NOVPUB"Shall we begin?"
The Grand Marshal Titan's voice resonated with authority.
At a subtle nod from the Grand Marshal Dragon, Titan reached forward and pressed a button on the console before him.
With a mechanical click, the wall ahead began to ascend smoothly, rolling upward like the door of a colossal vault.
Anthony, who had stood motionless with his eyes closed and hands tucked into his pockets, finally stirred, though by scarcely an inch.
One section of the pristine white wall behind him silently yawned open, revealing a hidden doorway.
His eyes fluttered open, calm and unhurried, just as his head turned slightly to acknowledge the arrival of two figures, each radiating an overwhelming presence.
The very air seemed to warp around them, bending beneath the weight of their existence.
Yet Anthony neither flinched nor faltered.
He remained utterly unperturbed.
Anthony snapped into a sharp salute the moment they entered, after all, these were Grand Marshals, and he was merely a Lieutenant.
"Good afternoon, Grand Marshals"
He greeted respectfully.
As for how he recognized their status so quickly, the military hierarchy made such distinctions unmistakable: each rank bore a unique uniform, distinguished by color and design.
The regalia of the Grand Marshals was unlike any other, commanding, regal, and impossible to mistake.
Neither the Grand Marshal Titan nor the Grand Marshal Dragon offered so much as a nod in response.
No words were spoken.
The Grand Marshal Dragon moved with quiet finality, seating himself without ceremony.
Meanwhile, the Grand Marshal Titan reached into his space ring, retrieved another ordinary chair, and took his place beside the Dragon, silent, composed, and absolute.
"Sit"
The word echoed in perfect unison from both Grand Marshals, a command, not a suggestion.
Their voices carried the weight of unquestionable authority.
Without hesitation, Anthony moved toward the second chair in the room, the one distinctively marked with hidden ancient runes etched deep into its surface.
The moment his body touched the seat, a subtle current surged through him, neither painful nor alarming, but unmistakably foreign.
A soft chime resonated in his mind.
[Ding]
[A rune is being connected to the Host's soul]
Anthony showed no reaction.
He had sensed the rune's presence long before now.
From the system notification alone, Anthony immediately understood the nature of the runes.
A lie detection mechanism.
'It seems the Soulpen Sovereign's creations go far beyond enchanted fountain pens'
He mused silently.
Anthony had long suspected that this particular chair, capable of linking directly to one's soul, was the handiwork of the Soulpen Sovereign.
Only someone with mastery over soulcraft could design such a device: one that bypassed all conventional means of deception, even abilities that could mask lies as truth.
Against someone who could manipulate the soul itself, falsehood held no refuge.
'Truly… an overpowered being'
Anthony thought.
But would such a thing work on Anthony?
Absolutely not.
The presence of Romulus rendered it entirely ineffective.
No matter how intricate the soul-binding runes were, no matter how deeply they probed for truth, their function faltered before the shadow of Romulus a presence entwined with Anthony's very existence.
Where Romulus lingered, even the most absolute systems of detection unraveled, like illusions in the face of a deeper reality.
"Do you know why you're here?"
The Grand Marshal Dragon's voice was brisk, clipped, devoid of warmth or patience.
"No, sir"
Anthony replied respectfully, his tone steady and composed.
The Grand Marshal Titan studied him in silence for a brief moment before speaking, his voice calm but heavy with implication.
"You've been accused of treason"
At those words, the atmosphere shifted instantly.
The air itself grew heavy, as though caught between fire and frost, fluctuating wildly with a tension that clung to the skin.
Though the table between them was etched with sophisticated runes capable of detecting lies, the Grand Marshals did not place full faith in it.
Not when the man before them was Anthony, a soldier whose mission report spoke of a feat nearly inconceivable: the annihilation of the soul of a being from a higher galaxy.
What manner of soul arts and forbidden techniques did he possess?
Could even this advanced lie detection mechanism pierce the veil of his soul?
They weren't so certain.
They watched him.
They studied him.
They dissected him with their gaze, scrutinizing every blink, every heartbeat, every subtle contraction and dilation of his veins, every minute twitch of muscle beneath his skin.
If it were within their power, they would have stared straight into his soul.
But Anthony remained unmoved by the Grand Marshal Titan's words.
Not a flicker of emotion crossed his face.
No sign of guilt. No trace of fear.
Calm and collected, he offered no response, only silence.
His eyes met theirs, steady and composed.
He did not flinch.
He did not falter.
He simply stared.
"You seem awfully quiet for someone accused of treason"
The Grand Marshal Dragon's voice sliced through the tension like a blade, sharp, deliberate, and probing.
Anthony's reply came without hesitation, his tone composed yet edged with quiet confidence.
"If the one who accused me truly had evidence, I imagine I'd be in chains rather than seated here. Besides"
He paused, eyes steady,
"I trust the Military High Court to see through baseless allegations and uphold justice"
His words held no arrogance, only conviction.
Calm. Measured.
The Grand Marshals exchanged the briefest of glances.
They had hurled the word treason like a spear, hoping to pierce his composure, to fracture the still surface of his restraint.
But the spear had struck stone.
Anthony hadn't cracked.
He hadn't even flinched.
Their attempt to destabilize him had fallen flat, and now, it was they who reevaluated.
"According to your mission report, you were dispatched on a reconnaissance mission. Why, then, did the mission status change the moment you entered the Bleeding Hollow Zone?"
The Grand Marshal Titan's voice was steady but probing, demanding clarity.
Anthony responded with unshaken calm.
"The moment we stepped through the portal, there was no turning back. No other exit. We were exposed, surrounded and ambushed from all sides"
Beneath his composed exterior, a flicker of amusement simmered, tightly confined within the walls of his mind.
He felt the urge to laugh.
But he dared not.
They pressed Anthony relentlessly, probing every aspect of the mission, every decision he had made, every floor they had ascended, every detail of the terrain.
Anthony responded with utter calmness.
There was simply nothing to conceal.
"So"
The Grand Marshal Titan's voice resonated through the room like a low drumbeat.
"After you killed this so-called higher being, you didn't even consider bringing its corpse back? Such a prize would hold immense research value for the military"
Anthony met the question without hesitation.
"My priority was my teammates"
He said evenly.
"They sustained injuries during the battle against The Executioner. Besides, who knows what other abilities a higher being might possess? Transporting the body back to base could have exposed us to untold dangers"
The runes etched into the table confirming the truth of his words to both Grand Marshals.
"That wasn't your call, Lieutenant"
The Grand Marshal Titan's voice dropped heavy, laden with reproach.
"That body alone could have carved a path forward for the entire Blue Planet, yet you let it slip through your fingers, based on mere assumptions"
Anthony's face remained impassive, betraying no hint of emotion.
"It was a risk I could not take, for the safety of everyone. I am the captain of the team; the final decision rests with me"
The Grand Marshal Dragon's fingers tapped rhythmically against the table as he fixed his gaze on Anthony. 𝘯𝑜𝑣𝑝𝑢𝘣.𝑐𝑜𝑚
After a moment, he spoke again, sharp and deliberate.
"According to the report, you faked your death using a clone. Is that correct?"
"That is correct, sir"
Anthony answered without hesitation.
"I suspect you had another clone retrieve the corpse of that higher being. Are you planning to research it... for yourself?"
The accusation hung in the air like a blade.
Anthony's voice remained steady, unaffected by the charge.
"Again, sir, that is mere speculation without evidence. I'm certain my teammates would testify that we left the Bleeding Hollow Zone with nothing but the Severed Crown of Echoes"
His calm, steady tone, coupled with the rune-etched table's confirmation of truth, but both Grand Marshals didn't relent.
