-68- Take them down!

The apprehension of the Rose Association members was a long and complex process.

Of course, "long and complex" was but only relative to the swift and decisive Judgement Court; in fact, the Judgement Court, known for quelling evil with lightning speed, had never taken more than 24 hours for a Holy Judgment.

Especially here in Bold, the heart of the Church's power in the southwest of the New Moon Kingdom, the Rose Association, an underground syndicate, had become trapped like a turtle in a jar the moment the city gates closed.

It was now past midnight, the thunderstorm had ended, and the rain was gradually calming.

In the sky above, thick clouds still tumbled, presenting a dull, dark gray in the night.

In the Rose Manor, however, it was brightly lit, and the number of Rose Association members brought here was increasing, already no fewer than five hundred.

They were uniformly bound at the hands, strung together and constrained by the Holy Lock, kneeling on the ground.