Noboru rushed to the room in which the conference would be held. He was running late due to some Enlightened guard who got in his path, and had to verify his identity before he could approach the conference room.
Kei and Noboru were the newest members of the ten strongest Enlightened, and since none of the guards knew them that well yet, they had to be verified before being allowed inside.
Kei avoided this by entering with Yuna, who ordered the guards to let him in, but Noboru went alone, and without Yori being present to vouch for him, he had no choice but to go through the standard procedure.
He entered the room, annoyed by the circumstances as he gazed around. The conference had yet to start, but everyone else invited was already present and seated.
Among the Enlightened, he managed to spot three new faces.
The weakest of them was the current 8th strongest Enlightened, 'Scrawny beast'. His name was Kenji Shirai. He was a rank 2 Enlightened with the primary element beast. It allowed him to transform into animals such as bears during fights and greatly enhanced his abilities. This primary element forced him to become a self-augmenter, because it was only compatible with this fighting style.
He was an extremely tall man, yet also scrawny, hence his title 'scrawny beast'. His age was not older than 40, but also not younger than 30. His eyes were constantly widened unless he blinked, giving him a creepy and unsettling look. He had a buzz cut, and his hair was black. He was seated furthest from Yuna, who was sitting at the very end of the room. There was still a seat left that was even closer to the exit, and exactly opposite to Yuna. Nobody wanted to face her directly the entire time, hence nobody took it.
The room wasn't filled with silence, no. Kenji was currently having a conversation with the person next to him, the 6th strongest Enlightened, 'the Druid'. Hisashi Tsutsui was his real name, and he was an elderly rank 3 Enlightened, similar to Yori. Kenji was his current disciple. Yori and Hisashi seemed to know each other well, and for a long time already, given that Yori was seated next to Hisashi, and was involved in the conversation with Kenji.
Hisashi's hair was long, worn open and white, and so was his beard. He was slightly smaller than Yori, but his expression was just as gentle.
Plants was his primary element, just like Hana's was. The sole difference was that he wasn't a healer. He used his primary element to fight, and he utilized the summoner fighting style.
The last new face here was sitting left of Yuna. It was the second strongest Enlightened. A rank 4, with the primary element fire, who was called both 'ruthless demon' and Ryota Honda.
A young man, no older than 30, with bright red hair that he wore in messy curls, bright red eyes, and bright red clothes.
As his title indicated, he was known for being reckless and ruthless during fights, making him an undesirable ally.
He was, by far, the most relaxed out of the present Enlightened, and had a smirk plastered on his face as he was speaking to Yuna, clearly teasing and annoying her inappropriately given the situation.
Kei sat to the right side of Yuna, as expected, and the siblings next to him. They were seething with rage and hatred towards Yuna.
Noboru could either sit down next to them, or opposite to Yuna. While both spots weren't desirable, he would much rather stare down Yuna than sit next to these two, who were close to snapping and attacking someone.
The previously quiet Yuna spoke up as soon as Noboru sat down.
"Everyone, please quiet down."
She asked kindly the first time, but she was ignored.
"SILENCE!"
As soon as she raised her voice, everyone became quiet, and gazed at her tensely.
"It's not my plan to elongate this meeting, nor to waste anyone's time. We know why we are all here. I ask for all of your opinions on this matter. Rina and Ayumi, I ask you two to cast your votes first. Should Hana, as a demonic cultivator, be executed? Yes or no?"
As soon as they were allowed to speak, they sprang up from their seats with hate and unfiltered rage written all over their faces.
"This must be a cruel joke you are all playing on us! There is no way in hell Hana deserves such a messed-up fate! What she did was right! She did nothing wrong! All the masters among you, Yuna, Hisashi and Yori, ask yourselves this, would you have watched your disciple die a slow death?! Everyone who wishes for her execution is a sadist, retarded, or simply doesn't understand what she did to begin with! We both want her to be released this instant!"
They sat down again as they finished speaking.
Their enraged shouts were followed by a minute of silence. Yuna spoke up eventually, completely unbothered by their words.
"Kenji, I ask you to voice yourself."
"She should die, no doubt. I ain't gonna live next to a demonic cultivator."
He spoke with disgust in his voice, enraging the twins even more. They tightened their hands into fists, and their knuckles turned white.
"Hisashi, speak, please."
"I couldn't agree more with Kenji. She should die. Besides, if we need a new healer, then I might be able to become one, which means we shouldn't let her live out of pure desperation."
"Yori?"
"I am also for her execution. Becoming a demonic cultivator means being beyond the point of redemption."
At this point, Rina and Ayumi's gazes turned fearful. They were scared to death by the idea of losing Hana.
"Ryota, what's your opinion?"
"I say let her live. She sacrificed something to save two loved ones, and it brought the first stronghold great benefits if you ask me. I see no reason for her execution whatsoever."
He leaned back as he spoke, and seemed relaxed, like it was all merely a game to him. This vote, coming from him, surprised Rina and Ayumi. They felt a flicker of hope. Maybe Hana could survive after all.
"Noboru, I want your vote next."
He couldn't care less whether Hana lived or died. He barely knew her to begin with. However, if she were to die, then he would immediately become number 8, and he was sure that Yuna would vote to execute her too, meaning that he would side with his current master, and the strongest Enlightened in the first stronghold, on top of gaining relevance due to his increased position.
"Execute her."
He spoke coldly, glancing at Rina and Ayumi to see their reaction. It was fear and terror.
"I vote for her execution as well."
Yuna spoke up, voting for her execution as expected.
"Kei, tell us your opinion."
"She should live. There is no reason for her death. You know exactly that you would have saved me in that situation too, Yuna. Execute yourself alongside her, will you? You damn hypocrite!"
Yuna was hurt by his words. She enjoyed him talking back to her somewhat, but not to this degree. She hid her emotions well behind her mask as always.
"With that, Hana's fate has been decided. Five of us voted for her to die, and four voted for her to live. I will execute her publicly tomorrow. All of you may go now."
Everyone stood up, and left hurriedly. Nobody wanted to have anything to do with this matter anymore. They all either voted for a dear friend's death, or were unable to save her from an early death.
Ryota and Noboru seemed indifferent towards the result of this conference. Kei seemed enraged by it, and anger towards Yuna and the others boiled inside of him.
Rina and Ayumi began to shake, and looked absent-minded as soon as these words left Yuna's lips. They couldn't handle this harsh and cruel reality, and they didn't look like they'd given up on Hana yet. Despite their shook appearance, they also felt a deep sense of defiance and hatred due to it all.
The others that had cast their vote for Hana's execution were all either satisfied, or looked guilty, knowing that they were the cause of a person's death who was faced with an impossible decision to make, and, in their minds, chose the wrong one.