Freeing the Chains

“I never wanted to know anything about the Saintess…” Bai Ci suppressed his anger, feeling utterly helpless.

He tried to make sense of the absurd situation:

Soldiers show up, telling him about the Saintess.
Because he now knows about her, they’re going to kill him.
This is beyond ridiculous…

The officer looked at Bai Ci with something resembling pity, his expression twisted. “Either way, your fate is sealed. No suspicious individual who learns of the Saintess can be allowed to live.”

They were used to killing for reasons like this.

“Farewell, kid.”

Soldier A, seeing Bai Ci unmoved, drew his silver sword and swung it down in a brutal arc.

Sigh… can’t people just stop being so violent? Bai Ci thought, watching the blade descend.

And honestly—this speed? Way too slow.

Soldier A imagined Bai Ci split in two, already savoring the victory.

“You think I’m playing around? You didn’t even try to dodge?”

The other Holy Heaven Army soldiers watched with mocking grins, amused by what they saw as a laughable execution.

To them, such flimsy pretexts were just tools to casually condemn anyone.

Bai Ci shook his head, sidestepped effortlessly—like two strangers passing on a street.

Against ordinary soldiers without magic, he didn’t even need to tap into his Annihilation power.

Then, in one fluid motion, he leapt into the air. Before Soldier A could react to his missed strike, Bai Ci delivered a spinning kick that sent him flying off his horse, crashing to the ground with a heavy thud.

Boom!

Before Soldier A could rise, Bai Ci’s foot came down hard on his head, slamming his face into the dirt.

Humiliation! Pure, unbearable humiliation. As a proud member of the Holy Heaven Army—a force above commoners—he had never been trampled like this!

The harder he struggled to lift his head, the heavier Bai Ci’s foot felt—like lead, pressing down with crushing force. Every attempt only intensified the pressure, mocking his weakness.

“How dare you humiliate me like this!” Soldier A growled through clenched teeth. Even now, faced with overwhelming power, he chose threats over surrender.

“You’ve signed your own death warrant!”

Seeing their comrade so disgracefully defeated, the other soldiers’ fury ignited. They raised their weapons and charged at Bai Ci en masse.

Now this was a problem.

Facing a swarm of armed soldiers, Bai Ci knew his martial arts alone wouldn’t suffice. If he didn’t use his Annihilation power now, getting hacked to death would make his interdimensional journey end in utter farce.

“Blood of Annihilation… let me see your true power,” Bai Ci murmured.

Annihilation Witch—Initiate Fusion.

High above in the azure sky, the girl watched the scene unfold. A faint smile curled at the corners of her lips.

Come on… show me your strength.

As the fusion deepened, Bai Ci’s skull throbbed with agony—but stopping was no longer an option.

Seconds later, his consciousness plunged into an endless abyss.

His body became shrouded in eerie black mist…

“What’s wrong with this kid?”
“He’s… terrifying…”

The Holy Heaven Army, once brimming with arrogance, now sensed something deeply wrong.

At the officer’s command, their charge faltered. Hesitation took root.

Yes, they’d seen Bai Ci stomp Soldier A into the dirt. But still—they outnumbered him. They were armed. He was just some random youth.

Strength in numbers! No matter how strong he was, he couldn’t fight them all!

Yet now, facing the swirling black mist, real fear gripped them—

a primal, genetic terror from the depths of their souls.

At that moment, every soldier’s spirit screamed a warning:

Step closer, and both body and mind will be annihilated.

This was pure erasure—the concept of absolute nonexistence.

To them, nothing mattered more than life itself.

The black mist dissipated.

It coalesced into armor across Bai Ci’s body. Black holes swirled around him, warping space. A strange mark glowed upon his forehead.

Annihilation… void…

What a beautiful sensation…

His abyss-like pupils pulsed with dread.

Suddenly, he lifted his head. The mark on his brow blazed crimson as murderous intent surged.

