Zara's heart skipped a beat as her tears stopped almost instantly. The words Alexander uttered were clear to everyone present, once again shocking them.
"What…?" Zara muttered just to be sure she heard right. "What do you mean?" The woman tried to back away as Alex approached her.
"Stay away from me!" She struggled and tried to circulate her mana but to no avail. "No, please. Don't!"
Zara cried harder as Alex placed a hand on her forehead. She continued to plead but Alex paid no heed.
"The modifications you did yourself are slowly killing you," Alex explained. "This is the only way…"
Of course, that was a lie. He could reverse the cell integration she and her hunters did and still leave her with her abilities.
Under the gloomy looks of Basso and Jaseph, Alex's hand and eyes glowed golden--all aesthetics. Still, he needed those around to understand the depth of his abilities.
He wasn't going to kill them, but he had to instil absolute fear in them. No one wanted to lose what they worked so hard for.
"Ah…!!!"
Zara screamed in despair as the power she cultivated left her body, dissipating into space. The hidden damages she didn't even know she had all disappeared, returning her to her normal self.
Alex had created an atmosphere around them, shielding her from the cosmic radiations and equilibrating the pressure.
He did, however, leave her with her young appearance despite her age. But everyone present immediately saw through the facade.
She may have appeared like nothing changed, but Zara couldn't be more mortal.
"Ah…" Zara cried louder than ever, tears streaking down her cheeks like a river. "My…my…"
She couldn't complete her thoughts. The feeling of weakness that washed over her nearly crippled her psyche.
Gulp
The leaders and other hunters couldn't help but swallow hard. They stared at Alex like some kind of monster, but there was nothing they could do to escape.
They knew they were next when Alex turned to them, sending cold shivers down their already freezing spine.
One by one, Alex frees them of their burden, making grown men shed tears like children. They pleaded, of course, trying to pledge their loyalty and whatnot, but Alex ignored it all.
"It's done." Alex stepped away from the last man who wept bitterly. "This should serve as a lesson to anyone who stands against humanity as a whole for their selfish interest."
With a snap of his hands, he sent Zara and the hunters to the capital before turning to the leaders.
"You'll find them in the capital," Alex said. "Prosecute them as you see fit and let the other leaders understand the consequences of acting against the people."
Basso and Jaseph nodded, swallowing the lump in their throat. They gave another now and watched Alex approach Julia as the two disappeared shortly after.
"..."
Basso looked at his friend of many years and the resulting silence expressed how chaotic their thoughts were.
Sometime later, the leaders snapped out of their shocked state and went to take care of the aftermath.
They still had the media and people to prepare for Alexander's message, after all.
The eminence had to speak to calm the hearts of the people. Things were on a path of change and a part of them were glad to see it happen.
....
Several days later.
The two leaders didn't disappoint. All persons in the position of leadership were explicitly made aware that no crime against humanity would be tolerated.
Of course, there was some opposition from those who claimed to have put the two leaders in the position they were in the first place.
And while there was some truth to that, they couldn't do anything at this point as they were the strongest hunters.
However, when they were shown in confidence the state of Zara, they realized just how close to burning they were.
The leaders were serious and for whatever reason, they were far more powerful than they ever were.
Having no choice in the matter, they could only grit their teeth and accept it. Of course, there were the stubborn ones who believed they were special.
Unfortunately, those fools were shown the errors of their ways. They were stripped of everything they owned, leaving them with nothing but a chance to start all over.
Once a degree of order returned to the ruling class, the leaders turned their attention to organizing the empire-wide conference.
And to no surprise of theirs, the common appearance of void creatures had significantly decreased.
The Order was finally put to work and they did wonders. They went wherever Alexander pointed them.
The S-Tier void creatures they encountered? Their S-Tiers dealt with them like they were toddlers.
The top hunters in the organization had gotten a mad boost in power that placed them above the S-Tiers.
Whether it was inside a veiled space, they ventured. Whether it was an area plagued with cosmic storms, they fought with no fears.
Resources were now easier to obtain with the dangers taken out of the way. Members of the order finally realized what they signed up for was very genuine.
Unfortunately, getting blessed by Alexander was not something they could all have without proving themselves.
Elina had suggested making that gift a reward for the hunters. Making it easily accessible would diminish its significance.
Of course, Alex knew this and had no qualms about taking back what was given. Additionally, he could see what was in a person's heart, so that was not much of a problem.
As things progressed, the people began to see things were changing and the incidence of void creatures and cosmic storms plaguing their universe was diminishing.
Then the leaders--now reduced to two--released an announcement to address the state of affairs and what to expect moving forward.
Naturally, people were sceptical despite what was happening, but when the announcement mentioned Alexander being the principal person to address them, it raised a lot of questions, stirring their curiosity.
Finally, the day arrived and Alex was to address the people all over the empire from the capital.
'Time to put an end to the madness…'