Deathly silence—absolute, total silence. Even the sound of the ocean waves was automatically blocked out by their ears. The colossal, mountain-like body of the man-eating ghoul collapsed powerlessly to the ground, but the tremors and the accompanying rumble went unheard. It was as if they had all lost their sense of hearing.
The Gold-class Man-Eating Ghoul had been utterly reduced to a cold corpse, but none of them were willing to accept this reality.
Especially Arthur Amidal—the Second Prince of Amidal. The death of the ghoul meant he had lost to his younger brother, Lumion, and would now have to pay with the life of a slave girl.
How did things end up like this? On the verge of losing his sanity, Arthur was bewildered. Why would a Gold-class Man-Eating Ghoul be killed by a girl who hadn’t even set foot on the path of cultivation? It was as absurd as a child killing an adult.
But if the child held a weapon, then killing an adult wasn’t impossible after all…
Baiya Ifil Chlorom—was she really just an ordinary person? No, from her earlier performance, it was obvious in every way—she was a slave girl!
She was a [Slave Girl]! The nation’s humanoid killing machine! She was not weak! On the contrary, she was incredibly powerful!
“Hey, did you know all along? Did you know from the start that she was a slave girl? Is that why you dared to bet with me? You’re despicable…”
Arthur hurled question after question at Lumion, his tone both mocking and pitiful, eyes filled with venomous darkness. Lumion knew that no matter how he explained, his brother would stubbornly insist he’d been set up.
“So what if I did? You’ve always kept me under your thumb—it’s about time I turned the tables. Stop doubting, you fool. Let me be frank: if you want to kill me, there’s no way I’ll sit around waiting for death. I’ll kill you too, Arthur.” A faint smile appeared on Lumion’s face. He had abandoned his naive thoughts; since both his brothers were beyond saving, there was no point trying to help them. Before they could strike, he would act first, without hesitation.
Today, Arthur had pushed him to the brink several times. He’d finally seen his true nature—there was no family in Amidal. Since that was the case, he’d drag both brothers down into the abyss.
“You bastard!!!” Just as Lumion wished, Arthur was infuriated by his merciless provocation.
Ignoring all decorum, Arthur looked ready to charge over and beat him to a pulp. Judging by that twisted face, he might even want to strangle him to death. Lumion mused to himself.
At this moment, Samsara Tenki stepped in front of Lumion, blocking Arthur’s path.
“Get out of my way, wench!” Arthur had to stop in his tracks, barking harsh words, but his eyes were glued to Samsara Tenki’s every move. If she made even the slightest wrong move, he would turn and flee at once.
Slave Girl Number 004, [Master of Life and Death] Samsara Tenki—she was his greatest nightmare. His fear of Lumion also stemmed from her. Was their father insane? To actually have Samsara Tenki acknowledge that foolish younger brother as her master! If Lumion ordered her to unleash the “Law of Life and Death,” that terrifying racial ability, both he and Caesar would be killed! It was totally unfair!
“Protecting His Highness Lumion is my duty. I ask that Your Highness Arthur calm yourself. His Highness Lumion’s life is above all else. For his safety, I will do anything.” Samsara Tenki didn’t care for Arthur’s insults. Her gaze was as cold as one who looked upon the dead; her voice, a demonic whisper from the depths of hell.
Faced with Samsara Tenki’s barely veiled threat, Arthur could only swallow his rage. He turned to the arena, pointed at the collapsed Baiya, and shouted out an order:
“All of you, go! Kill her!”
“Did you forget something, Arthur?” Before the guards could move, Lumion stepped out from behind Samsara Tenki, shaking his head, signaling to the guards not to move. He looked at the red-faced Arthur with a half-smile.
“According to our wager, I can pick any slave girl you own. You wouldn’t want to break the blood contract and be struck down by divine wrath, would you?” Lumion sounded almost like he was sighing, as if mocking Arthur’s stupidity.
“Of course! According to the wager! Other than the [Angel of Light] and [Demon Angel], you can have whoever you want! Lumion!” Arthur nearly ground his teeth to pieces as he spat out these resentful words. He could no longer call Lumion ‘brother.’ Lumion was now his mortal enemy!
