Time's Up!

"Father! Stop this, he's innocent!" Surprisingly, or perhaps not, Elly, or Emillyinn, burst into the hall while kicking one of the guards that tried to hold her back.

"Blinding Light!" she shouted and pushed her delicate palm into the man's face, triggering her magic.

"Aaaah! My eyes!" The guard fell to the ground holding his face in pain.

The hall became filled with loud whispers and murmurs as the people got something interesting to speculate about. Was this actually an affair? Or did the little princess get brainwashed during the time of her absence?

"Father! Stop this at once!" Emillyinn repeated herself. "I was the one that escaped on my own! He had nothing to do with it! Please! Let him go!"

The murmurs became even louder.

"Order! Order!" The judge beat the piece of wood with his tiny hammer while shouting. He was becoming red in the face as people were talking over one another, completely ignoring him. He was just an ornamental piece, after all, as the one with true authority as well as the de facto decision maker, was sitting right behind him.

"Silence!" came a stern and powerful voice. The sound boomed across the hall like an explosion, knocking those that stood up back down in their seats. The Emperor then shifted on his throne and spoke to one of his personal guards. "Take her away and keep her in her room until this is over."

The guard then quickly ran down toward the nearly crying girl. "Excuse me, princess!" He, as gently as he could, picked her up, hoisted her up like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder, and ran out of the room.

"Noo! Let me go!" The action was so rapid that barely anyone had the chance to react. Before Emillyinn could even protest, she was already gone.

"What just happened?"

"The princess must have been brainwashed! There is no other explanation!"

There were many explanations, but none of them worked as well as the kidnapped princess one.

"This is taking too long, hurry it up!" The Emperor said sternly.

The prosecutor wiped some perspiration from his forehead and bowed. "Yes, your Majesty!"

Achoo!

Gerald loudly sneezed and then wiped his nose with his hand. "Man, it's so cold in here! I'm going to get sick! Can I get a cup of warm tea?" His complaints were just loud enough for people to hear, evoking a few quiet chuckles from the people who were more easily amused.

"Order!" the judge shouted and beat his tiny hammer.

"Oh, and add some honey! I don't like bitter tea!" Gerald called to nobody in particular. He was sick of the nonsense and decided to be a nuisance instead. "By the way, I plead not guilty to all of your lies! I have never kidnapped anyone, especially not your princess! She joined my team of her own accord!"

"Silence! Your conspiracies will do you no good here!" the judge shouted back, getting too heated for his own good.

"I didn't even get an attorney! What kind of court is this?!" Gerald innocently protested.

"Criminals like you don't get to defend themselves! Now shut it, or I'll order to get you gagged!"

At the judge's words, Gerald burst into laughter. It was quiet at first, but it soon devolved into a loud cackle.

"Tell me, judge," he said after catching a breath. "Let's just skip all of this bullshit, shall we? Tell me, what's going to happen to me?"

The man didn't immediately answer, instead, he turned to the Emperor behind him for guidance. He received only a short sharp nod that told him everything he needed to know.

"Execution," he stated as a matter of fact. "The Emperor can grant you a wish though. You can choose how you wish to die."

"Can I choose to fuck him in the ass instead?"

"The insolence!" the Emperor himself shot up. "Bring that dog to his knees! One hundred lashes for the insult!" The man was fuming. There was no doubt that if this wasn't the public courtroom, he would already try to strangle Gerald with his own hands.

"Wait! Wait! I was just joking! I know how I want to die!" Gerald quickly panicked and tried to get the situation under control. "I would like to suffocate under the Empress' tits, please!" That should probably do it and avert the disaster. Good thing he was a quick thinker!

"Kill him!" The Emperor roared!

The guards all around immediately reacted and unsheathed their swords. They went forward slowly in case their leader wanted to torture the insolent criminal a bit first. However, that was a fatal mistake as Gerald simply looked at them and slowly exhaled.

"So you have chosen… thunder!" He then took a quick breath and psyched himself up, before shouting. "Those that do not wish to die should leave now! I will count to ten! If you are still here, blame yourself, because I will not discriminate! … 10!" he began.

The Ring on his finger, put there when he sneezed, was brought to light. The Orc Slayer appeared in his hand and the Phoenix Necklace reappeared around his neck. He missed it so much! The feeling of closeness with the ancient artifact he felt was... undescribable. However he couldn't afford to reveal it when in prison, but now…

"9!"

The iron chains exploded from his body as his entire being was filled with energy. His muscles filled with power, his skin hardened, and his movements became like water. The shrapnel and broken pieces of metal flew in all directions, wounding many guards and onlookers.

"8!"

The Orc Slayer took its first life in a while as it cleaved a nearby soldier clean in half. The action finally made the people realize this was really happening. Suddenly a mass panic spread among the people, initiated by the screams of more blood-sensitive women at the front row.

"7!"

Everything was moving in slow motion. The judge opened his mouth wide, his eyes nearly popping out as the two halves of a man hit the floor with a wet splash and the blood started to spread. The silver hand covering the cannon barrel automatically detached itself as Gerald rotated his arm.

Boom!

The iron cannonball punched clean through a shield and then lodged itself in the body of another nearby guard after breaking his chest plate.

"6!"

Boom!

Immediately after came another explosion, and the head of another soldier blew up in a spectacular fashion, making it rain blood and brain matter.

"5!"

Countless spell scrolls appeared around Gerald as a powerful gale of wind pushed any living beings away from him. They were all immediately activated before spreading out across the bottom floor of the court where the soldiers gathered around him.

"4!"

Mages in blue made their way in as the panicked people rushed out. Immediately after, many layers of ice were formed out of thin air, blocking the advancements of the mysterious pieces of paper that floated across the hall.

"3!"

The personal guards of the Emperor jumped down with swords in hand, and even the sneaky figures of the Dark Cloaks were slithering about.

"How can he use magic?! He is wearing three Void cuffs, for gods' sake! Three!"

"Kill him quickly!"

Boom!

Another head exploded, increasing the chaos in the already messed-up building.

"2!"

A Dark Cloak came behind Gerald like a specter and aimed to stab something in his back. His movements were swift and accurate, just like he did them weeks before. It only took one strike!

Clang!

The collision gave off a metallic sound as a golden luster was revealed beneath Gerald's clothes.

Gerald turned his head around with what seemed like incredibly slow speed in this chaotic battle. A wide bloodthirsty grin and wide-opened eyes adorned his face.

"Nu-uh." He smiled. "Please don't insult my intelligence," he said and moved his cannon. "You didn't seriously think that would work twice, did you?"

The Dark Cloak panicked looking into the dark hole. "No! Wait! I wasn't-!"

Boom!

His body now had another hole going through it.

"1!"

Boom!

Another cannonball found its mark, after which Gerald tossed a Fireball to finish the job.

"Thorns…" he whispered, and a field of thorns grew around him by cracking the black granite floor, skewering the soldiers in the process.

Then came the Emperor's personal guards, swinging their blades with immense power.

"Time's up…" Gerald smilingly announced.