THE GENERAL'S DISGRACED HEIR

David's foot hovered above Eric, his merciless eyes fixed on the battered figure lying helplessly below. Eric, barely conscious, managed to lift his gaze, his vision blurred with pain.

The moment his eyes met David's, they flickered with frustration and a raw, simmering anger. Despite his shattered jaw, Eric tried to speak, but before any words could escape, David's boot came down on his chest with the weight of a mountain.

The sound of ribs snapping under the force echoed through the training grounds, followed by Eric's agonized scream. Blood bubbled from his mouth as he struggled to breathe, each breath a choking gasp as the pain overwhelmed him. His once proud and commanding presence was now reduced to nothing more than a pitiful, broken shell.

Both Vice-Captains could do nothing but watch in stunned silence. They were locked in place, paralyzed by the sheer intensity of David's aura, an oppressive force that seemed to crush the very air around them.

The Vice-Captain of the 4th platoon, in particular, was caught in a whirlwind of disbelief. How could this be? Lord Eric, their commander, a master swordsman of the De Gor house, was being overpowered by none other than David, the so-called drunkard and talentless heir of the family. The very idea seemed ludicrous, yet the evidence was undeniable, lying right before his eyes.

But as he stared at the scene, a chilling realization crept over him. This wasn't the same David they had known, the foolish young master they had all written off. Something was different, something terrifying.

His heart pounded in his chest as the truth dawned on him—David had awakened. But how? Even if he had awakened, he should still be far below Eric's and his rank. How was it possible for him to overpower Lord Eric with such ease, and not just him, but also to suppress the Vice-Captain of the 7th platoon?

The horror of the situation began to sink in as the Vice-Captain's mind raced. This wasn't just a display of power. What stood before him was no ordinary heir. This was a monster, an indescribable force that defied all reason, shaking him to his very core.

Eric could feel the weight of defeat pressing down on him, but the fire in his heart refused to be extinguished. Summoning the last remnants of his mana, he cleared his throat, his will unbroken. He was still a De Gor, and he would not succumb to this humiliation. "You bastard!" he screamed, his voice amplified by the force of his mana, echoing through the training grounds with the raw intensity of his rage.

"Do you think Father will let you go for what you've done, you scoundrel?" Eric's voice was relentless, desperate to invoke fear in David by merely mentioning their father.

'

You trash, I'll make you pay, I swear it on my name!'

Eric swore inwardly, his eyes burning with determination as he locked onto David's icy stare.

David's expression remained cold and detached, his gaze piercing through Eric's bravado like a blade through flesh. "You're still alive?" he asked, his tone devoid of any concern, as he casually removed his foot from Eric's chest.

Eric, mistaking David's action as a sign of fear, seized the moment. "You think that will break me, you stain?" he mocked, convinced that his words had rattled his brother.

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'That's right, scared bastard. Just you wait,'

Eric thought triumphantly as David turned his back on him, walking a few steps away.

But the two vice-captains, still pinned by David's suffocating aura, knew better. They understood that this confrontation was far from over.

David paused, the tension thickening in the air, and then, unexpectedly, he erupted into a full diabolical frenzy of laughter,

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA".

The sound was maniacal, unhinged, sending chills down the spines of everyone who heard it.

Eric's triumphant thoughts faltered, replaced by a creeping sense of dread.

'Is this bastard crazy?'

Eric wondered, but before he could react, David snapped his fingers, the sharp click cutting through the silence like a knife.

Suddenly, the shadows around Eric began to shift, gathering towards him like slithering snakes eyeing their prey. Panic surged through Eric's veins as he realized something was terribly wrong.

"What are you doing?" he commanded, trying to mask the fear rising in his chest. "Stop! Didn't you hear what I said?" His voice wavered, betraying the terror he now felt as the shadows tightened around him, lifting him into the air with an eerie grace.

"If you won't stop, Father will—" Eric's threat was abruptly cut off by David's cold, calm voice, his back still turned to his brother.

