C1 Chapter 1

The Cloudveil Continent—seas of clouds rolling and churning.

Amid the rising and falling mountain ridges, a broad, level stretch of land lay hidden away. The sky was wide open, the clouds high, the grass lush and green, and tents dotted the plain—so beautiful it hardly seemed real.

And yet, at that very moment, something unspeakable was about to happen inside one of the roughest tents.

Seven or eight soldiers burst in at once. On a thin blanket inside, a skinny, homely teenage girl gripped a chipped dagger in her hand. She stared them down coldly, not a trace of fear in her eyes.

They called her ugly for a reason: the entire left side of her face was covered in a strange, volcanic-rock-like skin—at first glance, it looked like something out of a nightmare.

But the soldiers, drunk on lust, clearly didn’t see that as a problem.

One of them—their leader—caught sight of the dagger in her hand and let out a scornful snort.

“See that? She’s got a knife. Keep your heads on straight. Don’t go getting yourselves killed over a piece of tail and make me look bad!”

“Hahaha, Boss Wang, you’re worrying too much. Her?”

“Yeah—one finger and I could snap that little waist in half!”

“Watch your mouth,” Boss Wang barked.

“Sorry, sorry—I’m your dog! Your sorry mutt!” the man said, already yanking off his clothes in a few quick pulls. “Boss—no, Grandpa, my dear grandpa—let your grandson go first, yeah?”

His face was twisted with lechery, yellow teeth bared, foul breath spilling out. Without waiting for Boss Wang to answer, he lunged at the girl.

He didn’t even have time to scream. The blade opened his throat in a single cut, leaving a bloody gash. Clutching his neck, he stared at the frail girl in disbelief—then collapsed. His body jerked a few times, and went still.

The sight stunned everyone. The captain’s thick brows drew together, and a hard, murderous look settled over his face.

On the eve of the final showdown, one of their own getting his throat cut—by someone on their side, no less—was a bad sign. A really bad one.

The captain was fiercely protective of his men. Especially now—this might be their last chance to blow off steam. A lot of them didn’t have wives, or they’d been away from them for three or four years. For many, this could be the last time they ever touched a woman.

Women were there to serve men—especially the ones brought to the camp. What else were they for but to be used?

And any woman who dared to fight back deserved to die.

The captain flicked his hand at the others. “Kill her first. Then have your fun.”

A body stayed warm for a while. Wouldn’t ruin anything.

The remaining soldiers’ eyes turned wolfish and bloodshot. With hoarse, animal yells, they lunged at the girl.

Moments later...

The tent filled with nonstop screams...

At last, it drew the attention of nearby troops. Shk—blades came free of their sheaths as soldiers rushed in and surrounded the tent, three rings deep.

Just as someone moved to check inside, a slender figure burst out through the flap.

With soldiers hemming her in on all sides, there was nowhere to run. She stopped, lifting her chin. Her bright eyes were cold as ice.

The soldiers felt something was off. She’d been in the camp for two years, and none of them had ever seen her look this sharp.

The captain stumbled out after her, clutching his groin—his hands and uniform soaked in blood.

“Kill her! Kill her! She wiped out our entire Seventeen Squad!” he screamed.

“I can lead you out of this nightmare,” the girl said, calm and unwavering as she met the soldiers’ gaze. “Kill me, and every one of you—twenty thousand strong—might as well be dead.”