"Disintegration," Star said calmly.

The word left his lips like a quiet judgment.

Pink-silver particles bloomed from his body, beautiful and deadly, drifting through the air like glowing cherry blossoms. At first, the nobles in the grand crystal hall simply stared, mesmerized by the sight. Then the screaming started.

The particles touched a nearby countess. Her elegant gown began dissolving at the hem, threads turning to glowing dust. Her skin followed. She looked down in horror as her legs disintegrated from the knees down, crumbling into sparkling ash. Her scream was cut short as the particles reached her chest. In seconds, she was gone nothing left but a small pile of glowing dust on the polished floor.

Panic exploded across the hall.

"What is this?!"

"Run! Everyone run!"

"Guards! Protect the Prince!"

Star stood motionless in the center of the chaos, silver hair glowing softly, eyes cold and serene. The midnight blue and silver robe fluttered around him as if he were a god of death dressed for a celebration.

[Beautiful,] Jezebel whispered in his mind. [Target the ones closest to Lirien first. The Traditionalists. They will cause trouble later.]

Star moved.

He walked through the screaming crowd like a calm silver haired reaper. A group of nobles tried to flee toward the eastern exit. Star raised his hand. A wave of pink-silver particles swept forward and engulfed them. Their armor, clothes, and flesh dissolved layer by layer. One baron managed to scream "Monster!" before his tongue turned to dust. Another tried to cast a protective barrier, but the particles ate through the magic like acid through paper.

Screams filled the air. People trampled each other in desperation. Some warriors drew swords and charged at Star.

"Foolish," Star said softly.

He flicked his wrist. Disintegration particles formed a thin blade of light. He swung it once. Three charging knights disintegrated mid-stride, their bodies breaking apart before they could even reach him. Their weapons clattered uselessly to the floor.

Lirien stood frozen near the throne dais, eyes wide with disbelief and growing horror.

"Star... what are you doing?" he whispered.

But Star did not answer him because he couldn’t hear him. He continued his man hunt harvesting skills while at it.

The powerful duke who had openly opposed star in court tried to teleport away. Star locked eyes with him. The man’s body froze as Appeal and Disintegration worked together. He climaxed violently in front of everyone before his body began dissolving from the inside out. His final scream was cut short as his lungs turned to dust.

[SSS-rank Spatial Magic harvested,] Jezebel reported. [Refined into Vanish Excellent.]

Star moved faster now, a graceful shadow among the chaos. He targeted the most dangerous nobles those who had whispered against him , those who had looked at Star with lust and contempt, those who he could recognise from the auction and those who represented future threats. Each death was clean, beautiful, and terrifying.

A warrior general raised a massive axe and charged. "Die, you demon!"

Star simply stepped aside and touched the man’s shoulder. The general’s body convulsed in sudden ecstasy before Disintegration ate him alive from the point of contact. His axe fell, embedding itself in the floor as his body crumbled into glowing ash.

[Strength-type skill harvested.]

Jezebel kept count in real time.

[Seven... Eight... Nine...]

The hall was a nightmare of screams and glowing dust. Some nobles managed to escape through hidden passages or emergency teleportation scrolls, but the majority were caught. The beautiful crystal chandeliers above reflected the horror below hundreds of people reduced to nothing but sparkling remains.

Lirien finally snapped out of his shock. He drew his sword, solar fire blazing along the blade, and roared.

"STAR!"

He charged through the chaos, cutting down his own panicked guards who got in the way. His eyes were filled with tears, betrayal, pain, and fury.

Star turned to face him calmly. The pink-silver particles swirled gently around him like a deadly halo as some particles attacked the remaining guests.

Lirien stopped a few meters away, sword trembling in his grip. Tears of rage and heartbreak shone in his purple eyes as he breathed furiously.

"Why?" he demanded, voice cracking. "I gave you everything! I trusted you! I removed the bracelet because I believed in you! I even offered to marry you! Was it all a lie?"

Star looked at him quietly. For the first time in months, he let the mask slip completely. His voice was soft, but ice cold.

