Eik was immediately reminded of an Earth courtroom. He had never actually set foot in one himself but the ones he had seen on TV looked more or less like this.

In the bottom center was a wide raised desk where the presiding judge or whatever could sit. On either side, against the walls on either side were small enclosures for the two opposing parties.

Rows of benches flanked a narrow walkway leading to the center of the room where a speaker's podium stood. Whether the speaker faced the benches or whoever sat bottom center, there was a small lectern upon which to place documents and other material.

When Eik entered the spacious room, the first thing he noticed was a few Gohkamorians taking up some of the bench space as observers, glaring at him as he walked in. Their presence drew his eyes to the enclosure on the left where an extra large Gohkamorian sat behind a much too small desk on a much too small chair, arms crossed over his massive chest as if he was the one who had just spent a few hours in a cell.

On the opposing side sat Clan Leader Gul, his father, Olivia, Ihasu, Heath, and Michael. Bin was nowhere to be seen which meant that she was at home with someone. Good.

Olivia was still in uniform so she must have come directly there from Mission Central. She had taken up a prominent leadership role these past few months which meant she was extremely busy at all times. She was on call around the clock and was brought in to consult on anything that was even tangentially relevant to Forest's defense.

Ever since he and Michael had discussed the possibility of a holding a city-wide election in Forest to finally instate a proper group of leaders, he had been thinking about her. She would be a perfect candidate.

Not only was she the strongest member of their city second only to Eik himself, she was a well respected figure in the community who was known and loved for offering a helping hand wherever she went and treating people with dignity regardless of their power rank or general social status. There was little doubt in his mind that she would be the most popular candidate no matter who else ran.

By name he was famous himself as well, but many didn't actually know what kind of person he was. In the minds of most he would just be this rich guy who was also strong and dealt with a lot of the stuff the went on outside of Earth.

And based on just that alone he would probably be a popular candidate if he signed up but he genuinely though Olivia would beat him in popularity. And since he had no interest in putting his name in the hat, that was perfectly fine with him.

He smiled at his friends as he walked between the rows of benches. Andihar had taken a seat in the booth opposite the large Gohkamorian, firm gaze leveled at the other party. Eik took the middle seat next to him. "Kind of tense in here, isn't it?" he whispered without lowering his voice much, making sure it was easily audible.

Andihar just nodded. It was clear that he wasn't happy with what Eik had done, but he also wasn't about to admit to anything in front of them.

The female arresting officer who had taken him from his cell to this room took up position behind him. It was uncomfortable to have someone standing right behind his back but he endured it.

Everybody looked to the door as they opened to admit a man dressed in a heavy robe. "Let's get started right away, shall we?" he announced as he took his seat at the raised desk. "Prosecution, if you could lay out your case, please."

The large Gohkamorian stood up, his chair screeching against the floor. He cleared his throat and spoke, his voice a deep bass. "My name is Gthark. I have come as a representative of the Gohkamorian people in order to seek justice for a terrible crime committed at the outskirts of this very city just this morning," he uttered, voice growing gradually more piercing as he stabbed a finger at Eik. "This scoundrel over there murdered more than fifty of my dear compatriots! In cold blood!"

"I see," the judge said with a nod. "And do you have any proof of this?"

"We do. Furthermore, we have numerous first hand witnesses who can attest to Eik Magnasen's presence at our compound where the murders took place as well as his committing of the murders."—He retrieved some documents and made to hand them over to an armored guard to pass to the judge—"I you would look at th—"

"Not quite yet, Mr. Gthark. I would like to hear from Mr. Magnasen first," the judge interrupted with a raised hand and turned his attention to the Earthling. "Now, what to you have to say to those accusations?"

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Eik took a moment to collect his thoughts before answering. "I have issues with it."

"Such as?"

What was the point of denying that he was there and that he had killed the Gohkamorians? That would never be a secret. And rather than being suspected of a crime, it might be better to get it out in the open so he could actually defend his position. "Well, for one, it was not in cold blood. It was self defense."

"Self defense?" Gthark shouted, hammering a meaty fist into the low desk in front of him. "You murdered all of them!"

"No, I didn't. I left every non-combatant alive and completely unharmed. The fact that you have so many witnesses proves that, I would say. Every Gohkamorian I killed were trying to either kill me in turn or force the recipe for my pills out of me."

"That's a lie!" Gthark hissed.

