CHAPTER 22:- BROKEN LEGACY

Elsewhere…

Axel and Shila watched in stunned silence as the enforcer stepped forward, his expression unreadable. The silver star on his uniform marked him as someone far beyond them—a Silver-ranked awakener.

He stood tall, exuding power and authority, his indifference as cold as the steel in his grip.

"So you're the one causing all the trouble," the enforcer muttered.

The beast — bolted.

Terror flashed across its monstrous face as it turned and fled it's massive legs churning to carry it away. But before it could get far, the enforcer disappeared—vanishing in a blur of movement—only to reappear in front of the fleeing beast in the very next instant.

With one swift motion, he plunged his hand into the monster's chest.

A sickening squelch filled the air.

The beast shrieked in agony, thrashing wildly as blood poured from the gaping wound in its torso. Yet, even as it writhed, its flesh struggled to regenerate, attempting to heal the fatal wound.

The enforcer simply tightened his grip.

Without hesitation, he crushed the beast's heart in his fist.

A sickening crack. A final, shuddering gasp.

And then—silence.

The monstrous body collapsed to the floor, motionless. Dead.

Axel and Shila could only stare, their minds unable to fully process what had just happened.

The terror that had ravaged the estate. The monster that had torn through nobles, guards, and guests alike. The unstoppable creature that had reduced everything to chaos and bloodshed…

Had just been killed.

Effortlessly.

By one man.

The sheer difference in power was terrifying.

But for the first time since the enforcer arrived, his expression changed.

Shock.

A flicker of genuine surprise crossed his face as he took a step closer to the beast's lifeless body.

Something was wrong.

Both Axel and Shila felt it.

When the enforcer bent down slightly, his eyes narrowed in disbelief.

Because beneath him, the body was changing.

The grotesque, monstrous form began to shrink.

Fur receded. Claws withdrew. Muscles collapsed in on themselves as the enormous, horrifying creature slowly morphed back into something else.

A boy.

Blonde hair. Pale skin. No older than fifteen.

The same boy the enforcer had dismissed earlier. The one from the Rodriguez family.

Axel felt the blood drain from his face.

Shila's breath hitched in horror.

And the enforcer—

Stood there in silence.

No one knew what thoughts were running through his mind.

No one knew what calculations he was making.

But as he stared down at the corpse of the boy he had just killed,

The air grew heavy with something unspoken.

And for the first time that night—

Something far worse than a beast's rampage was about to begin, then they all heard it, as a shrill scream pierced the estate, the enforcer turned and disappeared in an instant. Axel and Shila looked at each other in bewilderment.

The halls were filled with fire, the estate was burning down, the enforcer reached the manor in seconds, moving through the fire in a blur, his body shielded by some unseen force. He strode through the burning wreckage, the flames unable to touch him, his footsteps were steady, his eyes unwavering as he stared, at the door in front which was the source of the scream. He stopped among the ruins was a burning corpse - presumed female - lying amidst the wreckage.

His green eyes glinted with quiet intensity as he stared at the scene.

The air reeked of burning wood and flesh, the scent clinging to Dio's black leather jacket as he moved out of the manor the flames not touching him. His crimson eyes reflected the inferno consuming the Rodriguez manor—a fitting end to a place that was never his home.

Jatom Rodriguez staggered through the smoke,of the burning manor, coughing, his once-pristine coat now torn and stained with soot. He had been searching for James, desperate to find him. He had no idea that his golden son was long gone, transformed into the very monster that had torn through the party, leaving corpses in its wake.

He turned a corner and froze.

Dio stood before him, leaning against a crumbling wall, watching with an expression of detached curiosity. His white hair, damp from the night air, clung to his forehead. His hands were tucked into his jacket pockets, and his stance was relaxed—too relaxed for someone whose house was burning to the ground.

Jatom's eyes widened, a flicker of relief crossing his features. "Dio," he gasped, stepping forward. "You... Must have seen James. Come, take me to him at once, he ordered leading ahead."

Dio tilted his head, crimson eyes gleaming in the firelight, as he stared at jatom's back. "James?" He let the name roll off his tongue, savoring the weight of it. "You mean the beast?"

