Gisalson was just about to lead everyone to the clan's ancestral hall to celebrate when Beirut cleared his throat, claiming the attention of all those present.
Beirut went on to express his doubts over Linley's ambush. The more he spoke, the more the mood of all those present soured.
He hadn't said it directly, but his meaning was clear. Linley's ambush had to be caused by a traitor among the ranks of the Four Divine Beast Clan, and as much as no one wanted to believe that Beirut could be right, his words made sense.
Because of the threat posed by the Eight Great Clans, the Four Divine Beasts Clan had long since put protocols in place to counter the spies of their enemies. It was those protocols that had allowed the Four Divine Beasts Clan to operate with as much freedom as they had done for all these years.
These protocols were used by all members of their clan when travelling to local cities to prevent ambushes, and they were even more careful when any of their Clan's elites were travelling with their families, so one could only imagine the measures they would take to protect an elite like Linley.
It wasn't arrogant to say that unless one had the help of a Sovereign, or at the very least, a paragon, planning such a precise ambush like the one that Linley suffered was all but impossible unless, of course, they had the help of a traitor.
Still, with the history of the two sides, the one thing the Four Divine Beasts Clan could boast about with their heads held high was that none of their own had ever betrayed them. So whether it was Gisalson or his fellow Clan members, none were willing to doubt their brothers and sisters, who had literally bled for the clan so easily.
While Beirut was speaking, Ace, who appeared to be lazily reclining in his seat without a care in the world, was actually focusing his senses on the father-son duo Linley, suspected to be the perpetrators – Elders Forhan and Emanuel.
Ace had to admit that they were doing a good job at hiding their reactions. Whether it was Shinji, Beirut, or even Garott, as experts capable of materialising their Willpower, they were able to spread their respective Godrealm without any of the other deities present realising. Still, be they Paragon or Sovereign, none of them were able to see through their poker faces.
Unfortunately for the father-son duo, Ace's [Observation Haki] allowed him to see their emotions as though he were reading a book. He could clearly sense their fear, guilt, and anxiousness pressing against the surface of their facades.
Still, he didn't say anything. He knew that his bringing it up would only antagonise the Four Divine Beasts Clan and, if anything, force them to double down and protect their own out of loyalty against an outsider like him. Luckily, they had made plans for precisely these circumstances.
As soon as Beirut finished expressing his list of doubts, Gisalson nodded and said he understood Beirut's concerns and planned to get to the bottom of it himself. In response, Beirut shook his head and told the current head of the clan that his investigation would take too long; he had a much faster and more efficient method to get to the truth. Looking at Linley, he told him to tell anyone who he suspected was behind the incident.
Linley, having already known this was coming, remained indifferent as he floated out of his chair and slowly made his way to the father-son duo. He said that he hoped he was wrong, but of all the people he'd met so far, the only ones who had a problem with him were precisely Elders Forhan and Emanuel.
As soon as his words came out, both father and son accused Linley of using this opportunity to besmirch them. They didn't hesitate to remind everyone that they had loyally served the clan for millions of years, long before Linley was born.
Their words seemed to resonate with those present as it was the truth. Unfortunately for them, Ace didn't seem to care. He was indifferent as he declared that they were lying.
As Ace suspected, the moment Ace spoke, several cold and almost malevolent gazes fell on him. Still, Ace remained unmoved as he explained that he could sense their guilt and anxiety.
It was then that Great Elder Gaia, Patriarch Gisalson's only sister, coldly said that she didn't care how strong he was; the inner proceedings of their Four Divine Beasts Clan weren't for an outsider like him to intervene in.
Ace glanced at Gaia but ultimately said nothing. If he was honest, he wasn't bothered by what happened here one way or the other. Linley and his group were alive and well, and Alyssa had already completed her ancestral baptism.
Just as the tension in the room had reached its peak, Garott stood up. He told everyone to calm down. As long as he was present, he wouldn't allow any of his fellow clansmen to be treated unjustly. Unless there was definitive proof, no one would be punished.
