Xylara staggered, her breath shallow, as the weight of Lycius's announcement suffocated the city.
Eyes locked onto her—thousands of them, filled with confusion, desperation, and… hope.
They don't know.
They still believe in her.
Even after everything.
Lycius, standing at her side, grinned with delight.
"You should say a few words, my dear Xylara," he mused, his voice dripping with amusement. "Tell them the reason for this main event. About their pending judgement."
Xylara's lips parted, but no words came.
How could she?
How could she stand before them and declare their devotion—the very thing she once cherished—a crime?
The silence stretched.
The people, desperate for answers, began murmuring amongst themselves.
"Why isn't she speaking?"
"Queen Xylara… what is happening?"
"Is this a test of loyalty?"
Lycius's golden eyes gleamed, the sheer anticipation in them almost maddening.
"Do not keep them waiting, my dear Queen," he cooed, tilting his head. "Or do I need to motivate you?"
Xylara's body shook.
A sudden, suffocating force wrapped around her throat—not physically, but mentally.
Her will struggled, resisted—but her lips were no longer her own.
She stepped forward.
Her wings, dark purple and majestic, unfurled behind her, casting a monstrous silhouette beneath the crimson sky.
Her voice, steady but hollow, rang through the city.
"My people…"
They leaned in, desperate for clarity.
She swallowed the bile rising in her throat.
"You have all sinned."
The crowd froze.
Expressions of shock, disbelief… horror.
A nobleman in the front blinked rapidly, his voice breaking. "M-My Queen, what sin? We have done nothing but follow you!"
Xylara's hands clenched into trembling fists.
Lycius's voice slithered into her mind, dark and inescapable.
Tell them.
Make them understand.
Her throat tightened, her heart pounded violently against her ribcage—but she could not disobey.
Her voice wavered, yet the words poured forth.
"Your devotion was misplaced. Your loyalty was false."
"You remained by my side, even after I committed an unforgivable act—
—the betrayal of our Absolute Queen."
A sudden, horrified silence swept over the city.
Expressions of confusion twisted into dread.
"Queen Xylara Abyssi…?"
The murmurs returned—frantic, disbelieving.
"But… she was gone!"
"She disappeared centuries ago!"
"No… no, that can't be true—our Queen would never betray her!"
Yet the look in Xylara's eyes—the raw, silent torment—
Confirmed everything.
Their beloved ruler had betrayed the very monarch of all Demonkind.
And because they had stayed by her side—because they had followed her rule despite her treason—
They, too, were guilty.
Xylara felt her knees weaken.
The anguish in their eyes…
She had been their everything.
And now, she was here, standing before them—sentencing them to die.
A slow, deliberate clap echoed through the stillness.
Lycius.
His smile stretched wide, golden eyes glimmering with pride.
"Ahh, beautiful! What a truly magnificent sight!" His laughter rang through the sky.
His grip tightened around the scythe, his fingers pressing firmly against its cold, unyielding surface.
A slow smile curved his lips as he gazed at the weapon, a silent moment passing between them.
Then, with deliberate ease, he loosened his hold, extending his hand to offer it to her.
His voice dripping with sick amusement.
"You should be the one to deliver their punishment, don't you think?"
Xylara's blood froze.
No…
He wanted her to do it.
He wanted her to carve through the very people that had given their lives to her.
Her fingers twitched, her body screaming in refusal—but she could not resist.
She reached for the scythe.
The moment her hands wrapped around the handle—
It shattered.
A violent crack split the air, and in an instant, the weapon crumbled into dust.
Xylara gasped, stepping back in shock.
Lycius… stared.
For a second, he said nothing.
Then, his laughter erupted once more.
"AHAHAHAHA!"
He clutched his stomach, shaking his head in sheer disbelief.
"How… absolutely pathetic!" He grinned at her, eyes alight with madness. "You couldn't even handle a low-grade weapon?"
Xylara's breath hitched, a deep sense of shame clawing at her insides.
Lycius tilted his head, eyes narrowing.
"For that… you'll be punished tonight."
His smile darkened.
"And trust me… it will be a punishment we'll both enjoy."
Xylara's stomach churned.
Her hands trembled.
She couldn't think about that now.
Not now.
Because—
The main event was about to begin.
A new weapon manifested in her grip, summoned by Lycius himself.
And then—
The massacre began.
With mechanical precision, she moved.
One swift slash—
And the first victim fell.
A father.
His body crumpled, his lifeblood pooling onto the cobblestone streets.
