Starting out as a Dragon Slave-Chapter 156: Blood Puppeteer

Silence had fallen like a lead blanket in the dark and freezing cell, only disturbed by the slight residual crackling of magical energy that still floated around Mordred. He remained motionless, contemplating his now powerful and perfectly stable hands, feeling each cell, each particle of his body vibrating with unimaginable power.

Ygdrasyle observed his companion with a wary gaze, his golden pupils scrutinizing him attentively, trying in vain to understand what he had just witnessed. He slowly opened his mouth, as if to say something, but suddenly his body tensed violently. His slave collar vibrated, heating slightly against his skin. A familiar voice, cold, authoritative and emotionless, resonated directly in his mind with icy precision:

- "Ygdrasyle, explain to me immediately what is happening. We have detected an anomaly. Why has Mordred’s collar deactivated?"

Ygdrasyle felt a drop of cold sweat slowly run down his temple. His heart accelerated despite himself as his gaze automatically turned toward Mordred. The latter, perfectly still, stared at Ygdrasyle with his flaming pupils, impenetrable but clearly attentive to what would follow.

The voice continued, implacable:

- "The collar can only be removed upon the slave’s death. It explodes if someone attempts to remove it by force. Mordred is therefore dead. I want you to tell me exactly how this happened. Now."

Ygdrasyle swallowed hard. He hadn’t anticipated such a complication, but his sharp and tactical mind immediately sought a credible response to provide. He knew the consequences of a lie, but he also knew the immediate danger of revealing the truth. He looked at Mordred one last time, searching in his gaze for implicit confirmation of what he should do. Mordred didn’t move, but his burning orange eyes seemed to clearly indicate what he expected from him: protection, cover.

Ygdrasyle sighed slowly, then took a deep breath before responding mentally, clearly and composedly:

- "We were in an unstable section of the human underground, carrying out our instructions. The ground suddenly collapsed under our feet. Mordred... he didn’t even have time to react. He was crushed by the debris. His body was completely buried. I couldn’t do anything to help him."

The voice, cold and implacable, remained silent for a few seconds, as if judging the credibility of this response.

Ygdrasyle felt a glacial mental pressure invade him, scrutinizing his thoughts, seeking to detect a lie. He resisted with all his strength against this brutal intrusion, his experienced mind remaining perfectly calm, controlled, like still water, without the slightest ripple on the surface.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the voice let out an annoyed sigh, clearly irritated by this unexpected setback:

- "What a useless loss... Mordred was promising. I expected more from him. No matter. Join the main army immediately. Preparations for the king’s arrival and the noble families are almost complete. We don’t have the luxury of wasting more time on insignificant details."

Ygdrasyle instinctively bowed his head in a gesture of submission, even though no one could see him:

- "At your orders, I’m leaving immediately to join the main army."

The voice brutally cut the connection, leaving Ygdrasyle slightly breathless, as if freed from a crushing mental vise. He remained motionless for a few more seconds, his eyes staring into the void before him, before finally slowly turning his head toward Mordred.

- "They believe you’re dead, Mordred. For now, at least."

Mordred approached softly, with a fluid and powerful step, almost feline in his new elegance. He stared at Ygdrasyle with that burning gaze, troubling in its depth and contained power.

- "Thank you," he said simply, his voice calm, composed, but filled with sincere gratitude.

Ygdrasyle frowned slightly, then sighed softly:

- "I don’t know what you’ve become, Mordred. I don’t even know who you really are. But I’ve chosen my side, it seems."

Mordred nodded slowly:

- "You won’t regret it."

Ygdrasyle had a small ironic smile, almost bitter:

- "Let’s hope so. But for now, they’re waiting for me up there. I must join the army before doubt sets in."

Mordred nodded, his expression becoming serious, concentrated:

- "Go, do what you must do. I’ll join you soon."

Ygdrasyle hesitated for a few more seconds, then gave a slight nod before turning around and quickly disappearing into the darkness of the underground corridor, his silent steps rapidly fading away.

Now alone, Mordred slowly closed his eyes, breathing deeply. He felt the intense power of his reunited being pulse calmly in his veins. This conversation he had just heard confirmed that the dragons believed him dead a crucial advantage, at least for the moment.

A thin smile, almost cruel, slowly formed on his lips. He knew that fate awaited him up there, in the flames of this devastating war. But for the first time in a very long time, he felt perfectly ready.

Because now, he was no longer simply a pawn. He was the unexpected, the grain of sand in the perfectly oiled draconic machinery, a free and terrifying force that no one could predict or control.

- "Soon," he murmured softly, his eyes opening again, burning like two miniature suns in the glacial darkness.

- "Very soon."

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Mordred slowly ventured into the depths of the prison, now absolute master of his movements and his regained power. Each step was sure, each movement perfectly controlled. The orange glow of his eyes pierced the darkness, like a flaming beacon, clearly indicating his presence to anyone who might have observed him.

