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Under the watchful eyes of all the slaves, Noir slowly raised his long, dark blade.
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A flash of inky light swept down, severing the thick iron chains of the prison cell with a clean slice.
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The heavy iron door creaked open, and the reality of their rescue finally sank in for the slaves. Someone had come to save them!
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Bang!
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The slaves, still in disbelief, pushed open the door, stepping out of their living hell.
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Men and women, old and young, tall and short, of every race imaginable, supported and embraced each other as they emerged from their cells.
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"Are we... truly free?"
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A young woman, her body covered in bruises, whispered the question, her hand covering her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes.
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Her trembling voice reached everyone''s ears. When they saw Noir''s gentle smile, they finally broke down, sobbing and crying out with joy, "We''re free!"
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After years, even decades of enslavement, they had abandoned all hope. Now, freedom had finally come.
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They embraced, regardless of race or gender, shedding tears of relief and releasing the pent-up emotions they had endured for so long.
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Imprisoned for countless days and nights, they had lost their families and friends, lost everything, even their dignity as human beings. To each other, they had become family.
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An elderly marlin fish-man, his spirit still unbroken despite his age, hobbled forward on a wooden cane and dropped to his knees before Noir.
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Tears streamed down his face as he cried out, "Savior! Thank you!"
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The others, who had been weeping individually, seemed to receive a signal from the old man''s cry. They fell to their knees in unison, echoing his words,
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"Thank you, Savior!"
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Wyper, witnessing the mass of kneeling figures, felt the knot in his heart loosen. Noir, leaning on his sword, roared impatiently, "Get up!"
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The freed slaves flinched, but Noir''s voice continued, "I didn''t save you so you could continue acting like slaves!"
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"No more kneeling! Escape first!"
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The slaves gazed at Noir with gratitude, but they remained on their knees, only shifting to a half-kneeling position, their heads bowed stubbornly.
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To them, this was the only way they knew how to express their immense gratitude.
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The elderly fish-man became their spokesperson, his head still bowed. "We will obey, Savior, but please forgive us. We must express our heartfelt thanks!"
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Noir, realizing he couldn''t change their minds, smiled wryly and relented.
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There was no point in trying to impose his world''s customs on them, where kneeling was reserved for heaven, earth, and parents.
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Fortunately, the freed slaves weren''t as unruly as Noir had feared. They all regarded him as a savior sent from heaven.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
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This only highlighted the extent of the mental and physical trauma the Celestial Dragons had inflicted upon them.
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The slightest glimmer of hope was enough to make them cling to it with all their might, overflowing with gratitude for the one who had brought them that light.
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Once Noir had managed to get the slaves to stand, he began issuing instructions.
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"We have to hurry. We need to rescue as many of your fellow slaves as possible. Can you still fight?"
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Among the slaves were former pirates and guards. They quickly armed themselves with whatever they could find – wooden sticks, debris – the very tools that had been used to torture them.
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They raised their makeshift weapons above their heads, their voices ringing out.
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"We have plenty of strength left!"
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"We''ll follow our Savior! We''ll free our brothers and sisters!"
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"Leave those damned guards to us!"
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"Women and children, hide behind us!"
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Even the elderly and the women and children clutched weapons, while those capable of fighting shielded them. Noir felt a surge of emotion as he saw the determination in their eyes.
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Regardless of their past identities, if they managed to escape, these people would become the closest of friends, a family bound not by blood but by shared hardship and newfound freedom.
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With Noir and Wyper leading the way, the group, their spirits renewed, charged out of the prison.
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The guards stationed outside finally noticed the commotion and rushed forward, attempting to suppress the uprising.
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Noir didn''t even bother looking at them. He raised Devil Blade above his head, pointed it at the guards, and calmly declared, "Kill them all!!"
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"Roar!"
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"Kill!"
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Despite their wounds and scars, the flames of defiance burned brightly within their hearts. They charged forward fearlessly!
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The air filled with the sounds of clashing weapons and battle cries. The slaves, once lifeless and resigned, now fought like cornered animals, their eyes blazing with a desperate desire for freedom.
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The guards were caught off guard, overwhelmed by the slaves'' sudden ferocity.
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Even when the guards'' blades found their mark, the slaves didn''t flinch. They grappled with their enemies, willing to trade blow for blow.
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The guards couldn''t understand why these people, enslaved for so long, were so unafraid of death. Wouldn''t escaping only to die be utterly meaningless?
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What the guards didn''t realize was that, for the slaves, a valiant death in battle was far less terrifying than a life devoid of hope, dignity, and anyone who cared.
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The two sides clashed in close combat. Even the elite guards were struggling against the slaves'' desperate onslaught. Noir, observing their fighting spirit, nodded in satisfaction.
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Though this advantage wouldn''t last, it was a testament to the slaves'' newfound resolve.
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Noir looked back at the blood-soaked prison, his eyes glinting with cold fury. He placed his hands on the prison walls.
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Black flames, unseen for a while, erupted from his palms. The terrifying heat spread across the surface of the prison, and in an instant, Amaterasu engulfed the entire structure.
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The guards watched in stunned silence as the prison that had held the slaves captive for years was consumed by flames. The liberated slaves erupted in cheers.
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Orange-red flames danced in the air. Noir quickly ignited several torches and tossed them to the slaves.
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"Finish them quickly! Once you''ve rescued your comrades, burn these damned prisons to the ground!!"
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Noir''s words resonated deeply with the slaves. Their fighting spirit intensified, and they roared in unison, "Yes, Savior!"
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Under the protection of Noir and Wyper, the slaves stormed into one prison after another.
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The once silent prisons became battlegrounds, filled with the clamor of fighting and the terrifying roar of flames and smoke.
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Within the prisons, as the newly freed slaves expressed their gratitude, the armed slaves shook their heads and said solemnly,
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"If you want to thank someone, thank the Black-Clad Savior!"
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The freed slaves asked, puzzled, "Who is the Black-Clad Savior?"
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The armed slaves grinned, their eyes filled with admiration and fanaticism. "He is the one who saved us all!!"
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And so, as one prison after another fell, a shared faith ignited within the hearts of all the slaves – a faith in the powerful Savior clad in black, wielding a black blade and wielding black flames.
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That man was the light of all their people!