Chapter 22: Echoes of Carnage

The crescent moon hung high,

bathing the forest in cold silver light

The rebel encampment was a

graveyard of broken bodies and

shattered ambitions. Zhen Yang

strode through the carnage, his boots

crunching over shattered weapons

and severed limbs. Blood slicked the

ground, pooling in dark craters where

his enemies had fallen.

His crimson robe bore the marks of

battle, torn and soaked in the life

essence of those who dared oppose

him. He exuded a quiet menace, each

step weighted with purpose.Behind him, Kaia followed. Her sword

was still drawn, dripping crimson

The flames of their assault still

licked the edges of the camp,

painting the sky an ominous red.

"My lord," she began, her voice

steady despite the carnage

surrounding them. "The leaders have

been captured. They await your

judgment".

Zhen Yang nodded without a word,

his eyes gleaming with a predatory

light.The rebel leaders knelt in a row,

bound and bloodied. Some glared

defiantly, others trembled in abject

terror. One man, older with streaks of

gray in his hair, spat at Zhen Yang as

he approached.

"You're no better than the tyrants we

fought to overthrow," he snarled

"Your power will crumble just as

theirs did!"

Zhen Yang crouched before him,

tilting his head slightly. He smiled--a

cold, humorless smile that sent chills

through the rebels.

"Is that so?"" he murmured. "And yet

here you kneel, broken and defeated

What does that say about your

cause?"The man opened his mouth to retort,

but Zhen Yang's hand shot out,

gripping his face like a vice. With an

almost casual motion, he lifted the

man off the ground.

"Words are meaningless to the dead,"

Zhen Yang said softly. Then, with a

sudden twist, he snapped the man's

neck, the sickening crunch echoing

through the camp

The other prisoners recoiled, their

defiance giving way to horror.

Kaia stepped forward, her expression

unreadable. "My lord, what shall we

do with the others?"Zhen Yang didn't answer

immediately. He turned to the next

prisoner, a young man barely out of

his teens. The boy whimpered, tears

streaming down his face.

"Mercy, please," he begged, his voice

cracking. "I was forced to fight-l

didn't want this!"

Zhen Yang's gaze bore into him,

unrelenting. "You held a sword, didn't

you? You raised it against me.

Whether by choice or coercion, you

chose to oppose me. The abyss does

not forgive weakness."With a flick of his hand, a surge of

crimson flame erupted, engulfing the

boy. His screams tore through the

night, haunting and brief. The scent

of charred flesh filled the air, and

silence followed.

The remaining prisoners shuddered,

their spirits utterly crushed

One of the rebel leaders, a woman

with a jagged scar running down her

cheek, met Zhen Yang's gaze.

Though fear shadowed her eyes, she

managed to speak.

"What do you hope to gain by

slaughtering us?" she demanded

"You've already won. What more do

you want?"Zhen Yang knelt before her, his tone

calm yet laced with menace. "I want

to make an example of you. "Let the

world know that resistance is futile,

and betrayal is met with more than

death-it's met with annihilation."

He grabbed her wrist, pulling her

hand to his chest. Her screams

began anew as dark energy seeped

from his body into hers, eating away

at her flesh like acid. Her arm

disintegrated in a matter of

moments, leaving behind a charred

stump.

The other prisoners watched in

abject terror, their will to resist

utterly shattered,Kaia stepped back, the brutality even

shaking her resolve. "Is this

necessary, my lord?" she asked

cautiously.

Zhen Yang turned to her, his eyes

blazing. "Necessary? No. But it's

effective. Fear is a tool, Kaia. Learn

to wield it, and you'll never need to

fight the same battle twice.

When the executions were complete

the rebel camp was left in ruins. The

bodies of the prisoners were hung

from makeshift gallows, their

bloodied forms a grim warning to

any who dared defy Zhen YangAs dawn approached, Zhen Yang

stood at the edge of a cliff, gazing

out over the horizon. The rising sun

painted the landscape in hues of red

and gold, a stark contrast to the

devastation below.

"Kaia," he said, his voice soft but

firm. "The world will hate me. They

will call me a monster, a tyrant. But it

doesn't matter. Power demands

sacrifice, and I will pay any price to

claim my throne."

Kaia nodded, though unease lingered

in her heart. She had chosen to

follow him, to stand by his side no

matter the cost. But as she looked at

the carnage they left behind, she

couldn't shake the feeling that they

were stepping further into darknessAnd the world would soon tremble

before the shadow of the Abyssal

Sovereign.