Reenactment

The spacious hall was exceptionally quiet; those inside could hear their own heartbeats.

Just like Zephyr right now.

"What?"

Zephyr's eyes widened, and he froze.

"What brings you here?" Is this what a host should say upon discovering an intruder? Isn't that a bit too overly friendly?

The situation is now clear; judging from the other party's natural and composed posture while seated on the throne, he is clearly the so-called king.

He is the true ruler of this Wandenreich.

Call!

Zephyr took a deep breath, forcing the humid, sticky air into his stomach. The discomfort actually made his mind clearer.

"King of the Quincy, Kaya, whom I'd never heard of before, suddenly appeared. From Hachinosu to God Valley, he's become a major enemy of the World Government, and an unprecedented bounty has been placed on his head..."

"What exactly do you want? You're not some kind of sea scum like a pirate, are you?!"

This is a very genuine question from Zephyr.

But to dare to ask such a question in this situation, I must say, this guy has a lot of guts.

"Navy..." Haschwalth had already raised his hand to touch his sword.

"It's nothing," Kaya stopped Haschwalth and replied, "Many things happen suddenly, and the reasons are always thought of afterward. I just want to change the world."

"Change the world? So you're taking action against the World Government?" Zephyr found it hard to understand.

"It might seem surprising to you... no, to people in your world, but the Celestial Dragons aren't really that remarkable, are they?" Kaya said.

"Although I don't like some of the World Government's practices, its existence is necessary; the seas need someone to stabilize them," Zephyr said in a deep voice.

"No, Zephyr, you still don't understand." Kaya shook his head and leaned back in his chair.

"Wait a minute? This is just like how there are people in the Navy who embezzle and do things against justice, but they still generally protect civilians! What's wrong with this?!" Zephyr's voice unconsciously rose.

"You can't see who your real enemy is because you are inside the enemy's ranks." Kaya stretched out his hand and pointed at Zephyr across the void.

"What exactly are you trying to say!" Zephyr shouted.

"Zephyr, you still have hope for something, but you'll be disappointed someday. I've already seen the future, and if you're willing, I can let you see it now."

"What do you see?"

"What happened at God Valley, something the World Government has been doing for hundreds of years?"

I've heard some things about it...

"Why don't you see it for yourself? I can send you back in time right now, but you can only watch, not act. If you act, you'll lose."

"Lost? Lost what?"

You'll understand.

"..."

Zephyr couldn't understand, and Kaya didn't give him much time to think. With a flick of his finger, Reishi gathered in the hall and surrounded Zephyr.

Wow!!

A deep blue light ignited, transforming into a pillar of light that pierced through the ceiling and soared into the sky!

Before Zephyr could react, the world had changed.

He seemed to recall the process of himself and Garp entering this world, and their experiences were very similar.

Everything he saw was distorted and then became blurry. He covered his ears as a sharp scream rang in his ears.

"Wait, wait a minute!"

"Don't target my own people..."

"Aaaaaaah!!"

As the sharp weapon pierced the flesh, a person collapsed helplessly, life draining away through their blood.

Zephyr jolted awake and his eyes widened suddenly.

He froze. A group of people were running towards him. They were ragged, wounded, and wearing handcuffs that symbolized their status as slaves.

Those people fled in terror, running for their lives, because hunters were chasing them.

"It's a lie..." Zephyr murmured.

"Are we going to be killed right now!?"

"If we can just hold out for three weeks!"

"Impossible! There have been games like this before, but the survival rate was 0!"

"Run! Get to where you're hiding!"

Bang!

With the first gunshot, this game known as the Human Hunting began.

A father holding a crying child, an elderly man dragging his frail body, a teenager not yet an adult, an older brother with his younger sister...

The myriad aspects of life are vividly displayed at this moment, forming a stark contrast with the bloody slaughter.

These people ran past Zephyr, completely ignoring Zephyr, and fled for their lives. Behind them were the hunters who had already begun their operation.

