1372 Queen Of Shadows

Humanity had nothing but awe and respect for the celestial rankers. It was still hard for the people to digest. It hadn't even been a year when the greatest powerhouses were still Sovereigns.

Much had changed in just a few months. It was so unreal that some conspiracy theories began to spread. One of the most popular one was that they were all in a matrix, a large scale mental spell that put them into their sweetest dreams.

It wouldn't have been a big problem if that was all. Some of these idiots began to try to 'break the matrix' by doing some crazy stuff.

Reading some suspicious esoteric stuff, dancing to please the sacred entities, putting themselves through self-abuse to 'wake up'.

If that was where it ended, it wouldn't have been so bad. A bunch of cultists picked up a theory from who knows where that they needed to 'sacrifice' other humans, whom they merely viewed as 'creations of the matrix' and referred to them as 'NPCs'.

The security forces would've quickly noticed and suppressed this. But the one heading the cult happened to be the mayor of the city.

So, it was only after Oob woke up from its rejuvenating sleep and did an occassional check did the incident come to light.

"He killed a total of 3300 people, all lured in the name of a gameshow with tonnes of prize money." Security Head of Venus reported with dry lips. "And in those 3300 were 150 teens who didn't even reach 18…"

The more he spoke, the lower his voice got and the more his shoulders drooped. As if his own self-depreciation wasn't enough, a powerful pressure began to act on his shoulders.

By the time he finished the report, Venus' Security Head was already kneeling.

"This cult originated in Venus, the planet you were assigned to, right?" A cold voice sounded in the palace hall.

Hearing her tone, the officials turned stiff in their seats and began to sweat. The ones related to Venus had already turned pale.

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty." The man said.

"Why didn't you act when these crazy theories began to propogate?"

"I-I thought it was just some pranks by bored people…"

A scoff came came from the Queen's throne.

"Something that ten million people of your planet are aware of—even if it's a prank, it's something you should be aware of!

You're bestowed with all powers to do one thing—ensure safety of the people. This is your planet, isn't it? The one where you were born, grew up and fought for. You failed to protect your own people."

"I-I'm ashamed…"

"If the security guards protecting your family also say they're ashamed after failing to protect your wife and kids, what will you do?" The Queen's already cold voice now sounded murderous.

Everyone in the hall shuddered. Their clothes were already drenched in sweat and their hearts were about to break out of their chest.

The Security Head was in a worse shape. Blood began to leak out of his lips and nose. His hands began to shiver and a bone-freezing coldness enveloped his entire body.

"I…I will…"

"Yes, what will you do if the security guards failed to protect your wife and kids? Go ahead. State your course of action."

Seeing the Queen's insistence, a thought appeared in everyone's minds. Perhaps she really intended to make it happen.

It would be a crazy judgement. Collective punishment wasn't uncommon in the militaristic society of humans. But doing it to someone as important as a planet's security head would definitely be a first.

If this was something that happened in the pre-Empire era, there would definitely be self-appointed moralists of the world who would jump out and write reports after reports criticising, condemning and even cursing the particular Sovereign.

A section of historians would lament the loss of values in the new generation. Some media personnel would shed some tears and generate outrage.

And a couple universities, especially those run on planets whose Sovereigns didn't have a good relationship with that particular Sovereign, would hold some talks about why it was so despicable.

Even Sovereign Irene, who practically dedicated her life to the people of her planet was criticized for not doing 'enough'. At times, the criticism even went overboard and said it'd have been better if she had no family at all to distract her from all the things.

All in all, there would be a small but loud section of people from different fields opposing that action and creating outrage.

But now, even if the Queen really killed not just the Security Head, not just his family, but even his entire group of friends, allies and relatives, not a single word would be raised against her.

And if it accidentally happened, both the words and the one who raised them would be erased.

Even if everyone else banded against her, the Queen could crush them alone. This was very, very different from how the power Sovereigns held.

