THE ZOMBIE SYSTEM-Chapter 53 - 52: The Tribunal

"Execute him now before this spreads."

Director Voss slammed his fist against polished mahogany. The Hunter Association’s meeting room buzzed with tension. Board members filled leather chairs around the massive table. Regional directors clutched classified reports. Guild liaisons whispered into communication crystals. War veterans sat stone-faced, their scars telling stories of battles that shaped continents.

"Public execution sends the wrong message," Regional Director Kane shot back. His weathered hands gripped the table edge. "Virell was corrupt. Everyone knows it."

"Irrelevant." Guild Liaison Crest’s voice cut through the argument. "We don’t solve problems with vigilante murder."

The marble walls echoed with clashing voices. Politics mixed with fear. Old alliances cracked under pressure. New ones formed in whispered corners.

Archivist Solde adjusted his glasses. "The records are clear. Tobias Virell violated hunter codes seventeen times in five years. Civilian casualties. Unauthorized executions. The Attack on Leon’s mother was documented aggression."

"Documentation doesn’t matter," Director Voss snapped. "Perception matters. Seven guild leaders want blood. The public thinks we’re weak."

"The public thinks we ignored a monster until someone else cleaned up our mess," Kane replied.

Arguments bounced between factions. Some demanded immediate execution to restore order. Others pushed for investigation into systemic corruption. A few suggested exile to neutral territories.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop.

Heavy doors opened with mechanical precision. Every voice died. Every head turned.

Chairman Alfonso Ethella stepped through the entrance. His presence alone commanded absolute silence. Midnight-blue robes flowed without wind. Cold eyes swept each face with surgical precision.

He took his position at the table’s head. No hurry. No wasted motion. Authority made manifest.

"Report," he said simply.

Director Voss straightened his shoulders. "Sir, the Graves situation has exceeded containment parameters. Seven guild leaders demand immediate execution. Public pressure continues mounting. Media crystals broadcast the Virell battle footage across three continents."

"Facts only," Ethella cut him off. "Not speculation."

The room’s atmosphere grew heavier. Political calculations shifted behind every face.

"Leon Graves killed Tobias Virell in documented combat," Voss continued carefully. "Multiple civilian witnesses. Recording crystals captured the entire engagement. ARES Guild leadership structure collapsed within six hours. Emergency alliances forming between Iron-fang, Sanctuary, and Dragonspire."

Ethella nodded once. "Legal requirements?"

Archivist Solde cleared his throat. "Association policy mandates open tribunal for rank violations exceeding two classifications. Killing active S-rank hunters triggers mandatory judicial review under Continental Law Section Twelve, Subsection Four."

"Timeline constraints?"

"Forty-eight hours maximum from arrest to formal charges. Current elapsed time: thirty-six hours, seventeen minutes."

Ethella’s fingers drummed against polished wood. The sound echoed like countdown timer. "Opposition arguments?"

Regional Director Kane leaned forward. "Several board members believe Leon exposed systematic corruption the Association failed to address. Virell’s documented violations span five years. Civilian casualties were covered up. The attack on Leon’s mother violated every hunter code we swore to uphold."

Murmurs rippled through the assembly. Some nodded agreement. Others scowled at the implications.

"The boy did our job for us," muttered War Veteran Hale from the table’s far end. "Virell needed stopping years ago."

"That’s not how justice works," Guild Liaison Crest protested. "We have procedures. Laws. Systems designed to prevent exactly this kind of chaos."

"Systems that failed," Kane replied. "Repeatedly."

The room erupted. Voices clashed in complex harmonies of anger and fear. Political survival instincts battled moral outrage. Guild interests competed with Association authority.

Ethella let them argue for exactly thirty seconds. Then he stood.

Instant silence.

"The decision isn’t ours," he said quietly. "Continental Law requires tribunal by jury of peers. Twelve representatives. Four from Association leadership. Four from major guilds. Four from noble houses with vested interests."

He activated a projection crystal. Names appeared in flowing script above the table.

"Director Maedlin Voskar. Archivist Renneth Solde. Vice-Chairman Pyra Eltyos. Association representation secured."

Three faces materialized in blue light. Hard expressions. Professional distance. No mercy visible.

"Lord Kevran DeNire. Lady Thelyra Voneir. These houses supported Virell publicly. Their positions are predictable."

Political heavyweights appeared next. Old money. Traditional power structures. Generational influence.

"Bran Dekker from Iron-fang. Vaela Murne from Sanctuary. Callen Etros from ARES. Guild consensus representation."

The guild leaders carried personal agendas. Organizational loyalty mixed with individual ambition. Leon had disrupted their careful balance.

"Thorne Quen from Black-fang. Saria Dullin from Tempest Veil. Kohr Raiven from Crimson Dawn. Combat expertise evaluation."

These fighters understood violence. They might respect what Leon accomplished. Or condemn it as reckless.

"Elim Voth from Celestial Path. Spiritual guidance perspective."

The final name drew surprised glances. Celestial Path rarely involved themselves in political matters.

"Tribunal convenes tomorrow at dawn," Ethella continued. "Standard procedures apply. Evidence presentation. Witness testimony. Jury deliberation. Majority verdict required for execution or exile."

He deactivated the projection. The names faded like dying stars.

"Meeting dismissed."

Chairs scraped against marble. Whispered conversations began immediately. Political calculations shifted. Alliance discussions bloomed in corners.

Ethella remained alone. Staring at empty seats that would hold Leon’s future.

---

Dawn painted the horizon crimson above the Hunter Association courthouse. The building rose from polished granite like a monument to absolute authority. Massive columns supported carved arches that had witnessed three centuries of hunter justice.

Ancient laws were etched into every surface. Names of legendary S-rank hunters decorated the entrance hall. Their achievements spoke of power that shaped civilizations.

The statue dominated the entrance plaza. The First Hunter stood twenty feet tall in bronze and steel. His sword pointed toward distant mountains. His face showed determination that built their world from nothing.

Crowds gathered behind security barriers. Citizens pressed against enchanted walls. News crystals recorded everything. History unfolded in real time.

Vendors sold food and trinkets. Children pointed at the statue. Adults debated Leon’s guilt in hushed voices. Some called for blood. Others whispered support. Most just watched in fascination.

The black containment vehicle approached like death itself. Mana-forged steel plates covered every surface. Steam hissed from suppression runes carved into reinforced wheels. Enchanted glass revealed nothing of its cargo.

Guards flanked the transport in military formation. Their gear was Association standard. Weapons designed for enhanced targets. Armor rated against S-rank attacks. These weren’t ceremonial escorts.

The vehicle stopped at courthouse steps worn smooth by centuries of condemned feet.

Locks disengaged in careful sequence. Mechanical clicks. Magical chimes. Something else that made the air taste of copper and regret.

The door opened with hydraulic precision.

Leon stepped onto ancient stone. His hands were bound with mana-dampening cuffs that pulsed with suppression runes. His clothes were simple gray fabric. Prison uniform that marked him as dangerous.

No weapons remained. No equipment. No system interface connection. Everything that made him powerful was stripped away.

But his spine stayed straight. His head remained high. His eyes met the crowd without flinching.

The courthouse doors towered above like gates to judgment itself. Bronze panels depicted scenes from hunter history. Trials that shaped their world. Decisions that changed everything.

Leon walked through those doors knowing he might never walk out.

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