Whack-a-Devil

She is probably a hollow

Lost From Light

I would normally agree with you if this situation was on Earth because over here a tyrant can't get away with murdering most of the peasant population without causing a complete collapse of society. Especially because as time goes on the movement will gain more momentum and supporters eventually resulting in an even more pyrrhic victory. However on the Forgotten Shores the population naturally replenishes itself every year with hundreds of new recruits. As a result the variable of time will no longer have a significant impact. Normal societies share responsibilities for food, shelter, clothing, wealth generation etc. However in Bright Castle practically all the basic necessities for survival of a community are produced and controlled by the Bright Lord. This means the complete annihilation of a section of society wouldn't result in the collapse of the social hierarchy because all the systems needed for it's function have been insulated against outside forces. Even population growth is safeguarded thanks to the nature of the world they live in. Furthermore, she will only be remembered as a martyr if her cause lives on. If all the members of her community are executed; people will only know not to stand up against the state. She will essentially be relegated to the same position as the hunter who got torn apart by Quasimodo on steroids... A good person who tried to stand up against a tyrant and got silenced... How many of them have there been in history who sparked lasting change? A few hundred? A few thousand? How many ended up as part of the nameless masses who were forgotten and ground to dust under the wheel of time? I do agree that pulling the weed out right now would minimise risk for the future. But the potential event of one or more lieutenants being killed would be catastrophic for the king. She would go from a nameless martyr to a fallen hero and a true symbol of hope both in and out of the castle. So waiting a few weeks or months to accurately gauge her abilities would only be prudent. It's a hopeless situation for Nephis because of how long her opponent has had to prepare. 3 weeks, 3 months, 3 years are as meaningless as 3 days. Sunny realises that; it's at the root of why he left.

People are complaining as to why the king isn't moving against Nephis. Essentially he can't be certain if his lieutenants would be able to kill Nephis' merry band. She walked into his house and proceeded to one-shot one of his strongest subordinates in front of everyone. Not to mention this was right after he displayed his might to crush any thought of rebellion i.e. it was essentially a direct challenge against him. His backstory and personality shows how cunning he is. He wouldn't move without knowing if he could win. By letting them show their strength against the invading monsters he learns about their abilities as well as the limits of their strength. All the while setting them up onto a higher pedestal from which he can knock them off and thoroughly squash the people's thoughts of rebellion. It doesn't matter how many shards they collect in those few weeks. He's been farming shards for over a decade. Any increase in power in that short time would be arbitrary. In the end by setting her up for failure he will reaffirm to the people that the ONLY hope in their ruined hellscape is him and him alone. Genius

He also lacks hope about the situation and everything in general. His true name- Lost From Light- gives a window into the dark place his mind has always been in.

Filthy_Weeb_101 makes a good chapter comment about potential teams.

I was expecting the ninth rank to have a more developed ability not just a stronger version of the rank 8 effect on laws. At rank 7 you become a law. At rank 8 you are able to take over laws and change their meaning. Maybe at rank 9 you would be able to create your own laws and therefore make your own world.