The underground corridors were silent, bathed in an almost supernatural calm. But suddenly, a weak and hoarse voice rose from a cell on his left:

- "Hey! Who... who’s there? Help us! Please!"

Mordred slowly turned his head and approached the armored door with thick bars. Behind them, several thin and starved silhouettes stood in the shadow, their eyes sunken in their sockets, their faces marked by distress. Hunters. Most of them B-rank, a few C-rank, all abandoned in these forgotten dungeons since the draconic invasion.

- "Free us, please! We’re dying of hunger and thirst..." pleaded a man with a trembling voice, weakly gripping the rusted bars.

Mordred stared at them in silence, his face impassive, his eyes burning with intensity. Another man, more arrogant despite his miserable condition, stepped forward slightly, his voice tinged with desperate threat:

- "Free us now or we’ll kill you as soon as we get out of here, bastard!"

Mordred smiled coldly. An icy grimace, devoid of humor or warmth.

- "You would kill your only hope? What human stupidity..." he murmured calmly, nonchalantly opening the cell with a gesture.

The prisoners instinctively stepped back, surprised by the audacity and evident power that Mordred emanated. He slowly raised a hand, exposing his palm where a small drop of scarlet blood slightly pearled, charged with magic.

- "I make you a simple proposition. Submit to me, become my agents in the new world I will build, or die here, abandoned to oblivion."

Icy silence followed his words. Then, after a few seconds of hesitation, a young hunter, barely able to stand, timidly stepped forward.

- "I... I accept... do what you want, but I don’t want to die..."

Mordred nodded calmly and delicately placed his hand on the young man’s forehead. Immediately, his blood charged with draconic energy penetrated the hunter’s organism. Instantly, Mordred felt a powerful and absolute bond create itself, allowing him to totally control this hunter at will.

A system notification immediately appeared before his eyes:

[New Skill Unlocked]

[Blood Puppeteer]

[Thanks to your draconic blood enhanced by the Moon Stones and your system, you can now place a drop of your blood in a living organism to take total control of it at any time.] free𝑤ebnovel.com

Satisfied, Mordred turned his attention to the other prisoners, staring at them coldly.

- "And you, what about it?"

But the majority of them stepped back, horrified by this scene, screaming and protesting violently.

- "Never! I refuse to become the slave of a monster like you!" spat the arrogant man with contempt.

Mordred sighed, without apparent emotion, he moved so quickly that no prisoner could follow him with their eyes, he reappeared before the prisoner, whose legs now swung in the void. His hand slowly tightened and they heard the bones and muscles of the neck tear under Mordred’s monstrous force. Their cries of terror were very brief, leaving behind them only macabre silence.

[Ding, +0.1 strenght]

- "The choice was yours," he murmured simply, impassive.

Thus, he repeated this cold and implacable process in each cell, recruiting some terrified and submissive hunters, ruthlessly destroying all those who dared refuse.

Finally, Mordred reached the last cell, located at the very end of the dark corridor. He immediately felt a different aura behind the bars, more intense, stronger. He opened the door with caution, and his eyes widened slightly with surprise.

A woman stood there, sitting nonchalantly against the wall, her legs crossed in front of her, her mid-length black hair cascading over her shoulders. She seemed perfectly calm despite her condition, almost feline in her posture, her fine and elegant face slightly raised toward him, eyes closed.

Hearing the footsteps, she slowly opened her eyelids, revealing piercing green eyes, bright with sharp intelligence and silent defiance.

- "Well, what a pleasant surprise..." she said in a soft voice but charged with provocative arrogance. "A visitor after all this time. I was beginning to get bored."

Mordred slightly narrowed his eyes, intrigued by her unusual confidence.

- "Who are you?"

She smiled, a playful smile, seductive, but also clearly dangerous.

- "Livia. A-rank hunter, once one of the best, before they threw me here for judging me too independent. And you, handsome stranger?"

- "I am the one who will change this world," Mordred replied coldly, without hesitation.

Livia burst into light and feline laughter, slowly rising with supple and provocative elegance.

- "Change the world? Ambitious... and so arrogant. I like that. But I don’t submit to anyone without valid reason."

Mordred approached, intrigued by her audacity. "What do you mean?"

She slowly advanced, until she stood just before him, her defiant gaze planted deeply in his.

- "Let’s fight. If you manage to defeat me, then I’ll submit without condition. I’ll become your most faithful agent, your most loyal shadow. But if I win... you simply free me, without asking questions."

Mordred smiled slowly, recognizing a will that could be precious in the times to come.

- "Very well. Accepted."

She smiled even more, her eyes sparkling with feline excitement.

- "Excellent choice. I just hope you won’t disappoint me."

And in a fraction of a second, she leaped toward him, launching the confrontation with astonishing speed and power.

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