A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

On this very day, a tumultuous wave swept across the entire empire.

Lord Hydral of the present era elucidated the origin of the Feasting Flames that had recently inundated the Western Lands from the Zero Realm Enigma.

Elder Princess Evora had chanced upon a relic of the Sky Conquering Dynasty during her drift through the Enigma. Unable to harness its power, she descended into utter madness. In her deranged state, she unleashed an endless torrent of Feasting Flames upon the West.

To quell this catastrophe, Lord Hydral, in concert with all the Dukes of the empire and the most illustrious extraordinary beings, penetrated the Enigma. They successfully vanquished the deranged Evora, thus salvaging the Western Lands.

The cost, however, was grievous. Only a handful emerged from the Enigma alive. All the Dukes and the vast majority of elite extraordinary beings either perished in the crusade against Evora or became lost within the enigmatic realm, never to return.

In truth, the surviving extraordinary beings were not overly concerned with the veracity of Evora's demise.

In any other circumstance, these extraordinary beings would have exulted in such news. Yet, at this juncture, they remained unmoved.

For they had all confirmed the demise of their superiors, much like those extraordinary beings who had resolved to slay Evora and envisioned a new order.

Their primary, indeed sole focus, should have been to seize the vacant authorities before them.@@novelbin@@

The noble houses of the Dukes should have been embroiled in overt and covert struggles for the right of succession. Organizations of extraordinary beings, bereft of leadership, should have been poised for internal reshuffling... or so it should have been.

Indeed, it should have been thus.

However, the anticipated chaos resulting from the Dukes' deaths and the loss of leadership failed to happen.

For Ansel had presented them with an impeccable opportunity to redirect their conflicts.

At the conclusion of his empire-shaking proclamation, Lord Hydral solemnly declared that the Western Lands must once again prepare to resist the Dragon Calamity. With the demise of the four Western Dukes, the established Dragon Calamity prevention system would be in disarray, potentially rendered ineffective.

Thus, he implored extraordinary beings from all corners of the empire to hasten to the West's aid. He vowed that no extraordinary being who contributed to the empire and its citizens would go unrewarded.

Ansel of Hydral swore upon the name of Hydral that he would not partake in any wealth represented by the dragons slain in this Dragon Calamity, nor would he allow any ambitious individuals to commit such a base act.

All spoils of dragon slaying would belong solely to the slayers. Ansel of Hydral guaranteed that no one, under any preposterous pretext, could claim a share.

This pronouncement immediately quelled any inclination for internal strife among the extraordinary beings.

Forging alliances and vanquishing opponents both require power and resources. Even the pursuit of vacant authorities is ultimately a quest for power and resources.

Who now would squander such an unparalleled opportunity on inconclusive internal conflicts?

Were the Dragon Calamity truly an irresistible, pure disaster, how could the Western Lands still boast the highest number of Dukes? It would have long since devolved into a harsh, desolate land like the Northern Territory, with only two remaining Dukes.

Dragons, whether for alchemy, forging, spellcasting, or enslavement, are both innately powerful beings that surpass all others and the most coveted prime materials in the realm of the extraordinary.

With each Dragon Calamity, the Western Lands indeed suffer grievous losses. Yet the Dukes and powerful extraordinary beings reap bountiful profits. They would rather subject their subjects to calamity than relinquish this lucrative opportunity.

Within two hours of Ansel's proclamation, three thousand seven hundred and twenty-six extraordinary beings flooded into the Western Realm.

Three days after the official onset of the Dragon Calamity, nearly half of the empire's extraordinary beings had converged upon the Western Realm.

"... It's far easier than anticipated."

Ansel mused, his brow furrowed as he sat atop the dragon's carcass, cradling Ravenna in his arms.

"Isn't ease a blessing?"

Ravenna, her eyes closed as she rested against Ansel's shoulder, bore an exhausted countenance. Frequent transformations into God from the Machine meant constantly manipulating and organizing the elements held by Hydral.

Now, maintaining God from the Machine for even ten to fifteen minutes would inflict irreversible soul damage upon Ravenna, with each additional second exponentially increasing her burden.

The sermon Ansel delivered to himself at age ten had rendered his affinity for the Abyss unparalleled among all Hydrals. Coupled with subsequent sermons, Ravenna, as the Head of Abyss, bore a burden greater than any of her predecessors.

Over the past five days, seven fifth-stage dragons had appeared. Six were slain by Ansel and Ravenna, while the remaining one fell to Seraphina and other fifth-stage extraordinary beings. The moniker of [Marlowe the Disaster] grew ever more illustrious after that dragon-slaying battle, with none left doubting her prowess.

The cost, however, was steep - Seraphina now lay receiving treatment, having narrowly escaped death.

That fifth-stage dragon far surpassed those driven by the Duke of Wyvern, clearly an exemplar of its species. Had Seraphina not risked her life, transforming into a demon wolf and ripping out its entire spine, the extraordinary beings participating in that hunt might have perished entirely.

Though Seraphina awoke brimming with excitement about new inspirations, Ansel confined her to bed, unwilling to let her partake further in this grand hunt where the lines between predator and prey had blurred.

"It wouldn't allow this Dragon Calamity to be so effortless, which is why I find it disconcerting," Ansel explained.

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Though the Dragon Calamity's advent had been foreshadowed, its timing, so soon after his slaying of all the Dukes, surely held profound significance in the grand tapestry of fate.

Ravenna gazed at Ansel's profile for a long moment before softly inquiring, "Ansel, might you be... placing too much pressure upon yourself?"

Ansel paused, caught off guard. Before he could respond, the petite woman gently caressed his face, her expression a mixture of concern and empathy.

"You've already done everything to the best of your ability, be it caring for us or aiding others... You've given your all," she murmured.

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