A Meeting with Lord Saint Childers

"I want her!!"

The manic, excited cackle of Saint Childers echoed through the deathly silent street.

The faces of Gion and her partner turned deathly pale.

Just then, a man covered in dirt and grime pushed desperately through the crowded, kneeling masses, stumbling out until he collapsed with a thud before Saint Childers.

He pulled his daughter close, shielding her tightly behind his back, his face ashen as he trembled and stammered:

"M-My Lord, I am so sorry. My daughter was blocking your path. I will take her away at once."

Seeing the terror on her father's face, the little girl named Lia finally realized she had made a mistake; her small face turned pale, and her tiny hands gripped her father's clothes tightly.

"Blocking my path? No, no, no. She wasn't blocking anything."

Saint Childers let out a strange, clicking laugh, his morbid gaze never once shifting from the little girl.

"This is your daughter, right? Hmm, very nice."

"From today on, your daughter will experience the greatest fortune of her life: she shall become the eighteenth wife of the great Saint Childers!! Hahahaha!!"

At these words, the middle-aged man's legs gave out, his eyes widening in horror.

He slammed his head against the ground, his eyes bloodshot as he cried out:

"I beg of you, Saint Childers, please do not take my daughter away."

"She is the last family I have left in this world."

Thud, thud, thud...

The sound of the man's forehead striking the floor was jarring; he struck with such force that a faint bloodstain was already visible on the ground.

Behind him, the little girl, having witnessed this, was already too terrified to make a sound, large tears rolling down her cheeks.

Saint Childers let out a cold, dissatisfied snort, raised his foot, and stepped heavily onto the back of the man's head, snarling:

"What is this? Are you refusing me?"

"That I have taken a liking to your daughter is the greatest honor you two will ever know in this lifetime. You should be groveling in gratitude!!"

"Do you have any idea how many people on this sea wish to marry their daughters to the great, divine, and noble Celestial Dragons?"

"Once your daughter becomes my wife, you will live a life of luxury, free from all worries, and join the ranks of the upper class!"

The man's face was pressed into the ground by the Celestial Dragon, friction tearing his skin until he bled, his features twisted in agony.

He roared, forcing a pained smile through his suffering:

"Saint Childers... I am very grateful for your offer, but Lia is still just a child. I only wish to live a peaceful life with her."

Saint Childers flew into a rage and kicked the man squarely in the face.

The man's body tumbled several meters away, his face swelling instantly as blood gushed from his mouth.

"Papa..."

The little girl finally burst into loud, uncontrollable sobs.

Gion's face was livid and rigid, her hand instinctively gripping the hilt of her sword.

Her partner gritted his teeth, his fists clenched tight.

The surrounding civilians remained on their knees, shivering, daring neither to show anger nor to speak, their hearts filled with sorrow.

The Celestial Dragons were the descendants of nineteen of the twenty kings who had founded the World Government 800 years ago, styling themselves as the "descendants of the creators" and enjoying absolute privilege.

They possessed supreme authority; any act of defiance or opposition against a Celestial Dragon would be met with the brutal retaliation of the World Government.

Once offended, an Admiral or CP0 was required to mobilize for their protection.

That the little girl had caught the eye of a Celestial Dragon was no blessing.

The paranoid, perverted, and twisted nature of the Celestial Dragons was no secret on this sea, and they made no effort to hide it themselves.

Though they called them "wives," in reality, they were nothing more than playthings.

To the Celestial Dragons, who viewed others as mere scum and ants, the life or death of a plaything meant nothing.

Under normal circumstances, once one became a plaything of a Celestial Dragon, death became the greatest luxury one could hope for.

The little girl was to become the eighteenth wife of Saint Childers... so where had the previous seventeen gone?

The answer was self-evident.

"Hahahaha, come now, follow me back to the Holy Land Mary Geoise."

Saint Childers didn't even glance at the man coughing up blood on the ground; he laughed and walked toward the little girl, reaching out his hand.

"No, you're a bad person!! I won't go with you!!"

Tears streaming down her face, the little girl bit down hard on Saint Childers' hand, struggling to break free from his grasp.

Saint Childers let out a sharp cry of pain, yet his eyes grew only more excited.

"That's right, that look... that is a truly wonderful look..."

He licked the corner of his mouth, watching the little girl before him trying her best to stay strong, and smiled with satisfaction.

The way she stubbornly resisted despite her face being deathly pale from fear... it was truly exhilarating.

A marvelous experience; he reckoned he wouldn't get tired of it for a very long time.

"Bring her here. Be careful not to hurt her, or I'll chop you both up and feed you to the dogs."

He sneered as he gave the order to the two CP members behind him.

The CP members did not hesitate, moving quickly to surround the little girl step by step.

"Damn it!! No!!"

At this moment, the man on the ground finally caught his breath, struggling to rise with bloodshot eyes, and roared as he charged toward Saint Childers.

One of the CP members stepped forward and struck him heavily in the abdomen with a fist.

The man immediately doubled over, his eyes bulging as if he were suffocating.

He slowly slid to the ground, spitting out bright red blood.

"What an ungrateful wretch..."

A flash of impatience crossed Saint Childers's violent eyes as he suddenly pulled out a golden pistol.

"Damn it!!"

Gion's partner cursed under his breath, his knees slightly bent.

Gion gripped the hilt of her sword tightly.

Just as the two were about to strike, a figure suddenly appeared between them like a ghost, one hand pressing down on Gion's partner's shoulder, the other holding down Gion's sword, forcing them back.

Gion's partner and Gion were stunned, but before they could react, their pupils suddenly constricted, and dense bloodshot veins began to seep into them.

"Die!! You insolent commoner!!"

Saint Childers laughed wantonly, under the man's desperate gaze, amidst the little girl's heart-wrenching cries, he pulled the trigger.

BANG!!

The gunshot rang out.

The world fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone widened their eyes.

The CP members froze.

Saint Childers froze.

The man and the little girl froze as well.

A faint humming sound, as if something had been suppressed to the extreme, emanated from in front of the man.

He knelt there blankly, his breathing even coming to a halt.

A rapidly spinning bullet hovered right before his brow, vibrating constantly and emitting that hum.

It hung there, suspended in place.

As if imprisoned in the void by some eerie power.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

"Damn it!! Who the hell is it!!"

Saint Childers roared in a savage rage, veins bulging densely across his forehead.

A figure with a profound and terrifying aura slowly walked out from the crowd of Marines.

Short black hair, deep-set features, and facial lines as sharp and cold as a cliff face.

His stature was exceptionally tall, nearly three meters.

A large, snow-white cloak fluttered behind him, moving without a breeze.

He walked slowly to the man, who was dazed and covered in blood, and raised his hand to pluck the bullet hovering in mid-air.

Turning around, his towering figure loomed over Saint Childers like a mountain, exerting terrifying pressure on the latter.

The black-haired Marine looked down at the Celestial Dragon before him, until the latter finally could not suppress the fear in his heart and involuntarily took half a step back.

He then smiled slightly:

"North Blue Admiral, the highest-ranking officer of the Marine Headquarters in the North Blue, Colonel Darren, pays his respects to Saint Childers."

I seek all forms of support, and I am eternally grateful.