Chapter 62: Punishment For The Traitors...

After the Wizard King Julius teleported from the sight of Ben and the gathered crowd, leaving behind a mischievous wink and smile during the king's coronation, his assistant Marx moved closer to Ben.

"My lord, now is the right time to sentence the traitors for their crimes,"

Marx whispered, his tone low but firm, reminding Ben of the long-awaited moment.

When Ben heard it was time, his face turned cold.

With a slight nod, he gave Marx permission to proceed with the trial.

Receiving the signal, Marx stepped to the edge of the stage and gestured to one of the guards nearby, giving the command to bring in the prisoners.

Nod~

Triumph~

The guard responded with a nod and blew a loud trumpet, signaling the other guards stationed with the prisoners to escort them to the prepared trial stage.

Creak~ creak~

Hearing the trumpet, the guards who had been standing watch over the prisoners began moving the horse-drawn cart.

Inside the cart, an iron cage rattled as it held the prisoners tightly bound in chains and cuffs.

Pin-drop silence.

As the cart came into view, a heavy silence blanketed the crowd.

All eyes were on the prisoners, their expressions grim and filled with disdain.

They recognized the previous king, Augustus Kira, along with the nobles who had supported and aided him in the assassination attempt on the former king and queen.

"Fuck you bastards... kill them!"

The silence was abruptly shattered by a teenage boy, his voice filled with anger, as he picked up a stone from the ground and hurled it at Augustus Kira.

Once the arrogant and bossy king, Augustus now looked pale and haggard, his pride shattered.

Thud~

Ahhh~

The stone hit its mark, striking Augustus in his left eye. He screamed in pain, clutching his face as blood began to seep through his fingers.

When he looked at his hand, now wet and stained red, he roared in fury. "How dare you?" Augustus bellowed, his voice filled with rage as he glared at the teenage boy.

Thud~

Ahhh~

Before he could continue his tirade, another stone struck him at the back of his head, catching him off guard.

Thud~ thud~

Thud~ thud~

"Kill him..."

"Kill him..."

Thud~ thud~

Thud~ thud~

The crowd erupted.

Stones flew through the air like a hailstorm, hitting not just Augustus but also the nobles in the cage.

The former king and his allies tried to shield themselves, but there was no escape from the crowd's wrath.

The once-terrifying ruler was now reduced to a desperate, screaming figure, drowned out by the chants and fury of the people.

Now, under the barrage of stones from all sides, the prisoners began to scream and beg for mercy.

They pleaded with the royal guards, who had once served them faithfully, to intervene and stop the assault.

But the guards showed not even the slightest hesitation in ignoring their pleas.

Instead, they stood resolutely, watching the unfolding scene with indifference, as if witnessing justice itself.

After arriving at the execution platform, the guards unloaded the iron cage and dragged it to the top of the stage.

The prisoners were released from the cage but kept tightly bound in chains.

Harry stepped forward, holding a parchment that detailed the crimes committed by the former king and his loyalists.

"We are here to declare the deeds of the traitor, the ex-king Augustus Kira,"

Harry announced, his voice cold and amplified by magic for the entire crowd to hear.

"Augustus, who has been stripped of his royal status and removed from the Kira family, stands accused of the following heinous crimes…"

One by one, Harry began to read aloud the extensive list of atrocities committed by Augustus and his supporters, each crime more shocking than the last.

The weight of their actions was laid bare for all to hear, and the air grew heavy with outrage.

Even the Magic Knight Captains, seasoned veterans of war and hardship, were left astonished by the sheer magnitude of the misdeeds.

For the common citizens and lower-ranking knights, the revelations were almost unbearable, sparking anger and disbelief throughout the crowd.

"Kill him…"

"Kill him…"

"Kill him…"

The silence that had held the crowd moments ago erupted into furious chants.

Cries for blood filled the air as the people demanded immediate justice.

Their voices were laced with raw hatred, and curses rained down upon the traitors.

Ben stepped forward, a wide smile on his face as he addressed the enraged crowd.

"I had originally planned to sentence them to death,"

he began, his voice calm yet carrying a menacing undertone,

"but after witnessing my dear citizens express their own brand of justice…"

He paused, his eyes scanning the sea of furious faces.

"…I have changed my mind."

The prisoners froze, their battered faces betraying a glimmer of hope.

Color returned to Augustus's pale complexion as he dared to look at Ben with eyes filled with desperate optimism.

It was as though salvation itself had descended upon them.

The prisoners began to grasp at any remaining shred of hope, begging the new king for mercy.

Even Augustus, their former ally and the ex-king, was not spared their desperation.

One by one, they shamelessly tried to shift the blame onto him, hurling accusations to save themselves.

"____"

Ben watched the display, momentarily stunned by their lack of dignity.

Cough~

Clearing his throat to mask his surprise, Ben straightened up.

"Instead of hanging them or granting them a quick and easy death…"

he began, pausing deliberately as his sharp gaze swept over the crowd.

Smirk~

"…Let's tie them to poles and allow the public to exact their justice. Let the people punish them to their hearts' content by throwing whatever they wish until their lives come to an end."

His voice was cold, and the smirk on his face as he delivered the decree left no doubt about his intent.

"____"

"____"

"____"

The arena fell deathly silent.

The crowd's eyes widened in shock, and murmurs began to ripple through the gathered citizens.

Meanwhile, the prisoners' faces turned pale and grim, their fleeting hope now completely shattered.

"My lord… please! Please have mercy!"

Augustus and the others immediately fell to their knees, pressing their foreheads to the ground in desperation.

