They won the Holy Grail War, but this turned out to be the Virtual Tree Universe.

Chapter 350 The Court of Justice

Hippe's gaze represents the approval of the god of comedy.

Sunday knew that it was pointless to say anything more now. With Tongxie's approval, the Starry Sky Train Group was now the one acting against the grain in Tongxie's territory.

In the game, knowing that talking is no longer effective, Sunday is prepared to engage in dialogue based on truth, inviting the train crew to a duel at the Pinocchio Grand Theatre.

However, nowadays, there is a second option for Sundays.

He then returned the train set to the Pinocchio Grand Theatre lobby and slowly stepped back a few paces.

Metatron, who had been listening in, strolled forward.

Seeing this, the Starry Sky Train crew raised their weapons again. After donning the Sam armor, Firefly said...

"The heroic spirit has stepped forward, so is it time for the second round of action?"

Metatron then summoned a jade throne imbued with the power of golden order, sat down on it, and said with a smile.
"Don't rush. Before taking action, I need to put you on trial. Even if you have different beliefs, you still need to distinguish right from wrong."

Even if you die in the end, at least you'll understand why, right?
"Come, enter my courtroom, and be judged for your sins."

After saying that, a flash of white light appeared, and the Starry Sky Train crew found themselves inside a building filled with a sacred aura.

The room's layout is entirely based on that of a courthouse.

Metatron summoned a throne that was placed in the position of the judge, behind which was a huge statue of an angel holding a sword in his right hand and scales in his left, symbolizing judgment and justice.

If Danlei were here now, he would find that the face of this statue is not faceless, but the face of the Star God of Order, proving that Metatron's current power comes from Order.

At this moment, all members of the Starry Sky Train crew were in the defendant's position, surrounded by various angel-like summons with innate wings, no heads, but with metal rings.

Seeing the Star Train crew nervously pointing their weapons at the surrounding angels, as if about to attack, Metatron immediately slammed his gavel down, declaring...
"In the sacred courtroom, suspects may not possess weapons."

After he finished speaking, the jade throne behind Metatron emitted a golden light, and the Starry Sky Train crew suddenly felt tremendous pressure on their bodies. The Firefly and Grammer Iron Riders instantly deactivated their armed modes for unknown reasons.

The train crew and the fireflies could only barely squat to support their bodies so as not to be crushed and unable to move.

Then, the angelic familiars around them took the weapons from everyone's hands, and the transformation devices of Firefly and Grammer Knight were also taken away.

Of course, Xing is now holding a fire spear, and her hat and baseball bat are still there.

Only after the weapons were taken away did the train crew and Liuying feel the pressure on their bodies disappear.

By this time, they realized they were in big trouble.

Liu Ying is already a Star-level powerhouse, and the kind of being who can destroy a planet's companion star at the drop of a hat.

The ability to instantly immobilize her is definitely at the Envoy level.

A pseudo-commander-level user like Sand Gold, who transforms and uses the power of the Commander, cannot completely suppress a super expert like Firefly.

Moreover, Metatron in front of him was suppressing seven people at the same time (not counting Paimon). Among them, Himeko, who had merged with Honkai Impact 3rd's own combat power, was a pseudo-commander and a Heroic Spirit, the Grammer Iron Cavalry. Even if she couldn't easily destroy a planet, destroying a moon-level satellite was still no problem.

At this moment, Metatron possessed unparalleled majesty in the eyes of the Star Train crew, as if he were an invincible being.

This is the ability of Metatron's skill [Throne Creation: EX].

Metatron's etymology comes from the Greek word for "one who stands beside the throne."

Metatron, who was permitted to act as a deity, was able to sit on the throne of the gods, and as long as he sat on the throne, he could wield unparalleled power.

At this moment, this power is the power of order of Pinocone. Before the power of order is weakened, only Huang Quan is qualified to face Pinocone head-on.

As for Dan Lei, by taking advantage of Metatron's greatly reduced power when he leaves the throne, combined with the speed of the Hunting Orders and the power of balance, kiting Metatron should be no problem.

But if it were a head-to-head 1v1 battle of true men, Dan Lei would also be defeated.

Seeing how powerful Sunday's Heroic Spirit was, Himeko realized she had made a mistake. She should have thoroughly investigated the strength of the Heroic Spirits around Sunday before stepping forward.

If they had known earlier that Sunday had an envoy by his side, Himeko and Welt would definitely not have openly led the Starry Sky Train to rebel against Sunday. Instead, they would have gathered more allies and planned their move more slowly.

