POV: Ko Lian – The Last Breath
Ko Lian could feel the weight of Chris's presence like an oppressive storm cloud. His knees scraped against the ground, his chest rising and falling in ragged breaths. The taste of dust and the bitter scent of fear filled his lungs.
Around him, the Blackwood military had locked in, encircling him like predators. His own men were cowering, their faces pale with terror.
> "You have betrayed the empire," Chris's voice echoed, calm but piercing. "This isn't just about you, Ko. It's about everyone who thought they could test my limits, my patience."
Ko Lian tried to stand, his legs trembling. He was a leader—a supposed titan in his realm. But now, he was nothing but a fool, caught in the unforgiving gaze of a man who'd already surpassed him, who could end him with a single word.
Chris's eyes never left him.
> "You thought you could hide behind your alliances, manipulate the puppet strings. But I see everything, Ko. I always have."
Chris turned to one of his aides, and in a moment of cold efficiency, he nodded. The aide moved forward with a syringe in hand, filled with a strange, glowing liquid. The contents shimmered ominously, like liquid fire.
Ko Lian's breath hitched in his throat. His eyes widened with realization. He had heard rumors, whispered threats from the few who had lived to speak of it—the Blackwood Empire's secret weapon. The Inhibitor.
Without another word, the aide injected the serum directly into Ko Lian's neck. The needle sank in with a sharp hiss, and within moments, Ko Lian felt a searing, gnawing pain rip through his veins.
His heart began to race, his chest tightening. It felt as though his very blood was on fire, boiling beneath his skin. The pain spread rapidly, consuming him from the inside out. Every nerve screamed in agony, each breath more labored than the last.
> "You wanted a war, Ko. You wanted to test my empire," Chris spoke with deadly calm, his voice echoing in Ko Lian's tortured mind. "But now, you will learn what happens when you betray a god."
The pain intensified. Ko Lian's vision blurred, and he staggered forward, his body trembling violently. His hands shook as he reached for his neck, but the more he tried to fight, the more the serum coursed through him, locking down his muscles, numbing his mind.
It was as though every ounce of life in his body was being drained away, leaving only an unbearable emptiness. He could feel his limbs stiffening, his body losing its grip on reality.
Ko Lian fell to his knees, gasping for breath, his voice barely a whisper.
> "Why... why…?"
Chris leaned down close, his cold eyes staring directly into Ko Lian's fading gaze. His words were the last thing Ko Lian would ever hear.
> "You were never a player, Ko. You were a pawn. A footnote in my story."
With that, Chris snapped his fingers.
The Blackwood soldiers moved in, seizing Ko Lian's body, lifting him from the ground with no mercy. His once-proud form was now nothing but a limp ragdoll, a mere casualty of his own arrogance.
Chris turned to leave, but not before making one final decree.
> "Let this be a message to all who dare defy the Blackwood Empire. There are no second chances. Only justice."
As Chris walked away, his shadow stretched long behind him,the echoes of Ko Lian's screams fading into nothingness.