"Indeed, I am Zlatan Family’s Ancestor..."
Davis looked at the remnant soul speak. He was a tall older man in a golden robe, but his back was hunched, and his body appeared shriveled. Davis narrowed his eyes before he asked.
"Where are those two remaining Grand Elders? If I recall correctly, their names were Ragnar Zlatan and Miron Zlatan?"
"Sigh, don’t even mention their names to me."
The shriveled face of the old man couldn’t help but turn even more ugly, "They are too cowardly to be my sons."
"So they escaped...."
Davis nodded as he looked away. With his soul force scrying the entire Zlatan Family’s Golden City after its formations had been destroyed by Isabella and him, he did not see nor sense the two of them, making him believe that they had truly escaped.
However, he wasn’t surprised.
How could they stay and depend on the formations when it was said that he could strike from anywhere and make them die a mysterious death?
Davis understood that they must’ve thought that there could be some kind of limitations to his mysterious powers.
For example, their exact or locations’ radius.
For all he knew, they could’ve felt that if the Emperor of Death didn’t manage to know their locations, it would be impossible for him to kill them from anywhere, causing them to scram from this location as soon as possible.
*Whoosh!~*
At this moment, the group, consisting of men and women that left, appeared above the city as they cautiously looked at Davis. They were evidently middle-aged looking but were still handsome, rough, beautiful, and mature. Each of them appeared more refined than the other, but still, their golden eyes held a hint of fear as they glanced at their Ancestor and the Emperor of Death, now knowing what would happen to their family anymore.
"Are you going to slaughter my Zlatan Family and receive the ire of the heavens, gaining karmic sin for this matter that had gone out of both our hands?"
"Absurd."
Davis answered as he heard the Zlatan Family’s Ancestor ask him.
"You people lusted after my Isabella and dared to be overbearing in trying to take her from me even though you tried to appear like understanding people for quite some time. Don’t play the victim now, stating that it had gone out of both our hands. You people made it bigger than you could suppress, and now, you’re simply reaping the consequences of it."
Zlatan Family Ancestor’s lips twitched.
"So be it. I’m already dead, but I figure at least I can lessen your anger with this..."
The old man’s body shuddered as he went on one knee.
"I, Nydas Zlatan, have knelt to no one other than my mother and father. I was the stupid old man who came up with the despicable plan to kill you through that entrapment hex, but I have essentially buried my descendants inside the earth rather than letting them rise. I don’t blame little Bylai for taking that decision, but I blame my own fallacy of being unable to see through your overbearing prowess that made Elusivemist defect to you while abandoning his honor and the pride of the Soul Palace. I should’ve seen this coming since he’s a backstabbing bastard, but nevertheless, I ask that you leave half of my Zlatan Family alive. I swear that my Zlatan Family will not take revenge in the future."
Davis and Isabella raised their brows as they looked at each other, wondering what this dead old man was going on about.
"Do you think that you kneeling will change anything?" Isabella’s cold voice echoed as her crimson lips moved, "You’re already dead. Your remnant soul’s reputation cannot redeem for the despicable plan you set in motion."
"I understand. All I ask is that you two consider my request."
Nydas Zlatan kowtowed and repeated it two more times before he brought his hand up but suddenly stopped, his old face appearing solemn.
"A little warning before I kill myself. You must be careful of Elusivemist as he’s a conniving and scheming person. His history is fraught with backstabbing, so I advise that you keep your distance from him. Of course, not only am I stating this to make you feel even the slightest bit benevolent towards us but also to take revenge on Elusivemist for betraying us. However, that doesn’t mean I’m framing him. I know that he sold us to gain your trust, but I implore you to keep your distance, lest you be taken by surprise."
*Puchi!~*
The old man stabbed his forehead, whereupon his remnant soul body shattered before it dispersed into the air.
Davis blinked before he shook his head.
What trust? Elusivemist was his slave, and he had already put him in his place after finding what he did to Yotan while also using her to entrap him.
Nevertheless, he looked at Isabella, who possessed an indifferent expression before he turned to look at the frightened Zlatan Family people. Some held their lovers, and some held their children as they cried. He could see that they knew that their deaths were coming.
Even he felt his heart pity them for they had done nothing but were going to reap the consequences of the decisions their family heads took.
However, what could he do? Let them go? To live as one big family meant to receive collective growth, accountability, and responsibility. If the higher-ups manage to gain, the lower stratum naturally gains along with them, managing to prosper, but if the higher-ups mess up like at this moment, the lower stratum is the one who receives the fall, sometimes even forced to take more than what the higher-ups would take since they’re already at rock bottom.
"Emperor of Death! Please consider sparing our lives!"
In the distance, a young man clasped his hands before undulations began to revolve around him. A second later, his body inflated before he blew up like a bursting balloon, exploding into a massive blood shower that filled the skies, painting the numerous youths behind him in his blood.
Davis and Isabella’s brows raised as they saw this scene.
It seemed that an attack was used on himself on his middle dantian rather than blowing up his middle dantian?
"Emperor of Death...! Please... consider it!"
Almost as if being inspired by their Ancestor and the young powerhouse who led their group, a woman clasped her hand as tears fell down her face. She glanced at Davis and Isabella with hatred before glancing at the cloud of blood encasing a part of the sky with sorrow as if she had just lost her lover, but she too clasped her hand, the aura around her becoming unstable.
*Boom!~*
Her body inflated and exploded the same as the man before, making the people behind her appear aghast.
Isabella’s heart shook as she narrowed her eyes.
"No need to be beguiled." Davis suddenly spoke, interrupting her thoughts, "They’re only doing this because they know they can’t defeat us. If they could, they’d be at our throats right now. If they had a chance, they would fight us until death. That’s the people we are dealing with right now. However, you can still appreciate their self-sacrifice. Not many people can give up their lives for the blunders they’ve made, much less sacrifice themselves for the blunders of their higher-ups. For example..."
"Those two cowardly Grand Elders..."
Isabella continued his words, causing him to nod his head.
"Indeed, they don’t deserve to live, but these people down here are ignorable. Only kill them if you still have hatred against them. I don’t care much about their lives, but I care about you, worried that you may gain a heart demon out of regret for the slaughter you commit."
Davis was already worried that Evelynn may have had a heart demon, but after he confronted her about it and wholeheartedly accepted her transformation and actions, she was able to resolve it or prevent it from forming.
In truth, he didn’t know that Evelynn did possess a dormant heart demon from the slaughter she committed, but she later subconsciously resolved it when he took her karmic sin away from her. It was like a release, making her feel free of burden, subsequently increasing her chances to reach the Emperor Soul Stage.
A few days later, Evelynn did successfully step into the Emperor Soul Stage.
"Earth Dragon Queen! Please... forgive us...!"
*Boom!~*
Another powerhouse self-destructed at this moment, erupting into a blood shower, causing Davis and Isabella to turn and look towards them. Their eyes became wide as they saw the youths possess the eyes of determination, intending to sacrifice themselves to earn their forgiveness.
"Stop!!!"
At the same time, an authoritative voice echoed, causing those powerhouses who had been planning to give up their lives to stop, their bodies trembling from being unable to do what they were doing.
Davis and Isabella sensed the powerful auras of two people behind them.
When they turned to look around, they saw that they were none other than the Karmic Guardian Emperor and the Mandate Emperor.