The guildhall was no longer just a den of slaves and chains. It was Kael's fortress.
The banners of rival guilds now hung shredded from its rafters. Freed slaves filled the halls, their eyes burning with loyalty—or lust. His women moved like queens among them: Selene, Aurelia, Nyra, and now Serana, the serpent priestess who knelt at his side, her silver eyes glazed with devotion.
But outside, the city simmered.
Kael felt it every time he walked the markets. The merchants' glares, the guards' stiffened postures, the way whispers died when he drew near. He had shaken the Council's grip, and they would not suffer it long.
"Master," Selene murmured one morning as she laid maps across the table. "Our spies say Councilor Veynar has gathered mercenaries. Blades from the north. Poisoners from the south. They're moving tonight."
Kael's smile was cold. "Good. Let them come."
But even as he said it, he felt the system stir.
[Warning: Critical Event Approaching.]
[Council Retaliation Imminent.]
---
The attack came sooner than expected.
That night, Kael lay in his chamber, Aurelia curled naked against his chest, her breath soft and warm. Serana knelt between his thighs, licking his cock slowly, eyes half-lidded in worship.
Then—silence.
The usual sounds of the guildhall—the laughter of freed slaves, the clang of weapons, Nyra's low growl—vanished. A hush spread through the stone walls.
Kael's eyes snapped open. Chains coiled to life.
The first arrow shattered the window. Poison gleamed on its tip.
Serana screamed. Aurelia bolted upright.
Then the doors burst open.
Masked assassins flooded in, blades dripping venom, eyes dead and cold. Behind them strode armored mercenaries, their leader carrying a Council sigil etched on his breastplate.
"By order of the Merchant Council," the captain sneered, "you and yours are to be erased."
---
Kael's chains lashed out, shredding the first wave of assassins into pieces. Blood sprayed across the chamber walls. Aurelia screamed but snatched a fallen dagger, slashing wildly.
Selene stormed in from the hall, her blade flashing as she cut down two mercenaries, her face twisted with fury.
"Bastards!" she cried. "They're everywhere!"
Nyra appeared an instant later, her body half-shifted into a beast, claws tearing throats open in sprays of crimson.
But the assassins kept coming. Shadows crawled through the guildhall, bodies falling on both sides.
---
The captain lunged at Kael, his sword glowing faintly with enchantment. Kael caught it with chains, sparks flying as steel ground against iron.
"You think the Council can kill me with dogs?" Kael roared.
The captain spat. "Not dogs. Executioners."
He feinted, then slashed. The enchanted blade bit through Kael's chain, cutting it in half. For the first time in weeks, Kael staggered.
The mercenaries surged forward, pinning Nyra beneath nets laced with sigils. She howled, thrashing, but the bindings burned her flesh. Selene fought desperately, but her blade clashed against three at once.
And in the chaos, Aurelia was seized. Two assassins dragged her back, pressing knives to her throat.
"Master!" she screamed, tears spilling down her cheeks.
Kael's blood ran cold.
---
The system's voice thundered.
[Warning: Harem Member in Mortal Peril.]
[Choice Triggered: Sacrifice Power for Protection, or Risk Everything to Fight.]
Kael's chains writhed violently, his aura surging until the chamber trembled. He could save Aurelia by burning through his evolution energy—or he could gamble, risk all of them, and fight with everything he had left.
He chose fury.
"You dare touch what's mine?"
The chains erupted from his flesh, jagged and crimson, like veins of molten iron. They shot across the chamber, impaling the assassins who held Aurelia. Their bodies split apart in sprays of gore, painting the walls.
Aurelia stumbled free, sobbing, crawling to Kael's side. He caught her against him, pressing her head into his chest.
"Mine," he growled. "No one takes what is mine."
---
The captain charged again, his sword glowing brighter, runes blazing. Kael caught the blade with both chains, the heat burning through his aura, but he didn't let go.
He yanked, dragging the captain off his feet. The man crashed into the wall, his helmet cracking. Before he could rise, Kael's chains drove through his chest, pinning him like an insect.
The captain coughed blood, eyes wide with disbelief. "The… Council… will never… forgive…"
Kael leaned close, his voice a growl. "Then let them choke on their own fear."
The chains ripped the man apart, spraying blood across the chamber.
---
The survivors fled. The assassins dissolved into shadows, vanishing as quickly as they'd come. Mercenaries threw down their weapons and bolted.
But the guildhall was in ruins. Blood soaked the floors. Dozens of Kael's freedmen lay dead. Selene leaned against the wall, panting, her blade dripping. Nyra tore the burning nets away, her fur scorched and smoking.
Aurelia clung to Kael's chest, trembling violently. Serana crawled forward, licking blood from his chains like a zealot, her eyes wild with awe.
"Master…" she whispered. "You faced the Council's blades… and shattered them. Even the Serpent could not deny such power."
Kael stood in the wreckage, his aura still burning.
The system's voice chimed.
[Council Retaliation Survived.]
[Guild Reputation: FEARED.]
[New Quest Unlocked: Break the Council.]
Kael's eyes narrowed.
They had tried to kill his women. His harem. His family.
Now he would burn their council chambers to ash and fuck their daughters on their thrones.