The audience started fearing that Oni King was about to come back to life after watching what Eren was doing with his corpse. An irrational fear that only affected their minds for a second before logic took control of their faculties once again.
They observed that although Oni King's body had been somewhat restored to its original form, it was still a corpse. Alephee then cast her sealing spell on the monster's corpse, making it seem like it had been frozen with a layer of ice on it.
'You can now store the body. I… I'll take a short nap if you don't mind.'
'Sweet dreams.'
Eren smiled and replied. He then used his wind blade tornado spell to bring over to him the frozen-in-time corpse of the Oni King before taking it into his storage. He left the chopped arm of the Oni King on the floor. Alephee had sealed it with her sealing spell, so there was no blood leak.
A suitable snack for his demon beast who was about to advance to the next rank. If he could digest something like this arm, that is.
"Kneel."
Eren said calmly to everyone in the audience who had not been affected by the artifact or his soul sense. The ones who were hostile and the ones who were neutral were already controlled by him using the artifact. The ones who had not shown any hostility were the only ones he had left behind.
Most of the ones still standing were rebels. Others were just tired of sacrificing their lives for someone they could only refer to as their god.
The silence gripped the sacred hall once again.
The butcher had his hands behind his back as he started pacing around. This sacred hall had become his stage to showcase what he could do to his potential army.
"First… Ror, is it? What is your stance on the whole matter now that everything has happened in front of you?"
Eren asked Ror, who had kneeled after Eren had demanded it from everybody. He was spared from the artifact's effects by the butcher because there was not even a shred of hostility he could detect from the Ogre.
Ror looked up and stared keenly at Eren before answering in a serious voice.
"What is there to think about? I'm already oath-bound to serve you since your intervention has saved my son.
My life is yours, my king. I just want my son to live through this ordeal. I ask nothing else."
Eren nodded at Ror after he said that. Accepting him as his subordinate was easy because he had already seen him taking the oath. That's why he had figured out that Ror wasn't hostile towards him. The only feeling he felt from him was that of unquestionable loyalty.
"Hm. Kaalmaahen doesn't look hostile either so there's no need for me to do anything with him. There shall be no sacrifice to any god that is not even here."
Eren said to Ror and all the others before flashing a simple smile. His Oni form however gave it an added evil touch.
"King? Savior? God? Those are just titles you could give to anybody. I will be your everything from now on. Those who are against this will be dealt with very soon."
The butcher warned before moving his gaze towards Kirin.
"Har Jahar's daughter, Kirin. I also don't sense any hostility from you. It would be stupid of me to ask why since I know your father cursed you to follow his conditions.
Even though I fulfill those conditions, the fact remains that I killed your father. Are you sure you want to be someone like me?"
Eren asked thoughtfully. To make his subordinates believe what he had to say, Har Jahar cursed his daughter based on a few conditions. The final worshiper who successfully gets converted into an Oni. Eren had fulfilled the condition when he morphed into an Oni Lord.
"Lord husband, even without the curse, I believe I have to follow Oni traditions."
Eren liked Kirin's temperament. She was a fierce girl who put forward her opinions clearly. Yet, he could sense that there was a bit of playfulness within her.
Although Eren was taken aback a bit by her way of addressing him, he made peace with it just as quickly. He was called many things by many people. The word husband was the least of his concerns on that list.
By this point, Eren had stopped seeing monsters with humans' way of seeing things. These monsters were from a different world. They had their own traditions. Their separate values. That's why he wasn't surprised that Kirin would still choose to be with him even after he had become her father's killer.
He could indeed sense some bitterness in Kirin that was directed at him. However, that bitterness didn't prevent her from following her Oni traditions. The moment he had shapeshifted into an Oni, he had become her husband. There was no other ritual that needed to be followed.
Eren suspected Har Jahar's attitude as a father also had some hand to play in it. He wasn't Ror who would do anything for his child. He was a king who happened to have a child he didn't want.
Kirin was a ruthless and determined existence as an Oni too. It was in her blood to see things with an eagle-eye view. Her instincts as a monster also told her that going with Eren was a wise choice. So that's what she chose for herself.
"Kirin, I accept your allegiance. Stand up."
Eren walked up to Kirin and offered her his hand. The latter welcomed his venture and gripped it with both hands before standing up.
"Kaalmaahen, you can rise too."
Eren said simply, allowing the latter to get up. He then looked at his father who smiled back at him. Least to say the father-son had lots to talk about. However, they reserved that for later after their newly crowned king finished doing what he was about to do.
Kirin, Ror, and Kaalmaahen stood at a distance from Eren and he addressed the crowd once again.
"You lot, I am not telling you to change your traditions completely. However, they would have to be modified as per my will.
Those who disagree, I challenge them to come forward."