"Father what?" David asked, his tone mocking, as if the very idea of their father held no weight.

Eric's shock was palpable as he dangled in the air, his body suspended by the shadows now shaped into a

cross!

"Don't you fear Father?" he asked, his voice trembling, a stark contrast to the bravado he had tried to maintain.

David's words, a chilling whisper carried on the wind of defiance, sent a shiver down the spines of all who heard them.

"Why fear a man I will eclipse?" His voice, a proclamation of destiny, echoed through the training ground, leaving even the hardened vice-captains stunned.

This was no longer the David they knew. This was a shadow of the future, a predator emerging from the darkness.

Before they could process the gravity of his words, David twirled his fingers with a flourish, like a conductor orchestrating a symphony of destruction.

The shadows, Eric's silent prison, tightened their grip, their icy tendrils wrapping around his arms with a sinister intent. A grotesque symphony of snapping bones echoed through the training grounds as his arms were twisted into unnatural positions, contorted into shapes that defied the laws of human anatomy.

Eric's screams, a haunting dirge, filled the air, a raw and visceral expression of agony that pierced the very core of those who heard it. The pain, a tidal wave of suffering, washed over him, eroding his defiance, his spirit crumbling under the unbearable torment. His body, a puppet on strings of darkness, convulsed and writhed, his movements jerky and unnatural as the shadows manipulated him with a cruel and merciless precision.

The once-proud noble was now a broken shell, utterly defeated, his spirit crushed beneath the weight of David's overwhelming power.

The vice-captains could only watch in horror, their minds struggling to comprehend the scene before them. This was not just a display of power; this was a statement. David had not only surpassed his brother but had also shattered the very foundation of their family's hierarchy.

The realization was as terrifying as it was undeniable: David was no longer just the underestimated heir of the De Gor house. He had become something far more monstrous, an unstoppable force that even their father might not be able to contain.

As Eric's screams began to fade into pitiful whimpers, the training grounds were plunged into an eerie silence. The shadows slowly released their grip, letting Eric's broken body fall to the ground with a dull thud. David stood over him, his expression cold and unfeeling, the embodiment of merciless strength. The once proud Eric was now nothing more than a shattered reminder of what happens when one dares to underestimate David of the De Gor family.

Standing over Eric, his gaze cold and unyielding as he stared down at the broken figure before him. Eric's mind and body were completely shattered, his spirit crushed beyond recognition. Blood trickled from his eyes and nose, painting a macabre portrait of his utter defeat.

"You touched something dear to me, Eric," David declared, his voice steady and devoid of mercy.

He raised his hand, and the shadows around him responded instantly, gathering above his palm with a dark, menacing energy. The shadows began to twist and contort, taking shape with fierce intensity. They elongated into a sharp, pointed tip, a swirling vortex of darkness that seemed to tear through the very air around it. The spinning mass of shadows was like a drill, its edges as sharp as the finest blade, cutting through the wind with a terrifying screech.

The weapon, born of shadows and fury, pulsed with deadly intent, reflecting the cold rage in David's eyes. It was a manifestation of his wrath, a tool of vengeance that would ensure Eric paid the ultimate price for his transgression. There was no room for forgiveness, no possibility of redemption. Anyone who dared to touch Katrina or his other women would meet the same fate—death.

[SHADOW REVOLVER]

The vice-captains, mages, and soldiers who had gathered could only watch in silent horror. They bore witness to the execution of a De Gor by his own kin, a scene that defied the very order they had sworn to uphold. But none could move. David's aura filled the training ground, a wild and untamed force that radiated a primal warning. He was a beast, ready to strike down anyone who dared to challenge his authority.

As David lowered his hand, it was a silent command, an unspoken decree that sealed Eric's fate. The shadowy weapon responded immediately, its dark form slicing through the air with deadly precision. It moved towards Eric with a terrifying swiftness, a harbinger of doom that would end his life without hesitation.

At that moment, the world seemed to hold its breath, waiting for the inevitable. David's vengeance was absolute, and no one would dare stand in his way.