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The night was in silent frenzy.
Silent, because there was no sound at all—thanks entirely to Lucifer's 'Dominion Sound Nullification' barrier magic.
And right now, the night was still young. It was only midnight, yet the slaughter continued without pause.
Men, women, children, and the elderly—no one was spared. Every single one of them was guilty. Guilty of following the teachings of Rotveil. Guilty of practicing cannibalism. Guilty of committing acts so vile that no sane human would ever dare to imagine them.
The soldiers of Westirifer were in a killing frenzy—and this time, it was a frenzy born of their own will. Even if Lucifer had not given the order to kill everyone, they would have done so anyway.
Soldiers from the Viper Guards unit and the Westirifer army slaughtered the residents of Morthveil relentlessly. Yet, despite the purge happening all around them, no one in the city was aware of what was occurring in the neighboring houses. The sound-nullifying barrier ensured that the screams, the begging, and the wet sounds of death never reached beyond each individual home.
While all two thousand soldiers carried out the massacre, Lucifer was not idle.
He moved with terrifying speed, visiting every household within his sight. And the result in every single house was the same.
The residents of Morthveil may have been disgusting abominations, but to them, Lucifer had become the ultimate nemesis—an unleashed butcher whose only purpose was to mutilate and destroy every living soul in this cursed city.
Every house he entered was left in utter shambles. If the sound barrier had not been active across the entire city, the horrifying symphony of slaughter would have echoed for miles:
Heavy chops—**THWACK… THWACK… THWACK…**
Violent cleaving—**CHOP—CHOP—CHOP—**
Bodies hitting the ground—**THUD-CRACK… THUD-CRACK…**
Then came the wet, fleshy sounds of meat being hacked apart:
**SPLACK… SPLACK… SPLACK…**
**SCHLUK… SCHLUK…**
**SLORP-CHOP… SLORP-CHOP…**
**SQUELCH… SQUELCH…**
**PLUCK-THWACK… PLUCK-THWACK…**
As the butchery continued, the sounds shifted into the sickening rhythm of mincing:
**tak-tak-tak-tak-tak…**
**tch-tch-tch-tch…**
**kik-kik-kik-kik…**
**tik-tik-tik-tik—THACK**
**chk-chk-chk-chk…**
And finally, the gruesome noise of bones and flesh being crushed and mixed together:
**CRACK—THWACK…**
**KRRK… CHOP…**
**SNAP-THUD…**
**KRUNCH… KRUNCH…**
**CRK—SPLAT…**
But fortunately for the rest of the city, no one could hear any of it.
In short, Lucifer was personally mutilating and mincing every family member of those who resided in Morthveil. He hacked limbs from torsos, split skulls open like melons, ripped out organs while they were still warm, and ground bones into bloody paste. Families that had been feasting on human flesh moments earlier were now reduced to scattered chunks of meat and shattered bone under his relentless Nightfeast Cleaver.
For Lucifer, there was still plenty of time before dawn.
If he wanted, he could have cast a single devastating destruction spell and annihilated the entire city in an instant. But no—he refused to do that.
He wanted the people of Morthveil to witness what the actual devil looked like. He wanted them to feel true terror before they died.
Working alone, Lucifer butchered more than 100,000 people that very night.
Yet the hours until sunrise still stretched ahead, and the massacre showed no sign of slowing.
Because of the mass murder carried out by Lucifer and his soldiers, the air—which was already murky and carried a metallic stench—became unbearably pungent with the thick, coppery reek of fresh blood and torn entrails. Still, no one stopped.
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After informing Westeria and Vinni about Lucifer, Allen had also delivered the news of Lucifer's absence from Westirifer to Veronica and Mia. He told the two of them that Lucifer had entrusted him with all ducal responsibilities for one day.
Allen then updated them on recent events, informing Veronica that Keilname County had surrendered to Westirifer and was now officially part of it. He also mentioned that the Keilname family would arrive at the Westirifer Ducal Palace the next morning and would stay there until the Fertility Ceremony Festival.
