"Lord Rakshasa: 57 votes. Princess: 48 votes."
When the chair announced the results, the entire hall fell silent for a moment.
Then the supporters on Oni Rakshasa's side immediately erupted into loud cheers, while the supporters on Oni Yunjie's side wore dejected expressions.
A full nine votes separated them—a gap no one could dispute.
The result came as no surprise. Oni Rakshasa's actions over the past while had been plain for all to see: he had quietly replaced people in positions with voting rights with his own followers.
The Council of Elders, whose support had originally been evenly split, had also seen two elders won over by him, shifting the balance to seven to three.
Oni Yunjie's side had been unable to determine whether the Ghost Lord was alive or dead. By the time they realized what was happening, the tide had already turned against them.
Her supporters knew this, yet still clung to a faint hope that some miracle might happen.
But reality did not bend to anyone's will—not even the will of monsters.
The result also weighed heavily on Oni Takizawa and the Fox sisters, who looked at Oni Yunjie with concern.
Oni Yunjie sat quietly in her seat, expressionless, no one able to tell what she was thinking.
"Ha ha ha!"
Oni Rakshasa laughed wildly, utterly unrestrained, feeling as if all the pent-up frustration in his heart had finally vanished.
So what if you came prepared? I still won in the end.
"Yunji, the difference in our power meant this outcome was set the moment you decided to compete with me. But your foolishness still wasted a great deal of my time. You need to understand: you shouldn't try to take what isn't yours, because you don't deserve it."
Oni Rakshasa let loose a triumphant speech, his