His hollow eyes locked onto the Holy Heaven Army.

To him now, these living beings were mere flesh—soon to be torn apart.

Hmm…?

The soldiers trembled, turning to their officer:

“Boss… maybe we should just… let this go today…”
“Yeah, looks like the Saintess thing really has nothing to do with him…”
“And killing innocents damages our reputation…”

Miscalculation. Never thought we’d run into a monster like this.

The officer hesitated, fear creeping in. Everything had turned surreal—

a normal-looking youth transformed into a demon god before their eyes.

“Fine. We’ll… show mercy and spare his life.”

Relieved, the soldiers exhaled and immediately turned their horses, fleeing in panic.

But it was already too late.

They didn’t realize—Bai Ci had been consumed by the Annihilation Witch. His personality was gone.

Only the instinct to destroy remained, devouring every inch of his senses.

You… are afraid.

Bai Ci tilted his head, watching them retreat. No mercy in his gaze. The space around him trembled, on the verge of collapse.

Kill them.

The thought erupted—and Bai Ci could no longer suppress it. He closed his eyes tightly.

The mark on his forehead split open, twisting into a third eye. As it snapped open, it unleashed a torrent of black mist—like opening the gates of hell.

Effortless. Instinctive. Using this annihilation power was as natural as lifting an arm or opening his mouth.

From the mist, countless arms formed of viscous black sludge reached out—seizing life indiscriminately, enforcing the law of deprivation.

“What the hell is that?!”
“Ahhhh!!!”

In an instant, the fleeing soldiers were caught. No resistance. No screams. Just swallowed—or crushed.

In a blink, bodies vanished—erased without a trace, as if they had never existed.

The officer collapsed, crawling under his horse, trembling uncontrollably as he watched his subordinates wiped out one by one by what looked like divine hands of death.

Bai Ci, the architect of this nightmare, remained indifferent.

He simply observed the scene with detached curiosity.

The black mist pouring from his forehead grew stronger, its annihilating aura expanding—on the verge of spiraling out of control.

“Enough!”

A voice rang out—commanding, unyielding.

Bai Ci froze, halting the release of annihilation energy. He turned toward the source.

A figure approached—silver armor hugging a graceful silhouette, posture proud, delicate face burning with rage. Her beautiful eyes sparkled with killing intent.

“So… you’re their savior…”

Bai Ci licked his lips. Black mist clouded his eyes. His deep red pupils seemed to bleed.

“Commander Qi Qiao… don’t come any closer… it’s a monster!”

One surviving soldier—Soldier Ding—cried out despite his injuries, shouting at the approaching figure.

“Run! Commander! Run!”

Despite facing certain death himself, he warned the one coming to save him.

Was it because the commander was beloved by her troops?
Or had Soldier Ding already accepted his fate—offering one final act of kindness?

No one would ever know.

The next second, Bai Ci snapped his fingers. A tendril of black mist enveloped Soldier Ding.

No struggle. No scream. When the mist cleared, not even bones remained. Soldier Ding had been completely erased—as if he had never existed.

“You!!!”

Qi Qiao let out a heart-wrenching cry.

She remembered Soldier Ding—stoic, but kind to everyone.

He had told her once: Just one more year of service, then I’ll retire in the capital… back to my two little girls…

“I haven’t seen them in years.”
“I hope they’ve been good… growing up well…”

He’d said it so many times.

A soldier with no right to choose his life. A man powerless to change his fate.

And now—the father who longed for his daughters—was gone.

Vanished in an instant.

The weight of it crashed into Qi Qiao’s chest like a hammer.

She stared at Bai Ci, her eyes blazing with fire.

“You are suffering.”

Bai Ci observed her grief silently.

Qi Qiao clenched her fists. No time for sorrow. Her duty was clear—

to eliminate this monster who dared to steal lives so freely.

I, Qi Qiao—Commander of the Holy Heaven Army—hereby pass judgment!

Your sins shall be purified in sacred flame!