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"You didn't have to give him that chance," Signora said softly, walking beside Dave. "He tried to kill your people. He nearly struck Dugu Yan. And still… you spared him. You even gave him power."

Dave kept his gaze on the horizon, the waves gently lapping at his feet.

"I saw something in his eyes," he replied after a moment. "He didn't want to kill. He was just… broken. Like a weapon no one knew how to use properly anymore. I've seen too many like him—raised in hatred, forced to obey orders. But deep down… they're still human."

Signora tilted her head slightly. "You know that makes you dangerous, right?"

Dave glanced at her. "Because I show mercy?"

"Because you can look someone in the eye—even if they tried to kill you—and still recognize their pain," she said. "That kind of mercy… it topples empires."

He chuckled lightly. "So you're here to make sure I don't go soft?"

"I'm here because I love you," she said without hesitation, folding her arms with a smirk. "But yes. Also that."

A short distance away, Meilin and Dugu Yan were lying on the sand, watching the two of them talk.

"…He's really building a harem of powerful women," Dugu Yan muttered.

"Yeah," Meilin whispered back. "And they're all insanely strong."

"We better start training harder," Dugu Yan sighed. "Otherwise, we'll just be background characters by next month."

They both groaned but laughed, stretching out under the warm sun.

Nearby, Signora gently placed a hand on Dave's shoulder.

"So what now?" she asked, her voice carrying warmth and curiosity.

Dave turned to her with a relaxed grin. "What else? Let's go back and enjoy the rest of the day."

Without waiting for a reply, he began walking casually toward the beach, brushing sand from his arms. He waved to the others with a small gesture. "Come on. We're not done relaxing."

Signora followed with an amused smile. "You really do shift moods fast, huh?"

"Well, I promised a vacation," Dave said with a shrug, looking back at her. "Even if it meant fighting assassins in between."

She laughed softly, then reached up to adjust the collar of his shirt. "You're lucky I like chaos."

As they returned to the beachfire, Dave crouched down and started preparing lunch again, like nothing unusual had happened. Soon, the smell of grilled meat and herbs filled the air.

Signora sat next to him, her expression calm and content. "Just don't burn it this time."

"I never do," he replied smugly.

"Right," she said dryly, resting her chin in her palm with a teasing look. "You just 'enthusiastically caramelize' everything."

The waves gently brushed the shore while the scent of sizzling food filled the breeze. Overhead, a few seagulls circled lazily, and the golden sun cast everything in a warm glow.

Dave flipped a skewer of meat with a satisfied nod. "Perfect sear," he said to himself.

Meilin stretched out nearby with her hands behind her head. "Hard to believe we were almost assassinated an hour ago," she said with a chuckle. "Now we're sunbathing like nothing happened."

"That's the magic of vacation," Dugu Yan added, sipping an iced drink. "Even the chaos takes lunch breaks."

Signora reclined next to Dave, legs crossed gracefully. The usual frost that clung to her seemed to melt away in the beach's warmth.

"I've decided," she said with a sly smile, watching him cook. "If you keep making food like this, I might forgive you for not summoning me sooner."

"Oh?" Dave raised an eyebrow. "And if I said I was saving you for special occasions?"

"Then this counts," she replied smoothly. "Considering I just froze a Level 94 assassin between surfing and lunch."

Dugu Yan cracked one eye open. "Ultimate Douluo life sounds dramatic."

"Exhausting," Meilin agreed. "I'll stick with mid-tier for now."

They all laughed lightly, the tension melting away into the peaceful sounds of waves and laughter.

But far from the sunny beach and easy smiles, the sky over the hidden Dark Heaven Clan burned crimson.

Alarms screamed through the mountains. Ancient spirit formations flickered and struggled, failing to contain the storm of destruction raining down upon them.

Shadow Reaper Hui had returned.

But this wasn't the loyal assassin they once controlled in secret.

This was a monster they created—and failed to leash.

He moved like a ghost of vengeance, his body glowing with a deep crimson light, his power now rivaling the clan's top elders. One wave of his hand destroyed an entire hall, sending shattered stone and blood flying through the air.

"HUI!" an elder roared from a collapsing tower, disbelief and rage on his face. "You dare attack your own family?!"

"My family?" Hui's voice came cold and empty. "You used my mother. You turned me into a weapon. Not once did you ever ask what I wanted."

With a blur, he appeared in front of the man and drove his serpent-bladed dagger through his throat. The elder choked, blood spilling, before his body crumbled into ash under the surge of Hui's power.

Another elder launched a defensive spirit array, summoning talismans and dozens of guards.

Hui didn't stop.

In ten minutes, he had already killed two Level 95 elders, destroyed four buildings, and shattered the outer barriers of the main estate.

He didn't attack blindly. His fury was controlled—focused. He avoided innocents and struck only those with blood-stained hands: the ones who ordered, allowed, or ignored the cruelty in the sect.

From high above, a jade-robed woman stared from a spirit tower, horrified.

"He's… killing everyone. Is that really Hui?"

Down in the collapsing chamber, the Sect Master stood surrounded by flickering spirit lanterns.

His fists trembled as he stared at the massive crimson aura swallowing the valley.

"No…" he whispered. "This can't be happening."

Then his voice turned into a furious roar.

"That's why I told you all to poison him!"

The elders shrank back.

They had been so sure he would never grow strong enough to threaten them. That's why they never made a plan to kill him if he went rogue.

They never thought they'd need one.

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