Somewhere in the first stronghold, behind closed doors, the Enlightened, who witnessed Hana become a demonic cultivator, are debating about what to do in a heated argument.
"Are you guys serious?! How could we just let her actions slide like this?! What she's done was unacceptable, no matter the benefits the first stronghold gained from them! She is a monster, and she needs to be held accountable!"
The man who slapped and insulted Hana during the mission spoke loudly and confidently, convinced that his opinion was the only correct one.
"You're such a moron, do you know that? What do you think would happen to us, huh?! Yin and Yang are fucking nuts! They'll kill us on the spot as soon as they realize that we spoke of the gentle flower's actions!"
A woman spoke up, just as convinced of herself and her opinion as the man was of his own. She didn't dare speak once during the mission to increase her own survival chances, and she didn't plan on ever speaking of Hana's cannibalistic actions again.
All the other Enlightened remained quiet, and unsure of what to do. They thought that her actions were unforgivable. She should be held accountable and executed for it. At the same time, they could also resonate with the woman's opinion. It was risky to do, and they feared death too much.
"So what if we die?! Do you think that this was the last time, huh?! Are you honestly that retarded?! Now that we have one demonic cultivator, more will turn demonic. I guarantee that Yin and Yang will become demonic cultivators soon enough too! And these three won't just leave it at one demonic act, no! Once they realize that they could easily get away with everything, they'll keep on acting demonic. Over and over again. What guarantees anyone's safety in the first stronghold then?! Nothing! So either we potentially die now, and do something heroic, or we will die eventually and witness the downfall of the first stronghold!"
His words were melodramatic, and almost manipulative. He toyed with the emotions of everyone, making them think that their potential death would be heroic. If they thought that their story would be told for generations to come, and that their families would benefit greatly, then they would undoubtedly agree with his plans.
The plan worked and all the Enlightened, aside from the woman, cheered excitedly. They exited their hiding place immediately, and went to the central building, seeking out Yuna. Unfortunately for the woman, she was unwillingly dragged away by them. Their minds were clouded enough to believe that they were doing her a great favor.
It all went down quickly. Yuna was sought out, and found training with Kei in their usual spot within mere minutes.
Kei was lying on the ground, beneath Yuna, who had just beaten him as always.
As the Enlightened approached them, they knelt before her. Unbeknownst to them, they had already angered Yuna by merely interrupting her time alone with Kei.
"What is it?"
She asked coldly, yet pressingly.
"W-we have bad news, D-devil of the first stronghold."
Their bodies were shaking uncontrollably, and so was their voice. It was as if their bodies knew and instinctively reacted to the dangerous aura before them.
"Speak already."
"D-during the mission…"
They told her everything down to the last detail, even speaking of the murder Rina and Ayumi had committed. It seemed that she didn't care about that one bit.
"I see. Stand up, now. That is indeed a pressing issue, and I believe myself forced to act. Thank you for telling me this."
The Enlightened all stood up immediately, believing that the danger had passed now, and a reward would be imminent. Their gazes fell onto the woman who was against all of this, as if saying "see? This was to be expected!"
Yuna approached the man that seemed to be the group leader slowly, and grabbed his face in her hand.
"Let me get this straight, you were too afraid to force Hana to stop eating the poison dart frog? You bunch, as Enlightened, were too scared of a woman with a broken soul, and a healing primary element? If you ask me, that is… cowardice."
The man's eyes widened, and he attempted to back off, but she wouldn't let him.
"W-wait! P-please do-"
She killed him without hesitation, and before the others could react, she killed them too.
Kei, who was watching all of this unfold, wasn't faced by her murder. He had been expecting it. Of course, he felt disgusted by the corpses and the smell of blood, but it was still manageable. He spoke up in disbelief.
"You won't seriously execute Hana for this, right? I mean her decision was rash and demonic, but it brought the first stronghold great benefits."
"She will die as punishment for her actions."
"What?!"
Kei jumped up from the ground and placed himself in her way, angered by her reaction.
"How could you say that?! The twins would have died without her! You seriously want to kill our best healer, and the third strongest Enlightened?! Why?! Explain yourself!"
He screamed his lungs out. Never before was he this angry. In fact, he had never stood up to Yuna previously. He would always give in, and do as she said, because she was his master. His reaction shocked her, yet also pleased her. He was growing closer and closer to being her equal, which was her goal.
"What do you think will happen once other cities realize that we house, and call a demonic cultivator one of our own? They will attack and hate us. Her being here would be our downfall. Every righteous city would become a sworn enemy."
She spoke calmly, trying to calm her disciple.
"Cut her some slack, alright?! She did the right thing! What would you have done in that situation, huh? Would you have rather watched me die slowly, or healed me despite the risks? We both know the answer!"
Yuna remained quiet for a while, deep in thought. It seemed that his words got to her, and she changed her opinion slightly.
"I will imprison her for now. We will hold a conference soon, and discuss what should happen to her."
Kei's eyes widened, and he seemed far calmer than before.
"Yes. I'd appreciate that. Thank you, Yuna. I'm sorry for getting so aggravated just now."
"It's okay. I understand."
Within minutes, Yuna had arrived at Hana's apartment, and kicked the door in.
Hana, completely startled, flinched harshly and dropped a plate that she was moving.
"Jesus! What's the matter, Yuna?! Why are you kicking my door in?!"
"You know what you did. Don't worry, I won't execute you yet. Your freedom will be taken nonetheless. You shall be held prisoner from now on."
Hana's elegant expression twisted into a more angered and contempt one after the initial shock had passed. She didn't expect to be exposed at all, since the Enlightened were threatened by her and the twins severely.
"You would have done the same for Kei. How dare you do this to me?! Do you seriously think it would have been wiser to let Rina and Ayumi die?! Are you going to make me a prisoner for taking the right action?! You're sick!"
Yuna approached slowly, before suddenly dashing towards her and striking the side of her neck harshly to knock her out. Hana was caught in Yuna's arms as she was falling unconscious.
"I never deemed you intelligent or wise. I always expected you to make a mistake like this eventually. You're simply too guided by emotions. You're simply pathetic."
Yuna ignored Hana's words. Instead, she opted to insult her further.
She dragged the unconscious Hana out of her own apartment, closing the door to her apartment behind her. Hana was brought into the prison beneath the central building, and was put into a quiet, remote, and secure cell there.