The battlefield had fallen silent.
Ryan Jim stood still, his body battered, his aura flickering like a dying flame. Manav stood in front of him, his face devoid of any emotion, as if nothing had happened.
But Vinay…
Vinay was **shaking.**
His hands trembled, his breath came in ragged gasps, and his golden aura flickered uncontrollably. His once-monstrous presence now felt **unstable, broken.**
Then, he laughed. A hollow, bitter laugh.
**"You… really don't care, do you?"** Vinay muttered, his voice hoarse.
Manav didn't respond. He only **stared.**
That made Vinay's blood boil.
**"DO YOU EVEN HAVE A HEART?!"**
His voice **shattered the silence** like a thunderclap. His golden aura **flared violently**, the air around him distorting with his raw, unstable power.
Ryan Jim watched, his usual cold demeanor flickering for the first time.
Vinay clenched his fists, his nails **digging into his own skin.**
Then—his voice dropped.
A whisper.
**"Do you even remember what you did to my great-grandfather?"**
Manav remained silent.
Vinay let out a deep breath, **his eyes brimming with rage and sorrow.**
And then—he spoke.
Decades ago…
His great-grandfather, **Varun**, was a legend.
Not just a warrior, but a leader—**one who fought for peace, for justice.** He was the commander of an empire that **once rivaled Manav's own forces.** A man loved by his people, respected by his allies.
But then—**Manav appeared.**
Varun had heard of the tyrant, the cold strategist who **never once showed mercy.**
Yet, he never feared him.
**"Manav isn't a god,"** Varun had said. **"He is just a man, like the rest of us."**
Vinay had **idolized** him.
To him, his great-grandfather was **unstoppable.** A force of nature. A warrior who **couldn't be broken.**
But then… the war came.
Manav never fought directly.
**He didn't need to.**
He **sent his commanders, his armies, his war machines.**
And Varun?
**He was outnumbered. Outmatched. Slowly, his empire was stripped away, piece by piece.**
But still—**he never surrendered.**
Even when his armies fell.
Even when his generals abandoned him.
Even when his closest allies turned against him.
Varun stood alone.
Then came the final night.
**The night Manav gave the order.**
He didn't come himself.
He didn't raise a blade.
He simply **gave the command.**
And in the dead of night, Manav's forces descended upon Varun's last stronghold.
His great-grandfather fought.
He fought until his sword **broke.**
Until his body **collapsed.**
Until his enemies **dragged him to his knees.**
And then—Manav's commanders stood before him.
And **without a word,** they executed him.
No trial. No speech. No final words.
**Just silence.**
And when Vinay—just a child at the time—heard of his great-grandfather's death…
Something inside him **snapped.**
**"I will destroy him."**
That was the moment his life changed.
He trained.
He grew.
He became stronger than anyone before him.
And finally, he stood here today—**face to face with the one responsible.**
And yet—
**Manav. Did. Not. Care.**
Vinay's breathing was **erratic.**
His body shook violently, his golden aura **unstable.**
Tears formed in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall.
**"You ordered his execution,"** he whispered. **"You destroyed his empire."**
Still—**no response.**
Vinay **gritted his teeth.**
**"Even though my commanders didn't die, even though they ran on Rudra's orders… even though Rudra defeated all your low-tier and mid-tier commanders…**
**YOU DON'T SHOW EVEN A SINGLE EMOTION?!"**
His voice cracked.
He clenched his head, his aura **exploding outward.**
**"ARE YOU EVEN HUMAN, MANAV?!"**
**"ANSWER ME!!!"**
His voice **rippled through the heavens.**
The sheer hatred, the pain, the fury—it all **poured out in that one scream.**
Ryan Jim's eyes narrowed.
For the first time—**he felt something.**
A flicker of emotion.
Because in that moment—
**Vinay wasn't a warrior.**
He wasn't a king.
He wasn't a monster.
He was **a broken man.**
A man who had **lost everything.**
Yet—Manav remained **silent.**
His expression **never changed.**
He simply stood there, **watching.**
As if Vinay's suffering was just **another event in history.**
And that—**was the final straw.**
Vinay's scream **turned into sobs.**
He dropped to his knees.
**"I sought to destroy you…"**
His voice was weak.
Trembling.
**"I dedicated my whole life to this…"**
Tears streamed down his face, **his hands clutching the dirt.**
But Manav **didn't move.**
He didn't offer a word of comfort.
He didn't even look interested.
Vinay **looked up at him—his vision blurred with tears.**
And what he saw **shattered him even more.**
Because Manav's eyes were **completely empty.**
No sympathy.
No satisfaction.
No anger.
Nothing.
Vinay's breath hitched.
He whispered.
**"What… are you?"**
But before Manav could respond—
A shadow **shifted in the distance.**
Ryan Jim noticed.
His eyes darted toward the movement.
A presence.
**Something—or someone—was watching them.**
Lurking.
Waiting.
But before anything could be revealed