The Grand Hall grew so cold that the breath of the gathered world leaders and diplomats turned into mist in the air. Director Marouane, standing in his pristine white suit, stood frozen as the image of Omar's mother flickered across the giant screens.
"Omar... what is this nonsense?" Marouane tried to laugh, but his voice was brittle. "These images are fakes. These are Shadow Market tricks meant to drive a wedge between us!"
Omar walked slowly down the center stage, each step causing the obsidian floor to crack under the weight of his presence. "Do you know the difference between us, Marouane? You believed that 'Power' was everything. You sold the most precious thing you had just to become an S-Rank legend. Me? I know the true value of things."
Omar raised his hand, and a wave of golden light erupted from the shop's Core, sealing every exit in the hall.
"This woman in the photo," Omar pointed to his mother, "designed a system that could have freed humanity. And you, instead of protecting her, sold her coordinates to the Architects in exchange for a 'Mana-Dose' that made you a fake icon."
At that moment, Marouane realized the mask had fallen. His face contorted, and his eyes, once golden, began to glow with a sickly red demonic light. "Yes! I sold her!" Marouane roared, unsheathing his blade. "And I'd sell the whole world again! Who are you to judge me? You're just a porter who stumbled upon a treasure. I am the one who protected this country for years!"
Marouane lunged with impossible speed, his blade aimed to take Omar's head, but something strange happened.
[Activating Property: Asset Seizure]
[Target: Marouane - Director General]
[Reason: Breach of Cosmic Trust]
Marouane's sword stopped exactly one centimeter from Omar's throat, as if time itself had frozen. Omar didn't flinch. He looked at Marouane with icy indifference. "Did you forget that the source of the power you hold is the very 'System' my mother created? And that this shop is the 'Head Office' of that system?"
Omar grabbed Marouane's sword with his bare hand, and the metal began to crumble into ash.
"I am not just a porter," Omar whispered into Marouane's ear. "I am the Heir. And today, I am reclaiming all the property you stole."
Omar placed his hand on Marouane's chest. In an instant, the mana began to tear out of Marouane's body in a violent, agonizing stream. His rank began to plummet in front of the world's elite:
S-Rank... A-Rank... B-Rank... until he was nothing more than an ordinary man—frail, powerless, and defeated.
Laila approached, her daggers drawn, but Omar signaled her to stop. "No, Laila. Death is too cheap for him. Marouane will be our first 'Indentured Laborer' in the Void Mines. He will work until he repays every drop of mana he stole."
The world leaders watched in absolute horror. They realized that Omar was no longer just a merchant; he had become a Cosmic Judge.
"As for the rest of you," Omar turned to the kings and presidents, "the contracts you signed today are still valid. But the price has changed. From this day forward, 50% of your defense budgets will fund the 'Heir's Academy' for the orphans whose lives you destroyed."
That night, the world learned that there was a new law. A law not written on paper, but in gold and blood.