They came out of nowhere — four of them, wrapped in cloaks of wind and dust, eyes burning with fury, strength radiating like wildfire.
Each one above 78% purity. Maybe even 80.
"DEATH TO THE SOLAS FAMILY!"
"FREE OUR PEOPLE!"
Their voices echoed like thunder through the mountains.
And they didn't come to talk.
They came to kill.
Swords clashed. The guards moved first, intercepting the ambush. Drenched in excitement, Dren Malvek leapt into battle like a blood-hungry beast, blade already coated red within seconds. But even he , ruthless, monstrous, near savage , started bleeding within the first minute.
The two guards assigned by Kaelion engaged the remaining rebels. Their motions were mechanical, brutal, cold. A dance of death played out before the mountains.
Rin watched it all. Standing in the center of the storm. Protected. Surrounded. Untouched.
He smiled.
Like he was watching a theater performance.
A gruesome, exhilarating show.
Then, his smile twisted , soured.
Veins bulged across his temple, eyes narrowing.
Why? Why were they forcing his hand?
The rage swelled in him like molten iron.
Another scream.
One of the rebels sliced into a guard, ripping his arm clean off. The man didn't even scream, just clenched his jaw and kept fighting.
Rin thought that they were going all out for this act.
Dren took a blade through the arm, blood spilling , yet the mad grin never left his face. He laughed, and laughed, as if pain were a lover.
Then, one rebel broke free , dashed through the fray, slipping past the weakened lines, cutting down soldiers on his path. His blade pointed straight at Rin.
And Rin?
He didn't flinch.
One of the guards intercepted, blocking the assassin with a roar. "Run, my prince! We can't hold them much longer!"
But Rin's face was cold as ice.
He spoke not with panic, but with disgust.
His voice calm. Sharp. Deadly.
"If everyone cuts off both their feet… and bites off their arms… right now…"
His eyes glowed crimson.
"I'll let this incident go."
Chaos almost stopped. Confusion rippled. Even in the middle of battle, people froze.
"Sir, please—"
"What are you saying?!"
"You have to run! This is no time for games!"
But Rin's gaze never shifted from the assassin.
"Tell me," Rin said softly, "what will you do now?"
The rebel's teeth were clenched. Hate burned from every inch of his soul. "DEATH TO THE SOLAS FAMILY!" he screamed. "Today I'll kill the inbred bastard myself!"
Rin threw his head back and laughed.
Long. Loud. Unhinged.
"Very well then..."
His hand dipped into his cloak.
"Then it's death for everyone."
He pulled out a small orb. Red. Glowing. Silent.
The Soul Shatter Bomb.
The moment it left his cloak, time seemed to stop.
The guards.
The rebels.
Even Dren paused mid-swing.
"Sir… why… why do you have that…"
"Please… run…"
One soldier fell to his knees. Another turned pale.
"These kinds of tricks won't work," one of the rebels barked.
But Rin only laughed harder.
He have been waiting to kill them for more than month.
"Kaelion's lapdogs. All of you."
His voice dipped into venom.
"Don't worry. After I kill you all… I'll skin your corpses and burn what's left."
Everyone ran.
Soldiers. Rebels. Even Dren began retreating.
But it was already too late.
Rin whispered, "Too slow."
And he threw the bomb.
A blinding light swallowed the sky.
Then , silence.