Saintess? Not Anymore! I'd Rather be a Destroyer-Chapter 269 - 255: Protesting slaves

"I’ll go with you, Yelina. I want to see what those bastards do to innocent people with my own eyes," Batholem stated, his hand visibly trembling. Yelina glanced at him, noting the tension in his grip and the slight quiver in his voice.

’He’s probably angry... and scared,’ she thought to herself, feeling a pang of guilt.

"Alright, Batholem , but brace yourself. It won’t be easy to watch," Yelina replied, a note of warning in her voice.

"Before you all head out, take these bags," Aurianna interrupted, tossing each of them a small storage pouch.

Shuwi caught hers with a puzzled look. "What’s inside?" he asked, examining the pouch.

"Devices I call ’suckers,’" Aurianna replied, a smirk playing on her lips. "They can destroy slave collars and markings. They also create an illusion to make everything appear... normal, in case anyone happens to pass by."

She gestured towards a disoriented-looking creature floating nearby. "See that video Meimus over there? These devices have already managed to disrupt its surveillance."

Elena’s eyes widened. "There were surveillance creatures here?"

"Yes, creatures like this one are part of the security system," Peter muttered, eyeing the Meimus warily.

A faint smile touched his lips as he turned to Aurianna. "You really thought far ahead."

"Yeah, unlike you idiots," Aurianna scoffed with a playful smirk. "Take them to the places you’ll go, release them there. I have already a few set up in this room."

"When all the slaves are gathered here, the suckers will teleport them to a rural area near Heaha town, and then to my brother’s location," Aurianna explained. "As for those who want to return home... I’ll let Saem handle that," she added, though a shadow flickered across her expression. Inside, a different plan stirred in her mind.’Set them free? After I save them? Not a chance. Every single one of them will join my army. Chi, chi, chi... lalalalala!’

Yelina shot her a curious look but didn’t press further. "Alright, then," she said with a nod.

Aurianna raised one finger. "Let’s all meet back here in exactly one hour."

Nae glanced at her, skeptical. "Is that really enough time?"

"It will be, if you follow my instructions—and listen to my subordinates," Aurianna said confidently.

"Fine, then," Nae agreed, pointing towards Jade. "I’ll go with him."

"Me too!" Elena said, stepping up beside Jade.

One by one, the others joined their respective teams, leaving Aurianna standing alone. Peter and Christopher, meanwhile, stayed with Demetrius.

"Now go," Aurianna commanded, her voice resolute, and with that, the group dispersed.

After an hour, the team finally finished freeing all the slaves. To make things seem more normal, Jugi created doppelgangers of the former workers, mimicking their habits and maintaining contact with those higher up in the organization.

But when the group returned, most of the children with them wore grim expressions. Fear lingered in some of their eyes; others looked nauseous, and a few had to step aside to vomit, overcome by the horrors they’d witnessed.

High on a podium, Aurianna surveyed the freed slaves. Many appeared lifeless and hollow-eyed, others cautiously hopeful, while a few gazed around, utterly bewildered.

Without warning, Aurianna raised her shit gun and fired at several specific slaves. The sudden shots echoed through the room, shocking everyone in her group. The freed slaves flinched but didn’t show much surprise, accustomed to such acts.

"Are you insane?! Why did you kill them? Haven’t they suffered enough?" Elena demanded, grabbing Aurianna by the collar of her dress, her eyes blazing with anger.

Aurianna barely flinched. "Those ones had soul-tracking spells on them," she explained coldly, peeling Elena’s hand away. "No matter where they went, the Flokong Organization would have tracked them down. They probably set these people as trackers for that very purpose, in case of a mass escape."

Elena looked torn, fists clenched. "But still..."

"Just stay out of it and let me handle this, vampire," Aurianna replied, her tone cold. She turned her back on Elena, focusing her attention on the crowd below.

"Heal," she commanded, and her hand glowed with an intense white light that quickly spread across the room. The light enveloped everyone, and after a few moments, it faded, leaving the room buzzing with astonishment and disbelief. The slaves inspected themselves, and gasps filled the air as they realized their wounds were gone. The once horrible scars made by their collars had vanished.

"It’s a miracle!" cried a man, joyfully touching his healed neck.

