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Under the watchful eyes of all the slaves, Noir slowly raised his long, dark blade.
A flash of inky light swept down, severing the thick iron chains of the prison cell with a clean slice.
The heavy iron door creaked open, and the reality of their rescue finally sank in for the slaves. Someone had come to save them!
Bang!
The slaves, still in disbelief, pushed open the door, stepping out of their living hell.
Men and women, old and young, tall and short, of every race imaginable, supported and embraced each other as they emerged from their cells.
"Are we... truly free?"
A young woman, her body covered in bruises, whispered the question, her hand covering her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes.
Her trembling voice reached everyone's ears. When they saw Noir's gentle smile, they finally broke down, sobbing and crying out with joy, "We're free!"
After years, even decades of enslavement, they had abandoned all hope. Now, freedom had finally come.
They embraced, regardless of race or gender, shedding tears of relief and releasing the pent-up emotions they had endured for so long.
Imprisoned for countless days and nights, they had lost their families and friends, lost everything, even their dignity as human beings. To each other, they had become family.
An elderly marlin fish-man, his spirit still unbroken despite his age, hobbled forward on a wooden cane and dropped to his knees before Noir.
Tears streamed down his face as he cried out, "Savior! Thank you!"
The others, who had been weeping individually, seemed to receive a signal from the old man's cry. They fell to their knees in unison, echoing his words,
"Thank you, Savior!"
Wyper, witnessing the mass of kneeling figures, felt the knot in his heart loosen. Noir, leaning on his sword, roared impatiently, "Get up!"
The freed slaves flinched, but Noir's voice continued, "I didn't save you so you could continue acting like slaves!"
"No more kneeling! Escape first!"
The slaves gazed at Noir with gratitude, but they remained on their knees, only shifting to a half-kneeling position, their heads bowed stubbornly.
To them, this was the only way they knew how to express their immense gratitude.
The elderly fish-man became their spokesperson, his head still bowed. "We will obey, Savior, but please forgive us. We must express our heartfelt thanks!"
Noir, realizing he couldn't change their minds, smiled wryly and relented.
There was no point in trying to impose his world's customs on them, where kneeling was reserved for heaven, earth, and parents.
Fortunately, the freed slaves weren't as unruly as Noir had feared. They all regarded him as a savior sent from heaven.
This only highlighted the extent of the mental and physical trauma the Celestial Dragons had inflicted upon them.
The slightest glimmer of hope was enough to make them cling to it with all their might, overflowing with gratitude for the one who had brought them that light.
Once Noir had managed to get the slaves to stand, he began issuing instructions.
"We have to hurry. We need to rescue as many of your fellow slaves as possible. Can you still fight?"
Among the slaves were former pirates and guards. They quickly armed themselves with whatever they could find – wooden sticks, debris – the very tools that had been used to torture them.
They raised their makeshift weapons above their heads, their voices ringing out.
"We have plenty of strength left!"
"We'll follow our Savior! We'll free our brothers and sisters!"
"Leave those damned guards to us!"
"Women and children, hide behind us!"
Even the elderly and the women and children clutched weapons, while those capable of fighting shielded them. Noir felt a surge of emotion as he saw the determination in their eyes.
Regardless of their past identities, if they managed to escape, these people would become the closest of friends, a family bound not by blood but by shared hardship and newfound freedom.
With Noir and Wyper leading the way, the group, their spirits renewed, charged out of the prison.
The guards stationed outside finally noticed the commotion and rushed forward, attempting to suppress the uprising.
Noir didn't even bother looking at them. He raised Devil Blade above his head, pointed it at the guards, and calmly declared, "Kill them all!!"
"Roar!"
"Kill!"
Despite their wounds and scars, the flames of defiance burned brightly within their hearts. They charged forward fearlessly!
The air filled with the sounds of clashing weapons and battle cries. The slaves, once lifeless and resigned, now fought like cornered animals, their eyes blazing with a desperate desire for freedom.
The guards were caught off guard, overwhelmed by the slaves' sudden ferocity.
Even when the guards' blades found their mark, the slaves didn't flinch. They grappled with their enemies, willing to trade blow for blow.
The guards couldn't understand why these people, enslaved for so long, were so unafraid of death. Wouldn't escaping only to die be utterly meaningless?
What the guards didn't realize was that, for the slaves, a valiant death in battle was far less terrifying than a life devoid of hope, dignity, and anyone who cared.
The two sides clashed in close combat. Even the elite guards were struggling against the slaves' desperate onslaught. Noir, observing their fighting spirit, nodded in satisfaction.
Though this advantage wouldn't last, it was a testament to the slaves' newfound resolve.
Noir looked back at the blood-soaked prison, his eyes glinting with cold fury. He placed his hands on the prison walls.
Black flames, unseen for a while, erupted from his palms. The terrifying heat spread across the surface of the prison, and in an instant, Amaterasu engulfed the entire structure.
The guards watched in stunned silence as the prison that had held the slaves captive for years was consumed by flames. The liberated slaves erupted in cheers.
Orange-red flames danced in the air. Noir quickly ignited several torches and tossed them to the slaves.
"Finish them quickly! Once you've rescued your comrades, burn these damned prisons to the ground!!"
Noir's words resonated deeply with the slaves. Their fighting spirit intensified, and they roared in unison, "Yes, Savior!"
Under the protection of Noir and Wyper, the slaves stormed into one prison after another.
The once silent prisons became battlegrounds, filled with the clamor of fighting and the terrifying roar of flames and smoke.
Within the prisons, as the newly freed slaves expressed their gratitude, the armed slaves shook their heads and said solemnly,
"If you want to thank someone, thank the Black-Clad Savior!"
The freed slaves asked, puzzled, "Who is the Black-Clad Savior?"
The armed slaves grinned, their eyes filled with admiration and fanaticism. "He is the one who saved us all!!"
And so, as one prison after another fell, a shared faith ignited within the hearts of all the slaves – a faith in the powerful Savior clad in black, wielding a black blade and wielding black flames.
That man was the light of all their people!
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