"What?" One of those patriarchs stood up from his chair, shocked by Minos' threat.
At the same time, each of those other individuals began to feel that they should not have come to this place and could already feel the cold sweat spreading down their backs.
Gulp!
"You... You want to kill all of us?" Raynard said in difficulty, feeling unprecedented fear in his heart.
Meanwhile, several of those Spiritual Kings were already standing in combat position, even if they were with their cultivations sealed.
It was not easy to avoid the force of habit!
"You truly are a demon, Minos Stuart!" One of those old men shouted in hatred after losing his hopes of getting out of this place alive. "You say you want peace, but you choose the most nefarious paths at every opportunity to shed more blood!"
"You truly are a pest..." He was about to continue cursing Minos' name when Viola punched him in the stomach, causing such a person to fall to his knees on the ground.
"Watch your mouth, worm!"
Minos ignored that fellow and laid his 'cards' on the table. "You see, you need to die for the sake of your families."
"Right now, I have groups of subordinates and allies in each of your cities, waiting for my order to exterminate your families or return peacefully to the Black Plain."
"That way, I will let you decide the future of your families on your own." Minos stood up from where he was, looking at those people without showing much emotion. "You can either help me eliminate the Spiritual Kings from your families peacefully and painlessly, or I will do it by force, totally destroying your organizations."
"What happened to the Silva family can very well happen to your families, so think about it carefully."
After taking a brief moment of silence, Minos looked at Raynard and commented on the one exception to this nefarious act of his. "You, as well as your mother and wife, if you have, of course, will be the only Spiritual King I will allow to continue living in your kingdom since I need people to take care of the Brown Kingdom for me."
"But understand that the blood of all those who will die is on your father's hands. That is your family's responsibility."
When they learned that not all of them would be executed, they became enraged, furious that a brat like Raynard had the luxury of life while they were sentenced to death.
And with that, it was not long before the people in that place began to argue or cry for mercy, trying everything they could to change this cruel fate they were destined to suffer.
But Minos had no mercy for them.
His decision might seem cruel at first glance, but if he had been the one to lose the war, his fate would have been far worse than those individuals!
There would definitely not be a chance for surrender!
If the Black Plain had lost, the entire Dry City would have been enslaved or killed. Furthermore, the leading members of the local forces would be humiliated and publicly executed. As for Minos, this young man would have a much more humiliating and terrible fate than Charles.
He would probably be forced to watch the people most important to him being killed in different ways, and he could still have to watch Abby being raped by his enemies.
After witnessing the worst happen to his beloved and witnessing the destruction of his 'empire,' he would meet a tragic end and be remembered as a demon lost in his madness.
This considering that only 'ordinary' people from these large families would decide his future. If someone more extreme came along, things could get much worse quickly...
Since Minos knew what these noble families were capable of, he was calm about his decision, not willing to make any more exceptions for these people.
Seeing their state, Dillian gave his best advice. "I know we are enemies, but listen to this."
"Don't think of the foolishness of not following through with the young master's opportunity. Almost all of you will die one way or another, so at least save your families!"
"Accept that offer and at least have a chance to depart this world worthily, without pain or further worries."
But it was easier to say those words than to accept them...
Those people there could not think so rationally about that offer after their lives had been demanded as payment for the losses on the Black Plain.
That was crazy!
Who could analyze an offer where they would have to give up their own life and still see advantages in it?
Because of this difficulty, many of them were not motivated at all by Dillian's words and continued their cries or curses against Minos.
The only one there who was not so affected by this was precisely Raynard. Instead of fearing his fate, he felt a profound desolation in his being, not knowing what there would be for him in the future.
"How much time do we have?" He finally asked Minos as he shivered, feeling the terrible 'atmosphere' of that place full of depressed people.
Minos then said calmly. "You have five minutes to make up your minds."
The people there were even more frightened to hear that, fearing they would die in a few minutes.
"But don't worry, whoever accepts my offer will still have about ten days before leaving this world."
"I will give you time to organize your families and help me sign contracts with the strongest Spiritual Generals in your organizations."
"And, of course, you must arrange for the remaining Spiritual Kings from your families to come to Dry City since almost none of you will leave here alive."
After that, the place became quieter and quieter as time passed, and those people thought restlessly about the possibilities that arose in their minds.
But none of them could think of an escape from this terrible dead-end they had found on their way.
Who could kill Minos? This young man could even deal with Spiritual Emperors!
To make matters worse, how could they escape from this place when their cultivations were already sealed? They were already dead!
And thinking about how Minos already had more than half of the region as subordinates, these people finally lost all hope, beginning to see the end of their journeys.
"Sigh..."
"All right, my family will accept your punishment." One of those few patriarchs who had survived the war said this in a weak tone that had none of the majestic of a regional expert.
"Timothy!"
"You are giving up your life too fast! Aren't you afraid of what this person might do even after our deaths?" One of those individuals said in a low voice, trying to avoid drawing Minos' attention.
"Nothing he will do will be worse than the complete elimination of my family because of my decisions."
"House Brooks will at least have a chance to continue!" Timothy said firmly, understanding that there was no other alternative.
Soon after his words, others there began to think about doing the same, little by little giving in to Minos' cruel offer.
But not everyone gave in. The first individual to try to curse Minos in that place was hysterical to see almost everyone there giving in to Minos' demonic manipulation, refusing to sacrifice themselves.
"No!"
"I won't do it! You will not control me, demon!"
"If I must die, then kill me! I will not make my companions sacrifice themselves for your bloodlust!"
"Are you crazy, Lovell? Your companions will die anyway!" One of those who had already accepted their fate said this in disbelief.
What alternative did they have? How could Lovell make such a foolish decision?
But Lovell did not see it that way. "We don't know for sure!"
"That person could be lying to us!"
"Who's to say he has enough people to surround so many headquarters simultaneously?"
"Humph!"
"I'm betting that at least some of my descendants will escape that demon's clutches!" He shouted as he looked at Minos with red eyes, determined not to give in at this point.
"That..."
"Is that so?" Minos finally said something as he noticed that person's insolence. He turned to Abby and asked. "What family is he from?"
"House Windrow." She said in a low voice, understanding where this was going.
"Okay..." Minos' eyes sparkled in rainbow colors as he stood with his arms crossed, standing near the meeting hall door. "House Windrow will be exterminated as an example to the region."
"Give the orders, Dillian." He then looked into that person's eyes and finished. "No last words, Lovell Windrow!"
Infinite Dream!