The stronger the prey's will to survive, the more excited the hunter becomes, and he sets off in pursuit with a bloodthirsty smile.

"Is this the God Valley?"

Zephyr hurriedly looked around, but all he could see was blood and carnage.

Suddenly, he noticed.

A couple, holding their child, hid behind a boulder. The child's cries startled the hunters.

"Found you!" Celestial Dragons rode over, snot still hanging from his face, his black gun barrel pointed at his prey.

"Please! Spare my child's life! I beg you!" the father cried, the Roar his arms wide.

"Hahaha! Score!" the Celestial Dragons laughed.

"No..." Zephyr opened his mouth instinctively.

Bang! Bang bang!

The gun spat out flames of evil; no the Miracle would occur, and the entire family of three perished on the spot.

"Help me! Ahhh!"

"No! Don't kill my wife!"

"My child! My child!"

"..."

Life has become a cold, hard score; as people born lowly, we have become toys for others to amuse themselves.

Zephyr looked at everything before him like an outsider, ignored by everyone, like a bystander who had nothing to do with him.

He finally understood that the Celestial Dragons weren't on vacation; this was a death game devoid of humanity!

"Hey! Which side did you bet on?"

"Of course! The Shepherd Family is the champion in the family battle! As for the individual battle, it's Garling!"

"That's right! He will be the King of God Valley!"

Ah~ Ahhh!!

Zephyr covered his ears tightly as a sound, seemingly coming from nowhere, reached them.

Disregarding life, turning it into a bloody struggle, driving out indigenous people, plundering resources, and harvesting human lives in batches like flowers and grass.

This is what's happening.

"A total of 100,000 prey, and more than half are already dead! Damn it! Don't steal them, you bastards!"

"Hahaha! I'm definitely going to win this time!"

Zephyr overheard the voice of a passing Celestial Dragons and witnessed a hellish scene firsthand, causing his powerful body to tremble.

He began to receive more information: conquering a country in three years—this was the game for the Celestial Dragons.

This type of game has been going on for many years.

The Celestial Dragons are already the Celestial Dragons, enjoying everything in the world, yet they still insatiably take what others cherish...

"Dad!!"

Zephyr suddenly turned his head and looked into the distance.

A little girl climbed up a tree and was screaming in despair, while below her stood a Celestial Dragons wielding a large sword.

"Come on, jump down! In that instant, your body will be severed by me!" The Celestial Dragons stuck out his tongue and grinned maliciously.

"If it's a beheading, then you're lucky."

"But if you're cut in half at the waist, you won't die instantly; you'll just watch your other half of your body until all the blood drains away!"

"Aha! Or a broken arm or a broken leg? Little bunny, you choose one, I'll grant your wish!"

"No! Don't jump!" A man not far away, probably the girl's father, was shouting with his last bit of strength even as he lay in a pool of blood.

"1!"

"2!"

The Celestial Dragons gripped their swords with both hands and shouted slogans.

Perhaps startled, or perhaps losing her grip, the girl's hand slipped, and she suddenly plummeted downwards.

3...

Bang!

The Celestial Dragons was suddenly sent flying backward! He crashed into a tree, snapping three large trees in half. All his bones were broken, and he died on the spot!

The girl closed her eyes, but did not touch the ground.

When the child opened his eyes, what he saw was a man dressed in a white knight's uniform, with a five-pointed star emblem on the front of his military cap.

"It's alright, it's alright," Zephyr murmured softly, placing the girl on the ground with one hand.

The girl turned and ran towards her father, but he was already dead. Just three seconds earlier, the child collapsed onto her father's body and wept.

Zephyr exhaled and looked away.

He walked in the opposite direction, his eyes still the same, but casually knocked away a Celestial Dragons who was about to finish off the girl.

"You're right, I lost."

(Please give me some encouragement and feedback, kids! I'll let you join the Sternritter and become the next Quincy Emperor!)