"Clean him up and take him to Tenshukaku. He's so filthy, it's an insult to the eyes of the Raiden Shogun and Lord Akio," an Okuzumeshuu samurai said to another.
"Understood," the other samurai nodded, then brought over several buckets of water and drenched Kujou Takayuki from head to toe.
"How dare you treat me like this!" Kujou Takayuki gnashed his teeth in rage. Just wait, once he escaped, he'd make sure they paid for this!
"Shut up! Hurry! Don't keep the Raiden Shogun and Lord Akio waiting." The samurai didn't care about Kujou Takayuki's nonsense and kicked him in the rear, sending him stumbling out the door. It was laughable—once you entered this place, did you really think you'd survive?
"General Kujou, we're handing the prisoner over to you," the Okuzumeshuu samurai said as they reached the prison gate.
"Understood. I'll escort him safely to Tenshukaku," Kujou Sara nodded, taking custody of Kujou Takayuki and leading him out.
With shackles on his hands and feet, Kujou Takayuki moved slowly. Kujou Sara couldn't bring herself to drag him roughly, as he was the man who had once raised her, so she could only escort him at a slow pace.
"Sara, I'm your father. Have you forgotten?" Kujou Takayuki hobbled along, tears streaming down his face as he looked at Kujou Sara. "Father knows he was wrong."
"Your mistakes are not for me to judge. You'll have to explain yourself to the Raiden Shogun and Lord Akio at Tenshukaku," Kujou Sara replied coldly.
"I'm begging you, as your father! Just let me go! You don't have to do anything, just unlock these shackles," Kujou Takayuki pleaded. "Isn't the debt of raising you enough to earn this one mercy?"
Kujou Sara stopped in her tracks. She looked at Kujou Takayuki with a cold gaze, and for a moment, a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes. He knew Kujou Sara valued things like gratitude and loyalty above all else.
"Don't delude yourself. I won't unlock them," Kujou Sara said curtly, grabbing Kujou Takayuki by the collar and dragging him forward.
Kujou Takayuki's words had completely extinguished the last shred of guilt she felt for him.
Passersby on the street stared in shock at the scene. Wasn't that the former Commissioner of the Tenryou Commission? Rumor had it he'd been imprisoned for serious crimes, and now General Kujou herself was escorting him.
However, as they turned onto a narrow path, a group of people wielding Delusions suddenly surrounded Kujou Sara and Kujou Takayuki.
"The Fatui?!" Kujou Sara's expression turned icy. Their equipment and uniforms made it clear they were Fatui agents.
"Attack!" Without hesitation, the Fatui charged forward, aiming to kill Kujou Sara and take Kujou Takayuki with them.
Kujou Sara gritted her teeth, summoning her weapon. With so many enemies, she wasn't sure she could hold them off.
"Hahaha! Kujou Sara! You brought this on yourself. I gave you a chance…" Kujou Takayuki laughed maniacally.
But his laughter was cut short in an instant.
From the sky, a barrage of golden lances descended, piercing through space itself.
In a flash, every Fatui agent was impaled, their bodies disintegrating into a mist of blood.
Before Kujou Sara could react, all the Fatui had been reduced to blood, the ground ahead stained crimson.
The Subspace Lances shattered the Fatui and vanished into the air, taking with them Kujou Takayuki's last hope.
"Lord Akio!" Recognizing the divine power, Kujou Sara knew it was Akio who had intervened. She felt a chill—it was clear that both Akio and the Raiden Shogun had been watching closely.
Kujou Sara glared at Kujou Takayuki and dragged him swiftly toward Tenshukaku, ignoring his screams of protest.
Inside Tenshukaku.
"The Fatui?" Akio raised an eyebrow as he watched the scene unfold on a golden screen—Kujou Sara dragging Kujou Takayuki toward Tenshukaku. He glanced at Rosalyne, who was massaging his shoulders.
"It's not my doing," Rosalyne quickly explained. "These are Scaramouche's men. My subordinates are still at the inn, and they wouldn't dare act without my orders. Besides, the insignias on their chests mark them as Scaramouche's forces."
"Don't worry," Akio smiled. Rosalyne had been well-trained and was now obedient, showing no trace of her former arrogance in his presence.
"The cunning rabbit has many burrows. It seems he's been dealing with Scaramouche as well!" Raiden Makoto's anger flared as she watched the screen.
Soon, with Kujou Sara's swift handling, Kujou Takayuki was brought into Tenshukaku.
"Let them in," Akio ordered.
As the Okuzumeshuu stepped aside, Kujou Sara dragged Kujou Takayuki into the hall.
"Silence in Tenshukaku!" Seeing Kujou Takayuki's wailing, Kujou Sara punched him hard in the stomach, leaving him gasping in pain.
"Kneel!" With a forceful push, Kujou Takayuki collapsed to his knees.
"Kujou Takayuki! As the Commissioner of the Tenryou Commission, you have committed numerous crimes against Inazuma and deceived the gods. Do you admit your guilt?" Raiden Makoto's voice was cold.
"I've done nothing wrong to Inazuma. I was merely using the Fatui," Kujou Takayuki continued to argue. "With the Raiden Shogun's divine might, what harm could the Fatui possibly do?"
"See? This is what they mean by 'a dog can't change its habit of eating dirt,'" Akio pointed at Kujou Takayuki with a smirk.
"Makoto, there's no need to waste time on a trial. Since the charges are already confirmed, let's carry out the sentence," Akio declared with a smile, pronouncing Kujou Takayuki's fate: "Kujou Takayuki, death by execution."
"Akio!!" Kujou Takayuki glared at Akio, about to spew more venom, but Kujou Sara was quicker, delivering a punch to his mouth that silenced him.
Raiden Makoto and Akio exchanged approving glances with Kujou Sara. Then, with a wave of his hand, Akio suspended Kujou Takayuki in mid-air.
"Hiiragi Shinsuke suffered the agony of being pierced by a thousand arrows before his death. As for you, you'll experience the pain of bone erosion."
Akio flicked his finger, and a wave of death energy attached itself to Kujou Takayuki's legs. Under his horrified gaze, his body began to disintegrate, starting from his legs.
Watching himself slowly dissolve was an unimaginable torment, both physically and mentally. But for Kujou Takayuki, this suffering was nothing less than what he deserved.
Before long, Kujou Takayuki's form vanished completely, as if he had never existed.
"With the troublemaker gone, Inazuma's future is looking brighter," Akio said with a smile, turning to Kujou Sara. "From today onward, Sara, you will act as the acting Commissioner of the Tenryou Commission."
"Me?" Kujou Sara was stunned and looked at Akio, about to refuse.
But Akio cut her off. "I believe you can do it. For the Inazuma you hold dear, there's no one more suitable than you."
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