However, Metatron was still fulfilling his duties as presiding judge and said loudly...
"Please have the suspect stand in the dock."

"Man is the butcher, I am the fish on the chopping block," Xing protested loudly and bravely.

"What's the point of all this? You might as well just kill us!"

After saying that, he made a gesture as if he was ready to face death.

However, Sunday, who was already standing in the plaintiff's seat, said...
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is a formal trial."

As I said before, I oppose building human well-being on the remains of the weak.

At this moment, you are the weak ones.

But I will give you a chance to refute the trial.

I will recount your crimes, and if you successfully refute them, Metatron will not do anything to you and will let you continue on your way.

I am a believer in order and will not arbitrarily violate the rules of order I have set. Therefore, this trial will be based on the laws of Pinocchio.

After saying that, Sunday turned directly to Metatron and said...
"Your Honor, I accuse the Star Train members of interfering in Pinocchio's internal affairs and attempting to join forces with the Watchmakers to overthrow the current government."

I accuse Star Core Hunter Firefly of illegally entering Pinocene and committing the illegal act of kidnapping.

After speaking on Sunday, Metatron addressed the Starry Sky Train crew and the Firefly again.

“Defendant, please take your place in the dock. This is a final warning. If you continue to defy the court, I will have no choice but to take action.”

Himeko understood that there was no other choice at this point. If she wanted to continue fighting Sunday and the others, she could only stall for time and wait for an opportunity to escape.

Himeko believed that even if Danlei was helping Sunday revive the God of Order, he wouldn't just watch them die here.

So, Himeko brought the Starry Sky Train crew and Firefly to the defendant's dock, and then said...

"Your Honor, don't we have defense lawyers? Shouldn't Pinocchio's laws guarantee that the defendant must have a defense lawyer?"

Metatron nodded and answered directly.
“The defendant’s request is reasonable. You can appoint your own defense lawyers or have the court appoint a neutral third party.”

Himeko thought that Welt was still in Sunday's hands, and it would be inconvenient to take action later if he wasn't rescued, so she said...

“I request that Walter Young serve as my defense attorney.”

However, Metatron shook his head directly.
"Walter Young, as a member of the Star Train crew, is himself a defendant."

He is unable to attend due to health reasons, therefore he cannot serve as a defense attorney.

Seeing that Welt wasn't working, Himeko immediately settled for second best and said...

“Alright, we’ll request Miss Robin to be our defense attorney. She’s definitely going to perform at the Music Festival, surely she’s not feeling well right now.”

Himeko's move was truly brilliant, putting Sunday and Robin in court. Sunday, facing his enraged sister, was naturally at a disadvantage.

Moreover, Robin is definitely on the side of harmony and is familiar with Pinocchio's laws. Even if she really broke the law, she can argue for a while.

Although Metatron descended into the world through Joan of Arc's body and inherited Joan's "fairness and justice," she still abided by the rules in principle.

Miss Robin's poor health was not an option, so she skipped Sunday and used her powers to inquire whether the sleeping Robin was willing to defend the Starry Sky Train crew.

The robin naturally wouldn't have a second answer; at this moment, she couldn't wake up because the power of order was suppressing the power of harmony within her body.

Given the chance to wake up, she naturally seized it immediately.

So, the next second, the robin appeared in the defendant's defense lawyer's position.

The robin stared angrily at Sunday, making him break out in a cold sweat.

However, the robin did not accuse Sunday of anything in court.

She knew how powerful Metatron's authority was, and that this heroic spirit was relatively impartial, so she silently stood in the defense lawyer's position and waited for the trial to begin.

Seeing this, Metatron turned to Sunday and asked...
"Plaintiff, would you like to call the prosecution's lawyer?"

There are no prosecution lawyers available on Sundays, so he can only contact two people: Danlei and Gofemu.

However, one of them had a close relationship with the Starry Sky Train crew, and the other was busy making final preparations for the arrival of order, so they certainly didn't have time to work as part-time lawyers.

So, Sunday replied with a smile.

"Your Honor, I don't need a prosecution attorney here; I can take on the role myself."

With the legal issues resolved, Metatron struck the gavel and declared...

"With both the defendant and the prosecutor present, I hereby announce the official opening of the trial of the Pinocone Oaks family's lawsuit against Star Train for interfering in Pinocone's internal affairs and attempting to subvert the government!!"

The case of Sam, the Star Core Hunter, who was smuggled and kidnapped, will be tried subsequently.

After Metatron finished speaking, the robin immediately stood up and said...
"Your Honor, is there no jury for this trial?"

