While Souta was busy wiping out Syura's subordinates, a group of invisible onlookers—Kurumi and the others—were watching everything unfold.
Chelsea had initiated a video chat, and the scene around her had been holographically projected into the consciousnesses of the connected group members... Or rather, it was more accurate to say their consciousnesses had descended here, watching everything as spectators.
Whether it was a projection or a full consciousness shift, no one had really figured it out yet.
But that didn't stop everyone from enjoying the feature.
From Souta and Chelsea's perspective, they could actually see the projections of the group members around them with their own eyes.
It was basically a live stream—others watched via "screens," while they got the real-life, front-row experience.
They could see their audience.
Since there was two-way interaction, it was called a "video chat," not a livestream.
"Wow, Souta's really brutal."
Kurumi commented as she watched five people get obliterated, her brows furrowed.
"Yeah, so brutal," Rin Tohsaka echoed, also looking displeased.
"I agree—his actions were far too savage," Altair nodded solemnly.
Back in the real world, Souta had just delivered his line to Syura.
When he heard their comments, he hesitated. Now he didn't even know how to continue.
Weren't they the ones pushing for a brutal punishment?
Why was he suddenly the villain?
Ignoring Syura's terrified expression, Souta turned to Kurumi and the others.
"Was it really that brutal?"
Kurumi walked over and looked at him with heavy disappointment.
"Of course it was! You've changed. To snuff out five lives so easily—and even kill the girls without hesitation? You clearly lack the tenderness to cherish beauty. I misjudged you."
Souta was certain this was some coordinated teasing.
So he responded with a shrug:
"Alright, I didn't realize you all were so compassionate. My bad. From now on, every girl I meet, I'll treasure like a delicate flower and make sure to treat them all with care."
Immediately, he was met with cold stares from Kurumi and Rin.
Altair's gaze, meanwhile, looked like she was staring at a total scumbag.
Souta's eye twitched.
So they could tease him, but if he teased back, he was suddenly the worst?
"Come on now, we were just joking," Altair stepped in, though clearly aware that Souta had caught on. "We asked you to handle Syura, remember? How could we call you brutal?"
Her eyes turned ice-cold as she glanced at Syura, who was still paralyzed with fear.
"That bastard and his lackeys all had it coming. If I were there in person, I'd have handled them myself."
Says the girl who once wanted to destroy the world, Souta thought silently.
"They definitely deserved it. Consider it a service to the people of the Capital," Kurumi added, then changed her tone to something more teasing:
"Although... someone may have used our little joke to reveal their true desires."
"I agree with Kurumi," Rin said, stepping closer with a judgmental look. "That line about 'cherishing every girl', you meant that, didn't you?"
"You three are impossible," Souta sighed and pointed toward Syura. "Are we still dealing with him or not?"
"Of course we are. This guy's ten times worse than Shinji Matou," Rin huffed. "If we don't punish him properly, I'll explode from the frustration."
"You just have low tolerance for poison," Souta muttered. "Me? I can even watch a bull-horn plot twist in a romance manga without losing it—uh, I mean, my mental fortitude is top-tier."
Rin narrowed her eyes. Something about that line sounded really sketchy.
"Anyway, let's talk about how we'll punish him," Souta quickly changed the topic.
"I could have the guards capture him and, tomorrow, subject him to the same public execution the Minister went through. Let the people deal with him."
"Huh? The Minister is dead?" Kurumi asked, surprised.
"Yeah, been dead for a while now," Chelsea answered for Souta.
"He was tied to a torture rack and executed. Most of the city came to watch. Each person took a slice of flesh off him. Even after he died, they kept going, until his bones were ground into dust."
"That's... a pretty twisted way to go," Rin said, shivering slightly at the mental image.
She glanced at Souta with a complicated expression—half disturbed, half judging.
Kurumi also gave him a suspicious look, wondering if he was starting to crack under the pressure and develop some dark tendencies.
"Why are you all looking at me?" Souta was speechless. "That wasn't even my idea—it was the Lord. You all just saw how I handle things. Clean, quick, no nonsense."
"Let's move on," Souta turned to Kurumi. "You're fully recovered already?"
He remembered she was still in the middle of evolving, she shouldn't have been moving around.
Kurumi shook her head. "Not yet. My body's still immobile. But the chat feature links to consciousness. As long as I'm mentally free, I can project myself ."
"Back to Syura then," Altair redirected the conversation. "I don't think we should go the same route as the Minister. We should tailor his punishment to his crimes and personality, as depicted in the manga."
"Exactly! Forget slow slicing—I say we castrate him," Rin suggested without hesitation.
"Ahh, but just castration feels too merciful," Kurumi chimed in, her cheeks flushing ever so slightly.
"How about... how about we get some strong men to gang-r*** him?"
"Oh?" Altair perked up. "That's actually a great idea. I remember this world has Dangerous Beasts, right? Instead of guys, what if we used aggressive male beasts? Dosed up with heat-inducing drugs, they'd go wild."
"I support it," Rin agreed, her sadistic side showing. "Make sure they're the big ones."
Chelsea stood there, mouth agape, watching them.
They really threw all sense of decency out the window...
But then... even she felt a little tempted. Dark ideas began to pop into her own mind.
(TL Note: HotnSpicy coming soon! Stay Tuned!)