C17 No Mercy No Regrets No Humanity

The gate guards collapsed before they even realized they were under attack, while others got blown Into pieces.

Then, a century of paratroopers climbed the walls, breached the inner courtyard, and stormed into the estate with precision fire. Gunfire ripped through the halls.

Servants screamed, noblewomen sobbed, and the once proud marquis stood at the top of the grand staircase, his ceremonial gladius and pistol drawn, refusing to surrender. His still managed to say his last words.

"I am a descendant of Imperator himself! You cannot kill me like some..."

A hail of 6.8 mm bullets ended him. By 3:00 AM, the entire Eastern Province had fallen silent. The estates of every earl and marquis had been seized.

Some surrendered and were dragged to the capital in chains. Others resisted and were cut down with merciless efficiency. But the worst was still to come.

Unlike the smaller nobles, the Grand Dukes knew there would be no mercy. They had spent centuries building their private armies, fortifying their ancestral homes, and amassing power in defiance of the Imperial Throne.

They believed they were untouchable. They were wrong. The Northern Highlands were home to Grand Duke Cassius Von Death, one of the most powerful branches of the Imperial Family.

His stronghold, an ancient fortress built into the mountains, was defended by over a thousand soldiers, heavy machine guns, and artillery pieces.

He thought he could hold out. He thought he could survive. He thought he could bargain. But at 4:30 AM, the paratroopers launched their assault.

Under the cover of darkness and snow, the soon to be shock troopers that would become every hostile nations head of state nightmares infiltrated the outer defenses, planting explosives and neutralizing artillery crews before the defenders even realized what was happening.

Then, the main force struck. Trucks roared up the mountain path, their headlights off, delivering wave after wave of paratroopers, each armed with assault rifles and supportive weapons, grenades, and demolition charges.

The fortress became a slaughterhouse. Bullets tore through defenders, RPGs ripped through bunkers, and the once proud army of the Grand Duke collapsed in a matter of hours.

In the end. The Grand Duke, his wife, his sons, his daughters. They were all dragged into the main courtyard, where fire and smoke filled the air. The Paratrooper primus the commander of the paratrooper cohort that attacked the grand duke gave a single order.

"By the order of the Imperator execute them all."

The Grand Duke spat blood, his face bruised and swollen.

"You can kill me, but Ducatum will burn for this betrayal!"

The primus didn't flinch.

"No, it won't."

Then, he raised his assault rifle and pulled the trigger himself with the firing squad already lined up joining In. The Grand Duke's skull snapped backward, his body collapsing into the snow stained red.

Then, one by one, the entire family followed. Their bodies were piled into the burning ruins of their once great home. And by the time dawn arrived.

The Northern Highlands belonged to the Imperator. As the first light of the sun touched the capital, the entire city awoke to a new reality. The Imperial Family was no more.

Some had been executed. Some had been thrown into the streets, stripped of everything but basics. Some had taken their own lives rather than kneel.

But in the end, the result was the same. By morning, there was only one Von Death left even the ex-Emperor himself had renounced his family name.

Only one name remained. Only one man sat upon the steel throne soaked In blood. The old world was gone. And in its place. A new soon to be Imperium forged in fire and blood. ALL HAIL THE IMPERATOR!.

...

MC POV January 2.

I woke up to pain. A dull, bone deep throbbing in my skull, as if a warhammer had caved it in overnight.

A headache so massive it felt like my brain was trying to split itself in half, punishing me for my sins from the night before.

The scent of liquor, perfume, and smoke clung to the air, a heavy mixture of luxury and excess. Dozens of soft, delicate bodies pressed against me from every direction, their warm skin, their slow, steady breathing, the remnants of a night drowned in hedonism.

I blinked, trying to clear the haze from my vision, and took in the absolute carnage of my surroundings.

The massive king-sized bed, draped in sheets of Imperial black, red, white and gold, was now a battlefield of bare limbs, tangled silks, and discarded clothes.

The floor was littered with empty liquor bottles, half eaten platters of exotic fruits, and the faint traces of spilled wine staining the expensive furs that covered the marble.

Near the fireplace, Lupa snored, sprawled lazily across a massive pile of fur rugs, her metal-plated tail twitching slightly in her sleep. I exhaled, rubbing a hand down my swollen from overdrinking face.

"F*cking hell…"

I leaned forward, my elbows resting on my knees, as I replayed all the bad choices I had made in my life. And then. Movement.

A few of the maids stirred, their soft, sleepy murmurs filling the quiet morning air. One of them, a woman with sun kissed skin and deep emerald eyes, draped herself lazily over my shoulder, her delicate fingers trailing across my bare chest.

"Mmm… Imperator… you were a beast last night…"

She whispered, pressing her lips to my neck. Another maid, a younger blonde with violet eyes, shifted against me, her voice honeyed with desire.

"How about we play some more, Imperator?"

"Leave."

My voice was low, flat. They didn't listen. Instead, they giggled thinking I was throwing a temper tantrum, pressing closer, whispering more sickly sweet words, their fingers exploring my pale tattoed skin, thinking that seduction was still an option.

Finally I snapped as I did for a moment pitch black blood vessels appeared under my eyebags.

"LEAVE."

I roared, my voice ripped through the air like a blade, the sheer force of it making the maids freeze mid motion.

Near the door, the two paratroopers standing guard the same ones who had stood completely still throughout the entire debauchery of the night finally moved.

They stepped forward, their combat boots covered footfalls heavy, their expressions blank, their assault rifles held firmly across their chests.

The maids stiffened, their faces draining of color. They had forgotten. Forgotten that this wasn't the room of some soft handed nobleman.

Forgotten that I no longer was some spoiled prince to be manipulated with whispers and skin. I was a coldblooded murderer that gave the order to kill countless people with some families being completely erased from existence over night just a few hours back.

And I was not in the mood. The dozen of maids hurriedly grabbed whatever scraps of fabric they could to cover themselves, their once alluring movements now clumsy and panicked as they scurried toward the door.

The paratroopers followed them with their cold, silent stares, making sure they left without incident. Once the door shut behind them, the room was finally quiet.

I stood, my movements slow, heavy, my head still pounding, my body aching from exhaustion and alcohol.

Stumbling slightly, I collapsed Into the ancient, luxurious armchair next to the crackling fireplace, running a hand through my messy white hair. Lupa stirred, lifting her head to stare at me with those golden, intelligent eyes, as if to say.

"You f*cked up last night, huh?"

I let out a dry chuckle.

"Yeah, yeah… I know."

I sighed, stretching my sore muscles, and finally did what I had been planning to do since waking up. I opened my system.

The crimson interface flickered into existence before my eyes, glowing dimly as I scrolled through the available augmentations.

And there it was. Brain surgical augmentations, the very same ones the MC first performed on himself and his battle brothers.

Basically what they did was to remove things such as fear, doubt, hesitation and evrything else that would decrease ones combat effectiveness.

I stared at the descriptions. I already knew what I was about to do. But something inside me hesitated. I was still human. I still felt things.

The guilt. The exhaustion. The emotional weight of what I had done. If I went through with this… If I confirmed this augmentation… Would I still be me? …But then I remembered.

I remembered the face of the man I had executed I could recall every detail clearly as day and I knew I would remember that scene for the rest of my life and no amounts of liquir or sinful flesh would ever help me forget.

I remembered the cold sweat on my skin after vomiting in the hallway. I remembered the powerless, trembling hesitation in my hands when I had first raised my sword.

And most of all the f*cking filthy psionic evil side energy Increasing In my body with each second, I could feel It slowly corroding my mind like a f*cking parasyte which I wrote It to be.