Funnily enough, despite this near god-like status, neither of the Queens were actually interested in ruling. They viewed it as a job to fulfill. So, no actual harm befell the people.

The downside was actually for the guilty. No matter their background, whether their father was the best businessman of Earth or if their mother was a freaking Sovereign, they couldn't escape punishment from big crimes.

"Answer, what will you do if your security guard—"

"I will kill them." The man lowered his head and said in a hoarse voice. "I will kill them brutally."

The Queen nodded and the man prepared for his death. But what came was not the feeling of his neck sliced off but sharp words ringing in his ears.

"Your negligence lead to all those deaths. But killing you just like that is not compensation enough. So, you'll be sent on a suicide mission. If you return after accomplishing it, you can have your life back. If not, then you at least died for something."

"…Thank you. And my family—"

"Nothing will happen. But they will be stripped off their status and will have to adjust to living a less luxurious life. Say your good byes and start your journey." With those words, the Queen of Shadows disappeared.

A few seconds later, her silhouttee manifested near the planetoids at the outskirts of the solar system.

"Sia, Sia, you were so cool today!" Boo waved its hands and said with a bright smile.

"That I am." Sia crossed her arms and nodded.

"…Is narcissism a genetic thing? No, maybe it's a household thing." Boo muttered.

"I can hear you, little ghost."

"Ehehe. I will have to open the portal for that guy. Bye!" Boo escaped.

"You were kinder in your judgement than I expected." Oob appeared a moment later and said as it circled around her.

Sia shook her head. "I never thought a few conspiracy theories would go this far. It's the first time. He's still responsible, but even then, killing him would be a waste. The one who should be subject to cruelty is that mayor."

Saying so, she raised an eyebrow. "Is everyone witnessing his punishment?"

Oob froze for a moment before nodding up and down. "Y-Yes. It's a bit too cruel."

"Hehe." Sia placed a hand on her cheek and let out a satisfied smile. "Varian will be proud of me. Sarah will be jealous. It's a great punishment, isn't it?"

"Y-Yes…" Oob nodded in a timid voice.

Sia was 'normal' most of the time. But sometimes, she went into a 'crazy' mode. Just like now, her face was a bit flushed and her eyes were looking into the distance and there was a big smile on her face.

'She's definitely thinking about him, no, that much is obvious. But she's definitely thinking something inappropriate. Master once said that Sia muttered about wanting to tie him up in her sleep.'

Oob also silently slipped away.

Meanwhile, the Security Head was sent into a portal opened by Boo. It led to distant places in the galaxy, most of which were considered barren and useless for civilization.

Many before him were sent with the goal to 'explore' these areas as much as they could. If he hit a few milestones, he could return, probably.

The goal of this whole mission was to find places where humanity could shift in case something bad happened.

It's a mission that Sarah and Sia decided after Varian left. Without burdening him, they wanted to see if they could solve one of his problems.

So far, it's going well.

But life for one man was definitely not going well.

The punishment the mayor was suffering was being showcased for free in all major theaters.

Sia's punishment was more cruel than just killing or even physically torturing him. Using her powers, she put him through a life-like illusion.

The mayor would go through 3,300 lives, one for each life he killed.

Every single life of his would be extremely miserable. In one life, he was sold into a brothel and died after severe violent abuse.

In another life, he was stranded in an unending desert. He tried his best to live and a fairy promised him there's water somewhere. When he reached the destination, it all turned out to be a lie. He died in despair and resentment.

Then the next life, he was eaten by wild ants for ten whole years, wanting to die but forced to stay alive.

And as his lives progressed, he began to get back the memories of his previous lives and deaths. They began to break him.

By the time he reached 600th incarnation, his soul crumbled. But as if it was not torture enough, Sia's power repaired his soul and pushed him on the journey.

Even the most hardcore believer of the crazy theories shuddered at these punishments that far surpassed anything words could describe.

From that day, without a single life battle, all the nonsense stopped in the Empire of Humans.