"My Lady Heavenly Principle..." Mavuika's voice held a tone of gentle refusal.
But Kiana left no room for argument, her voice turning stern.
"This is a notification, not a discussion. Understood?"
"What is yours, is yours. What isn't, no amount of seizing will make it so."
"I admire you. Therefore! From this day forward, you are the true Pyro Archon of Natlan. Do not disappoint me."
One shouldn't be fooled by Kiana's seemingly placid demeanor.
The more she was like this, the more the Seven Archons dared not offend her.
The previous Domain of Binding had been a warning.
After the stick…even the sweetest date fruit could make one tremble.
Barbatos and Morax felt that after so long apart, the Heavenly Principle had grown even more powerful, more in touch with human nature, and simultaneously, even more difficult to serve.
One moment she was joking; the next, her oppressive pressure descended.
Mavuika nearly choked on her own breath.
In the end, she had nothing to say.
However, Kiana's thoughts were actually quite simple.
Rewards and punishments must be clear and fair.
If someone like Mavuika wasn't heavily rewarded, what kind of leader would that make her?
Even if she oppressed the Seven Archons like a slave driver, they wouldn't dare utter a word of complaint.
But the Heavenly Principle was the Heavenly Principle, and she was herself.
If this was how she liked things, then so be it.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, she looked at Mavuika.
"Additionally."
Mavuika's heart leapt into her throat.
"Your parents, your younger sister… I will resurrect them as well. Just make sure to balance your work and your life."
"Yes, My Lady of Heavenly Principle!" Mavuika's spirits soared.
She couldn't care less about becoming a true Archon herself.
But she cared deeply about the family she had lost five hundred years ago.
Their support had made her who she was today, and towards them, she always carried a burden of guilt.
"As for you… Barnabas."
Finally.
It was the Tsaritsa's turn.
Her heart was already a placid lake, devoid of ripples, ready to accept Kiana's judgment.
In fact!
No matter how you looked at it, the Tsaritsa's transgressions were the most severe. Calling them unforgivable wasn't an exaggeration.
But!
Looking at that face, so identical to the grown Bronya from the later days…
Her heart softened again.
Yet, no matter how much it softened, this wasn't like the cases of Furina, Nahida, or Raiden Mei, where she could let them handle their own reforms.
Without a sufficient reason, letting the Tsaritsa off lightly would be utterly unjustifiable.
"I will disband the Fatui," Barnabas said, not wishing to make this harder for Kiana.
She knew Kiana's moment of softness was just that—a moment. If she didn't seize this chance, and forced Kiana to pass final judgment, who knew what might happen?
She wanted to make one last attempt.
"Not enough,"Kiana replied, her moment of pity indeed having been fleeting.
She shook her head slightly.
"I will personally judge each member of the Fatui, one by one," Barnabas continued.
"Still not enough,"Kiana shook her head.
The actions committed by Snezhnaya warranted her full seriousness.
If the other nations were mere side dishes, this one was the main course.
She couldn't let her temporary feelings make her relent.
Because she knew she was just borrowing this account; she wasn't the true Phanes. Once she returned and Phanes resumed control…
If her own judgment wasn't severe enough, even if Phanes spared them out of respect for her, she would definitely not let them off easily.
And so!
For Inazuma, Sumeru, and Fontaine…
Having the original Archons offer a profound apology was just giving them a chance.
If they clung to chances, if they weren't ruthless enough with themselves…
Kiana would help them find that ruthlessness.
Otherwise, they would face Phanes herself. The Lady of Heavenly Principle had no concept of 'sparing the fair and delicate'.
"Upon your return, you will dissolve Snezhnaya. You will issue a Decree of Self-Accusation to the entire continent."
Kiana's gaze bore into Barnabas.
"After that, you will return the Gnoses of all nations."
"Then, you will take your own Gnosis and be confined to Celestia."
"Since you couldn't be content ruling peacefully, you will remain on Celestia, tending to the Ley Lines."
"Together with Asmoday."
"..."
Barnabas hesitated for a moment, then finally kowtowed heavily, several times.
"Barnabas… respectfully obeys your command."
Merely dissolving Snezhnaya, and not driving a nail down upon it, was already an act of great mercy. That she hadn't been executed outright for her grave sins was truly unbelievable.
But regardless, she had survived.
And, truth be told, this punishment was arguably more agonizing for Barnabas.
It was painful to the point of being suffocating.
It was truly a case of 'killing the heart'.
The Archons undoubtedly loved their people.
What had the Tsaritsa schemed for, for centuries?
Wasn't it all for her people?
Now, one could easily imagine.
What would become of a dissolved Snezhnaya?
What would become of Barnabas, who issued the Decree of Self-Accusation and was placed under house arrest on Celestia…
Even if the other Archons harbored no ill intentions…
Their people, motivated by national interest or past grievances, would clearly not let the remnants of Snezhnaya be.
Few among the Fatui were clean. You could argue about differing standpoints.
But now, they were to be purged, becoming history—an unchangeable fact. Without the Fatui's protection, it would be a nation without a god.
Its money, its wealth, its population…
In the eyes of other nations, it would be a prime target!
Even with the Seven Archons present, their nations hadn't seen large-scale war for centuries, even millennia.
But if they wanted to pick at Snezhnaya's carcass, there were more than enough methods.
Did Barnabas not know this?
No, she knew.
Even the other Archons understood this, to varying degrees.
They just didn't speak of it. Because saying anything now was useless.
At the very least, Snezhnaya was slightly better off than Khaenri'ah had been—it wasn't cursed, its people transformed into reviled Hilichurls.
Admittedly, for Barnabas, living might be a greater torment than death.
But this judgment was indeed appropriate, all things considered.
Kiana even felt a little conflicted herself.
On one hand, she said she liked them.
On the other, she bullied them like this.
Mobius often said she sometimes smiled sweetly while talking about terrifying things, like a little devil.
But in the end…
As long as Barnabas lived, that was enough for Kiana.
What happened to Snezhnaya was irrelevant.
Wrongdoing always demanded a price. She might feel a pang of sympathy, but she wouldn't go soft.
And next, Kiana fulfilled her earlier promise.
In front of all the Archons, she resurrected Baal, Buer, and Focalors.
They were dazed for a moment, but upon seeing Kiana, seemed to realize something, and similarly knelt in reverence.
Raiden Ei looked at Baal, immensely excited, but now was clearly not the time for unrestrained emotion; she was holding back with great effort.
Nahida looked at Buer, her expression complex.
Furina had long vaguely guessed that Focalors was the 'person in the mirror' who had once communicated with her.
But even so, she felt stirred.
Mavuika's ascension to true godhood was like a phoenix emerging from the flames.
Kiana then transmitted everything that had happened in Inazuma, Sumeru, and Fontaine, along with the recent discussions, directly into the minds of Baal, Buer, and Focalors using the Authority of Sentience.
This included the original, unaltered history, a copy of which was given to every Archon present.
At this, the gazes of all the surrounding Archons towards the Dendro Archon turned somewhat peculiar.
Buer smiled wryly.
But she didn't reproach Nahida much.
"The fault was mine… I'm sorry, Nahida."
--+--
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