I had expected the woman to ruthlessly reject Akira's ridiculous request. But what I didn't anticipate was Ellie's excitement in front of her.
"Good brother, your appearance moves my heart. Since you've been insistent about letting me in, how could I refuse?"
Before Akira could respond, the woman stepped into the cage without hesitation.
To put things into context, the people imprisoned here were slaves—captured by the Celestial Dragons. Those trapped in these cages had no rights, reduced to the lowest rung on the biological hierarchy. The slaves' only fate was to be paraded in front of the Celestial Dragons to be ogled and admired.
Akira had initially planned to teach this woman a lesson, but he hadn't expected that Ellie, the princess of the Celestial Dragons, would not hesitate for a second.
"Good brother, everyone is inside. Why don't you do something?" Ellie's face held a trace of coyness, and her voice dropped to a more flirtatious tone.
She was certainly a princess with strange inclinations. Perhaps her long-standing position among the Celestial Dragons had left her feeling unsatisfied, and after a few moments of teasing from Akira, her deeper desires began to surface.
Though Akira was speechless, he couldn't help but acknowledge this was part of his plan. If the princess didn't mind, then he was more than happy to show the Celestial Dragons just how shocking it could be when someone of her stature was imprisoned.
"Alright, let's bring you in now." A sinful thought crossed Akira's mind as he locked the red curtain behind them.
This was the backstage area of the hall. Any prey brought in was concealed behind a curtain, their identity hidden to stir the Celestial Dragons into a frenzy when they were revealed.
As Ellie entered the hall, Akira couldn't hide the hint of satisfaction on his face.
"Brother, what are you laughing about?" Hancock asked innocently, her expression filled with confusion.
At her young age, Hancock couldn't understand the depth of the Celestial Dragons' cruelty, but to Akira, this was all part of the plan.
"Don't worry, I'll show you in a moment," Akira reassured her, grabbing her by the hand and leading her down a different path.
Inside the hall, the Celestial Dragons were already in full swing, eagerly chatting amongst themselves.
"I heard this one is top-quality," one remarked.
"If it's really the best, it won't be your turn to bid. I have a hundred thousand beli ready for this one!" another replied with a boastful grin.
As they spoke, the host entered, guiding the prepared slave cage.
"Ladies and gentlemen, what lies within is the greatest reward. The curtain adds an element of mystery."
The host, used to pandering to the whims of the Celestial Dragons, spoke with practiced enthusiasm. As a lower-class individual, this was the only way he could survive in their presence.
"Stop talking nonsense, fool. We didn't come here to hear you blabber. We want to see what's inside the cage!" one of the Celestial Dragons barked.
Inside the cage, Ellie listened to the insults being hurled around her, but instead of being crushed, her heart raced with an unfamiliar excitement.
If it weren't for Akira, she never would have considered such a spectacle.
The host dramatically reached for the curtain. "Now, let's uncover the mystery and reveal the prize!"
From his position in the shadows, Akira observed the chaos unfolding with casual interest.
Finally, the curtain was drawn back. And when the Celestial Dragons saw the prisoner, their collective breath caught.
"Princess Ellie!"
No one could have anticipated that the most esteemed figure in the Celestial Dragon hierarchy would be behind the curtain in the lowest of cages.
The shock froze the room for a few seconds. Some of them couldn't even process what they were seeing.
"It's really Princess Ellie!" one stammered.
The hall erupted in chaos as the Celestial Dragons struggled to comprehend the scene in front of them.
The host stood frozen, unable to respond, before a shot rang out—his heart pierced by a bullet from a nearby Celestial Dragon.
Akira observed with indifference. This man had only brought this fate upon himself.
"Who did this?!" the leader of the Celestial Dragons shouted, his voice trembling with disbelief. The sight of the princess in such a degrading position felt like a personal attack on their entire bloodline.
"Princess Ellie, how could you..." the remaining Celestial Dragons muttered in confusion, unable to comprehend why she would have willingly submitted to such a fate.
