Chapter 16 : The God of Death Returns
They walked toward the palace.
From a distance, guards and soldiers noticed them and raised their hands, shouting for them to stop. But Rudravaan did not slow his pace.
With every step he took, his killing intent grew heavier—denser, vaster, overwhelming the world around him. It spread like an unseen tide, crushing everything in its path. Fenlor and Henry instinctively fell back, following him from a distance. Even they struggled to endure the pressure.
Each step carried death.
The soldiers ahead began to feel it long before Rudravaan reached them. Their breathing became erratic. Knees trembled. Weapons slipped from shaking hands. Some tried to shout orders—but no sound came out.
Fear arrived first.
No commands were given. No battle cries echoed.
Only silence—thick, crushing silence—as slaughter itself advanced toward the palace.
As Rudravaan drew closer, soldiers began to split apart under the sheer weight of his killing intent. Bodies fell without blades ever being drawn, sliced apart as if an invisible blade had passed through them.
The palace erupted in screams.
Terrified cries echoed through the streets, spreading across the entire kingdom. Doors flew open as citizens poured out, desperate to understand what horror had descended upon them. Panic spread like wildfire.
Even the emperor felt it.
Shaken by the chaos, he ordered more soldiers and attendants to investigate. But the truth revealed itself before they could return.
The streets had become rivers of blood.
Bodies lay piled across stone and soil, twisted and broken—as if they had been slaughtered before they could even resist. No signs of battle. No struggle.
Only death.
Inside the palace, servants and guards collapsed to the floor at the sight. Some screamed. Others fled blindly, scrambling toward the emperor's chambers.
Their voices trembled as they cried out:
"A–a… the God of Death has descended!"
The emperor could no longer hide.
With shaking legs, he approached the palace window. The moment he looked outside, terror seized his heart.
Sweat poured down his face as his knees nearly gave way. Amid the sea of corpses and blood-soaked stone, he saw him—
Rudravaan.
Walking calmly toward the palace entrance.
The emperor froze.
"H-how is he alive…?" he whispered.
At the same moment, Henry clutched Fenlor's hand tightly, his body trembling as if he were staring at a ghost. Half the kingdom had been slaughtered—brutally, effortlessly, by a single man.
Even Fenlor, a trained swordsman, felt his resolve shatter.
Rudravaan showed no mercy. No satisfaction.
He killed only those responsible for the kingdom's suffering, advancing through the palace without hesitation, without remorse.
Then—he noticed it.
Someone was watching.
Rudravaan tilted his head slightly and lifted his gaze, locking eyes with the emperor.
The emperor collapsed to the floor.
Sweat drenched his body as he bit into his nails, his mind empty, his heart screaming in fear.
Rudravaan whispered to himself,
"I should have killed everyone that day… even if it meant dying myself."
He continued forward.
Behind him, Fenlor suddenly stopped. He pulled Henry back and whispered,
"We should stay here. I don't know what he's about to do. It's better not to go any further."
Henry nodded silently.
They waited.
Rudravaan did not turn back.
Or perhaps—he simply did not care.
His killing intent flooded the palace halls. Some soldiers collapsed instantly, fainting under its pressure. Others were torn apart before they could even scream.
Rudravaan stepped into the throne room.
His voice echoed like judgment itself.
"Do you really think I can't find you?"
"Still hiding behind the throne?"
Elias stumbled out, his face pale, his body trembling uncontrollably. He dropped to the floor, unable to raise his head.
The sight of him only deepened Rudravaan's fury. His killing intent surged violently—then stopped, barely restrained.
Rudravaan spoke coldly.
"Do you remember the war?"
"How you begged for your life?"
"You cried, saying you had a family."
Elias sobbed, tears streaming down his face.
"I–I'm sorry! Please forgive me! I won't do it again!"
"I'll give you everything—money, women, alcohol—anything you want!"
His voice broke.
"Even the throne! Take it! Take my crown!"
In desperation, he tore at his clothes, stripping away the last of his dignity, collapsing at Rudravaan's feet.
"Please…" he begged. "Just once… forgive me."
Rudravaan covered his eyes and laughed.
A hollow, furious laugh.
He lowered his hand, eyes burning with hatred.
"Forgive you?"
"After what you did to my people?"
"Do you really think I don't know?"
Elias clutched Rudravaan's legs, begging.
Rudravaan crouched down, his voice calm—terrifyingly so.
"I've thought about this since the moment I returned."
"Should I leave you to my people?"
"They don't understand torture. They would simply stone you… or behead you."
"That would be mercy."
His eyes darkened.
"So I chose something else."
"I will keep you alive."
"And I will make you suffer—"
"—in every way I can imagine."
Then his voice turned colder still.
"But first… my people need to see you."
Elias screamed as Rudravaan grabbed him by the neck and hurled him out of the palace window like trash.
Elias hit the ground hard and ran for his life.
From above, Rudravaan watched without emotion.
Fenlor and Henry saw a half-naked man sprinting through the streets. The people saw him too. Parents dragged their children inside. Others recognized him—and rage exploded.
Stones flew.
Elias screamed as the crowd surrounded him, beating him, cursing him.
Then—
a thunderous impact shook the ground.
Rudravaan landed among them.
He raised a single hand.
The crowd froze.
Silence spread.
Only then did they truly see him.
Their emperor.
Some fell to their knees, sobbing with joy. Tears flowed freely as people gathered around him, unable to believe it.
Rudravaan spoke gently.
"I'm sorry I returned so late," he said. "But I promise you—this will never happen again."
Voices trembled in reply.
"We're happy you're alive, Emperor!"
Rudravaan nodded. Then his expression hardened.
"But first," he said, turning away, "we must finish this."
He approached Elias.
"Don't worry," he said coldly. "You won't die today."
He turned to the people.
"Take him. Put him in the deepest prison."
They obeyed without hesitation, dragging Elias away as his screams echoed through the streets.
Rudravaan walked back to Fenlor and Henry.
"Don't tell Morvyn what happened here," he said quietly.
They nodded.
"We're leaving immediately," Rudravaan continued. "We need to tell the people in the shelter—the kingdom has been reclaimed."