"The fracture specialist who was on duty this morning will testify that I was invited to the compound by no less than twelve A-ranked Gohkamorians. Thousands of witnesses will testify that I firmly and in no uncertain terms told the Gohkamorian representative who stood up to demand a favorable deal during my announcement event at the Alchemist Guild of Gimleh that I would deny them entry to Earth and had no interest in talking business with them."

"Track down the fracture specialist who was on duty at the Earth portal this morning and get his testimony," the judge told one of the armored guards standing by to the side. The person nodded and left through a smaller side door. He regarded Eik again. "You say you killed more than fifty Gohkamorians of which at least twelve were A-rankers? To my knowledge, you yourself are an A-ranker, no? Do you claim to have had no help?"

"That is correct. I'm an A-ranker. And yes, I killed them alone."

"I know of your record in the Crucible, Mr. Magnasen, but even that doesn't explain this. I find it hard to believe that you could have managed such a feat on your own."

At this, Andihar stood from his seat and cleared his throat, drawing the judge's attention. "If I could speak, sir."

"Andihar Dayarunar. Yes, you and Eik Magnasen are business partners, I believe." He waved a hand, signaling for Andihar to speak.

"As you may be aware, Gul Ougi, clan leader of the Ougi clan, and myself recently led an operation deep into the territory of Moon Shall Swallow, striking the heart of their capital of Luna, their Arch Temple."

"Go on."

Andihar continued. "During the operation, we encountered S-ranked Awakened cultists on the battle field. Among them was the man known to us best as Oru the Devourer, a powerful S-ranker with the ability to become an enormous black-furred monster. This man cut off Eik's escape and forced him to fight one on one."

Everybody was listening in silence as Andihar told his story. Most people in the room had never heard of it before. Even a couple of the armored guards leaned forward a bit in order to not miss anything. This story was an apparent testament to Eik's Legendary Mystery Medicine.

"Eik, an A-ranker, killed Oru the Devourer, an S-ranker, on his own. Based on this as well as my own personal experience of Eik's power, I would deem him more than capable of taking out the number of A-rankers described in the accusation."

The judge stared with narrowed eyes. "Is this true?" he asked Eik. "Did you kill an S-ranker on your own?"

Eik nodded. To the judge's annoyance, a pair of armored guards whispered among each other. The Gohkamorians as well had tense but hushed conversations. This was definitely news to them. Bad news.

"Hmm," the judge drawled. Before he could say more, Eik began to speak. "I would like to counter?"

"Counter?" the judge asked.

"Yes. I was lured to a compound under the pretense of a peaceful business discussion. Whether I had intention of signing anything doesn't matter. I was assaulted with weapons and abilities to either kill me or acquire information by force. That I was then able to fight back and win does not change their goal. They didn't know the extent of my strength." Eik said, eyes briefly focusing on a furious Gohkamorian. "I'd like to seek reparations for that."

"He killed fifty Gohkamorians!" the representative bellowed.

The judge wasn't shaken by the sudden anger. "What do you have to say to Mr. Magnasen's claim that it was a consequence of initial hostility from the Gohkamorians?"

"It is obviously pure fabrication!"

"Do you deny that Mr. Magnasen, during a verbal clash at the Alchemy Guild of Gimleh, forbade a Gohkamorian delegation from traveling to Earth in order to negotiate a business deal with him?"

That had been witnessed by so many people that it couldn't be denied. "No, of course not."

"And how about Mr. Magnasen's claim that he was invited to the compound in Gimleh?"

"He was invited for a peaceful negotiation."

"Did you initiate hostilities?" the judge asked directly. He was functioning as a mediator in an official conversation between them.

"Of course not! That is false!"

"There is precedent," Eik broke in.

The judge shot him a sharp eye at the interruption. "Go on."

"Ever since Earth first entered the Unified Mass twelve years ago, we have been harassed by the Gohkamorians. We used to be more than eight billion people on Earth. There is a fraction left now. My own mother was killed by Gohakmorian monsters," he said, glancing at his father whose face was a troubled mask. "My brother as well. The rest of my family and all of my friends. We have been living in isolated pocket societies."

"More fabrications!" the Gohkamorian representative spat. Their desperation was palpable. They could have silenced a weak civilization with not proper support. But Eik's accomplishments ensured that Earth had rapidly grown to prominence that could not be ignored.

Having already done irreparable damage to Earth with their monster hordes, Gohkamoria saw no way out except to deny, deny, and then deny some more. Pathetic. Their actions were amateurish and hasty. They were scrambling.

Eik gaze was locked on the enraged Gohkamorian speaker.

He wouldn't be surprised if assassination attempts were next.

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