As a paragon, his words carried far more weight than even Gisalson's, the man who had loyally led the Clan for all these years. Especially as the ones opposing their clan this time were Ace and Beirut, two experts whose strength had even surpassed that of Gisalson.
As far as they were concerned, it didn't matter how powerful Ace and Beirut were; they would never be able to match Garott – a paragon-level Apex Divine Beast.
Still, none were more relieved at that moment than Elders Forhan and Emanuel. Both felt like they had just danced on death's door only to finally be given a lifeline, one they didn't hesitate to grab onto. The two Elders thanked Garott sincerely, only to feel like they were suddenly dropped in a pool of ice water as Garott's indifferent eyes fell on them.
He told them that as long as they were innocent, he would protect them with his life, but they should be willing to prove their innocence first.
Elder Forhan, the father of the duo, asked nervously how he wanted them to do that.
Both elders were so focused on Garott that they didn't notice the subtle shift in the room.
Hiding their emotions in front of their peers was challenging enough, especially facing experts like Ace and Beirut, but in front of a confirmed paragon like Garott, it was all but impossible.
Still, most of those present could understand how nerve-wracking it would be to face a paragon, so they knew that their anxiety and hesitation could be chalked up to that. Still, from the looks of it, they were going to find out one way or another now.
In response to their question of how they could prove their innocence, Garott calmly turned back towards Beirut and the others, or more specifically, Shinji. Decisively dropping to his knees, Garott respectfully asked "Lord Shinji" to determine the truth.
The moment they saw Garott fall to his knees, they instantly understood what it meant. As a paragon, the only people Garott would ever kneel before was a Sovereign.
Immediately, aside from Beirut, Ace and his group, and Linley and his group, everyone else respectfully dropped to their knees.
In response, Shinji merely opened his eyes. He barely moved a muscle, but both Forhan and his son lost control of their bodies. Their eyes glazed over as their bodies floated over towards the unassuming Sovereign.
Ordinarily, the only experts capable of mind control were experts of the Edicts of Life, Death, and Fate. The three Edicts which specialised in the ways of the soul.
As someone who specialised in the Edict of Destruction, Shinji's attainments in the ways of the soul were nothing to write home about, but because of the simple difference in power between the souls of a Sovereign and High Gods, even the weakest of Sovereigns would be able to control the soul of the average Commander-level expert.
As for Shinji, he was a paragon-level Intermediate Sovereign. He could manipulate the souls of High God Paragons, let alone a couple of seven-star fiends.
He simply asked them if they had anything to do with Linley's ambush, and without hesitation, both father and son confirmed that they had done it before explaining how they had done it, partly out of jealousy of Linley's talent and how warmly he was welcomed by the clan, but mainly because of him being allowed to keep the Azure Dragon Ring, despite the fact that he was a descendant god knows how many generations removed.
As soon as they were finished, Shinji casually undid his spiritual hold over the two, allowing them to regain their senses.
Whilst being controlled, though they weren't in full control of themselves, they were completely conscious; as such, they both knew full well what had just happened.
They knew they were found out, but they weren't willing to give up so simply. As a result, they did the only thing they could do in their position; they accused the sovereign of manipulating them against their will and forcing them to admit to something that they hadn't done.
In response, Shinji once again opened his eyes, but this time, he no longer restrained his overwhelming aura.
As his aura surged, aside from Beirut, Ace, and the other Golden Sun Pirates, everyone else paled – Linley and Wukong included.
As strong as he was, Shinji wasn't able to compare to chief Sovereigns like Augusta or Phueus, both of whom Ace and his group had come face to face with in the past. Because of that, they didn't have much of a reaction.
Shinji didn't say anything, but it didn't take a genius to understand what had him so riled up. As a Sovereign, forget seven-star fiends; even commanders were no different than ants. For two ants to dare speak out against him… it was unforgivable!
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