Ch-10 “You Were Just Alone”

The silence that followed the Emperor's question was thick.

"So… is this everything you learned from the life you lived?"

Vareon said nothing.

But his answer came loud and clear—

Through his blade.

[The Battle of Blood and Bonds Begins]

In the next instant, Vareon moved.

No words. No hesitation. Just raw, unleashed violence.

The Emperor was ready.

Their blades met with a thunderclap, a burst of wind erupting from the clash strong enough to topple nearby ruins. In the blink of an eye, both vanished—reappearing mid-air, steel and force colliding in blinding flurries.

They weren't fighting like mortals.

They were Body Refining Tier 5 Royals—masters of their spirit-enhanced physiology, pushing the boundaries of what flesh and blood should be able to do.

Each movement shattered sound barriers, sending aftershocks through the land. The air trembled with every strike, their forms almost invisible to any below Tier 4—mere blurs of divine combat.

And then—

They flew.

Not by wings, but by force.

By focusing their Spiritual Force into their legs, they launched themselves into the sky, dashing, rebounding, and gliding through the air as if gravity was just another rule they'd decided to break.

From the ground, only two auras were visible:

One blazing gold—the Emperor, a beacon of righteous power.

The other a deep, writhing black—Vareon, cloaked in chaos and ambition.

The heavens roared as they clashed in midair, sword to sword, shockwave to shockwave. Fields below cracked. Lakes trembled. Even the sun seemed dimmer beneath the intensity of their fury.

[A Father's Desperation]

The Emperor gritted his teeth, drawing deep from the core of his Spiritual Force.

He infused it all—his pain, his fear, his duty—into his blade.

"Forgive me, my people…"

With a mighty cry, he swung his sword, unleashing a wave of pure golden force that split the land in two. The slash ripped through valleys and cities, tearing across half the empire in a streak of destruction.

Thousands died.

But the Emperor didn't falter. His eyes were locked on one thing—his son.

"If I don't stop him now… more will die."

[The Son's Madness]

The golden arc hit Vareon like divine judgment.

He was flung back, his body burned, bones cracked, and chaos energy leaking from every wound. He should've fallen. Should've stopped.

But instead—he laughed.

Blood poured from his mouth as he grinned wildly, eyes filled with defiance and shadow.

"This is freedom!" he screamed.

And then—

He pushed through the pain.Through the light.Through the sky.

Vareon vanished from view, moving with every last shred of speed and force he could summon, blurring toward the Emperor like a black star crashing through the sky.

And before the Emperor could raise his blade—

Vareon's sword pierced through his heart.

[The Death of a Legacy]

Time stopped.

The golden aura flickered.

The Emperor's eyes widened—but not in fear. In sorrow.

He placed a trembling hand on his son's shoulder.

"You were never weak… You were just… alone."

His body went limp.

The light faded.

The Emperor of Ryehem… fell.