SSS Class Awakening: Start With A God-Level Choice System-Chapter 155: Caspian’s Despair
Ainsworth controlled the Blood Puppets to transmit the virus to those assassins. After he assimilated them into his Hive Mind, he accessed their memories, and they had indeed been hired by Caspian, who had used his father’s money to hire them.
With both father and son being involved in his assassination, Ainsworth no longer had any scruples about slaughtering the Sterling family.
"I was planning to kill these assassins, but to give Caspian a taste of his own medicine, I might as well pass on the demon race’s torture techniques to those assassins and let them torture Caspian."
With that plan in mind, Ainsworth used the Hive Mind to transfer memories to those assassins.
He had already released the Forbidden Magic: Blood Sacrifice - Cage spell, so all the assassins were no longer imprisoned by him.
With his status as a Five-Star SSS-rank Awakener, Ainsworth no longer had to conjure any evidence to have the reason for slaughtering an entire family lineage. As long as he didn’t kill any fellow SSS-rank Awakeners and anything directly related to them, the Awakener Association won’t hold him accountable.
He had already investigated Caspian and his Sterling family by accessing Earth’s world records via his SSS-rank Grand Archivist class.
[SSS = Once per day, you may forcibly "record" an enemy’s action, memory, or ability into your Archive. For the next 10 minutes, that enemy cannot deny, change, or hide the recorded truth—unless they are above SSS-rank. You may also call upon archived truths, replaying reality as it was, to expose lies or prevent false outcomes. This is not time travel, but narrative anchoring—forcing the world to acknowledge what is true.]
The SSS-rank Class Trait of Grand Archivist had granted him quite a few abilities, and that included accessing archived truths.
Archived truths could be interpreted as either world archives or any truth that had been generated since the birth of that world. Even if it’s a knowledge or information that has already been distorted, like, for example, a historical event being rewritten in history books, he’d still be able to access the unedited version.
He could even call upon the events of that and replay it, allowing others to see what truly happened. It could be said that it was almost impossible for anyone to hide secrets from him.
Due to that class trait, Ainsworth was no longer required to possess World Master Authority to view the world archives. After all, it would really trouble him if he did require it, considering that Earth didn’t allow Awakeners to possess world ownership of it.
It could be said that it’s far more likely to become an X-rank True God or even take 100% ownership of an X-rank World than gain 1% world ownership of Earth.
’From what I’ve checked in the world records, the Sterling Family’s Patriarch, aka Caspian’s Father, merely had a Three-Star S-rank Awakener rank. Even their family’s strongest, Caspian’s grandfather, is merely a One-Star SS-rank Awakener.’
’Even Edenbridge High’s Vice Principal is stronger than the Sterling Family’s Powerhouses, so wiping out their family wouldn’t cause any retaliation from SSS-rank Awakeners. As for whether it will damage my reputation and whatnot, I don’t care much about it, as at least it will make me notorious.’
’If I let the Awakeners know that anyone who offends me will get their family slaughtered, they’ll think twice before offending me. Due to that, no one will dare treat me as a pushover due to my young age.’ 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
Ainsworth knew that while he didn’t lack power, he currently lacked prestige and fame. Massacring the Sterling family, a wealthy first-rate family, would allow others to think twice before offending him.
Of course, he had also not forgotten to tell the Earth Will to publicize his actions of counterinvading the Monster World and Demon World. He had also requested Lucien Arkvale to let the Council of Magi promote his deeds as well.
All of those were for the sake of making up for his lack of background, so that he could be hailed as Humanity’s Hero and be worthy of the Crown Princess of the Valtoria Empire!
’Well, let’s get this over with, as the Sterling family is not worth this much time and effort. After all, I still have to confess to Elyndra and make her my girlfriend!’
With that thought in mind, Ainsworth waved his hand and stored his Blood Puppets and the assassins in a separate dimensional space, carrying them with him.
Afterward, he used Freedom of Movement (SSS) to teleport himself to the Sterling Family’s base!
...
As Ainsworth arrived at the Sterling Family’s base, the stench of blood quickly spread through the air.
The metallic, coppery smell grew thicker by the second as his Blood Puppets descended, tearing through the estate.
