As soon as the words fell, the scene was dead silent.
Not only did the slaves and sailors cast desperate glances, but even the four guards who had stepped forward abruptly raised their heads, their eyes filled with unbelievable horror.
A younger guard's lips trembled, and he mustered his last shred of courage to speak: "Officer... they are..."
Whoosh--!
Gillian didn't even give him a chance to finish speaking.
The longsword precisely swept through the narrow, fatal gap between the armor and helmet at the guard's neck.
The young guard's head, with a look of stunned disbelief frozen on his face, flew high into the air.
"Ah!"
The remaining three guards were completely shocked by this bloody scene, letting out a short shriek, the last trace of their reluctance replaced by the madness of survival.
They were almost sobbing and trembling, yet they unhesitatingly raised their swords and hacked at the four wounded slaves and sailors, whose eyes were filled with complete despair.
The four slave-sailors instantly fell into a pool of blood.
Gillian's gaze didn't even linger for a second on the newly added corpses; his cold eyes turned to the three guards who had just carried out the execution order and were now panting heavily.
"Kill them too."
His finger pointed at the three guards who had just killed the slaves for him.
The remaining eight guards froze completely.
This order was like a heavy hammer, striking their hearts.
Killing harmless slaves, they could do it.
But now, they were asked to kill their own comrades?
Their sword-wielding hands, for the first time on the battlefield, showed hesitation.
But when Gillian's gaze, like the abyss of an icy sea, swept over them, the fear of death and absolute obedience to the family's command instantly overwhelmed any sense of camaraderie.
Someone let out a low growl first, and a sharp sword, whistling through the air, fiercely stabbed the unsuspecting guards from behind.
The rest also gritted their teeth and followed suit.
Screams instantly erupted.
The three guards were pierced through by the attacks from behind; they stared with disbelieving eyes, looking down at the blood-stained sword tips protruding from their chests, and then heavily collapsed into the blood-stained mess.
Gillian then slowly stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the remaining eight guards.
Their faces were splattered with blood, and their eyes were filled with fear and numbness.
Gillian's voice was chilling: "On the ruins of Valyria, under the banner of Lannister, put away your useless mercy. Your swords should only point in the direction I command. If you dare to disobey my orders, remember their fate!"
Finally, his ruthless eyes locked onto Liu Qian, the only one still standing in the center of the encirclement.
Liu Qian took a deep breath, his steel sword still gripped tightly, its tip pointing diagonally at the ground.
Despite his ragged clothes and blood-soaked body, a strange calmness and vigilance burned deep within his dark eyes.
This unusual composure made Gillian Lannister, who was accustomed to fear and pleading, show a hint of surprise in the depths of his eyes.
"Join me and kill this kid. This kid stole my guard's sword; he's a troublesome fellow."
Gillian raised his still-dripping sword, its tip pointing directly at Liu Qian, his voice carrying a hint of apprehension.
The eight guards immediately adjusted their stances, their sword tips uniformly pointing at Liu Qian, and the encirclement tightened further.
Liu Qian frowned inwardly.
He had still underestimated Gillian Lannister's bottom line.
He hadn't wanted to waste precious magical power on these people.
But now, there seemed to be no other choice.
However, he had just fought a big battle and needed some time to recover his strength, so he planned to stall for time.
Liu Qian looked directly at Gillian and said in the Common Tongue of Westeros: "My lord, why do you have to kill them all?"
Gillian Lannister's advancing steps abruptly halted.
A flicker of surprise crossed his stern face as he looked Liu Qian up and down.
"You speak the Common Tongue, and so fluently? Who exactly are you? How could a slave from Yi Ti..."
Liu Qian interrupted him: "My lord, I am indeed a slave from Yi Ti. As for the Common Tongue, I learned it little by little during the long voyage, by listening with my ears and watching with my eyes."
"Heh."
Gillian let out a short, cold laugh: "Only those dark bastards know how to learn the way of survival in the shadows, like rats.
You saw how I dealt with disobedient and useless waste. You stole this sword from my dead guard and used it to cling to life until now. From the moment you stole it, to every breath of air you take at this moment, it's a debt you owe Lannister. Every second, interest accumulates. You must die!"
His words were like a cold noose, tightening little by little.
Liu Qian's heart sank.
He really didn't understand why this Gillian Lannister was so crazy.
Liu Qian said coldly:
"Debt? I don't remember owing you anything. From Volantis, you never treated us like people. And your guards, you abused them like pets, you enjoy this feeling of control, don't you? But, my lord, one day, you might pay the price for your cruelty."
Gillian's face became even more distorted by the black-haired slave's sarcasm; he had never seen such a disobedient slave.
The surging anger within him made his veins bulge, and he roared: "You sharp-tongued brat, in the Seven Kingdoms, people like you would have died in some stinking gutter, eaten by rats, long ago. Perhaps other families would spare you, but I am a Lannister, and a Lannister..."
Liu Qian said playfully, a knowing smile on his lips:
"And a Lannister always pays his debts, right?"
He had already decided to leave all these people here; even if it consumed his limited magical power, this damned Lannister could not be allowed to live.
Liu Qian's words were like a bolt from the blue, striking Gillian Lannister's head hard.
Gillian froze completely!
A lowly slave from Yi Ti, from thousands of miles away, an ant who was just struggling under the monster's claws, actually uttered this proverb, which was even more widely known than their family's motto, "Hear Me Roar"?
How was this possible?!
And what did it mean?
In an instant, countless thoughts surged wildly in Gillian's mind.
He recalled memories buried deep in his heart, and the look in his eyes towards Liu Qian completely changed.
Liu Qian caught the violent wavering in Gillian's eyes and was about to say something more.
Just then.
Screech—!!!!!!!!!!!!
An extremely terrifying and eerie shriek suddenly erupted without warning from the depths of the thick clouds, rolling with strange red light, in the distant sky!