Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, the avatar of the World Tree, held mastery over the world's memory.
There was little in the world she did not know. Thus, she did not need words to pass judgment on the Akademiya—she only needed to lay bare the evidence.
The greatest enemy of guilt and secrets is exposure to the public.
At that moment, the Akasha Terminals of every citizen in Sumeru began broadcasting the original sins of the Akademiya.
The screen displayed the first Grand Sage discovering the newly born Lesser Lord Kusanali.
Her birthday coincided with the Sabzeruz Festival, during which she had been born amid flowers and cheers, only to be taken into the Akademiya by the Grand Sage.
The footage revealed a meeting where the Grand Sage addressed all the sages:
"We have discovered the new god of Sumeru. She has just been born."
"Though she is newly born, her power cannot compare to Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, nor does she possess her wisdom. She is no different from a human child."
"Her learning ability is remarkable. Within a single day, she mastered the knowledge of an average Sumeru scholar."
"According to calculations using the Akasha System left behind by Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, she will surpass the wisdom of every person in Sumeru within three years."
"However, as I watch her naive and curious demeanor as she asks us questions, an idea occurs to me."
"Why should Sumeru be entrusted to her?"
"This Sumeru, which we built alongside Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, why must it be handed over to her?"
"This is the Sumeru of the sages and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. Now that Greater Lord Rukkhadevata is gone, Sumeru should belong to us, the sages."
"Sumeru is not the Sumeru of its people, nor is it Lesser Lord Kusanali's Sumeru. It is the Sumeru of the Akademiya. It is the Sumeru of us sages."
The screen then transitioned to show the sages devising a plan to brainwash and imprison the god—a scheme they named The God-Imprisonment Plan.
The people of Sumeru were stunned.
"Imprison the god?! The Akademiya dared to commit such monstrous acts?!"
"And what did they mean by saying Sumeru belongs to the sages, not its people?!"
The realization that the Akademiya viewed Sumeru's citizens as slaves fueled an eruption of rage.
Amid the uproar in Sumeru City, Alhaitham, observing the angry citizens, maintained his composure.
"Imprisoning a god… how absurd."
Though he had long been puzzled by the sages' strict prohibition on anyone approaching Lesser Lord Kusanali's Pure Goodness Palace, he hadn't thought it relevant enough to investigate further.
Now the reason was clear—this was the Akademiya's original sin.
He understood at that moment: the Akademiya was finished.
The legitimacy of the Akademiya's authority came from Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. If she no longer acknowledged them, the Akademiya was rendered illegitimate.
The footage continued.
It revealed every crime committed by the Akademiya's elite over the past 500 years, culminating in the corruption of the current generation of Sumeru's aristocracy.
In its early years, the Akademiya followed the rule of law. But as generations passed, the second and third generations of nobles began to act as though they were divine dragons above the law.
Once they had complete control of power, they turned law into a tool for exploitation.
They manipulated commerce and controlled food prices.They oppressed and absorbed independent businesses.They seized land and hired assassins to eliminate rivals.They trafficked humans, establishing organizations to steal children for use in research experiments.
Under the guise of orphanages, they brazenly groomed:
Beautiful girls to become courtesans and playthings.
Boys to become assassins and disposable soldiers.
Children with congenital diseases were sent directly to laboratories as experimental subjects.
The children of aristocrats would casually kill maids and commoners for sport.
Secretly, they built playgrounds where murder was a form of entertainment, holding underground death matches for their amusement.
The ugliness of humanity was laid bare in these images.
Sumeru's people watched in horror and disbelief as the true face of the Akademiya was exposed.
Not only the Akademiya, but the sins of merchants, landlords, and all others were laid bare before everyone's eyes, along with a comprehensive list of their crimes clearly presented.
Sumeru descended into complete chaos. The rage of its people had reached a boiling point, needing only a single spark to ignite.
And Greater Lord Rukkhadevata delivered that spark.
"People of Sumeru, use your hands and your actions to return Sumeru to its once-beautiful state. "
"Take back your lands, your wealth, your dignity, and your honor. Release the anger in your hearts.
"I, Buer, your god of Sumeru, will guide you."
Sumeru's people, previously too disunited and powerless to resist, now had the backing of a god—a force stronger and more righteous than anything they could imagine.
"Revenge! I want vengeance for my daughter! Kill that Akademiya scum!"
"Kill them! For stealing my property! They'll pay with their lives!"
"Charge! Greater Lord Rukkhadevata said to take back what's ours!"
