[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
Chapter 125: Domination (1)
Several people were sprawled across the floor, groaning in pain as they clutched their abdomens.
A sharp scream pierced through the air. At the center of the room, someone was howling as their face was being gripped tightly.
“You said you’d kill me, but you’re all worthless.”
Kwon Hanul spoke with disdain as he tightened his grip. The scream grew louder.
“Stop! Please, stop!”
“Then swear your obedience.”
Kwon Hanul’s voice was dry. He wasn’t doing this because he enjoyed torture.
This man had stronger mental resistance than expected, so the Vassal Bloodline couldn’t fully subjugate him. Pain was simply a means to that end.
Just as the scream reached its peak—
Only then did Kwon Hanul release the man’s head, and the man’s body collapsed in exhaustion.
At his command, not only the man, but the other subjugated ones slowly rose to their feet.
Moments ago, their faces had been twisted with lust for Catalina Blaga—now, they were consumed with longing for Kwon Hanul.
‘It’s my own power, and even I find it creepy.’
To be able to manipulate human emotions so easily—an ability both terrifying and chilling.
“As your master, I’ll give you your first command.”
The servants straightened up at his words.
Given that they had conspired to assassinate him, these were undoubtedly high-ranking subordinates of Catalina Blaga.
Now that he had them under his control, Kwon Hanul’s reach had extended considerably.
But deciding how to use them could wait.
He had a more immediate task in mind.
“Start by cleaning this room.”
He gestured at the battlefield of a room, wrecked from the earlier fight. The servants immediately got to work.
“I’ll leave the room to them…”
He turned his gaze out the window.
One massive energy still lingered.
“Guess I better go finish the job.”
Kwon Hanul flung the window open and leapt outside.
As he landed, the source of that powerful energy became clear.
“…Ah, so they failed.”
“You should’ve just died quietly. That would’ve been easier for both of us.”
Rabbit tapped the ground lightly with the tip of her foot. With each tap, the earth started to sink deeper.
“I don’t get it. If you kill me, do you really think Catalina Blaga will just let it slide?”
“You must be new here. Do you know how often servants kill each other? Especially those under Lady Catalina.”
Rabbit’s feet never stopped moving. Tap tap—the irritating sound continued.
“And Lady Catalina doesn’t even bother to stop it. If anything, it’s practically a regular ritual. The old guard proves their love for her again, and the new ones prove they're worthy to receive it.”
Kwon Hanul found this bizarre.
The insanity of such a ritual aside, there was something else he couldn’t understand.
“I’m a Trueblood. Basically a rare collector’s item. You really think Catalina Blaga will just let me die?”
“You’re right—maybe she won’t. But that’s fine.”
Rabbit’s tapping stopped. She no longer dug into the ground.
“Even if Lady Catalina is furious because of this, even if she comes to hate all of us, even if she orders us to kill ourselves—it doesn’t matter.”
The mischief in Rabbit’s voice vanished, replaced by a peculiar kind of madness.
“Because it’s better than losing her favor.”
She was ready to kill Kwon Hanul and die with him.
“We haven’t properly introduced ourselves, have we? I’m Rabbit, a Shadow Knight.”
Kwon Hanul’s interest was piqued.
Shadow Knights—the elite order made up solely of Catalina Blaga’s strongest servants.
“You don’t look that strong.”
“You’re comparing me to Troy, right? Well, he’s been in the order for years—I just joined.”
So not all members of the Shadow Knights were at Troy’s level.
“You’re thinking you might stand a chance, huh?”
A fierce grin spread across Rabbit’s face, her gleaming white teeth almost eerie.
“I’ll shatter that delusion for you.”
She wedged her feet into the ground and bent her knees.
In that moment, her leg muscles swelled massively, tearing through her clothing.
Then—boom!—she launched herself like a bullet.
Her speed was incredible—fast enough to momentarily vanish from sight.
Black Dragon Ascension Art – Basic Form
Defensive Strike Style – Talon Angle
Kwon Hanul moved on instinct, raising his elbow to block above.
A crushing blow slammed down from above, collapsing the ground beneath his feet.
Rabbit retreated quickly, blinking in surprise.
