravis replied directly.
This confirmed the Empress' suspicions. She had heard the description of the fights, and those two Laws fit the abilities that Gravis had used. This also explained how he had managed to survive as only a flying head.
"Fill in the missing gaps of the earlier testimony," the Empress commanded.
Gravis shrugged, seemingly not realizing the difficult situation he was in and simply filled in the missing gaps. Those gaps were the conversations that the squad couldn't hear and a more detailed description of his fights.
Gravis was very straightforward and just told it as directly as possible. Even if he could lie, there was no reason to. After all, Gravis believed that he was honestly innocent and not a traitor. It was just a streak of unfortunate events.
After Gravis was finished, the Empress took half a minute to consider her options. By now, she had a very clear picture of what had happened, and she also knew that all of these things were just a series of unfortunate events. Yet, Gravis had still not acted correctly.
Gravis had forced Commander Rime, who had only intended on helping him, into a life and death fight. Additionally, an Inquisitor had a very special status for all land beasts.
Only a leader of a level three Empire or higher was allowed to kill an Inquisitor. Otherwise, traitors might use a one-sided testimony that said that they only defended themselves. After all, the dead Inquisitor wouldn't be able to tell their side of the story.
This meant that Gravis had to be punished. There was no way around that, even if Gravis had the best of reasons to kill the gone-rogue Inquisitor.
"Coast Emperor," the Empress said as she looked at the present Emperor.
"Yes, Empress?" the Coast Emperor answered.
"We thank you for escorting the squad back to our Empire. You can leave the mountain. An Elder of mine will contact you shortly and will give you your just reward. One of my level five Kings will be under your command for the next ten years. That is all," the Empress said.
The Coast Emperor smiled and lowered his head again. "Thank you, Empress," he said. Then, he left the mountain without another word.
The Coast Emperor was smart. He was only here to make a good impression. He wouldn't immediately burst through the door and offer to fuck. Today would only be the first step of his eleven-step plan to get the Empress to mate with him. He was playing the long game.
Now, only the Empress, the Grand Elder, and Gravis were left on top of the mountain.
"You realize that you could very well be executed for what you have done?" the Empress asked.
"Yes, but I won't," Gravis said.
The Empress narrowed her eyes. "What makes you so sure?" she asked.
Gravis pointed at the Grand Elder. "Because he's still here," he said.
The Grand Elder rubbed his temples in annoyance while the Empress looked at the Grand Elder. Yes, if she decided to execute Gravis, he might very well make the Grand Elder explode immediately. If she honestly wanted to execute him, she would have sent the Grand Elder away.
"Fair point," the Empress said as she turned to Gravis. "No, you won't be executed. I know you, and I can see the whole situation from your point of view. You're obviously not a traitor and don't deserve death."
"Yet," the Empress said with more power, "even though I understand your reasons and wouldn't have acted any differently from you, you have still coerced Commander Rime into a life and death fight and killed an Inquisitor. This can't go unpunished."
"I know," Gravis said. "I can understand your position."
The Empress nodded.
"Gravis," the Empress declared imposingly.
"You are hereby sentenced to a Realm Stop for 100 years!"