"Slay those parasites! Together, we can do this!"
"Kill them all!"
The revolt began in Sumeru City.
The Akasha Terminals, under Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's control, marked all guilty individuals. No innocent people would be affected.
This feat was only possible for the creator of the Akasha System—Greater Lord Rukkhadevata herself.
The citizens of Sumeru City, armed with kitchen knives, sticks, and farming tools, stormed the Akademiya in a frenzy.
The Akademiya's aristocrats, pampered and devoid of divine power, were no match for the enraged citizens.
"Ahhh! Spare me! I won't do it again!"
"Help! Someone help me!"
"Don't kill me! Please!"
"My leg! My leg!"
Screams, cries for mercy, and wails of despair echoed through every corner of the Akademiya's buildings.
The walls and floors were painted with vivid red.
Even the Thirty, a desert mercenary group employed by the Akademiya to defend Sumeru City, joined the uprising.
Though desert folk by origin, they were deeply integrated into the city's fabric and had not colluded with the Akademiya.
The lack of markings of guilt on their Akasha Terminals was proof enough of their innocence.
They focused on capturing the Akademiya's aristocrats for public trials and pledged loyalty to the rainforest's god, hoping to secure their continued presence in Sumeru City.
Meanwhile, Cyno led the Mahamatra to storm the uppermost reaches of the Akademiya—the very heart of Sumeru's power.
Boom!
With a single strike, the grand doors shattered, revealing the panicked sages and the Grand Sage himself.
Azar gritted his teeth, his fury evident. "Cyno, the General Mahamatra!"
Cyno wasted no words. He raised the Staff of Scarlet Sands and charged directly at Azar.
"Surrender, Azar! Your crimes have been exposed to all the people of Sumeru!"
The Mahamatra swept through the Akademiya, apprehending mentors and the aristocratic children of the elite. Cyno's efforts brought down every high-ranking member of the Akademiya.
Tighnari, meanwhile, led the forest rangers in the rainforests surrounding Sumeru City, capturing aristocrats attempting to flee.
From above, Noah cradled Kusanali in his arms as they overlooked the chaos below. The iron-scented air carried the cries of revolt and retribution.
"Kusanali, have you learned Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's methods for solving problems?"
"Governance does not require gods to handle every detail personally. They need only listen to the voices of their people, acknowledge their wishes, permit their actions, and define right and wrong."
"Indeed, the collective will of Sumeru's people will guide them to make the right choices."
Greater Lord Rukkhadevata appeared behind Noah, watching as the Heavenly Principle taught her other half, Nahida, whom she regarded as a daughter. Slowly, she approached and, with a gentle voice, spoke softly.
Hearing the soothing voice, it was as though it touched the deepest part of Nahida's soul, a caress from her very origin. She immediately turned to look, her clover-shaped eyes shining with light.
"Greater Lord Rukkhadevata…"
Buer smiled warmly. "Nahida, I have finally met you."
Nahida felt an unprecedented calm and anticipation. She didn't know what this feeling was, only that she wanted to share her thoughts with this person.
"Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, I missed you. I've always, always thought about you."
Buer extended a hand and gently patted Nahida's head. Her soft voice soothed the loneliness of Nahida's 500 years of captivity.
"I missed you too. You are me, and I am you. How could I not know your solitude?"
Nahida blinked. "I am you, and you are me?"
Buer smiled as she explained, "I am the avatar of the World Tree, and you are the purest branch of the World Tree. You come from me; you are my other half. But you are also your own person. In a way, you can be considered my daughter."
Nahida looked at her with innocent, expectant eyes. "Can I… call you mother?"
Buer gazed at Nahida's hopeful expression and replied gently, "Of course, you can. You can call me whatever you like. We are one and the same; there's no distinction between us."
Noah chuckled and wrapped an arm around Buer's waist.
"You both come from the same primordial fragment. You're essentially mirror images of each other. Truly inseparable."
He had to admit, the more he looked at Buer, the more he admired her. She was practically perfect in everything she did, and she herself was perfection incarnate.
Under Nahida's curious and innocent gaze, the Heavenly Principle kissed Greater Lord Rukkhadevata on the lips.
Although Nahida was puzzled, she had seen such a scene during her secret escapades outside the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
It seemed to be a peculiar behavior shared by humans when they liked each other.
Did the Heavenly Principle like Greater Lord Rukkhadevata in the same way?
Did the Heavenly Principle like her too?
Nahida's pure eyes filled with confusion.
Her experiences were far too limited for her to understand such human emotions.
