God Valley Incident · Eleven

Smoke still lingered around Maffey Palace's mouth.

She tilted her head, casually holding a cigar between the fingers of her left hand while raising a Den Den Mushi in her right, her tone light.

"Got it~"

An excited voice immediately came from the other end of the Den Den Mushi, trembling with lingering fear.

"Thank you so much, Maffey!!"

"If I'd lost him—I definitely would've been killed by Green!!"

Maffey Palace gave a soft snort and bent down to pick up one of the babies from the ground.

—She had not noticed the other child.

The baby looked tiny in her hand, as light as a toy that could be crushed at any moment.

Piercing cries echoed through the forest, mingling with distant explosions.

Maffey Palace stared at the wrinkled little face, a cryptic smile slowly curling at the corner of her lips. "Who would've thought~"

"Green already has children~"

She cocked her head, her gaze like someone admiring a curious new collectible.

"This kidnapper... is pretty strange too."

"He actually came to a place like this for babies."

A faint gasp came from the ground.

Maffey Palace's gaze finally lowered.

Dragon struggled to raise his head. Blood still poured from his shoulder, running down his arm and staining the mud beneath him red.

His eyes remained fixed on the wailing infant in Maffey Palace's hand.

His trembling hand reached forward little by little, yet he could not even truly touch the ground.

"No..."

His voice was hoarse, nearly swallowed by the stench of blood.

"These children... are..."

"After I... took part in this killing game..."

"My only... salvation...!!!"

Maffey Palace casually tossed her cigar to the ground and crushed it beneath the tip of her shoe.

Her right hand gripped the still-crying baby tightly, while her left casually drew