"...I mean, as long as I can recall, it was the Ecclesiarchy who proclaimed me to be a Living Saint, and they did so not long after I awakened. So why test if I am truly a Living Saint now and not then?" he elaborated.
He could understand the reason they sent the assassin, but he couldn't understand why they would do it now. This was several weeks to months since his rebirth, and it was only now that they began to test if he was real or not.
"Th… That…" Dresk stammered, unable to say anything.
"I spent several weeks within these grounds, so why didn't you test it then?" Bastion asked.
"My lord, in all truthfulness, we did have our suspicions. However, we were unable to act on them, considering the circumstances of your resurrection," Dresk replied.
"I see. Anyway, I called you all for a different reason. May I know what heresy is? For Inquisitors to exist, there must be a defined outline of what heresy is, is there not?" Bastion asked.
"My lord, that is heresy, and by the powers of the Inquisition, you can be put to death."
"I see…" Bastion replied as he suddenly stood up.
"Open the door," he ordered, and the doors swung open to reveal the throne room that he had not yet taken down.
Standing before the throne were a large number of people—from the Cardinals to the Fabricator General, an Arch Magos, the Arbiter, General Draven, and the various noble family heads.
Without saying a word, he stepped out and began walking toward the throne. His steps rang like thunder within the room as all shrank with each step. Dresk looked at the figure who continued walking ahead of her and immediately felt a bad feeling in her gut.
"Please come before the court," Bastion ordered, and Dresk found herself obeying even without her conscious control.
"I shall ask again—by what codex does the Inquisition operate?" Bastion asked again as he stared at them.
By the side, the Cardinal and the high lords of the planet could be seen staring. They felt something wrong about this scene but couldn't bring themselves to say anything.
"My lord, I don't think it's up to us to define what codex the Inquisition operates by. They are here to watch over us," the Cardinal said nervously.
"Really? Last time I checked, the only thing that sets humanity apart from savages is that we have laws. So what do you think happens when we set them aside and grant a group of people unchecked power?" Bastion asked, his eyes blazing.
"…We revert to savages?" the Cardinal replied.
"Good. I awakened, and while I devoted myself to stabilizing this piece of rock, a certain group of humans were busy plotting how to assassinate me just to test if I am truly a Living Saint.
I spent nearly four weeks here for you to do just that—or do you think I enjoy staring at servitors who could be put to better use? Or watching as my people suffered?" Bastion shouted.
His words echoed in the room. As he spoke, they all saw images appear behind him—holographic images and videos showcasing atrocities they had all committed against humanity.
From unwarranted servitor conversion to hoarding resources despite the hunger crisis and constant revolts in the lower hives.
Above all, it showed the crimes of the Inquisitors in full. One video showed an Inquisitor branding a girl a heretic and having her executed because she refused him sex.
Another showed an entire group of workers burned to death because they tried to grow food on their own with the little seeds they found.
The sensors were active in various parts of the hive, and in just the few days they had been active, they had picked up thousands of atrocities that harmed humanity as a whole.
"Now tell me, Cardinal—as the voice of the Emperor on this planet—what should I do to people who harm society in such a way? The Inquisitors used their power to oppress people," Bastion said before turning back and singling out a video.
"Let's take this for example. Just a few meters away from where you executed this girl, a small group of people were gathered with a xenos. I hoped to assemble a task force to take it out, but what do I get? An assassination attempt," Bastion said.
As he spoke, the video expanded into a bird's-eye view. Many people were shown living their lives as they normally would, but underground, a few individuals could be seen with what looked like a human-insect hybrid.
Bastion couldn't tell what it was, but he knew for a fact that weapon crates mixed with people and an alien creature never meant a good thing.
"So now tell me—by these, can you be charged with heresy or not?" Bastion asked Dresk.