Metatron answered this question directly.
"Defense attorney, there is no jury in this trial. I am the only one with the authority to judge others on behalf of order."

Metatron's statement reveals her true nature of "chastity and fairness".

What are the Starry Sky Train and the Robin protesting?
Isn't this just opposing Pinocchio's order forces?

As a result, the trial was presided over by the forces of order, a typical case of "whoever sues me is in charge," and it would be a miracle if the Star Train won.

Crucially, the robin couldn't object to Metatron's decision not to establish a jury, because at that moment, the Star Train crew faced the reality of either accepting it or resisting it by force.

Resisting with force is tantamount to courting death, so one can only accept it.

Seeing that the robin had stopped dwelling on the jury's questions and sat down, Metatron spoke again.
"Prosecutor, please present evidence regarding the charges you bring against the defendant."

Evidence that the Star Train intended to interfere in Pinocchio's internal affairs and subvert the government? There's plenty of evidence.

Sunday directly stated

"Your Honor, your memory is the evidence."

The Star Train crew attempted to define Pinocone as a traitor by using the Star Core, and under the pretext of finding the traitor, intended to manipulate Pinocone back to that era of the survival of the fittest.

Furthermore, having failed to achieve their goal through theoretical discussion, they resorted to force, as evidenced by their recent use of weapons.

Upon hearing Sunday's words, Metatron looked directly at the train crew and said...

"I do have the memories the prosecution claims, and his description is largely true."

Do the suspect and defense lawyers have anything to say in their defense?

As soon as Metatron said that, Himeko immediately said...
"Your Honor, merely displaying weapons does not prove that we have actually carried out a military overthrow of the government. Without taking any real action, the accusation of intending to overthrow the government is baseless."

Verbally expressing opposition to the Pinocchio government shouldn't be considered an attempt to overthrow the government.

Himeko's defense was directly refuted by her standing up on Sunday.

"Your Honor, the suspect's defense is evasive and ignores the real issues. He has a clear connection with the watchmakers, an anti-government group in Pinocchio, which constitutes an attempt to subvert the government."

After Sunday finished speaking, the robin got up and said...
“Objection, Your Honor. To the best of my knowledge, Pinocchio never defined the watchmaker as an anti-government force; he remains the father of Pinocchio.”

The Starry Sky Train crew, as outsiders, did not have any subjective intent to subvert the government when they made contact with them.

The robin's statement is perfectly valid; Pinocchio's official statements have never described the watchmakers' faction as an anti-government force.

As outsiders, the Star Train has no obligation to understand the intricacies of Pinocchio's internal workings, and its contact with the watchmakers' faction does not constitute a subjective intent to overthrow the government.

On this issue, Metatron was fairly impartial, stating directly...
"It is acknowledged that the defendant's contact with the watchmakers' faction cannot prove that he intended to subvert the government. The prosecution may present new evidence or witnesses."

There was no other evidence on Sunday that the government intended to overthrow it.

The Starry Sky Train crew did not incite tourists or ordinary staff to cause trouble, nor did they maliciously disrupt Pinocchio's administrative operations.

If they privately discuss subverting the government, they insist it's just empty talk, so naturally they can't be convicted of such a serious crime.

So Sunday simply shook his head.
"I have no other evidence."

Upon hearing this on Sunday, March 7th and Paimon were overjoyed, thinking they were going to win the trial.

But the next second, Metatron said to the Star Train crew...

"Neither the defendant nor the defense attorney refuted the interference in Pinocchio's internal affairs, nor are they prepared to plead guilty."

Upon hearing Metatron's words, the Starry Sky Train crew immediately realized that Sunday's accusations against them were two major crimes, and this was only an explanation of one.

However, the other one is very difficult to explain because it is a trap.

If Himeko argues that her previous actions were merely a clash of ideas and that the train crew had no intention of forcibly changing the status quo of Pinocchio, then she could indeed win the trial.

But a simple statement after Sunday that "Pinocone rejected the Star Train's suggestion" was enough to send the Star Train packing and heading home.

After all, without forcibly changing things, we can't interfere with Pinoconi's internal affairs. Currently, Pinoconi's internal affairs are managed by the Oak family, so they naturally have a veto right.

Conversely, needless to say, if they directly admit to the crime, it would be reasonable for Metatron to sentence the Starry Sky Train crew to three, five, or even ten years in prison.

At that point, not only will preventing order become Pinocchio's future, but they'll also end up in jail.

(End of this chapter)