While Allen was explaining everything, Mia looked extremely confused about how all of this had happened so suddenly. Veronica, however, was not particularly shocked. Lucifer had already explained his strategy to her beforehand. The only thing that seemed strange to her was how everything had unfolded in a single day.
In the middle of Allen's explanation, Mia tried to ask how Keilname County had surrendered so quickly, but Allen gave a straightforward reply:
"Madam Grand Duchess… I don't know anything myself. I can only tell you what Master instructed me to say. For more details, you will have to ask Master when he returns. And if you get an answer, please let me know too… because I have no idea either."
After saying this, Allen turned back to Veronica and continued:
"Lady Veronica… tomorrow morning, a delegation from Holy Cross Duchy will also arrive here along with Lady Mitalda. They will be bringing 8,100 cavalry with them. Sir Vance's job is to ensure there is no disturbance within the duchy and that the Holy Cross soldiers stay within their designated area. However, Master has chosen you to handle all diplomatic matters with the Duchess."
After sharing a few more important details, Allen left to make preparations for welcoming the delegations.
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**Next Day**
Early the next morning, a large convoy from Keilname State entered Serenity.
Lucifer had already made all the necessary arrangements in advance.
Immediately after the Keilname family was sent out of Keilname State, the A and C spy units had revealed their true identities. Meanwhile, Lucifer had already explained everything to Elder Guntor and Jeffrey beforehand.
So when Talmora, Fifi, Fobila, and Rkliona entered the ducal palace and found Elder Guntor and Jeffrey already present in the duchy, they were slightly surprised. However, the matter was quickly sorted out and no further issues arose.
A residential area within the ducal palace was designated for the Keilname family members and the immediate branch members who had accompanied them.
After arriving in the duchy, Ruby and Uncle Jeff showed the Keilname family around the ducal palace and explained the rules and regulations of Westirifer to them.
In the course of conversation, Jason and Tristian quickly formed a good friendship with Jeffrey, Fifi, Fobila, and Rkliona.
On the other side, Jeff asked Guntor why they had chosen to surrender to Westirifer. In response, Guntor said that the matter was somewhat complicated and he would not be able to explain it fully without Lucifer's assistance. Hearing this, Jeff did not press further and agreed to wait until Lucifer returned.
While Jeff and Guntor were talking, Ruby introduced Talmora to each member of the Velmora family one by one, starting with herself.
Ruby had a friendly nature, and since the Keilname family had agreed to become subjects of Westirifer, there was no need for excessive formality. Therefore, Ruby casually told Talmora that she was Lucifer's aunt and also his wife. Jeff was her first husband, and together they had a son named Jason. Lucifer treated Jason like his own younger brother.
After introducing herself, Ruby introduced Talmora to Mia and explained that Mia was the Grand Duchess of Westirifer and Lucifer's birth mother. At the same time, she was also Lucifer's wife.
When Talmora asked about Lucifer's father, Ruby told her that it was a forbidden topic that no one in the entire duchy discussed.
After introducing Mia, Ruby introduced Talmora to Amelia and explained that Amelia was the Duchess of the duchy, Lucifer's sister, and also his wife. She was currently pregnant with twins.
Next, Ruby introduced Talmora to Silva and Selene, explaining that both belonged to the royal family of the Hemis Kingdom. Their first husbands were Vibrosa and Samuel, and they had accepted Lucifer as their second husband. At present, both Silva and Selene were pregnant with Lucifer's children—Silva was expecting triplets, and Selene was expecting twins.
After that, Ruby introduced Talmora to Isolde, Westeria, Trainy, Daisy, Veronica, Allen, Jasper, Misty, Borris, Tristian, Jason, Jeff, Crotivia, Dimancy, Nibara, and the rest of the ducal family members.
In this way, through continuous conversation, the time from morning until afternoon passed without anyone noticing.
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