Speech

Hearing his words, those 'lesser' bloodlines immediately perked up, their eyes shining as they looked upon Minos, a small spark of hope igniting in their dark hearts.

Of course while they were filled with hope, others rejected Minos's words, feeling it lacked merit.

It was only natural that one should be judged by their strength, and if they belonged to a weaker bloodline, it made sense that they wouldn't be afforded the same opportunities as their superiors.

As a Nine-Tailed, Minos should know as much, after all he was at the top of this hierarchy, the one who benefited most from it!

The higher up one was on this hierarchy, the more they rejected Minos's words, and this was especially true for the Nine-Tailed themselves.

"Is he insane, what is he talking about!?" Orion couldn't help but whisper, feeling a little worried that Minos would cross a redline.

He had just become king and he was already talking so crazy! While the king was undoubtedly the loudest voice in the kingdom, even he would be in trouble if he turned the majority against him.

"He's a crazy bastard, that's for sure… But this kingdom has been in long need of someone unorthodox to shake things up." The Seventh said with a large smile, even more curious about what Minos had to say next.

Meanwhile Asumi didn't say anything, but she found her heart pumping rapidly as Minos spoke, his words filled with a sort of forbidden temptation.

Her own logic said that such words were blasphemous, and anyone who went against the hierarchy should immediately be struck down, but her heart's unconsciously deep devotion towards Minos made her feel otherwise.

She wanted to reject him, but she had already chosen him as king in her heart, so how could she reject his very words?

The conflict between these two lines of thinking filled her with turmoil, but the more she heard Minos speak, the more she swayed towards his side.

"In my kingdom, while I dare not promise absolute equality, I promise to get as close to it as I possibly can!"

"No more living in the shadows, no more being spit upon, because the way we treat the lowest amongst us is reflective of our own values, and it's time to create new ones!"

"All our people will walk with pride, why? Because they come from the Cat Kingdom, a kingdom that gives all its subjects a chance for brilliance!"

"So raise your heads, no more inferiority, no more bullying, for today is the day we all become kings!"

Like the straw that broke the camel's back, Minos's last words were so powerful that even those who disagreed with him couldn't help but begin cheering.

Asumi was also struck by his words, causing her heart's shield that had only been barely holding on to completely shatter, the small sapling turning into a massive oak.

All her devotion towards the hierarchy immediately vanished, instead replaced by Minos and his words.

'He's right, the hierarchy is an unjust and corrupt system! The first step towards improving the kingdom is destroying it, giving everyone a chance based on their own abilities!'

Waving at the crowd, Minos started walking off, Ryold and a few Forbidden Soldiers following tightly behind him.

They knew his words would definitely spark a dark undercurrent, and now was the time when he needed their protection the most.

Minos was also aware of such, but he wasn't worried. After all, what was the point of becoming king if he just cowered away and let others dictate how the kingdom operated?

Smiling towards the crowd, Minos entered the massive palace under Ryold's protection, Asumi and the other contestants following closely behind.

Before long, Minos once again came face to face with the king, or should he say former king.

Though despite having lost his position, he seemed unaffected, a peaceful smile on his face as he waited patiently for Minos to arrive.

With a few more steps, the two were right in front of each other, Minos looking down towards the king due to his large stature.

"You're earlier words, they were quite… Extreme, though I'm sure you're smart enough to understand as much."

"Naturally."

"Then I won't say anymore. I just hope you're prepared for the storm you'll inevitably face if you actually try to turn those words into reality."

"I wouldn't have become king otherwise." Minos smirked.

"Hahaha, good, then I'll drop it. However, there's still the question of the enthronement ceremony."

"No need for one. Let's leave the ceremonies for when I've actually accomplished something." Minos replied.

"Oh? But you do realize that's against tradition. I can't remember the last time a king didn't have an enthronement ceremony."

"Good, then it'll be even more obvious that I'm not here to play the same game as the others. This kingdom is in dire need of change, and I've already made an oath to be the one leading it."

"I'll try not to take that personally." the king said, though the smile on his face made it clear he was just joking.

"Since you're so confident, then let's not waste any more time. I, Eumbron Ninetails, the Eighth King of the Cat Kingdom, hereby pass my throne, and my kingdom, over to Minos."

"Everyone, welcome your Ninth King, King Minos." Eumbron proclaimed loudly, at the same time handing over his crown and scepter.

The two items clearly weren't mortal objects because the moment Minos came in contact with them, their size immediately changed to suit him.

The crown expanded to fit his head perfectly, as for the scepter, it also got longer to account for his height.

At the same time, they finally revealed their true nature to Minos, both being Avatar-Grade treasures, which was a level beyond the Moon-Tier system Minos was used to.

Of course despite being such advanced treasures, they still couldn't compare to Towery, but they were still some of the finest weapons one could get on this planet.

The crown was a defensive weapon, capable of guarding against all attacks automatically.

As for the scepter, it was an offensive weapon with only one ability called King's Domain.

Within the King's Domain, Minos and his allies would be given a massive power-up, whereas his enemies would be severely weakened, which made it great for direct warfare.

Of course Minos wanted to avoid war if possible, but he still made sure to note down this ability, his instinct telling him it would prove crucial in the future.

Suddenly, as Minos was understanding these two new tools, the loud shouts around him woke him up.

"Welcome, King Minos!" Everyone exclaimed in unison, fortunately he was already used to it by now.

"Everyone stand. Like I said earlier, I don't plan on having an enthronement ceremony, but that doesn't mean I don't want to meet everyone."

"Tell me, which one of you is in charge of intel?" Minos asked.

"That would be me, your Majesty." One man said, making his way from among the others.

"And your name is?"

"Olum, your Majesty."

"Very well Olum, I want you to spread this news. A week from now I want everyone with any shred of power to gather at the palace. It's about time I met my subjects."

"As you wish, your Majesty!" Olum replied, quickly vanishing to get that done.

"As for the rest of you, I want you all to tell me your roles one by one." Minos said.

 Almost scrambling, everyone quickly attempted to be the first to speak, wanting to leave a good impression on Minos.

But the chaotic fighting that ensued for the opportunity just annoyed him, so with just a glance towards his Forbidden Soldiers, they immediately understood what to do.

With their help, the crowd immediately formed a line, finally giving Minos their positions one by one.

The Cat Kingdom was naturally different from most human kingdoms, and it similarly had different positions.

Most human kingdoms had generals or the like, figures with power close to, or even sometimes rivaling the king himself.

But the Cat Kingdom had nothing like it, the king being the sole authority at the top, and the others following his lead below him.

One of the reasons for this was because the Cat Kingdom's king was also expected to lead his armies into war.

This was different to humans, where the king usually stayed back while his general was in charge of actual warfare.

While this had disadvantages, it naturally also had its advantages, the biggest one being that the king was far less worried that others would try to usurp him.

With both the traditional army and the forbidden army under his control, pretty much the kingdom's entire strength was his to guide, making usurping him near impossible.