Their pleas echoed through the arena as they repeatedly slammed their heads against the hard surface, blood beginning to streak their foreheads.

To be executed by beheading or hanging was one thing; to be pelted to death by the furious public was another.

The humiliation would be unbearable, and their names would be forever etched in history as a mockery.

Ben remained unmoved, his expression cold and unyielding.

Without a word, he signaled to the guards to carry out the sentence.

The guards acted swiftly and efficiently, dragging the prisoners to the execution platform.

There, they were bound tightly to wooden poles at the center of the stage, their movements restricted as the crowd began to gather closer.

Satisfied, Ben returned to the coronation platform, where a grand throne awaited him.

With calm authority, he took his seat, surveying the scene as the execution was prepared to unfold.

His gaze held no pity—only the resolute demeanor of a king who was making his stance clear: betrayal and treachery would not be tolerated in his reign.

With the king's approval given, the public wasted no time.

Stones flew through the air with deadly precision, striking the bound traitors who writhed helplessly against the poles at the center of the execution platform.

Cries of pain and desperate pleas for mercy echoed in the arena, but they only seemed to fuel the crowd's fury.

'System...'

Seated on his throne, Ben remained stoic, calling upon the system to assess his current rewards and progress.

[ Ding... ]

[ FP Bar: 1017/500 ] → [ New Alien: ??? ]

[ Ding... ]

[ Hidden Achievement: Become the King

Task Reward: Spatial Storage (1000 x 1000)

Status: Completed

 Reward Being Distributed... ]

[ Ding... ]

[ Special Task: Defend The Innocent ]

[ Task Description: After saving the slaves from the slave syndicate, prove their innocence in court from the false accusation of being spies from another kingdom.

Reward: Lightning Attribute.

Status: Completed. 

Reward Being Distributed... ]

The flurry of notifications brought a sense of satisfaction to Ben as he reviewed the unexpected yet gratifying rewards.

'System, unlock new transformation...'

Ben decided to capitalize on the momentum, requesting the system to unlock a new alien transformation using his accumulated FP points.

[ Ding... ]

[ New Alien: Panuncian ] {Image Here}

The system revealed a unique alien, one that Ben didn't recognize from the Ben 10 universe in his previous life.

Intrigued, he decided to try his luck once more, noticing he had sufficient FP points to unlock another transformation.

[ Ding... ]

[ FP Bar: 517/500 ] → [ New Alien: ??? ]

[ Ding... ]

[ New Alien: Goop ] {Image Here.}

[ FP Bar: 17/500 ] → [ New Alien: ??? ]

A small smile crept across Ben's face as the next alien unlocked was Goop, a classic from the Ben 10 series.

He remembered its capabilities and limitations well.

Goop, with its semi-liquid, gelatinous form, was one of the most versatile aliens in Ben's arsenal. However, it came with glaring weaknesses.

Its functionality depended entirely on the anti-gravitational projector that hovered above it, acting as its core.

Without the projector, Goop would be reduced to a useless puddle.

Additionally, its semi-liquid state made it highly vulnerable to extreme heat, which could cause it to vaporize.

Though aware of these limitations, Ben saw potential in the creativity and strategy Goop could offer in battle.

'Not bad... Let's see what I can make of this.'

Ben's gaze returned to the execution.

The cries of the traitors were growing weaker, the crowd's relentless punishment taking its toll.

Ben leaned back on his throne, content with the knowledge that justice had been served while silently contemplating the power his new transformations could bring to his reign.

Captain's Log...

While Ben was looking at the description of the new alien transformations he had unlocked using the FP points.

"That kid really is ruthless."

Looking at the traitors who were literally covered in blood and the wounds caused by the stones thrown at them, Mereoleona commented, eyeing Ben, who was in good spirits, smirking while looking at the prisoners.

Since the system is not visible to anyone other than Ben, they thought Ben was happily smiling at the sufferings of the traitors who were subjected to stones thrown by the public according to his order.

"He deserves it."

Hearing his sister's words, Fuegoleon snorted and looked at the ex-king and his accomplices in a sorry state with a disgusted look.

"All of them were the same."

Snort~

When Fuegoleon mentioned they all deserved it, Mereoleona snorted and expressed her opinion on the nobles who just liked to sit back and enjoy their life and run and hide when there is a problem in the kingdom.

She even exclaimed some might betray if they got any benefit from any scheme by the enemy country.

Hearing her, Charlotte defended Ben, stating that Ben was different, while surprisingly, Nozel stepped out and took Charlotte's side.

Which shocked Fuegoleon. He knew Nozel would not take a side easily in an argument if he wasn't sure about his standing regarding the king.

Smirk~

"Well... my little sister Noelle is the disciple of our king, so it's only natural that I take our majesty's side."

With a visible smirk on his face, which irritated Fuegoleon, seeing his rival smirking at him like that, Nozel wasted no time telling him his reason.

Puff~

"____"

"____"

Mu~ mu~

While Yami was taking a puff from his cigarette silently and trying his best not to involve himself in the conversation or be dragged into the arena by Mereoleona for training.

Meanwhile, Jack covered Rill's mouth, who wanted to crack a joke at Mereoleona to lighten the mood using his humor sense.

Jack was trying his best to save his fellow captain from ticking the time bomb named Mereoleona.

Haha~

Glint~

"You don't need to worry about that... our majesty has many plans which will shake our whole kingdom and give a new direction to our kingdom for the better future of the Clover Kingdom."

While the argument was going on, they heard laughter behind them. When they turned to look, they saw Wizard King Julius walking towards them with a knowing glint in his eyes.

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(Author's POV)

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