She tilted her head, clearly intrigued. Kwon Hanul flexed his arm where he’d taken the blow.
“So you have a Gift.”
He said it with certainty. That speed surpassed what both Shura Bloodline and Genius Blood could achieve.
And instead of charging directly, she struck from above—an unexpected variable.
Rabbit began bouncing on her feet. Shockingly, the ground rippled like water.
“Wherever I stand gains elasticity. For me, the world’s one giant trampoline.”
Now her earlier attack made sense.
She’d enhanced her charge with her Gift, and then used it again mid-flight to rebound into the air.
So this is what it meant when people said a Gift was more than just talent—it defied logic.
“You weren’t just bluffing about being a Shadow Knight.”
“Bluffing? That’s rude.”
Rabbit leapt lightly, hovering in midair.
Her feet bounced off the air itself.
“My Gift applies to the air too, not just the ground.”
Kwon Hanul studied her carefully.
Based on that earlier clash, Rabbit had clearly specialized in kinetic burst attacks.
And now, she could spring off thin air. Her attacks could come from anywhere.
Rabbit pushed off the air and soared toward Kwon Hanul.
Each bounce increased her speed.
Rabbit darted through the air, searching for an opening.
She wanted to overpower him with pure speed—but her experience warned her otherwise.
The fact that he blocked her first strike meant this man was no pushover.
So it wasn’t a lie—he really did hold out against Maria Sanchez.
Like the others, Rabbit had assumed the rumors about Kwon Hanul were exaggerated.
But Maria Sanchez… She was a terrifying figure. A bloodline scion backed by the full might of the Sanchez family—and the youngest ever to join the Pandemonium Council.
Rabbit wouldn’t stand a chance against her. Not win—not even survive.
‘Trying to read my movements? Not gonna work.’
Kwon Hanul’s eyes flicked rapidly, but not fast enough to track Rabbit’s speed.
She pushed off the air again and moved behind him.
She enveloped her legs in aura and charged straight for his waist.
She would split him clean in two.
Just then, Kwon Hanul murmured:
Rabbit ignored it. Landing this strike was all that mattered.
“…But now that I think about it—why bother chasing you?”
She saw it—the red glow in his eyes.
And in an instant, the entire world turned crimson.
Rabbit’s body lost all momentum and collapsed.
She tried to stand, but the ground turned gelatinous, swallowing her legs.
She stumbled and fell.
“W-what the hell is happening…?”
Everything had turned to jelly. She couldn’t get her footing. She flailed helplessly.
The jelly surged in from all directions. It was suffocating. Rabbit thrashed to survive—
Then snapped back to her senses.
The red world vanished. The jelly returned to solid earth.
She was lying on the dirt.
She scrambled up—only to see Kwon Hanul standing before her.
“I only used it for a minute. Pretty effective, huh?”
He looked down at her.
Rabbit didn’t understand what he meant—but that didn’t matter now.
She sprang up and kicked at his head, putting everything into it.
But his punch, shrouded in Dragon Aura, was faster.
It smashed into her face.
Kwon Hanul dusted off his fists and looked down.
Rabbit lay at his feet, her face bloodied.
What he’d just used was a power of the Vassal Bloodline—Illusory Realm.
A power that showed illusions. This was his first time using it—and its effect was overwhelming.
He reached out to dominate Rabbit.
In that moment, she suddenly grabbed his wrist.
Her eyes burned with hatred.
“Of all people… you… can’t… be given to Lady Catalina…”
“You don’t understand…! You’ll have all her love from now on!”
Her voice trembled with anger and tears.
“Do you know how painful it is… to watch her cherish someone else…?”
“…What are you even saying?”
Kwon Hanul brushed her hand away, annoyed.
“Look, I wasn’t going to say this, but—I don’t care about that attention.”
Rabbit’s face went blank for a moment.
“You guys are the ones obsessed with that woman. To me, she’s just a damn nuisance getting in my way.”
“Don’t insult Lady Catalina!”
Kwon Hanul’s face twisted in irritation. These servants were all out of their minds.
“You don’t understand! She’s so mercif—”
“And I don’t want to.”
He activated the Vassal Bloodline.
Kwon Hanul’s eyes widened slightly.
[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]