E-Rank?

At that, Amari's eyes hardened, his glare locking onto Eisaria, unflinching.

She held his gaze for a long moment—until suddenly, she started laughing.

A sharp, unexpected burst of genuine amusement.

"HAHAHA!!"

Amari blinked, thrown off.

"Huh?"

Even Veyrn, ever the composed Grand Judicator, turned slightly, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Eisaria wiped the corners of her eyes, stifling her giggles, her earlier air of overwhelming authority momentarily shattered by her own laughter.

"Whew…" she exhaled, shaking her head. "You should've seen the look on your face."

Amari frowned.

This woman… what the hell was her deal?

Eisaria sighed, finally regaining her composure. "Anyways, don't worry. Your power is nothing to be concerned about."

She gestured casually, as if dismissing the weight of the entire moment.

"Considering it's E-Ranked."

Amari stiffened.

"E-Ranked?" he echoed.

She nodded. "Yes. Let me explain."

Eisaria waved a hand, and the sigils in the chamber shifted, forming a glowing script in the air. A breakdown of Faith Power Classification appeared, each category radiating divine authority.

S-Rank: World-altering abilities. Only a handful exist, wielded by the most powerful Judicators.

A-Rank: High-level Faith abilities capable of influencing battlefields. Rare but not impossible.

B-Rank: Strong and versatile abilities, commonly seen among elite Judicators.

C-Rank: Practical, effective Faith powers, used by standard Judicators in combat.

D-Rank: Low-tier abilities, often requiring extensive mastery to be useful.

E-Rank: Practically useless. Considered weak or unrefined, often given to those barely accepted as Judicators.

Eisaria pointed at the bottom.

"That's where you stand, Amari Elian."

Amari stared at the glowing text, his mind struggling to process what he just heard.

E-Rank?

After all that?

The altar cracking, the shockwave, the Judicators reacting in fear—and now they were telling him that his power was… worthless?

"Bullshit." Amari muttered.

Eisaria smirked. "Oh? You doubt the ranking?"

Amari clenched his fists. "The altar cracked. The air felt like it was suffocating. Everyone looked at me like I was a damn monster—"

"And yet," Eisaria interrupted smoothly, "you can't even tell us what your power actually does."

Amari opened his mouth—then stopped.

She was right.

His power still felt… unknown.

Sure, he had called it Plunder, but—

He had no idea how to activate it.

No sensation of how it worked.

No visible manifestation like the others who awakened their Faith.

It had felt like something had awakened inside him—something deep, silent, hidden beneath the surface, waiting.

But what was it waiting for?

"You don't have control," Eisaria continued. "You don't even know the conditions for how it functions."

She gestured lazily.

"So, as far as we're concerned? E-Rank."

Veyrn finally spoke, his voice measured. "Then what do you suggest?"

Eisaria tapped her chin, thinking.

Then she smiled.

"Well, since he's of age and still has a Faith power, he can still go to Faithbound Academy."

Amari frowned. "Faithbound Academy?"

Eisaria nodded. "Standard protocol for all Judicators, even weak ones like you. You'll learn how to wield your Faith properly, train in combat, and hopefully—" she waved a hand, "not die within the first month."

Amari's jaw tightened. He could tell there was more to this than just giving him a place to train.

"And if I refuse?"

Veyrn's violet eyes sharpened. "You don't have a choice."

The air grew heavy.

"All Judicators must be trained under the Sanctum's authority," Veyrn continued. "Especially ones who awaken… abnormalities."

There it was.

They weren't sending him to the academy to train him.

They were sending him to watch him.

Eisaria must have caught the shift in Amari's expression because she grinned.

"Relax. It's not like you're in trouble." She tilted her head. "Unless you plan on causing trouble?"

Amari didn't answer.

His gut told him that Plunder was something far beyond what these people understood—and yet, here he was, being classified as weak.

There were too many missing pieces.

Why had the altar cracked?

Why had the air grown heavy when he awakened?

Why had the Judicators reacted in fear—only for him to be dismissed as "weak"?

Eisaria smirked. "Don't overthink it, kid."

She turned, already walking toward the exit.

"Your journey starts at the academy. Whether you rise or fall, that's up to you."

Veyrn lingered a moment longer, then followed her.

Amari stood in the chamber alone, staring at the fractured altar.

E-Rank.

The word tasted bitter on his tongue.

But deep in his core, where Plunder lingered like a shadow, he knew the truth.

They were wrong.

And sooner or later—

They'd find out.