"It was never a lie, Lirien. I was always going to leave. You bought me. You chained me. You treated me like a beautiful object. I played the perfect consort because I needed the bracelet removed. Nothing more."

Lirien’s face twisted in agony. "I loved you... in my own way. I would have given you the world."

Star stepped closer. The particles around him did not touch Lirien.

"And I never asked for it," Star replied. "I only ever wanted freedom. You took that from me the moment you bought me at the auction."

"Bull shit! you were happy! I saw it in your eyes!" Lirien asserted.

Star sighed "i indeed was happy for a while. But i never lost sight of my goal."

Tears fell from Lirien’s eyes. "Then kill me. If this is how it ends, at least make it quick."

Star raised his hand. The pink-silver light gathered at his fingertips. He was planning to do it anyways.

"I will be merciful," he said quietly. "For the moments you were kind to me."

He touched Lirien’s chest gently.

Disintegration geared to work.

Lirien gasped as the particles began eating through his royal robes and into his flesh. He dropped his sword and fell to his knees, looking up at Star with a mixture of love, betrayal, and acceptance.

"Even now... you are beautiful," he whispered.

Star watched him without flinching. "Goodbye, Lirien."

Lirien’s body disintegrated slowly, starting from the chest and spreading outward. His final breath left him as his face turned to glowing dust. The last thing to disappear was his silver eyes, still filled with complicated emotion.

[SSS-rank Solar Flair harvested,] Jezebel said. [Refined into Crimson Solar Dominion. A worthy prize.]

Star stood alone in the center of the destroyed hall. Bodies, dust, and broken crystal glasses littered the floor. The once-beautiful gala had become a graveyard.

A soft sound came from behind a fallen pillar. Lady Elara crawled out, trembling, her dress torn and covered in dust for some reason. Her eyes were wide with terror as she looked at the destruction around her.

"Star... what have you done?" she whispered.

Star turned to her. His expression softened slightly. He walked over and helped her to her feet.

"I cleared the path for you," he said calmly. "The Traditionalists who wanted you dead are gone. The rivals who plotted against your bloodline are gone. You are the rightful heir to the Silverveil throne. Take it."

Elara stared at him in horror. "You... you killed them all. Even Lirien."

"He would have killed you eventually.. isn’t that what you said? ," Star replied. "I gave him a quicker death than most. Now the kingdom is yours. Rule it well, Elara. I will support you from the shadows if you need me."

Elara’s hands shook as she looked at the devastation. But slowly, understanding dawned in her eyes. This was her only path to true power and safety.

"I... I accept," she whispered but not that she was fully willing to accept it. This was her fear talking but Star truly didn’t care.

Star nodded. "Good."

She sniffed and walked out of the hall quietly, Star watched her go.

He stood alone in the bloodied, half-destroyed hall. Broken chandeliers hung crookedly from the ceiling. Glowing dust drifted through the air like macabre snow. The scent of blood and devastating magic hung heavy.

He looked down at his hands. The power surging through him felt intoxicating. His powers had evolved. He had evolved.

A soft, eerie sound suddenly echoed through the ruined hall.

Jingle... jingle... jingle...

The sound of bells.

A figure materialized out of thin air near the center of the room. He wore a bright red suit with exaggerated frills and golden bells on his hat and sleeves. His face was painted in classic clown makeup ...white base, red nose, black tears running down his cheeks. A wide, manic grin stretched across his lips. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"Well, well, well," the clown said in a sing-song voice, clapping his gloved hands. "You really cleaned house! Such a pretty massacre. I’m impressed."

Star’s eyes narrowed. He raised his hand and fired a massive ball of red fire straight at the intruder.

The clown laughed and caught the fireball with one hand. He brought it to his mouth and swallowed it whole, licking his lips afterward.

"Spicy!" he exclaimed cheerfully.

Star’s expression turned cold. "Who are you?"

The clown bowed dramatically, bells jingling.

"You can call me... The Jester."

Jezebel’s voice rang urgently in Star’s mind.

[Abnormal anomaly detected. This entity is not normal. Be careful, Star.]

The Jester tilted his head, still grinning.