A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

Chapter 732 In the Name of Hydral - II

The ebony witch, hovering aloft, gazed down upon the dragon as it struggled to its feet. With a slight gesture of her hand, infinite shadows surged forth once more, transmuting into razor-sharp blades that pierced directly into the dragon's wounds. Though it appeared as if she had subjected the dragon to a thousand cuts, in reality, it had little effect.

The monster was regenerating at a terrifying pace.

Despite the dragon's seemingly grievous injuries and Nine's apparent dominance, not a single adventurer dared to seize the opportunity.

They were, of course, too wary. Like hyenas, adventurers excelled at assessing situations and gauging risks. They were acutely aware that this seemingly battered dragon could incinerate them to oblivion with a single breath.

And how could Nine be ignorant of these adventurers' nature?

After a dozen seconds of futile attempts to inflict further damage upon the dragon, Nine released a soft sigh.

She did not consider herself to be deceiving the adventurers, but rather offering them an opportunity through their own avarice.

Since no one desired this chance, she had no choice but to rescind it.

"Now, all adventurers, regardless of stage, attack this dragon immediately."

The witch's raspy voice resonated throughout the city once more. This time, however, her words carried only pure frigidity and indifference.

"This is not a request. It is a command."

"—In the name of Lord Hydral."

This declaration not only stunned the hidden adventurers who had been biding their time, but also left Nerilia and the other Shadewell members astounded.

"Nine!"

Nerilia exclaimed in fury. "What are you saying? How dare you so recklessly invoke Lord Ansel's name—mmph!"

Tangible shadows thrust directly into Nerilia's mouth, silencing her subsequent words.@@@@

"Do not make me lose all the good impressions I had of you, Nerilia," Nine cast a glance at the restrained Nerilia. "Do not make yourself appear so foolish... It will require extra effort to adjust the recordings later. How troublesome."

Thereafter, Nine ceased to pay attention to the dragon, instead further expanding the shadows under her control. An increasing number of hidden adventurers discovered an inky blackness beneath their feet. Before they could react in utter terror, ebony claws entwined around them, piercing their flesh with icy cruelty, slowly carving several wounds.

"Either engage the dragon in battle..."

Indeed, it was ignited.

A jet-black energy beam, its origin invisible in the distant sky, annihilated the dragon so thoroughly that not even a speck of dust remained.

This terrifying black light, limitless and endless, with a diameter of at least several dozen meters, leveled more than half of the entire domain. It surged towards the horizon, carving an abyss of unfathomable depth into the earth.

Nine had spared a few fortunate souls to bear witness to this scene of apparent apocalyptic judgment.

The young woman descended slowly from the sky, returning to her wheelchair and relinquishing the borrowed power.

She knew her task in this domain had reached its conclusion.

Within moments, God from the Machine materialized in the sky above the ruined domain.

Its steel wings, unfurled behind it, exhaled azure flames. The serpentine maw upon its chest still emanated a faint aura of destruction. This godlike figure, seemingly lording over all creation, complemented the annihilating strike that had just obliterated everything. The adventurers who had narrowly escaped Nine's massacre fell to their knees as if beholding a divine manifestation.

Nine, now seated once more in her wheelchair, rested her chin on her hand. Gazing at the extraordinary being not far off, whose face was a mixture of terror and fanaticism, she inquired nonchalantly, "Did you record everything?"

"..."

Nerilia, who had been restrained earlier, did not respond. She had indeed carried out Nine's orders, and by now she comprehended Nine's intentions.

The essence of the adventurer purge plan was to use them as sacrificial lambs, enabling Ansel to establish an inviolable authority and majesty. The former was the means, the latter the end.

As long as the world recognized Ansel's power and incontestability, it mattered little whether the adventurers were slain for breaking rules or for failing to combat the dragon.

In fact, the latter seemed more justifiable. Compared to some convoluted set of regulations, the rationale of "cowering in self-preservation instead of protecting civilians during a Dragon Calamity" appeared far more righteous.

...Had this lunatic immediately redesigned the entire plan the moment the Dragon Calamity struck, without even considering retreat or regrouping?

Nerilia recalled Nine's unhesitating demeanor when she invoked Ansel's name to compel the adventurers to confront the dragon. Experience tales with My Virtual Library Empire

A suffocating... confidence.

Whether in making decisions on Ansel's behalf or in taking the lives of others.

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