"A goddess came to save us!" a woman sobbed, her voice filled with reverence.

Even those who had lost limbs found themselves whole again, and recently deceased slaves, whose bodies had been brought in, revived and fully healed, adding to the outcry of awe.

Yelina stepped forward, eyeing Aurianna suspiciously. "That level of healing... are you a saintess?"

Aurianna chuckled softly. "Not yet."

’What does she mean by not yet?’ Yelina thought, a frown deepening on her face.

"Ya’ll should be quiet," Aurianna’s voice cut sharply through the murmurs of the crowd. Her gaze swept over the room, cold and unyielding. "We came to save your worthless lives, whether you like it or not," she continued icily. "I hate slaves. Honestly, you all disgust me. Nothing but a pile of filth waiting to be rescued, willing to endure this suffering and actually thinking it’s a noble attempt to survive. You pray for the day your so-called gods will save you. Pathetic." She laughed, a chilling voice that left the crowd staring, stunned.

"How dare you say that to us after everything we’ve been through!" A man cried out, his voice trembling with anger.

Aurianna’s gaze landed on him, noting his demi human features. "What if we cling to hope to survive, to believe someone might come for us one day—what’s wrong with that?" he demanded. "You stand there in those luxurious clothes, sneering at us—you don’t know anything about our suffering!"

Aurianna’s expression didn’t soften. Instead, her aura intensified, a suffocating pressure spreading through the room, making everyone falter and shudder.

"Are you done blabbering, you useless fool?" she asked, her voice slicing through his words. "I know what it’s like to be kidnapped and sold, to fight and scrape for freedom," she continued coldly. "The only reason I walk free today is because I refused to wait for a miracle. I was ready to die rather than be sold to some slave master."

Her words hung heavy in the air, her voice steady. "I know what hunger feels like. The gnawing, desperate ache in your stomach, and the scraps thrown at you, just enough to keep you alive. I know what it’s like to be a refugee of war, constantly on the run, seeking shelter, clinging to the hope that things might get better. But here’s the truth: after all of that, I couldn’t care less about your circumstances."

Aurianna’s eyes bore into the crowd, her words stinging as they left her lips. "You’re weak, you’re pathetic, and that’s why you’re here as slaves. All of you, eager to blame everyone but yourselves for your misfortunes." Her voice rose with contempt. "You remain soulless cowards because you choose to be! You’re waiting for someone to save you, someone to hand you a new life. That’s why you’re here. That’s why you’re still slaves!"

"If this young demon boy here hadn’t begged me, I wouldn’t have bothered saving any of you fools!" Aurianna scoffed, referring to Demetrius and casting a dismissive look over the crowd. "He offered me his family and his loyalty—that’s the only reason I decided to help. So tell me, what do you have to offer me if I let you leave here?"

The crowd stirred, uncertain, but she continued relentlessly. "And you think life outside will be so peaceful? Think again. Anyone who saw you enslaved could report you, and you’d be back in chains. The cycle would start all over again, and you’d remain slaves, because you’re weak! Do you want to live like this—cattle to be sold, slaughtered, abused by masters? Do you want to continue living this worthless life of yours?" Her voice rang out fiercely. "While you suffer, others enjoy their lives without a care, profiting off your misery. Is that fair?"

Yelina looked at her in awe, a part of her wishing she could speak up. ’She’s actually convincing them,’ Yelina thought. ’Why can’t I bring myself to speak?’

"No! I don’t want this life!" a woman cried, rising to her feet, her gaze locked onto Aurianna with newfound determination. "If serving you can offer me a better life, then I’m willing to join that boy!"

"Me too!" Another voice joined in, and another, until more people began rising, their voices merging into a chorus of resolve.

[Passive skill persuasion: effective.]

Aurianna’s smile grew as she watched the crowd rallying. "Excellent. But what about the rest of you?" She eyed the ones who remained seated, hesitation etched on their faces.

A young girl raised her hand, timid but curious. "I’m scared... Can you really provide a place where we won’t be persecuted for being former slaves? Would we be safe from the Organization’s revenge when they come after us?"

"Yes," Aurianna replied smoothly. "It’ll be a safe place, but you’ll still need to fight to protect it."