Choice

"Either step down yourself, or die."

Byakuya didn't waste a single word on the puppet king. He spoke bluntly.

He gave this so-called "king" a chance — after all, he wasn't fond of meaningless slaughter.

The man was nothing but a puppet, dancing to the will of the nobles. Killing him held no real value.

"I'll go! I'll go right now!"

The puppet king reacted quickly.

Seeing that this intruder had barged in without any sort of permit, he figured the Military Police and even the Interior Police stationed here had probably all been taken out.

How could he dare to resist? Survival came first.

Without any regard for his dignity as king, he literally rolled off the throne.

Byakuya couldn't help but inwardly marvel at this man's overwhelming desire to live.

"Wait here a moment."

Byakuya spoke briefly to Eto before vanishing.

He teleported directly to the Reiss family estate, where Frieda was playing with Historia.

"Come with me."

Without waiting for a reply, Byakuya placed a hand on Frieda's shoulder and instantly transported them both away.

"Eh?!"

Frieda had no idea what was happening. Her vision spun, her mind went blank.

For a fleeting moment, she felt something terrifying — her connection to the Founding Titan, even the binding power of the Vow of Renunciation of War, had been severed!

Before she could fully process what had happened, she found herself standing inside the royal palace.

There, right in front of her, was the puppet king, on his knees begging for his life. Frieda's confusion only deepened.

"What... what is going on?"

She asked, startled.

"Nothing much. Just returning you to the throne that's rightfully yours."

Byakuya replied in a calm, indifferent tone—like it was nothing more than a routine errand.

"No, I... I can't..."

Frieda's mind was in disarray.

The Reiss family was forbidden from taking the throne publicly. Her instincts screamed to refuse.

But as she regained her composure, fear silenced her protest. This man could wipe out the entire Reiss bloodline without breaking a sweat. She couldn't risk Historia's life.

"There's no 'can't'. From now on, Eldia will be under your direct rule. And make sure to keep the nobles in check."

Byakuya stated plainly.

The puppet king, still groveling at Eto's feet, froze when he saw Frieda appear.

Of course he recognized her—his face paled instantly.

"You're done here. Go back to wherever you came from."

Byakuya told him without looking back.

"Yes, yes!"

The puppet king didn't hesitate for a second. He scrambled out of the palace, practically crawling.

"Why is this happening...?"

Frieda murmured, still dazed.

"Don't overthink it. Just do as he says."

Eto said bluntly.

Byakuya was ready to deal with the disobedient nobles.

But just as he was about to leave—

"Wait!"

Frieda called out.

"What is it?" Byakuya turned back.

"What did you do to me just now? For a moment, I lost my Founding Titan's power... even the Vow of Renunciation—it vanished!"

That fleeting moment had shaken Frieda to her core.

Though her Titan abilities and the vow had returned shortly after, that one instant was enough to make her deeply uneasy.

"Oh?"

Byakuya immediately understood what had happened.

It must have been the effect of his Kamui space — removing Frieda from the real world and severing her connection to the Paths.

Every Titan — pure, abnormal, or shifter, even the Founding Titan— was shaped from sand-like matter within the Paths by Ymir, the progenitor.

The Vow of Renunciation of War was also bound to the Paths.

So when Frieda's connection to the Paths was cut, both her Titan power and the vow vanished.

Byakuya's Kamui was an independent dimension — completely disconnected from both the real world and the Paths. That was the key.

"You must've been imagining things."

Byakuya replied, unwilling to explain further.

"...Is that so?"

Frieda didn't believe it, but she had no way to prove otherwise. He wasn't going to give her the real answer.

...

After leaving the palace, Byakuya and Eto went on the offensive.

In the heart of the noble's territory, Eto transformed into the One-Eyed Owl.

The intimidation was overwhelming.

"You get two choices: be eaten by me or crushed to death. Pick one~"

She cackled playfully, holding the noble lord in one hand.

But the man was already terrified beyond comprehension. He screamed incoherently, unable to even register Eto's words.

The other members of his family fled in all directions, panic-stricken.

"Not choosing? I guess I'll just decide for you."

Eto calmly picked both options.

She crushed the noble alive—and then tossed the corpse into her mouth.

Byakuya, watching this, couldn't help but feel a bit sentimental.

He had almost forgotten... Eto was the brutal One-Eyed Owl after all.

This kind of thing was child's play for her.

"You're really going to eat that? He doesn't even have RC cells."

Byakuya commented.

"Of course not. Just putting on a show."

Eto spat out the mangled corpse without hesitation.

Humans without RC cells weren't worth eating.

Then, using similar methods, they paid a visit to the other unruly nobles—making their message painfully clear.

By the time they were finished, every noble had been scared out of their wits.

The surviving family members coughed up all their wealth, desperate to save their lives.

The rest of the nobles, seeing this, trembled with fear—thankful they had pledged loyalty in time.

They never expected those two to actually follow through with their threats.