"This is my choice. I am now willing to follow Mr. Akira and become his slave." Ellie's voice rang out, calm but resolute.
A stunned silence fell over the Celestial Dragons. Not only had the princess willingly entered the cage, but now she was publicly declaring her allegiance to Akira.
"Good girl, come here," Akira said with a malicious smile, pointing to Ellie behind him.
But in the next instant, Akira found himself surrounded by more and more Celestial Dragons, all with their guns pointed at him.
"You!" one of them yelled. "You dare humiliate our princess? You won't leave this hall alive!"
Akira remained unfazed. "Troublesome indeed. It's your princess who knelt before me willingly. Yet somehow, I'm the one being accused of 'bewitching' her?"
"Enough of your nonsense!" one of the Celestial Dragons shouted, firing his weapon.
The bullet flew toward Akira—but it never reached him. Calmly, Akira sat where he was, untouched by the attack, and his smug smile never wavered.
"Courting death!"
"Kill this bastard!"
A chorus of enraged shouts rang out, and in an instant, the room erupted as bullets flew toward Akira from all directions. But to their astonishment, not only did the bullets have no effect, they were repelled by Akira's Shinra Tensei.
With a mocking smile, Akira raised an eyebrow as the Celestial Dragons furiously shouted commands, their anger almost palpable. The hall was in total chaos, with bullets flying back toward their attackers, but none of the Celestial Dragons dared to move toward him.
"How amusing," Akira said with a laugh that cut through the tension. "You so-called noble Celestial Dragons think you can threaten me with nothing more than these pathetic pistols?"
His voice rang clear, filled with mockery and disdain.
Before anyone could respond, Akira roared once more, a flick of his wrist sending the bullets that had been fired back toward the attackers. The Celestial Dragons were thrown to the ground, overwhelmed by their own ammunition. Screams filled the hall as they were caught in their own weapons' fire, some falling in shock, others groaning in pain.
The once proud and unyielding Celestial Dragons were now reduced to mere victims of their own arrogance. Their weapons had turned on them, and their prestige crumbled in a matter of seconds. Akira, standing at the center, exuded an air of effortless power, his control over the situation complete.
Ellie's heart raced, her excitement building with every passing moment. This was no ordinary man—Akira was a force of nature, an embodiment of strength that had the Celestial Dragons on the defensive. And she couldn't help but revel in the feeling of being dominated, swept away by this terrifying power.
The leader of the Celestial Dragons, his face twisted with rage, bellowed from the back of the room. "Who dares to cause trouble here?!"
"Seize him!" another voice shouted, filled with venom. "Let this fool die in Marie Joa!"
"We'll take his head and display it on the city walls for three days and nights!" someone else added, the threats coming fast and furious.
The Celestial Dragons had never faced such defiance. Their anger reached a fever pitch. For the first time in years, they were confronted with someone who not only challenged their authority but did so with an audacity that made them question their long-held belief in their own invincibility. It was a slap in the face to their pride, something they were not used to, something that stung with unrelenting force.
Akira, however, stood there, unfazed by their threats. His demeanor remained calm, like a predator staring down his prey without the slightest hint of fear. The Celestial Dragons, their weapons now useless, were scrambling to react, but Akira had already won. The battle was over before it had even begun.
"Is this all you have?" Akira sneered, his voice cold. "Your threats are as empty as your power. You're nothing but spoiled children playing at ruling the world."
His words were like daggers, sharp and cutting.
Akira's presence alone was enough to freeze the Celestial Dragons in place. Despite their rage, they realized—perhaps for the first time—that they had no real means of controlling him. They were powerless in the face of his overwhelming strength.
Ellie, her heart pounding in her chest, couldn't tear her eyes away from Akira. She had always been surrounded by power, but this… this was something else. It wasn't just strength—it was dominance, control, and the absolute certainty that no one could stand in his way.
She felt an unfamiliar rush—the excitement of being in the presence of such raw power. It was intoxicating.
The hall was still in chaos, but Akira simply stood, as if he were watching the world burn from the safety of his throne. His control was absolute, and nothing would stand in his way.