20: Punishment

The grand throne hall was thick with tension, an air of oppressive silence hanging over the gathered noble families.

The corpse of the loud-mouthed demon lord, his body still sprawled across the cold floor, served as a grim warning to all present. Blood pooled beneath him, a vivid reminder of the absolute power their king wielded.

The remaining nobles were frozen in place, their eyes wide, their throats dry, and their hearts hammering so violently it seemed they might burst from their chests.

Anos stepped back toward his throne, his ruby eyes gleaming with an amused glint as he observed their fear. The moment he sank into the imposing black throne, his presence became even more suffocating.

He rested his elbow on the armrest, his fingers lightly supporting his jaw as he leaned slightly forward. His belittling gaze swept over them, and the moment his lips parted, his voice dripped with authority.

"Do you know why I summoned you here today?" His voice was calm, yet it carried the weight of inevitability.

No one answered. No one dared. The sheer force of his presence was enough to root them in place, their bodies trembling.

Anos let out a sigh, the hint of disappointment in his tone making the air feel even heavier. "I suppose not. That only makes your crimes even more severe."

A few nobles gulped audibly, their gazes shifting nervously between each other. None knew what crime they had committed, but judging from the fate of the demon lord lying lifeless before them, the punishment was bound to be merciless.

"Your sin," Anos continued, his voice unhurried yet razor-sharp, "is negligence."

Murmurs rippled through the noble families, though none dared to speak outright. Anos merely smirked at their confusion.

"When one noble family defies the throne, when one shows disloyalty or steps out of line, whose responsibility is it to correct them?" He posed the question as if expecting an answer, but the only response was silence. His smirk widened.

"You think it is mine? That I must personally hunt down each traitor? That I must be the one to discipline the fools among you? No. That is your duty. Your failure to keep your peers in check has forced my hand."

A chill swept through the hall. Some nobles instinctively lowered their heads, while others barely concealed the horror in their expressions. They understood. It was not merely about the rebels—it was about all of them.

The guilty were not just those who defied him; the guilty were those who had done nothing to stop them.

"From this moment onward," Anos declared, his tone darkening, "when one family sins, all of you will share in their punishment."

A sudden intake of breath echoed through the chamber. Several nobles looked ready to object, their faces twitching with barely restrained fear, but none dared to voice their dissent.

"I am not a king without reason. However..." Anos trailed off, standing from his throne with an eerie grace, his gaze locking onto a particular noble—a man whose family had been whispering too much, whose hands clenched into trembling fists as he tried and failed to hide his rage.

Anos stepped forward, slow and deliberate, his eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. "Since you all seem to think you are beyond discipline, I believe a demonstration is in order."

With a flicker of movement too fast for them to follow, Anos appeared before the nobleman in question. Before the demon lord could even react, Anos's fingers wrapped around his skull. There was no hesitation, no room for mercy. With a sickening crack, Anos lifted him effortlessly into the air, his grip tightening just enough to make his struggle useless.

"Your family has spoken too much," Anos mused, as if considering his next action. "As the head of your house, you should have silenced them. You failed. Now, the consequence."

With a casual movement, he crushed the man's head in his grasp. A wet, grotesque sound filled the chamber as crimson splattered across the nearby nobles. His lifeless body collapsed to the ground with a dull thud, twitching before going completely still.

The remaining nobles were beyond terrified. Some looked as if they might faint, while others shook so violently it was a wonder they remained standing. The smell of blood and fear mixed thickly in the air.

Anos turned back, unfazed, stepping over the corpse as if it were nothing but a fallen insect. He returned to his throne, sinking into it once more, and let the silence stretch unbearably before speaking again.

"Now," he said, his voice as smooth as silk, "I trust you all understand your new reality. When one of you steps out of line, I will not ask who is at fault. I will simply punish all of you. If you wish to avoid such an outcome, then ensure discipline among your own peers. Be ruthless, or you will suffer the consequences of another."

The nobles nodded frantically, their expressions pale, their bodies drenched in sweat. None doubted his words. None even dared to breathe too loudly.

Anos leaned back slightly, his gaze lingering on the terrified crowd before him. "You may go," he finally allowed, his voice still laced with dominance. "But remember, from this moment on, the throne does not tolerate weakness."

The nobles did not hesitate. They bowed deeply before scurrying out of the throne hall, their panic barely contained. The once-proud demon lords, the mighty aristocracy of the realm, now fled like frightened animals in the presence of a predator far beyond their comprehension.

Once the last of them had gone, Iris—who had been silently observing from the sidelines—stepped forward, amusement dancing in her violet eyes. "Master, your methods are as effective as ever. There will be no more disobedience after today."

Anos merely chuckled, running a hand through his obsidian hair. "There will always be fools who think themselves above discipline, Iris. It just means I will have more entertainment."

She smirked. "Then perhaps we should start preparing for the next stage?"

Anos's eyes gleamed with anticipation. "Yes. The nobles were only the first lesson. Soon, the entire realm will understand the true weight of my rule."

As he lounged back in his throne, a sinister grin tugged at his lips. Chaos was a beautiful thing, after all.

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