But two of them endured it.
Not completely, but in the instant the pressure fell, they reacted.
They sprang up at the same time. Not to attack, but to run.
One dashed toward the back of the estate, trying to use the buildings to break line of sight. The other sprinted for the cliff, intending to jump into the sea and escape.
A sensible choice.
If it were anyone else, it might have worked.
But the one standing here was Bullet.
He did not even turn around.
He simply raised his right hand toward the direction they were fleeing and closed his fingers, as if grasping empty air.
A pitch-black dragon claw extended, its talons carrying that muted dark-violet sheen that looked strangely unnatural under the moonlight.
Then the claw's phantom image flashed through the air and vanished.
The agent running for the estate had barely made it ten meters when he felt his throat tighten.
Crack.
A crisp sound of bone splitting rang out.
His neck twisted at an unnatural angle. It was as if an invisible giant hand had seized him. His feet left the ground, he hung there for half a second, and then he collapsed limply.
His eyes were wide open. He died without understanding what had happened.
The other agent, the one racing toward the cliff, met the same fate at the same instant.
He was only three meters from the edge. He could already see the sea below.
But that invisible force caught his neck with precision, snapped his spine, and ended his life.
Two bodies hit the ground at the same time.
The entire process took less than three seconds.
No screams. No struggle. Only the quiet that comes when death arrives cleanly.
Bullet walked up to one of the unconscious agents who looked like a leader and crouched down.
"Stop pretending once you wake up," he said evenly. "I know you've already regained consciousness."
The agent's body stiffened, then his eyes opened slowly.
They were eyes filled with terror, the pupils contracting sharply.
He tried to speak, but only a rasping, choking sound came from his throat.
Bullet placed a hand on his forehead.
Not to kill him, but to heal him.
Not out of mercy, but because he needed the man to talk.
Three seconds later, the agent could make sound again.
"Y-you… what do you want to know?" His voice was hoarse, but direct.
As a CP agent, he understood the situation too well.
If the other side kept him alive, it was for intelligence. Cooperate and he might still die. Refuse and he would definitely die, and it would not be quick.
"Smart," Bullet said with a slight nod.
"First question. What is the specific objective of this operation?"
"To erase the last members of the Oliventa family, and recover all research materials related to ancient writing and the Void Century," the agent answered without hesitation. "Anna Oliventa and her grandfather are the primary targets. Dead or alive. But the research results must be retrieved."
"Second question. Why is the World Government so fixated on the Oliventa family?"
"There are more scholar families in the South Blue than just them."
The agent fell silent for a brief moment.
Bullet's fingers pressed slightly harder, and a thread of dark energy seeped into the agent's body.
Not devouring, but erosion.
Pain spread from the level of his cells, a sensation of being broken down from within. The agent screamed instantly.
"I'll talk! I'll talk!" he howled.
"Because the Oliventa family… they touched the 'forbidden name'!"
"Forbidden name?"
"D…"
The agent lowered his voice to a near whisper, as if the letter itself could invite disaster.
"The Oliventa family's research found that the Void Century is directly connected to the Clan of D."
"They even… deciphered part of the ancient writing, proving that the Will of D is the 'enemy of the gods.'"
Enemy of the gods.
Bullet narrowed his eyes.
So the World Government's obsession with erasing historical research was probably not only about hiding the Void Century itself.
"Third question," Bullet continued.
"How much do you know about Nidhogg?"
The agent froze.
"Nidh… hogg?"
He repeated the name, confusion flashing in his eyes. "I've never heard of it… wait!"
Something struck him. His face went even paler.
"In the deepest part of the archives… there's a top-secret file listed as an 'ancient taboo of the Celestial Dragons,' code name: 'Gnawer.'"
"They say it's an existence even the Five Elders refuse to mention. Any related research is destroyed immediately."
He looked at Bullet, his voice shaking.
"It seems you don't know more than that," Bullet cut him off.
"Fourth question. What level of force will the World Government send next to hunt us?"
"An elite CP0 squad, at least twenty people, led by a 'captain-class' commander," the agent replied quickly. "If that fails again, they may deploy reserve members of the 'God's Knights'… or request Admiral support from the Marines."
God's Knights.
Bullet knew that name.
The Celestial Dragons' private force. Each member was said to be at least comparable to a Marine Vice Admiral, all of them selected elites among the Celestial Dragons.
"Last question," Bullet said.
"How much do you know about the Oliventa family's secret base at Crescent Bay?"
This time the agent was genuinely shocked.
"Y-you… how do you know Crescent Bay?!" he blurted, then realized he had revealed too much. "No, I mean…"
"You do know," Bullet said with certainty.
"And you've already sent people there, haven't you?"
The agent's face went white. He did not dare answer.
But silence was an answer by itself.