His wife—his child—
They stood frozen, eyes wide in horror.
Xylara's heart pounded.
She turned away, her mind breaking—
But Lycius's voice whispered in her mind.
"No, no… let them watch."
Her body obeyed.
She counted.
Ten seconds.
Ten seconds for them to witness.
Ten seconds for them to suffer.
The mother fell next.
Then the child.
And the next victim stepped forward.
Screams erupted—but no one could flee.
The streets had become a prison.
And so the slaughter continued.
One by one,
Their lives were claimed.
Xylara moved swiftly, her blade cutting through the air, but it was clear—this was not her strength.
Her attacks lacked power.
Her movements lacked precision.
She was an Illusionist, a mage, not a warrior.
Yet, under Lycius's command, she was forced to slaughter her own people.
Her breath grew ragged as she struck down another—her arms aching, her speed dwindling with each kill.
More and more citizens fell before her, their screams ringing in her ears, their blood staining her hands—
But she was too slow.
Her body burned, her muscles screaming in agony.
She had reached her limit.
Lycius, watching from above, sighed theatrically.
"Is that it?"
Xylara froze, her chest heaving.
She could feel his disappointment.
"You're too weak, Xylara," he chuckled, shaking his head. "Yet another thing to change."
A wave of shame crashed over her—but she couldn't deny it.
She was tired.
Her hands shook, her legs threatened to collapse beneath her.
Lycius's golden eyes gleamed, a dangerous light flickering in them.
"Fine. I suppose I'll just handle the rest."
He raised his hand.
The air around him shifted, the sheer density of mana crushing the city under its weight.
Then—
The world broke.
A thunderstorm roared to life, bolts of golden lightning splitting the sky, striking the ruins below.
A firestorm followed, hellish flames twisting into the wind, devouring all in its path.
A snowstorm swirled in the chaos, frost and ice solidifying the burning wreckage, creating a paradox of destruction.
A tsunami surged from nowhere, a monstrous wave crashing into the city, swallowing entire districts in its depths.
And finally—
The heavens trembled.
Meteorites descended.
The sky tore apart as flaming stones rained down, obliterating everything that remained.
Xylara stood frozen, helpless as the mixture of elements unleashed absolute devastation.
This…
Her eyes widened in horror.
She had only seen one other person do something like this before.
Elizabeth.
The Dragon Queen.
One of the strongest beings she had ever known.
Yet here Lycius was—matching that power effortlessly.
The city that once stood was no more.
All that remained—
Was ash.
[Ding! Required Conditions for 'Hidden Mission: Extermination' have been met.]
A faint chime echoed in Lycius's ears as a blue holographic screen flickered into existence before him.
His golden eyes gleamed with intrigue.
"A mission that only unlocks through a massacre?" he mused, amusement curling at the edges of his lips. "Now, this should be interesting."
The screen revealed its details—
_______
[Mission: Extermination]
Brief: The extermination of all Desire subjects and citizens.
Reward: New System Feature - Death Cultivation
(The souls you claim shall fuel your advancement, accelerating the growth of both major and minor cultivation realms.)
Penalty: None.
Time Limit: One week.
_______
Lycius's smile widened as he read the reward.
"So that's how it works..."
For the longest time, his cultivation had advanced through mysterious means—waking up stronger, shifting realms without understanding why.
But now—
Now, he had control.
Now, he could force his ascension.
His amusement faded, replaced by something colder.
More serious.
More dangerous.
His obsidian wings extended slightly as he turned his piercing gaze onto Xylara.
"Xylara," his voice was calm, yet it sent a shiver down her spine.
"It seems I'll have to adjust my plans. I had intended to let you enjoy yourself today…"
Xylara exhaled shakily, feeling a strange relief wash over her.
That meant…
She wouldn't have to carry out the extermination alone.
Her hands, already stained with the blood of her own people, trembled.
If the very act of killing a single province had already begun to fracture her mind…
Then how would she have survived slaughtering the other forty-eight?
Without further ado, his obsidian wings unfurled, their sheer power distorting the air around him. With a single, effortless flap, the force beneath them sent him soaring skyward, leaving behind a gust strong enough to crack the earth.
Xylara followed without hesitation, her body moving on instinct—compelled by his unspoken command.
Then, in the blink of an eye—
The space around them twisted.
The very fabric of reality shuddered as they vanished into the void, swallowed by the abyss of Lycius's will.
A moment later, the void spat them back out, their figures emerging into the skies above a new city—untouched, unaware of the calamity descending upon it.
________________
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