"Clear the obstacles. Now split up and begin the slaughter. Meet back here in one hour."
The night breeze slipped through the jagged holes in the wall, turning the room's once-warm air icy and sharp—like a splash of cold water.
From the mouth of the cave, Ignyr looked out over the dark, endless forest. It resembled that terrifying night when, at just ten years old, he and his mother were hunted like animals.
Eight years later, he had returned to the Holy Land. This time, he had wiped out all the guards and sucked the guilty into a black hole.
Now, he had time, energy, and power—more than enough to begin a full-scale slaughter.
Ignyr's eyes gleamed with feverish intensity. His hands trembled, not with fear, but with anticipation.
"Men, women, children— Celestial Dragons, guards, or slaves—it doesn't matter. Leave no one alive."
Without hesitation, he took the lead, kicking open the bedroom door and striding into the brightly lit corridor like a shadow of vengeance.
Ace, Shiryu, and Devon exchanged knowing glances, their expressions lighting up with anticipation. One by one, they leapt through the hole in the wall and vanished into the night.
Ignyr unleashed his Observation Haki, scanning for any signs of life within the manor as he roamed the halls like a reaper.
In the distance, two suited guards stood outside a room. A swift "Shigan" pierced their throats, and they collapsed wordlessly.
"A family of four," he muttered.
The door creaked open. A couple lay sleeping in a large velvet bed to the right. In a corner crib, twin infants slept peacefully.
Ignyr approached the crib and studied the children—one boy, one girl—peacefully dreaming. He slowly reached out, brushing their cheeks with surprising gentleness.
Then, his fingers shifted. He gripped both infants by the neck and lifted them into the air.
"Woooo…"
A strange, strangled cry pierced the silence—different from an ordinary wail. The babies, unable to scream, made desperate choking sounds, trying to breathe.
"Aaah! Guards! Guards!"
The mother bolted awake, her maternal instincts reacting to her children's cries. She screamed for help, unaware the guards had already been silently dispatched.
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she shoved her husband, urging him to wake. Fear gripped her as she watched her children dangle helplessly.
"What bastard dares break into my home?!"
The man sprang up, flipping on the desk lamp. In the dim light, he saw Ignyr standing there, holding the children like a phantom from a nightmare.
He was a noble—a Celestial Dragon. Arrogant since birth, he had never been defied. Snarling, he charged at Ignyr, barefoot, ready to punish what he assumed was a lowly intruder.
"If you want them, take them."
Before the man could reach him, Ignyr hurled the infant girl into his stomach like a weapon.
"Urgh!"
The man buckled over as the child struck him. Blood spilled from his mouth, and a sickening sound followed—his intestines began to slide out from the impact.
Panicked, he tried to shove them back inside, but they slipped out in thick ropes. His face turned pale as he collapsed onto the floor, gasping.
"AAAAHH!"
The mother's screams echoed through the room, but she didn't dare move. She sat frozen in bed, watching her family be torn apart.
Through his blurring vision, the man saw his daughter's lifeless body on the floor. Her skull was cracked, pink brain matter oozing out.
He crawled toward her, trying to reach her head, but his body gave out, falling into a pool of his own entrails.
"You're not fit to be a mother. Let the boy return to your womb."
Ignyr's disgust only grew as he looked at the sobbing woman, too afraid to act. A sour smell—urine—wafted from the soaked quilt.
He hurled the infant boy into her stomach. The force of the blow snapped her pelvis and crushed her organs. The baby's small body shattered on impact, merging with the mangled mess of her torso.
The woman's final expression was one of horror, frozen in place, eyes wide as if still staring at death.
"All that status, yet Celestial Dragons are this pathetic…"
The woman reminded him of his own mother—who had fought with everything to protect her child. Compared to her, this weak creature only fueled his hatred for the so-called gods.
After regaining his composure, Ignyr stepped out of the blood-soaked room and continued down the hall.
A faint, muffled sound caught his attention—crying.
He turned toward the noise, opened a nearby door, and flipped the switch. The lights flickered on, revealing a sickening scene.
It was a smaller room, lavish but repugnant.
On the bed lay a young boy, drooling in his sleep, muttering as though in a pleasant dream.
"Looks like this scum's been collecting…"
Against the far wall stood rows of cages—each holding women of different races and ages. Some were barely into their teens, others were elderly. All bore bruises and tears.
There were not just humans. Some were mermaids. Others had long legs, long necks—exotic, rare traits.
"Please… save us…"
The women were naked, collared, and chained to the steel mesh of their cages. A few wept as they noticed Ignyr wasn't dressed like a Draco. Hope flickered in their eyes.
On their backs, the burned hoof mark of the Celestial Dragons—signaling their status as slaves for life—was faintly visible.
Their soft, desperate voices reached the Celestial Dragon boy's ears. He stirred and slowly opened his eyes, still half-asleep.
"Who dares to enter my mansion?!"
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