“I want her.” Lumion pointed to Baiya on the field. Seeing Arthur frozen for a moment, he repeated, “Father said that any slave girl who awakens on this ship belongs to you. So Baiya Ifil Chlorom is your property. Please let me have her.”
“Haha, hahaha! Hahahaha!!” Understanding Lumion’s intent, Arthur suddenly threw back his head and laughed, clutching his face. His laughter was wild, deranged—enough to make Lumion uneasy.
That laughter ended with a single spiteful command:
“Kill her.”
“On this ship, I’m in charge! I want her chopped to pieces right now! Shadow Spider, Daughter, you too! Wipe away every trace of her existence. Not even a single strand of hair is to be left!” Arthur lowered his hands, revealing a face utterly devoid of humanity.
“Arthur, you—!” Lumion pointed at Arthur, unable to believe he would issue such an order.
“Don’t worry, I’ll give you what I promised. Other than [Angel of Light] and [Demon Angel], you can pick any of my slave girls. As for Baiya Ifil Chlorom,” Arthur’s face softened with a mock pity, “She’ll be dead by my hand—what can you do about it?”
“You…” Lumion couldn’t keep up his usual composure. Arthur had gone completely mad; you couldn’t reason with a lunatic.
Arthur’s Shadow Spider and Curse Doll had already gone to carry out his orders, and the nobles had sent forth a legion of Gold-class guards. Given Baiya’s condition, facing them meant certain death! Arthur truly was vicious!
“Samsara Tenki!”
“Yes, Your Highness Lumion. Awaiting your orders.”
Of course, Lumion wouldn’t just stand by. He ordered Samsara Tenki to protect Baiya. Arthur could only stew in his hatred—if Lumion ordered Samsara Tenki to intervene, Baiya’s life would be safe. No one Arthur sent could stand against her.
Yet Samsara Tenki had barely taken a step before she withdrew to Lumion’s side. Half her body was swiftly covered in withered, vine-like bones; her scarred hands morphed into terrifying, monstrous claws. She raised one before her, casting a shadow over both Arthur and Lumion.
The “Law of Life and Death” granted her the ability to sense impending threats. Right now, Samsara Tenki felt an inexplicable dread—some immense, unknown danger was approaching.
On the field, the only girl who could still move was half-carrying Baiya toward the tunnel. Seeing the swarm of bloodthirsty guards charging the stage, she grew so anxious she was about to cry.
“Don’t worry… it’s fine now…” Baiya’s weak voice sounded in her ear.
“Big sister!” The girl was overjoyed to see Baiya awaken. Baiya was already her greatest support.
Suddenly, realizing how close she and Baiya were, her face flushed red, her heart pounding uncontrollably.
Barely conscious, Baiya didn’t notice the girl’s change. She carefully surveyed her surroundings, spotting many people charging at her, weapons raised. Among them were Shadow Spider and Curse Doll—two slave girls. She frowned at them; they shrank back behind the guards, not daring to take the lead.
“Call anyone who can still move and come with me. Hurry, or you’ll die.” Luo Shi heard Baiya’s serious instructions and nodded, biting his lip. He glanced back at her, bracing himself to gather the wounded.
Baiya was the Savior. If the Savior said something, it was right! Luo Shi didn’t want to think anymore; he’d just do as told!
“Baiya, are you sure it’s safe? Those people are about to catch up!” The girl glanced behind them anxiously.
“Don’t worry about a thing… I have protagonist’s luck—I won’t die, at least not yet…”
“Protagonist’s luck? I don’t really get what you mean, but it sounds amazing!”
“Hehe… At first, I wanted to change the plot for a perfect ending, but that was a mistake… I already knew what I needed to do to survive.”
“Killing the Man-Eating Ghoul—that’s all there was to it… Once I did that, the first chapter would end… After all that running around and getting myself beaten to a pulp, I really should reflect…”
Baiya looked up. The sky was filling with countless growing black dots, making her feel more at ease. Everything was unfolding as she’d anticipated—there was nothing better.
“Has the second chapter begun? Sorry, I’m just so tired, so hungry, so sleepy… Can’t you let me rest for a bit…”