Sui Xiong's preparations had indeed produced excellent results.
Once the guillotine had been set up and the spectators had gathered, the first criminal he brought out immediately made everyone's eyes light up.
...Or perhaps some people's vision went black.
"Th-that person is..."
"Am I seeing things?"
"How is that possible?!"
The crowd beneath the guillotine buzzed with discussion. Commoners could only glean a few clues from the man's magnificent attire, but the nobles—especially some of the older great nobles and legendary experts—were already staring in utter shock.
This man was none other than the previous Orc Emperor, the Grand Elder who had voluntarily stepped down in his old age and retired to the Holy Hall.
A demigod powerhouse.
Yet no one dared be certain, because the matter was simply too incredible. But Sui Xiong quickly dispelled their doubts—he began to announce the man's identity and crimes.
"Hog Bell, former Emperor of the Orc Empire, current Grand Elder of the Holy Hall, leader of the Isis organization."
With just that one sentence, turmoil erupted beneath the guillotine. The commoners cried out in alarm. Some retreated in panic, trying to get farther away and avoid any possible danger; others screamed as they shoved their way forward, wanting a closer look; and the loyal guards and experts of the Orc Empire, seeing their retired emperor in danger, forgot that they would be facing a deity of powerful divine power and charged forward without hesitation, intending to storm the execution ground.
But all of it was futile.
Sui Xiong made no special move, yet everyone present suddenly found themselves unable to move, as though they had been frozen solid.
For a time, those retreating, those pressing forward, those trying to charge up, those hurrying to fetch reinforcements... all became bizarre "statues," standing utterly still.