Clang!
At that very moment, the iron-barred gate was flung open, and a circle of high-ranking Sea Tribe officials who had been waiting outside stepped in.
"Belinda, per the decision of Headquarters, you have strayed from the path of the Lord of Order and desecrated the glory of the Supreme One. We shall now try you for the crime of 'colluding with the enemy'!"
The Sea Tribe leader at the front bore several blue scales on his face. He looked coldly at Belinda and read aloud from a parchment scroll document in his hands.
"No! Impossible!" Belinda collapsed in an instant.
"Nothing is impossible!" The Sea Tribe leader hurled the document directly at Belinda's feet. In the lower-right corner, the unforgeable Headquarters seal blazed with blinding light.
Upon seeing the judgment written in scarlet ink, Belinda was driven to near-total despair.
"Even... even if Headquarters has been tainted by defilement and chaos, I still have the Supreme One. I am still a Ritualist..."
Belinda trembled. Between her fingers, a glowing ritual magical array took shape—yet unlike the one Leilin had used before, at the center of this array was the rune of a vertical eye.
Crack! The vertical eye shattered, the array collapsed, and it received no response whatsoever.
This outcome meant that the Supreme One's Eye of Judgment on the other end refused to accept Belinda's ritual. In other words, she had been truly abandoned.
Of course, this differed from common understanding. Due to the equal-exchange nature of the Ritualist path, even if the Supreme One severed ties with a Ritualist or refused their offerings, what had been granted previously could not be retracted—for it had all been conducted through transactions of equivalent exchange. Since the Ritualist had already paid, there was naturally no possibility of it being taken back.
For instance, the former Governor Iyasi—if he had abandoned his faith in the Defiled Bird, or if the Defiled Bird had refused his rituals, then at most he would no longer receive the Defiled Bird's power enhancement. But the attribute consolidation from his previous ceremonies would still remain upon him.
Compared to the priests of the gods—once forsaken by their deity, they would lose all priestly ranks and divine spells—this arrangement truly had its pros and cons.
"No! Oh, no! Why? Why is this happening?"
If the Headquarters' verdict had left Belinda teetering on the edge, this was the killing blow.
"Why... such unfair treatment, such blatant slander—and not only Headquarters, but even the great Supreme One believes it..."
"Look on the bright side, Belinda! The great Supreme One certainly knows the truth, but you must be sacrificed for its sake!"
Leilin stood silently beside Belinda, gently patting the back of her hand on her shoulder.
In any organization, asking members to sacrifice themselves for the greater good was perfectly normal. In fact, if one refused, they would face condemnation from public opinion and moral obligation—something akin to the old saying, "If the ruler wishes the subject to die, the subject must die."
Everything came down to interests, and the interests of the collective could easily crush those of the individual.
When faced with such overwhelming force, the individual could not even voice complaints. They had to volunteer or rush to sacrifice themselves; otherwise, they would bring trouble upon themselves, their families, and their friends.
Of course, if a person cared neither for themselves nor for their family and friends, had no attachments whatsoever, then they would be truly difficult to handle.
Such people, however, were typically unstable elements that threatened social order and had to be eliminated.
Now, for the greater situation at hand—even though everyone knew Belinda was innocent, and even the Eye of Judgment knew the truth—this decision was still made. Belinda was simply sacrificed.
Perhaps, after pacifying the Sea Tribe, Headquarters would send people to conduct a cleanup, purge the tumors and the uncontrollable elements, and after several decades or even a century, rehabilitate Belinda's name. They might even crown her with the laurel of "Saint," revering her as a spiritual leader for future generations. But by then, she would be long dead. What use would any of it be?
Leilin, however, would not deny the value of the organization.
In a world where individual strength was weak, banding together to form organizations was indeed the prevailing trend and the right path. When the sacrifice of a particular member's interests was required, the best one could do—beyond showing a positive attitude—was nothing more.
But here, things were different! When an individual's power could be magnified without limit, they gained the privilege to stand against organizations. In a world where supernatural forces existed, the powerful individual became the mainstream.
This was especially true in the Purgatory World, where several Supreme Ones ruled over all the continents, holding the power of life and death—a testament to this truth.
Therefore, for the present Belinda, there was no second path within this organization besides meekly accepting her death.
Of course! She had other choices—such as the one Leilin was preparing to tempt her with.
"There is no slander or conspiracy—this is the truth! Belinda, you colluded with the forces of the Defiled Bird and framed Lord Becklack. We are here to deliver your punishment!"
Seeing Leilin step forward, a flicker of displeasure appeared in the Sea Tribe leader's eyes.
It was the natural reaction of someone in power encountering a subordinate who dared to defy their authority.
"Very well! Since I am not part of your organization, I naturally bear no charge of colluding with the enemy. When may I leave, then?"
Leilin spread his hands and smiled.
"You are undoubtedly a follower of the Defiled Bird as well—the intermediary between Belinda and the hostile forces. You must be punished alongside her!"