Noah released Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, whose elven ears had turned red, and gazed into her gentle eyes. Her kindness was unwavering.
To any man from Earth, such gentleness was a fatal poison.
Thus, he turned to Nahida to refocus himself and clear his mind.
Meeting Nahida's bewildered gaze as she watched him and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, Noah leaned in and kissed her cheek as well.
It felt exactly the same as when they were under the World Tree.
After all, Nahida and Greater Lord Rukkhadevata were identical. To put it in modern terms, Nahida was essentially a clone of Greater Lord Rukkhadevata.
Buer showed no displeasure; instead, she seemed delighted. After all, Nahida was her other half. Since she and the Heavenly Principle were bound by an eternal covenant, it was only natural for Nahida to share that bond as well.
However, due to Nahida's young form, Noah couldn't bring himself to act in any indecent manner.
Nahida blinked and humbly asked, "Lord Heavenly Principle, can you tell me the meaning of doing this?"
Noah chuckled at her innocence. "The meaning? The meaning is to make the Heavenly Principle happy."
Nahida nodded. If making the Heavenly Principle happy would make the world a better place, then there was no higher truth. She understood now: this was the meaning behind Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's actions.
Once Nahida had figured it out, she gazed at the Heavenly Principle and leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek.
Noah was taken aback but quickly understood her intent, finding it both amusing and slightly embarrassed by her innocence.
Were Nahida not a god, already 500 years old, and capable of rapid intellectual growth through learning, such actions would have had dire consequences on Earth. At worst, he would have faced execution.
At best, his remains might be distributed one spoonful at a time to every earthling.
Noah gently set Nahida down and shifted his gaze to the increasingly orderly Sumeru City.
This newfound order stemmed from judgment.
Sumeru City's citizens had dragged every notable figure in the Akademiya, bloodied and disheveled, to the central plaza.
The guilty were countless, with the condemned making up nearly one-twentieth of the city's population.
Thousands were tied up, their crimes displayed for all to see.
The sages and mentors of the Akademiya knelt at the forefront, bound and awaiting their fate.
Noah turned to Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. "Buer."
Buer nodded; this was her moment to step forward.
The people of Sumeru were eagerly awaiting their god's judgment of their oppressors.
Buer's figure vanished and reappeared in the air above the plaza, emanating a green light brimming with vitality. The light swept through the city, cleansing it of the stench of blood.
The once-enraged citizens began to calm under her compassionate aura, though their gaze of fury remained fixed on the guilty.
Noah pinched Nahida's cheek and said, "Watch closely, Nahida. This will become a valuable lesson for your growth."
Nahida nodded, her eyes fixed on the plaza. She resolved to emulate Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's actions, for Buer and the Heavenly Principle were the ultimate embodiments of correctness.
Buer descended into the plaza.
The citizens of Sumeru, devoted to their god, gazed upon her with fervent admiration.
To them, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata was akin to the Shogun of Inazuma—forever revered for granting them civilization, knowledge, protection, and a nation to call home.
Conversely, they harbored nothing but hatred for the beasts of the Akademiya, wishing to strip their flesh from their bones.
Cyno, regaining his composure, spoke respectfully.
"Your Highness, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, I am Cyno, the General Mahamatra of Sumeru. All the guilty individuals of the Akademiya are here, though some have already been killed by the enraged citizens."
Buer nodded. "Cyno, you are a good child. After this, the justice of Sumeru will depend on your efforts."
As the avatar of the World Tree, she had watched every moment of Cyno's life. She knew him to be a righteous soul. Under his leadership, there would be no wrongful convictions in Sumeru.
Cyno bowed and said firmly, "This is my duty, Your Highness."
At that moment, Tighnari arrived with the forest rangers, escorting members of the noble families who had attempted to flee.
Tighnari paused, stunned for a moment upon seeing Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, then quickly bowed his head.
"Your Highness, Greater Lord Rukkhadevata, I am Tighnari, a forest ranger of Sumeru. Without authorization, I led the rangers to capture the escaped members of the guilty families and have brought them back."
Buer smiled warmly. "Tighnari, you are a good child too. Thank you for your hard work."
Tighnari replied, "As a forest ranger, this is my duty."
At that moment, Grand Sage Azar, bound and kneeling, let out a hysterical roar.
"I am not guilty! What crime have I committed?! Greater Lord Rukkhadevata! I am innocent! Without the Akademiya, Sumeru would have collapsed 500 years ago! The Akademiya is not guilty, and neither am I!"
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