The Conquerors Path Chapter 979 - 977-Consequences.

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

Austin uttered those words and vanished before Elda could even provide an answer. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared outside, dragging six individuals with him. By this point, they had been reduced to a mangled, bloody mess; their facial features were crushed, their internal powers were suppressed, and every bone in their frames had been shattered. They were enduring an agonizing torment that defied description, yet they were cruelly denied the mercy of losing consciousness.

With the victims in tow, Austin transported them out of the research facility before anyone could process his movements. The very atmosphere seemed to freeze as he manifested in the open air, radiating a brilliance that made him resemble a golden deity. By the time he became visible, the Imperial forces and the academy's hidden protectors had already mobilized, forming a tight perimeter around the area.

Their murderous intent and focused auras were locked onto Austin. Simultaneously, the faculty and student body stood paralyzed, their gazes fixed on the unfolding drama. Austin remained suspended at a mid-altitude, the tattoos etched into his skin throbbing with light. Hovering before him were the six broken, restrained captives. To those with sharp vision, it was painfully obvious that two of the mangled figures were wearing the robes of academy teachers.

Austin possessed only a fleeting window of time before his overwhelming power would dissipate and chaos would erupt. Those precious seconds were the only opportunity he had to dictate the outcome before the situation escalated beyond even his formidable control.

"Austin?"

Mira’s voice cut through the silence as she took in the horrific sight. Before anyone could intervene, Austin clenched his fists tightly. The gesture was immediately followed by a chorus of agonizing shrieks—bestial, high-pitched wails of pure suffering and impending death.

"ARGHHHHH!"

"NOOOOOOOO!!"

"STOPPPP!!!"

"ARGHHHHHH!!"

The desperate cries were punctuated by the sickening sound of limbs being forcibly contorted. Right before the eyes of the assembly, the appendages of the six captives twisted unnaturally until they erupted into a spray of gore and bone, raining down upon the onlookers. It was a display of absolute brutality and savage violence. Students turned away in revulsion, and even the most seasoned teachers felt a wave of nausea hit them.

Without hesitation, Austin delivered the final blow. In one last horrific display, the primary organs of the six men disintegrated into bloody mist. A cold shiver ran down the spines of every spectator; many instinctively recoiled in sheer terror at the ruthlessness on display.

Then, the surge of power vanished. The six broken bodies plummeted from the sky, hitting the pavement with a dull, heavy thud. To the crowd, the divine radiance surrounding Austin evaporated, revealing his true form—a young man who looked as battered and tortured as the hero the rumors had been describing.

"How DARE YOU?!"

...

Austin POV:

"How DARE YOU?!"

The voice was thick with indignation and shock. One of the Imperial experts immediately directed his crushing pressure toward me, causing my frame to tremble. I nearly collapsed to my knees as my focus wavered, but I was saved when a counter-wave of pressure neutralized the attack. Mira had stepped in, intercepting the strike from the protector.

"Dean, what is the meaning of this?" the protector demanded.

"I should be asking you that," Mira countered, her voice icy. "Why are you so quick to suppress a student? We must first analyze the facts of the situation."

Despite her calm exterior, the tension was nearing a breaking point. Six men lay on the ground, barely clinging to life and screaming in agony. This was a public display of torture held right before the students, the faculty, and the most elite figures of the academy. A simple explanation wouldn't suffice here.

"The very foundation of our laws has been trampled upon right in front of us! This was an act of torture and near-execution, and you expect me to remain composed?" the protector bellowed. I could see the veins bulging in his neck. I allowed a small smile to touch my lips, but it was quickly interrupted by a fit of coughing.

"Cough... cough!"

I pressed a hand to my mouth, and when I pulled it away, it was stained with streaks of crimson. I swayed on my feet, projecting an image of total exhaustion.

"Austin!" Mira cried out, her voice laced with genuine alarm. She rushed to support me, circulating her mana through my body to check my condition. Her entire world narrowed down to my well-being, ignoring the surrounding chaos, though her blatant favoritism only served to agitate the other witnesses.

These people had been hesitant to act while I was glowing with that terrifying power, but now that I appeared weak and vulnerable again, they found their courage. They were like many old cultivators—calculating and risk-averse, only moving when they felt safe.

I continued to cough for a moment, signaling to Mira with a weak hand gesture that I would survive. The protectors were itching to seize me, but they were paralyzed by the fear of a full-scale conflict that would level the academy. The Imperials held back, their patience wearing thin.

"I'm alright... I'm fine..." I finally managed to whisper, wiping the blood from my chin. I leaned heavily on Mira, but before I could explain further, a desperate shout echoed across the grounds.

"Brother!"

Elda came sprinting toward me. Despite my earlier instructions to stay put, her eyes were wide with terror and concern for my state. No one moved to block her path. It felt as though the entire world had paused to witness this moment.

"I’m okay," I said, offering her a frail smile while patting her head. She grabbed my other side to help Mira support me, her face a mask of guilt and worry. Mira looked at the girl and asked softly, "What happened in there?"

The question snapped Elda out of her daze. She looked at Mira, then glanced at the six mangled figures currently receiving emergency medical treatment. A barrier had been erected to keep the curious students away, leaving only the protectors and high-ranking teachers in the inner circle.

"Go ahead. Tell them everything," I urged in a faint voice. My encouragement gave her the strength she needed. Elda began to recount the events, her voice steadying as she provided every damning detail of the encounter. As she spoke, the faces of the gathered experts darkened. Mira’s expression, in particular, shifted into something truly demonic.

"They dared to do this?!" Mira roared, her mana erupting with such violence that the air itself seemed to warp. The shockwave pushed back the healers, and tiny needles of condensed mana began to drill into the six captives, who shrieked in renewed pain. However, one of the female protectors waved her hand to suppress the outburst.

"Control your emotions, Dean. We must establish the facts," the protector stated firmly. "Her testimony is grave and could ruin our institution's name, but we need verification. All we have seen for certain is Student Austin's brutality and a level of power that shouldn't be possible for him. Austin himself is the most suspicious element here."

It was an understandable perspective for them. They had spent centuries cultivating to reach their level, while I had simply shattered a stone to bypass all their hard work.

"Cough... then take this," I said, reaching out to gently remove a hairpin from Elda’s hair. I pulled out a recording stone and tapped the pin against it three times. The stone flared with light before dimming. I held the stone up for all to see, my gaze turning cold and predatory.

"This is the only evidence you require. It contains a full recording starting from the moment Elda was targeted. If you doubt the stone, any competent investigator can look at the room's layout, the seals used, and the barriers erected. They all tell the same story."

My voice carried the weight of an inescapable verdict. If the recording stone held what I claimed, there would be no room for debate. The evidence left behind in the research room was an open book that would lead to a catastrophic fallout for everyone involved.

"They will suffer far more for what they've done," I declared. My voice sounded firm, but as the adrenaline left my system, my vision blurred and my body began to burn with fever. Darkness rushed in, and I collapsed.

"Brother!"

"Austin!"

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