System S.E.X. (Seduction, Expansion, eXecution)

Uproar erupted within the Rising Sun Territory’s section. The representatives, instructors, and nobles of the delegation leaped to their feet all at once, slamming the jade tables and sending silver plates flying as their faces contorted in rage.

"You damned disgraceful murderer!" one of the instructors roared, pointing a trembling finger at Ethan while Lucius’s blood still stained the glass floor. "This wasn’t a duel, it was a treacherous slaughter! Lucius was the backbone of our territory, the rising promise of our nation!"

"We demand immediate justice!" a diplomat shouted, his voice cracking with fury. "The Soaring Dragon Kingdom has sent an unscrupulous monster to execute our talents before the Emperor’s very eyes! You cannot allow such a vile and cowardly act to go unpunished in the capital!"

"Cheater! He used dark arts to conceal his killing intent!" another young noble behind them screamed, seeking support from the other delegations. "That strike was a trap! Lucius didn’t even get the chance to deploy his true domain because that bastard didn’t fight like a true warrior! We demand his head to wash away this blood insult!"

The insults and curses surged across the hall like a gale, as the Rising Sun representatives clamored for direct intervention from the imperial court, demanding Ethan’s immediate execution under the watchful eyes of every kingdom present.

The Emperor watched the chaos with an amused smirk. Without losing his composure, he shifted his gaze toward the slender youth in his retinue, who held his serious posture and offered a slight nod. Satisfied with the response, the sovereign turned his eyes back to the noisy delegation and gave them a subtle nod of permission.

Taking the signal, an elder in golden robes flared his mana in fury. The pressure of his Spiritual Transcendence Realm rattled nearby tables as he stepped forward.

"By the inviolable laws of the Empire, I declare a blood feud!" the Rising Sun protector roared. "I, Garth, challenge Ethan to a death duel!"

Great General Vaelen let out a dry laugh dripping with contempt, crossing his arms as he stepped forward.

"Shameless!" Vaelen’s voice boomed with a mocking smile. "An old man in the Spiritual Transcendence Realm challenging a youth in the Dao Manifestation Realm. How about you face me instead? The realm difference is precisely the same."

Garth paled slightly, feeling a sweat trickle down his neck. He knew full well that his action was utterly shameless, but he had no choice. Lucius was his territory’s greatest promise, the chosen hero to represent them in the Imperial Tournament. According to court rules, all territorial disputes short of total extermination had to be settled through new blood. Without Lucius, they had no one left capable of sitting at the negotiating table against this new monster from Soaring Dragon. They were doomed to political annihilation; if he had to throw his dignity away to eliminate the threat, he would do so without hesitation.

Before Garth could utter a word, the Emperor raised his right hand. The gesture alone silenced the whispers throughout the chamber.

"True heroes cannot be judged by the same rules as ordinary cultivators," the Emperor declared serenely. "Therefore, I shall allow it."

King Alaric stood up abruptly, facing the throne platform.

"Your Imperial Majesty, this breaks every protocol of fairness!" Alaric protested, attempting to stop the madness.

"Are you refusing me, Alaric?" the Emperor interrupted, narrowing his golden eyes. "If I say I wish to see him fight, I will see him fight. Or do you intend to rebel?"

With that final word, the supreme ruler’s presence overflowed like a collapsing mountain. An invisible domain expanded across the palace, rendering the atmosphere so dense that no one present could draw a breath. The floor’s glass panels creaked, and Alaric gritted his teeth, dropping to his knees under the sudden impact of the royal pressure.

Ethan felt the air turn into lead upon his shoulders. Without hesitation, he circulated the energy of his Dao Heart, neutralizing the suffocating weight across his body until he stood completely upright.

Seeing that the youth didn’t even waver under his pressure, the Emperor’s eyes gleamed with even greater fascination.

Ethan stepped forward, placing himself directly in front of Alaric to shield him with his shadow.

"Forgive my father-in-law, Your Majesty," Ethan said, offering an impeccable bow toward the throne. "I shall take full responsibility for his actions and present my apologies directly in battle."

Without waiting for a reply, Ethan leaped down into the abyss of the pit. He landed in the center of the arena and unsheathed his black sword. With a fluid, heavy stroke, he carved a deep gash into the hardened glass floor.

Looking up at the Rising Sun elder, Ethan’s eyes turned cold as ice.

"Come," Ethan commanded. "Once you cross this line, there will be no grace and no mercy."

Garth felt a cold shiver run down his spine as he looked upon the icy indifference in Ethan’s eyes and the carved line of no return. Though fear was beginning to gnaw at his insides, he knew the die had been cast and that he could not take a step back in front of the entire imperial court.

Gritting his teeth in desperation, Garth unsheathed a heavy runic sword, attempting to flare his aura to convince himself of his own superiority.

"Today I shall purge the evil of this Empire!" Garth proclaimed at the top of his lungs, struggling to maintain his composure as he dropped down into the arena. "Justice is on my side!"

Ethan stared up at him from the center of the pit, holding his black sword with a terrifying calm, his words echoing through every corner of the hall with absolute contempt.

"A bunch of spineless cowards talking about justice..." Ethan replied, letting out an icy laugh that cut through the atmosphere. "When you try to abuse the weak, you call it ’justice,’ but when you lose and get crushed, you call it ’treachery.’ You’re just a handful of fools dressed in purity when inside you’re nothing but filth."

Garth turned pale at the raw truth, as the tension in the arena reached its boiling point.