CHAPTER 334: ERADICATION (2)

Zooming out from the building that was currently under attack, bullets rained against it, each one carrying a force more lethal than missiles, striking one after another without pause.

Clusters upon clusters of buildings stretched around it. They were shabbier in appearance than those of a modern world, yet they carried a distinctive backward beauty. More importantly, they were sturdier than the fragile towers of a city, built thick with stone, huddled together between patches of greenery, fountains, and scattered nature.

At the sound of bombardment, the residents began to pour out. They were members of the Drevane family, or those directly tied to them. Women and men, young and old, all stepped forward in alarm.

From their appearance and the formidable aura surrounding them, it was clear that most had touched Essence.

At first, their expressions showed only disbelief — a sharp confusion at the thought of being attacked here, within their own stronghold. But disbelief quickly shifted, not to fear, but to a savage, rising killing intent.

Whoever the invader was, they would make them understand who the Drevane family truly were.

Their fighting spirit was undeniable, their determination admirable.

They had just begun to move as one, ready to retaliate, when a rain of bullets suddenly descended upon them though.

The storm was merciless. Bullets tore into the ground and walls, spraying stone fragments into the air. They punched through bodies with brutal force, cutting down men and women alike. Screams rang out as the first wave of blood spilled across the courtyards, soaking the ground in red.

At first, it seemed the bullets did not discriminate, striking whoever stood in their path. But soon it became clear that while gender held no protection, age did. Children alone were spared. Not a single shot was aimed their way.

But for everyone else? No one was shown mercy.

Blood flowed in abundance. People staggered and fell, their cries of pain and grief mixing with the sounds of children wailing in terror, before being abruptly snuffed out one after another.

What kind of demon could do something like this, when not all of them were seasoned warriors, but merely civilians — the families of the Drevane members?

The cries of the dying still echoed through the courtyards, fading into the relentless storm of destruction. And as the screams of pain and loss merged with the sounds of breaking stone, of flesh tearing apart, and of children sobbing, a short distance away, the culprits stood in silence. Not a single ripple passed through their eyes.

Zero, now in a completely different appearance than the one he had when Christian first created him, watched the massacre with calm, detached eyes. His human side — the one he once showed to his so-called "friends" — seemed to have vanished entirely.

In battle mode, he too was firing, one bullet after another, each shot precise and deadly, striking through heads or hearts without hesitation.

At his side stood Alpha. Her mature charm remained, yet her eyes were cold and lifeless, reflecting none of the warmth she once carried.

She was doing her part as well, though not by pulling the trigger herself.

Instead, she controlled countless modified drones swarming above and around the battlefield, each one raining death upon the Drevane compound.

So who was taking more lives — she, calmly folding her arms beneath her chest, analyzing the situation while conversing with Iris in real time, or Zero, who personally ended lives with his own hands?

Someone more human would have to give that answer.

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At the entrance of this town-like settlement, once isolated from the outside world but now standing at the eye of the storm, Annabelle fought against those who dared to obstruct her path.

It was called a battle, yet no one could withstand even a single punch.

She, who had already reached the first-stage mastery of the Void Art, was simply that formidable. The air around her trembled faintly with each strike, space itself bending in ripples before snapping back in distorted silence.

Her punches, wrapped in spatial energy, were deadlier than anything else.

Be it the firearms previously modified by Christian and now wielded by Zero and Alpha... or even the spells of the two-circle mage named Nina — none could compare.

In lethality, in sheer penetration power, Annabelle was unmatched.

And yet, despite her overwhelming dominance, she wasn’t calm like the others. Her expression was strained, her eyes slightly unfocused, as though each fallen body left a shadow in her chest.

She had come here in anger at first — when she heard that those pieces of filth were planning to target her precious brother, her precious love.

Already restless after not seeing him for so long, she snapped, and before she realized it, she was here, drenched in chaos.

At first, her emotions had ruled her, pushing her to kill the head of the Drevane family — the one obsessed with her brother, on her own.

But now, as the screams of pain filled the air, as lives were cut short before the cries could even fade, and as the faint sobs of children echoed from somewhere deeper within the settlement... her heart began to tremble.

The smell of smoke and blood mixed with the cold wind, and her breath hitched slightly.

Is doing this much really necessary?

She wondered.

And her gaze couldn’t help but move to Sophia, standing behind her as backup.

It was called backup, but Annabelle knew — if she hesitated, if she tried to spare anyone — then Sophia would finish them without a second thought.

And if Sophia didn’t, then someone else would.

The plan made by Eva had been agreed upon by all. Annabelle’s opinion alone was only enough to spare the children... but not anyone else.

Even then, did she truly have no other choice?

No, that wasn’t true.

If she were to talk to her brother now, to convince him — which she knew she could, because at the end of the day, Christian would always indulge her — then she could stop this massacre.

Her words alone might not carry enough weight... but Christian’s words could change everything.

And yet, she didn’t.

The plan had been discussed before — between her, Eva, and the others under Christian’s command. She had a voice back then, and she had agreed to this path as well. Her hesitation now was nothing but a sign of her weak resolve.

This world was not the same one she had known before.

And she was not someone who could easily take lives... but she needed to change.

The world was changing.

And the Drevane family—

They were rotten to the core.

They didn’t deserve sympathy.

Annabelle’s thoughts flickered to the files Iris had shown them days ago — records that painted the Drevane name in blood.

Families dragged from their homes in the middle of the night, used for entertainment.

Children taken and forced into twisted experiments, their bodies discarded when they failed to survive.

Women sold to the highest bidder under the guise of political marriage.

And those who resisted, silenced — entire villages burned to ash, their names erased from record.

Remembering all of that and many more, Annabelle’s trembling stopped. Her heart hardened in resolve.