Corpses began to pile up, and the family’s screams and pleas soon resounded across the blood-soaked grounds.
"Aaaghh!! Spare me, please!!"
"Help! Somebody help us!!"
"Stay back! Don’t come any closer—AAAHHH!!"
"Monster! You’re a monster!!"
Whether it was their pleas, curses, or screams, Ainsworth turned a deaf ear to them.
A Zombie Apocalypse World was his first Otherworld, and he was already familiar with slaughtering an entire city, let alone a mere family that had less than a thousand members.
Watching his blood puppets slaughter the Sterling family members, Ainsworth stated in an indifferent tone, "On average, the world has more than a hundred thousand deaths per day."
"The extinction of the Sterling Family can contribute to the world by reducing the waste that takes up a share of resources. Their death merely adds to the death statistics."
"And to prevent wasting Earth’s precious lands, I’ll gather all the Sterling Family’s blood and corpses and feed them all to the monsters. That way, all of your deaths can contribute to the world."
"Don’t you agree, Caspian?"
Asking that question, Ainsworth looked back and glanced at a red-haired young man pinned down by Blood Puppets.
The red-haired young man’s jade green eyes glared at him, wanting to kill him, but couldn’t.
Caspian Alaric Sterling was pinned by Blood Puppets whose power was comparable to One-Star SSS-rank Awakeners. Because of that, his mere Two-Star E-rank Awakener power was too low to resist them.
Caspian had already completed his first Otherworld Mission, which was at Hard Difficulty.
Even most geniuses at Edenbridge High wouldn’t dare choose a Nightmare Difficulty Otherworld Mission for their First Otherworld Mission, let alone a Hell Difficulty one.
Ainsworth’s Eleutheron Eclipse Team and Elyndra’s Lazy Valtoria Team, who chose and completed Hell Difficulty and Oblivion Difficulty Otherworld Missions, respectively, were a bunch of monsters!
Even an Awakener like Caspian, who has an SS-rank class and four other members with S-rank and A-rank classes, wouldn’t dare take on a Nightmare Difficulty Otherworld Mission.
After all, they weren’t like Ainsworth, who was previously motivated to avenge his sister, or Elyndra, who would die in the throne succession trial if she failed. Naturally, Caspian and his members, who were born with a golden spoon, wouldn’t dare risk their lives just to become stronger.
Gritting his teeth in anger, Caspian had long wanted to attack Ainsworth, but the Blood Puppets had been suppressing him with just their mana alone.
And so, Caspian was forced to watch helplessly as all members of the Sterling family were slaughtered by those Blood Puppets.
"Not talking? It seems the death of those extended family members isn’t enough, so I’ll include your parents."
Noticing Caspian’s impotent rage, who only kept gritting his teeth, Ainsworth felt bored, so he used Freedom of Speech and Ultimate Freedom as he commanded, "Recall all the Sterling family members into their base, no matter where they are, as long as they aren’t participating in Otherworld Missions."
"Give Caspian’s parents some preferential treatment and let them appear tied up with their power sealed in front of him."
When Caspian heard Ainsworth’s command, his face turned pale.
Moments later, countless Sterling family members who had been scattered throughout the world were forcibly dragged into the base, their terrified eyes darting about as Blood Puppets bound them in chains of blood.
"W-what’s going on!?"
"Release me!!"
"Save us! Please, someone save us!"
The cries only grew more frantic as the Blood Puppets descended upon them. Limbs were torn apart, throats were ripped open, and fresh pools of blood spread across the already tainted floor. The coppery stench became so thick it was suffocating.
All the while, Caspian could only watch as the remaining members of his clan were slaughtered one after another. Their screams blended into a chorus of despair, until only two figures were left standing before him.
Bound in blood chains, stripped of their strength, and forced to kneel in humiliation were his parents—his father, Joseph Alaric Sterling, and his mother, Megan Sterling.
"No..." Caspian’s voice cracked as his jade-green eyes widened in horror. "Not them... Please, not them!"
But Ainsworth only looked at him indifferently, as though his pleas were no more than background noise.
"Extended family, cousins, vassals—it seems none of them were enough to make you speak. Very well," Ainsworth’s tone was calm, almost casual. "Then I will take what you value most."
