As soon as the words fell, the scene became deadly silent.
Not only did the slaves and sailors cast desperate glances, but even the four guards who had stepped forward suddenly raised their heads, their eyes filled with unbelievable horror.
A younger guard's lips trembled, and he mustered his last bit of courage to speak: "Officer... they are..."
Swish—!
Gillian didn't even give him a chance to finish speaking.
The longsword precisely swept across the narrow, fatal gap between the armor and helmet at the guard's neck.
The young guard's head, with an expression of frozen astonishment, flew high into the air.
"Ah!"
The remaining three guards were utterly shocked by this bloody scene, letting out a short, sharp cry, the last trace of reluctance in their eyes replaced by the madness of survival.
They almost cried and trembled, yet they unhesitatingly raised their swords and slashed at the four slaves and sailors, who were covered in wounds and whose eyes were filled with utter despair.
The four slave-sailors instantly fell in a pool of blood.
Gillian's gaze didn't even linger on the newly added corpses for a second; his cold eyes turned to the three guards who had just carried out the cleanup 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 command was like a heavy hammer, striking their hearts.
They could bring themselves to kill harmless slaves.
But now, they were asked to kill their own companions?
Their sword-wielding hands hesitated for the first time, even on a battlefield.
But when Gillian's gaze, like the depths of an icy sea, swept over them, the fear of death and absolute obedience to the family's command instantly overwhelmed their camaraderie.
Someone let out a low growl first, and a sharp sword, whistling through the air, fiercely stabbed the unsuspecting guards from behind.
The others gritted their teeth and followed suit.
Screams instantly erupted.
The three guards were pierced through the body by attacks from behind; they widened their eyes in disbelief, looking down at the blood-stained sword tips protruding from their chests, then collapsed heavily into the blood.
Gillian then slowly strode 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 cold: "On the ruins of Valyria, under the Lannister banner, 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 firmly on Leon, the only one still standing in the center of the encirclement.
Leon took a deep breath, his steel sword still tightly gripped, its tip pointing diagonally at the ground.
Although his clothes were ragged and he was covered in blood, a strange calmness and vigilance burned deep within his black 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.
"Come with me, kill this kid. He stole my guard's sword; he's a troublesome fellow."
Gillian raised his still-dripping longsword, its tip pointing directly at Leon, his voice carrying a trace of apprehension.
The eight guards immediately adjusted their stances, their sword tips uniformly pointing at Leon, and the encirclement tightened further.
Leon frowned inwardly.
He had still underestimated Gillian Lannister's bottom line.
He hadn't wanted to waste precious magic on these people.
But now, it seemed there was no other choice.
However, he had just fought a major battle and needed some time to recover his strength, so he intended to stall for time.
Leon looked directly at Gillian and said in the Common Tongue of Westeros: "My lord, why must you be so ruthless?"
Gillian Lannister's advancing steps abruptly halted.
A flicker of surprise crossed his stern face as he scrutinized Leon up and down.
"You speak the Common Tongue, and so fluently? Who exactly are you? How could a slave from Yi Ti..."
Leon 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 and observing."
"Hmph."
Gillian let out a short, cold laugh: "Only those shadowy bastards know how to learn the art of survival in the dark like rats.
You saw how I dealt with disobedient and useless trash. 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 you take at this moment, you owe a debt to the Lannisters. Every second, interest accumulates; you must die!"
His words were like a cold noose, tightening little by little.
Leon's heart sank.
He really didn't understand why Gillian Lannister was so insane.
Leon said coldly:
"Debt? I don't recall owing you anything. From Volantis, you haven't treated us as humans, and your guards, you abused them like pets, didn't you? 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 contorted by the black-haired slave's sarcasm; he had never seen a slave so defiant of his master.
The surging anger in him made his veins bulge, and he roared: "Sharp-tongued boy, in the Seven Kingdoms, people like you would have died in some stinking ditch long ago, eaten by rats. Perhaps other families would let you go, but I am a Lannister, and Lannisters..."
Leon said playfully, a teasing smile on his lips:
"And Lannisters always pay their debts, right?"
He was determined to keep all of them here; even if it consumed his limited magic, he would not let this damned Lannister live.
Leon's words were like a bolt from the blue, striking Gillian Lannister's head.
Gillian completely froze!
A lowly slave from Yi Ti, thousands of miles away, an ant who was just struggling in the claws of a monster, actually uttered this proverb, which was even more widely known than their family motto, "Hear Me Roar"?
How was this possible?!
And what did this mean?
In an instant, countless thoughts surged wildly in Gillian's mind.
He recalled memories buried deep within his heart, and the look in his eyes towards Leon completely changed.
Leon caught the violent turmoil in Gillian's eyes and was about to say something more.
Just then.
Screech—!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A terrifying, bizarre shriek, reaching an extreme pitch, suddenly erupted without warning from deep within the thick clouds, swirling with eerie red light, in the distant sky!