Turning, jatom's face contorted in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Dio sighed, pushing off the wall. "James is dead. Or rather, he's something else now. Something mindless." He took a step forward, his boots crunching against the gravel. "The serum worked, in a way. But it took everything from him in return."

Jatom shook his head, stumbling back. "what serum? what rubbish are you babbling on about?" His eyes burning with fury he stomped towards Dio grabbing him by the collar, staring down at Dio his eyes bloodshot. "You better tell me where my son is you bastard, or I swear on my own father's grave that's I am going throw you straight into that fire! Where is he! Where is James!!" Dio staring calmly at jatom, as he reached out and casually used his hand to grip jatoms and casually squeezed, Crack! "Ahhh!!" Jatom screamed in pain dropping Dio and clutching his broken wrist, staring at Dio in fear, "I new you were a monster" thaw!! he said spitting on the ground next to Dio in disgust. Dio calmly Looked down at jatom " I didn't do anything to your precious son,jatom,wanting to prove himself to the world wanting so bad to live up to your expectations and to Eric's that he was willing to do whatever it takes to guarantee his success to the top, whatever happened it was all his own doing, all I did, was giving a little push" he said smiling wickedly. Jatom looked down at the ground his eyes clouded with sorrow "You don't understand James he was supposed to.."

"Redeem this pathetic excuse of a family?" Dio interrupted, his voice cold. "To take you to the upper district? to return back your status? Its always about you, even now as you find out your son could potentially be dead, what you're most worried about? of course yourself."

Jatom's expression twisted into anger. "You shut the hell up who are you to judge me! James had potential, he would have taken me far, no longer would I be known as the disowned noble. Unlike you." He spat the words, years of resentment boiling to the surface. "You were always a disappointment! A stain on my name! If it weren't for Celine's infidelity, you wouldn't even exist!"

Dio smiled. It wasn't a pleasant smile. It was the kind of smile that sent chills down the spine, the kind that promised nothing but misery.

" Yes you made it abundantly clear lot's of times?" he whispered, stepping closer.

Jatom's breath hitched.

"You treated me like trash my entire life. And for what?" Dio's voice was eerily calm, the words precise, calculated. "Because | wasn't yours? Because | wasn't good enough?" He let out a small chuckle. "But you know what's funny, Jatom?" Dio leaned in, his face inches away. "In the end, I'm the one standing here. And you... you re kneeling before me sniffing like a dog."

Jatom lunged, anger and desperation overtaking reason. His fist swung towards Dio's face, a last-ditch effort to assert dominance.

Dio didn't move.

The moment Jatom's hand entered Dio's reach, it happened.

Nullification.

Jatom's entire body seized up as his strength was stripped away. The energy that powered every muscle, every nervegone. His vision blurred, his knees buckling as he collapsed before Dio, powerless.

He gasped, staring at the boy—the child he had never once called his own

"W-What... What did you do?"

Dio crouched, resting his elbow on his knee. "I took everything," he murmured. "The same way you took everything from me.

Jatom tried to move, but his limbs were weak, as if his very essence had been drained. He was nothing more than a fragile old man now, trembling at the feet of the son he had never wanted.

Dio reached into his pocket, pulling out a sleek black knife. The blade gleamed in the firelight. "No guards to protect you. No noble status to shield you. All your kids has either left or abandoned you" He twirled the knife lazily in his fingers. "I wonder... Did you ever regret it? The way you lived all your life kneeling before others, begging, scraping and now you'd die the same way, on your knees, maybe in your next life you would try to do better."

Jatom's breathing was ragged. "You..."

"You can't... I'm your father!"

Dio's smile never left his face.

"No, you're not."

As he stabbed the dagger straight under jatom's jaw the blade jutting out the top of his head

Jatom's eyes widened in shock, his mouth opening as if to speak—but no words came. Blood pooled staining the dirt road as he tried to gasp for air. Dio watched, emotionless, as the life drained from his father's eyes.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then Dio stood, wiping the blood from his blade onto Jatom's coat.With a match he lit the body on fire, watching as the flames caught.

Then he walked away, stepping over the corpse without a second glance. The flames crackled behind him, their glow illuminating the destruction he had wrought. As he vanished into the smoke.