The Conquerors Path Chapter 979 - 977-Consequences.

"Listen, just stay here where it's safe, alright?"

Austin's words hung in the air, but he vanished before Elda could offer a response. In the next heartbeat, he reappeared with six individuals in tow. By this point, they had been reduced to a mangled, gory mess; their facial features were crushed, their internal powers suppressed, and every bone in their frames shattered. They were enduring an agonizing torment that defied description, yet they were cruelly denied the mercy of losing consciousness.

Carrying the broken group, Austin transported them instantly, appearing outside the research facility before anyone could process his movement. The very atmosphere seemed to freeze as Austin emerged, radiating a brilliant, shimmering light like a golden deity. By the time he manifested in the open air, the Imperial authorities and concealed guardians had already mobilized, forming a tight perimeter around the location.

Their killing intent and auras were locked onto Austin with absolute focus. Simultaneously, the faculty and student body stood paralyzed, their eyes bulging at the spectacle. Austin hovered at a medium height above the earth, the tattoos etched into his skin throbbing with light. Suspended before him were the six incapacitated captives. To those with sharp vision, it was painfully obvious that two of the mangled figures were wearing the robes of Sect teachers.

Austin possessed only a fleeting window of time before his borrowed strength would dissipate and chaos would erupt. Those few critical seconds were his only chance to act before a situation of this magnitude spiraled entirely beyond his control.

"Austin?"

Mira’s voice cut through the silence as she took in the gruesome sight. However, before anyone could intervene, Austin slammed his fists together. The gesture was met with a chorus of horrific screams—squeals of agony and death that sounded more like butchered livestock than men.

"ARGHHHHH!"

"NOOOOOOOO!!"

"STOPPPP!!!"

"ARGHHHHHH!!"

Amidst the wails and sobbing, the limbs of the six prisoners began to contort violently. Under the collective gaze of the crowd, those appendages twisted until they exploded into a spray of gore and bone, raining down upon the spectators. It was a display of pure, unadulterated savagery. Students turned away in disgust, and even the battle-hardened teachers felt a cold shiver of revulsion.

Austin did not hesitate. With a final, decisive thought, the onlookers watched as the vital parts of all six men detonated into crimson mist. Every witness felt a chill race up their spine, many crossing their legs in a primitive, instinctive reaction to the terror unfolding above.

Then, the overwhelming power flickered out. The six broken forms plummeted from the sky, hitting the dirt with sickening thuds. As the golden radiance surrounding Austin vanished, his true form was revealed—looking every bit the battered, tragic hero the world was currently discussing.

"How DARE YOU?!"

...

Austin POV:

"How DARE YOU?!"

The voice dripped with a mixture of shock and fury. One of the Imperial experts immediately directed his spiritual pressure toward me, causing my frame to tremble and my focus to slip. I nearly dropped to my knees, but I was saved when a counter-wave of pressure neutralized the attack. This protective force came from Mira, who had stepped in to intercept the guardian's strike.

"What is the meaning of this, Dean?" the guardian demanded.

"I should be asking you that," Mira countered, her voice icy. "Why are you so quick to oppress a student? We must first examine and analyze what has transpired here."

Her calm demeanor did little to diffuse the tension. Six bodies lay on the pavement, half-dead and wailing in delirium. This was a public display of torture conducted in front of the entire academy, including its highest authorities. A simple explanation wasn't going to suffice.

"The very foundations of our academy's laws have been trampled upon right before our eyes! This was a public execution and torture! You expect me to remain composed?" the guardian bellowed. I could see the thick veins bulging in his neck. I allowed a small smile to touch my lips, but it was quickly replaced by a fit of coughing.

"Cough... cough!"

I shielded my mouth with my hand, and when I pulled it away, it was stained with streaks of blood. I let my body sway, projecting an image of total exhaustion and frailty.

"Austin!" Mira cried out, her voice laced with genuine alarm. She rushed to support me, circulating her mana through my body to check for internal damage. Her entire world narrowed down to my well-being, ignoring the surrounding chaos, though her blatant favoritism only heightened the tension among the observers.

These people could have struck the moment I appeared, but they were cunning; they recognized that my temporary power level was beyond their reach. Only when my aura returned to its "weak" and "normal" state did they find their courage. They were a flock of old foxes who knew how to play it safe.

I continued to cough for a moment, signaling to Mira with a weak wave that I would survive. The guardians were itching to seize me, but they were paralyzed by the potential for a catastrophic escalation. The Imperials were hesitant to start a full-scale battle, though their restraint was clearly reaching its limit.

"I'm alright... I'm fine..." I managed to mutter, wiping the crimson from my lips. I remained slumped against Mira, and before I could continue my act, a frantic voice called out.

"Brother!"

Elda came sprinting to my side. Despite my earlier instructions to stay put, her eyes were brimming with terror and concern when she saw my condition. No one moved to block her path; the gravity of the scene seemed to have put the entire world on pause.

"I am fine," I whispered, offering her a frail smile while patting her head. She gripped my arm tightly, her face a mask of guilt and worry. Mira, still holding me up, turned her gaze toward Elda.

"Tell me, what happened?" Mira asked.

The question broke Elda out of her daze. She looked at Mira, then glanced at the six mangled figures currently receiving emergency medical treatment. A protective barrier had been erected around the scene, pushing the common onlookers back. Only the elite protectors and senior faculty remained, all demanding answers.

"Go ahead, tell them everything," I urged in a faint voice.

My encouragement gave Elda the strength she needed. She composed herself and began to recount the events, her testimony clear and filled with damning details. As the story unfolded, the faces of the gathered experts darkened. Mira’s expression, in particular, shifted into something truly terrifying.

"They dared to do this?!" Mira roared. Her mana began to churn and warp with such violence it felt as though a hidden beast was being unchained. The medical staff nearby were blown back as tiny, needle-like shards of mana began to drill into the six conscious prisoners, who shrieked in renewed pain. One of the protectors quickly intervened with a wave of her hand.

"Control your emotions, Dean. We must establish the facts. While her testimony is horrifying and threatens our very reputation, we need objective truth. All we have witnessed is Student Austin performing torture with a power that exceeds all logic. Currently, Austin is the most suspicious person here."

It was a bitter pill for them to swallow—the fact that while they spent decades Cultivating, I could simply shatter a stone to achieve a level of power that dwarfed their own.

"Cough... here," I said, reaching out to gently take the hairpin from Elda’s hair. I pulled a recording stone from my storage and tapped the pin against it three times. The stone flared with a brilliant light before stabilizing. I held the stone up, my eyes turning cold and predatory as I surveyed the crowd.

"This is all the evidence you require. It contains a full recording of the events from the moment Elda was targeted. If that isn't enough, any competent investigator can look at the seals, the barriers, and the layout of that room. The physical evidence will verify every word my sister said."

My voice carried the weight of an absolute decree. If the recording stone verified my claims, there would be no room for debate. The evidence in that room was an open book, and the fallout from this would soon ripple through every corner of the Sect.

"They will pay a much higher price for their actions," I declared firmly. But as the words left my mouth, a wave of exhaustion crashed over me. My skin felt like it was on fire, and my vision blurred into blackness as I collapsed.

"Brother!"

"Austin!"

Their panicked cries were the last things I heard before I lost consciousness.