She shook her head slowly.
The words dug deep.
Darron snarled, his grip tightening on his axe.
"That’s enough. Time for you to—"
His voice cut off. His head slipped from his shoulders before the words were finished, and his body collapsed in a heavy heap on the broken ground.
No one saw Eleanor move. Not a single person.
The courtyard froze.
The only sound was the faint crackle of thunder rolling around her.
Selara reacted instantly, her voice sharp. "Barrier—now!"
Light erupted from her blade, spreading in a dome over the gathered forces.
It shimmered with radiant power, layer after layer of protection stacked together. The pressure of her barrier alone was enough to force the air to tremble.
"Everyone, be prepared!" she shouted.
Kael’s, the third SSS rank awakener, voice followed quickly, sharp and commanding. "Mages, with me! On my—"
His words ended in a choked sound.
A thin red line traced across his throat, and a moment later, his head toppled from his shoulders just like Darron’s.
His body crumpled silently to the ground.
Selara’s eyes widened. She hadn’t seen it. Her barrier was untouched, and unbroken. And yet, Kael was dead.
She looked back at Eleanor.
The woman still sat in the same position. Her sword remained sheathed, and her muscles were calm.
Her hand hadn’t moved. Or so it seemed.
"How—"
Selara’s thoughts stumbled over themselves.
How did she pass my defense? How is this possible? I am an SSS rank awakener!
Her chest tightened.
She realized in that moment that her barrier, her proudest technique, was meaningless here.
There was no other choice.
She raised her sword high, radiant light pouring from it.
Her voice rang out as the runes etched across her armor flared.
"[Dawnfall: Radiant Execution]!"
The blade in her hands lengthened, glowing brighter, until it towered like a building-sized sword of light.
Its brilliance seared the ruins. Its edge hummed with destructive power.
With a swing that tore the air apart, she brought it down toward Eleanor.
Buildings split in its path. Stone shattered. Dust rose like waves of smoke.
The sheer radiance of the strike illuminated the ruins like a second sun.
But when it reached Eleanor, the light met a sheathed sword.
Eleanor had simply raised it, blocking the strike as if she were swatting aside a stick.
She remained seated, and her expression didn’t shift in the slightest.
"Is this it?" Eleanor’s voice was calm, almost disappointed. "This pitiful strength was enough to corrupt you?"
Selara opened her mouth to respond, but no words came.
Her vision tilted suddenly.
Huh? What happened?
She saw her own headless body standing, still clutching the massive sword of light, before darkness swallowed everything.
Eleanor stood at last.
She rose from her cross-legged position, brushed the dust from her clothes, and began walking forward.
Her steps were steady, and unhurried.
The hundreds of awakeners who had followed their leaders trembled where they stood.
They had come in force, prepared for battle, but now three of the city’s strongest had been cut down without Eleanor even unsheathing her sword.
She reached for her weapon at her side, fingers brushing the hilt, when a thud echoed through the ruins.
Eleanor paused, turning her head.
A young woman was kneeling.
Petite, blonde hair tied in a side ponytail. Her blue and silver armor marked her as Radiant Dawn’s vice leader.
Her rapier lay on the ground beside her.
She lowered her head deeply, her shoulders trembling.
"We didn’t want to do it!" Her voice cracked, desperate. "The guild leader forced us to follow her orders! If we refused, we would have been killed! We never wanted the awakeners in Fortified City 89 to die!"
Her body shook so violently she could barely keep herself upright.
Sweat ran down her face, her hands clenched tightly against her thighs.
More voices followed, as other awakeners dropped to their knees.
"We didn’t want to push them to their deaths. They were our friends."
"We were forced! If we disobeyed, they would have eliminated us too."
"We had no choice!"
The words spilled out in a rush.
Some voices carried fear, others desperation, some perhaps even truth.
No one could say for certain which of them were lying and which of them were sincere.
But all of them were afraid. Afraid of the woman who had just slain three SSS-rank awakeners without breaking a sweat.
They no longer could tell if she was not an Overlord or if she was.
But watching her stand there, calm, untouched, her sword still sheathed, they realized the truth didn’t matter.
Against her, they were not her match.
A tense silence stretched over the courtyard.
Eleanor’s gaze swept over them.
Their hearts pounded, expecting that any second their lives might be forfeit like the leaders they had followed.
Finally, Eleanor spoke.
Her voice was calm, but it carried a weight that forced every awake heart to quiver.
"I can give you a chance to live. But..."
The pause lingered, and the rise of relief in their chests suddenly faltered.
Eleanor’s cold "but" was heavier than any threat they had heard before.
