Cruelty

Multiple presences appeared outside the house. None of them appeared as anything impressive, so I ignored them. I found a few books, and the system was happy to translate them for me. While most birds weren't known for their brains, phoenixes were exceptions. Their songs had many variations with nuance that controlled their host's experience. Some of their songs improved recovery, made their slaves stronger, and some could kill with their songs.

I mean, attacks moving at the speed of sound would be impressive if I couldn't use qi beams. Killing speed for me wasn't an issue. The buffs, healing, and permanent effects were intriguing, but I couldn't trust one of these filthy degenerate birds. Why not use this opportunity to practice?

At age 11, I didn't think my body could survive moving faster than the speed of sound. Still, phoenix songs that could naturally boost physical strength permanently over time could be useful. Maybe I could train a few up with some selective breeding. I already planned to make the perfect meat phoenix. So why not make the perfect support phoenix as well.

I pulled my stylus from my inventory and created an application with a simple activation key.

Spellfire blew open the front door, and a group of tactically equipped elves marched inside. I opened a window and hopped out before flying to the roof.

The invading elves were too slow. Despite their chimp-level speeds, I was already on the roof when they entered. I clapped my hands, and the building caught fire. I put my formation stylus away before channeling the earth. Stone block rose from the ground covering the building's exits. By doing this, the building became airtight, and the fire in the building went out after burning up all the oxygen inside.

A few pops later, most of the invasion team were out. Jim was already up, staring down at the elves and wizards.

"You know we're only 2 stories up; a fall from here won't kill you unless you plan to land on your head. If so, you better get it right the first time." I said.

"Do you have to be so cruel?" Jim asked.

"It's how I deal with stress. Before today I thought I had a nice and backward wizarding world with all its real estate and facilities intact. With a little **** here and some political intrigue there, I could easily become the shadow ruler of the wizarding world. Instead, I have a mess to clean up. Look at this place and tell me it isn't sad." I said.

"My wife and children are dead, and I can't even remember their names," Jim said.

"I'm sure the answers are somewhere in all the bird shit," I said.

One of the larger phoenixes dive-bombed with its talons raised for Jim's back. I turned and snatched the bird out of the air. When I pulled at its leg, it shrieked as I ripped and tore. It tried to flame to avoid the pain, but I stopped the process.

"No, you can't do this to me. I'm of the light. You can't just kill a creature of the light." The phoenix said.

"When you say things like that, the only thing I hear is please kill me and make it painful, daddy."

The bird's leg tore free with a pop, and I burned away the feathers with ease. Once the leg was nice and charred, I took a bite. Cries of outrage rang out amongst the phoenixes as I ate what I wanted and threw the bone away. The wings continued to flap as I ripped the other leg away. Tears flowed freely from the bird as I charred the other leg.

"You really shouldn't have gotten close to me. I may not have 11 herbs and spices to season you with, but I know how roast a chicken, and I'm starving." I said.

Blood poured from the phoenix's wound, and I picked and burned the phoenix. Arrows from the elves and spells from the wizards fired as I wiped away the tears and tasted them. Honestly, even as I moaned in satisfaction, I was putting on a show. I should learn to cook before I even think about starting up a restaurant.

A man with moonlight blonde hair and the face of a generic snob floated up the edge of the roof on an old broomstick. "I am Lucius Malfoy, and I've come to bargain on behalf of the great phoenix lord Gehenna." The man said.

Honestly, he was practically asking me to give him a hard time.

"What power does a **** have to bargain? If this phoenix lord has something to say, he can come out." I said.

"I am not a **** as a lord of a formerly great noble house; I am not food. You are the same heir Potter as an heir to a formerly great noble house you won't be eaten." The wizard said.

Then it clicked. I knew precisely what Lucius Malfoy was.

"Go on sing the praises of your owner like a good doggy. Can you also sit and fetch? Have they neutered you, yet I don't know if I want you around Jim; if you haven't, he might get pregnant?" I said.

"Listen to me, boy, they have this place surrounded, and anti-apparition wards are up. So there is no escape for you. But if you bow your head and accept some pain, they may be lenient to the rest of us." Lucius said.

"Or I can kill them all. Wow, that one managed to turn back into a chick. So, the limitless food plan isn't impossible then. Why do phoenixes eat brains anyway? There have to be easier sources of food?" I asked.

"It's to better attune themselves to our magic. By eating us, they can better control us." Lucius said.

"Wrong answer, but it was a good guess. I doubt they would tell their pet many secrets. No one talks politics with their dog. That's just silly." I said and leaped off the building.

A whole chorus of phoenixes broke out into song, and I answered them with qi beams to the chest. Then, I appeared amongst them, stopping their flaming, threw the lot of them in a pile, and pumped them full of dark qi.

"Let's begin operation dark phoenix," I said and began molding the birds' mutations like clay. Honestly, there was no telling what would happen, but I was excited to find out.