The fall of Valkart family

The night was heavy with silence, the kind of silence that only existed before a storm. Torches flickered across the vast grounds of the Valkart mansion, shadows dancing along the walls like restless spirits. Guards patrolled in pairs, their armor clinking lightly, unaware that their last night of duty had already begun.

From the far end of the estate, a boy in a black coat and a black mask walked slowly, his steps measured and without hesitation. Ark’s aura was calm, almost suffocating in its stillness. To the guards, he seemed nothing more than a shadow that had peeled away from the darkness itself.

“Who goes there!?” one guard shouted, raising his sword.

Ark didn’t answer. His hand brushed the hilt at his side. In the next instant, the guard’s scream tore through the night, and his body collapsed as his head rolled onto the cold grass.

The other guards froze. Blood pooled, steam rising from the warm life that had been cut short in a single strike too fast for the human eye to follow.

“Enemy attack! Protect the mansion!” one cried.

But before their voices could rally others, Ark moved. His sword flashed, a streak of silver under the moonlight, and one by one they fell. In the blink of an eye, silence returned—broken only by the sound of steel dripping with blood.

Ark exhaled softly, sheathing his blade. No one here will live to sound an alarm. Tonight belongs to us.

He advanced toward the heart of the estate—the grand party hall where the Valkart family entertained their noble guests.

—

Inside the mansion, laughter and music spilled through the air. The chandeliers blazed with golden light, wine flowed in crystal glasses, and nobles exchanged shallow smiles behind their masks. Every corner of the hall glittered with wealth and arrogance.

At the center of it all sat the Valkart family.

Sam Valkart, the head of the house, raised his glass proudly while chatting with fellow noble lords. His wife, Lisa, laughed delicately among noblewomen, her voice smooth but edged with venom. And Leon, sitting with his group of spoiled companions, bragged about his latest hunts and victories.

None of them had the slightest idea that death was already crawling toward their hall.

—

Outside, Ark walked calmly through corridors now littered with fallen guards. Each step echoed faintly, marking his slow but unstoppable approach. Then, just ahead, a group of soldiers appeared. Unlike the others, these men moved with discipline and strength, forming a protective wall at the entrance to the grand hall.

At their center stood a man clad in heavier armor, his presence commanding—the chief guard of the Valkart family. His eyes narrowed as he noticed the black-coated figure approaching through the bloodied hall.

“Who are you!?” the chief barked, raising his massive sword. “Show your face, coward!”

Ark tilted his head slightly. He said nothing. The mask gleamed in the dim light, hiding his expression but not the killing intent that seeped from his body like a suffocating fog.

“You think you can just walk in here?” The chief spat to the side and tightened his grip. “Men! Ready your blades!”

The four elite guards at his side drew their weapons. Their steps were firm, their eyes sharp. They had fought in wars, faced monsters, and survived—but none of their experience prepared them for Ark.

Ark moved.

It was not a charge, not a desperate rush. It was a step, precise and calm. Yet by the time the guards realized, one of their own was already falling, his head severed cleanly, rolling across the marble floor.

The others barely had time to raise their swords before Ark’s blade weaved between them. One strike cut through armor like paper. Another thrust pierced a throat, silencing a scream. Blood sprayed across the polished walls.

The chief roared, swinging his massive sword in a wide arc meant to cleave Ark in two. But Ark ducked under it effortlessly, his mask inches from the man’s chest, and whispered, “Too slow.”

A single motion followed. Steel hissed through the air.

The chief staggered, confusion flickering in his eyes as he looked down to see his own blood spilling freely. He dropped to his knees, his weapon clattering uselessly to the floor. With one final gasp, his head separated from his shoulders, rolling to join the others.

Ark wiped his blade clean with a single flick. “No one is left to stop me.”

He pushed the doors open.

—

The grand hall was still alive with laughter, the nobles oblivious. But then, without warning, darkness swallowed the room. The chandeliers dimmed and extinguished, plunging the hall into silence.

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

“What is happening!?” Sam Valkart’s voice thundered across the hall. “Someone, check the lights!”

A moment later, the chandeliers blazed again. But this time, the nobles froze.

They were no longer surrounded by laughter and wine. They were surrounded by beast humans.

Twelve girls stood at the edges of the hall, their chains broken, their eyes blazing with fire. And behind them, stepping forward in his black mask and black coat, was Ark.

Sam Valkart’s face twisted in rage. “You… What is the meaning of this? Disgusting creatures, how dare you defile my hall!”

Ark’s voice cut through the silence, calm and cold.

“Congratulations, Valkart family. Tonight marks the end of your reign.”

The nobles recoiled, whispers spreading like wildfire. Some panicked, some tried to leave, but the sound of explosions shook the mansion. Flames erupted from outside, windows shattering as smoke and fire consumed the outer wings of the estate. Screams filled the night as guests and workers fled, chaos devouring the party.

Sam Valkart’s bravado faltered, his face pale. “This… this can’t be…”

He tried to cast a spell, his hands glowing faintly. But the magic fizzled, sparks dying before they could form. His eyes widened.

“Impossible!” he shouted. “Why won’t it work!?”

Ark stepped closer, the air around him heavy with invisible pressure. “I nullified your magic. Without it, you are nothing more than a weak man hiding behind wealth.”

Lisa’s face drained of color, her hands trembling. Leon stood, his arrogance shattered, his voice trembling. “F-father… what do we do!?”

The beast human girls stepped forward, their claws and fangs bared, fury in their eyes.

Sam Valkart stumbled back, sweat dripping down his forehead. “Wait—listen! I can pay you! I can give you freedom! Just don’t—”

But his words were drowned by the voices of those he had enslaved.

“You beat us like toys.”
“You treated us as insects.”
“You called us filthy, worthless.”
“You laughed while we suffered.”

Each voice carried years of torment, breaking through the walls of the hall like thunder.

Ark raised his sword and lowered his gaze. “I leave you all to your karma.”

The beast humans surged forward, their cries echoing through the burning mansion as the Valkart family’s screams filled the night.

Outside, the flames climbed higher, painting the sky red. The once-proud Valkart mansion crumbled under fire and fury, its legacy erased in a single night.

Ark stood at the edge of the hall, his mask gleaming in the light of the inferno. His voice, calm and final, whispered into the night.

“This was inevitable.”