"You all will need to sign a slave contract."
Murmurs erupted immediately.
"Slave contract?" one of the awakeners asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Another voice muttered under their breath, "Is she serious? We—die here if we don’t..."
Some considered fleeing.
Some thought of fighting. Many were loyal to the governor or had followed the orders of the leaders Eleanor had just executed.
But every second that passed, Eleanor’s gaze pinned them in place. Literally.
A single look from her and they lowered their eyes, unable to meet her, or move.
"Please, let me sign the slave contract!" shouted the vice leader of the Radiant Dawn guild.
Heads turned.
A murmur ran through the awakeners.
Whispers of disbelief and indignation spread.
You are the Vice Leader of the strongest guild. How can fold so easily at the first real pressure?
Even we haven’t said yes to the slave contract yet! At least ask for details!
The vice leader ignored their gazes completely.
Her focus remained entirely on Eleanor.
Eleanor’s expression remained cold.
She snapped her fingers.
Above them, the sky shimmered, and Vale appeared, his presence marked by a subtle dark aura that twisted around him like a living shadow.
"Use your curse," Eleanor commanded. "Place the contract on them with the conditions I told you before coming here."
Vale hesitated.
The conditions had been grueling, and cruel.
But he had no choice.
Eleanor’s gaze alone made hesitation impossible.
One by one, he moved across the gathered awakeners, marking each with the curse.
Each mark was subtle, yet unmistakable, binding them to Eleanor’s contract.
They glanced down at the sigils that glowed faintly on their arms and shoulders, a mixture of awe, fear, and reluctant understanding washing over them.
Finally, Vale returned to Eleanor.
"It’s done," he said in a low voice, sounding almost reluctant.
Eleanor didn’t reply immediately.
Her gaze fixed on him.
For a moment, Vale felt as if he were staring into the eyes of a giant white tiger.
Every instinct told him to shrink away, and avoid the intensity of that gaze.
Only now did he understand that the Sword Empress had never revealed her true strength to anyone.
He remembered the day of the N’theris Serpent hunt.
She had arrived exhausted, both physically and mentally.
After that, Eleanor fought, and cut down countless summoned beasts of the Naga before even engaging the N’theris Serpent itself.
Even N’theris Serpent, a monster notorious for its durability, been cut down by multiple times.
The only reason it had survived was because of the condition—to cut two of its cores at once—and its multiple lives.
Vale shivered at the thought.
Perhaps....
If Eleanor had not been so tired that day, there would have been no contest.
She could have killed N’theris Serpent alone.
"You are lucky," Eleanor said suddenly, her voice slicing through the silence.
Vale flinched.
"If I had found out what you’ve been doing with the governor before Isaac asked you to join him, your corpse would be lying on the ground just like those three."
Vale’s eyes flicked to the severed heads scattered at her feet.
Darron, Kael, and Selara.
Mighty SSS-rank awakeners, once feared and untouchable, reduced to nothing in an instant.
It was impossible to ignore the lesson in front of him.
Eleanor stepped closer. "Don’t let me find a reason to kill you again, Vale. If I do, you won’t survive. Not even if Isaac stands beside you."
Vale’s hands clenched instinctively.
He felt the weight of his choices and the consequences of failure more sharply than ever.
Every word Eleanor spoke carried the certainty of finality. There would be no second chance if he faltered.
He swallowed hard, nodding slightly, but didn’t dare speak. Words might betray him.
Actions would speak louder, and he knew Eleanor’s gaze would not forgive the slightest misstep.
The other awakeners watched this exchange silently.
The vice leader of Radiant Dawn remained kneeling, her eyes wide and fixed on Eleanor.
She dared not breathe too loudly.
Her peers mirrored her posture, some lowering their heads, some trembling in place.
Eleanor’s eyes moved across the kneeling awakeners.
"Do not think of fleeing. Do not think of resisting. If you disobey this contract, if you ever return to the path of foolish loyalty to men who would kill their own for power, you will die. Do not test me."
The words sank deep.
Some awakeners tried to protest internally, to find a justification in their minds for resisting.
But even in thought, Eleanor’s presence weighed them down, pressing on their conscience, forcing them to acknowledge the truth.
Vale stepped back slightly, letting the courtyard clear as Eleanor walked past him.
Her movements were fluid, precise, and calm. There was no haste in her steps, no hesitation.
Every motion reflected the mastery of someone who had fought countless battles and survived, unchallenged by almost anyone.
The remaining awakeners, some still on their knees, watched her carefully.
The knowledge that she had just taken three of the strongest among them and dispatched them with minimal effort made any further thoughts of rebellion impossible.