Then, with a violence that felt almost staged, a window shattered inward. Glass rained across the floor in a spray of gold light, and a man tumbled through, landing with boots braced and spear already leveled in his hands. He was young, armor dented, a blue Sol Core burning defiantly at his breast. Recognition flickered behind his eyes as he called out, "Lord Liberator! I'm here, sir!"

Kaiser did not move. Maximilian's tear hadn't yet dried on his stolen skin.

The guard stepped forward, putting himself squarely between Kaiser and the ruined, purple-lit puppet that was the Herald. He held his spear as if it could stave off apocalypse. "My lord, your courage gave us strength! When you ran through the hoard, some of the monsters froze in their tracks. Luckly I was then able to follow you here!"

For the first time, the Herald looked honestly curious. He cocked his head, peering at the newcomer as if he'd found an amusing stray dog. "Is your faith in him so absolute?" His voice was mild, even pleasant, as his body's seams glimmered with unstable violet. One of his arms shuddered, then tumbled from the socket, hitting the floor with a sickening slap.

He glanced at it, annoyed. "How inconvenient. This vessel was never meant for so much Sol." His tone was disappointed, as though remarking on a cracked teacup.

But the guard only squared his shoulders. "You might be a monster," he said, voice hardening, "But as long as my Lord Liberator stands, we will win. You stand no chance against a Heroic Liberator."

Maximilian's eyes narrowed in a glint of predatory humor. "And yet, you came alone. Foolish, perhaps, or merely brave in the way cattle are brave in front of a wolf."

The man laughed, shaking glass from his hair. "With him here? I don't need anyone else." He turned, hope shining in his eyes, looking straight at Kaiser.

A ripple of shadow passed behind him. Then, from the dark, a massive ink cat lunged, black as midnight and silent as death. It crashed into the guard, pinning him to the wall with a splatter of viscous ink. His spear clattered to the ground.

The room tensed, all eyes on the desperate struggle. The guard twisted, fighting with every ounce of training and Sol he possessed, but the beast was relentless. Suddenly, another cat, one that was smaller but twice as vicious leapt from the shadows, slamming into the first. The two merged in a sick, fluid ballet, their bodies fusing and swelling until the man was nothing more than a flailing limb in a mass of living ink.

Within seconds, the transformation began. Ink slithered into his mouth, his nose, his eyes. His skin paled, his muscles froze, and in less than five heartbeats, his struggles ceased. The monster pressed him tighter to the wall, molding his body until, impossibly, he began to flatten—skin and bone stretching, features distorting, until what remained was not a corpse, but a portrait. A perfect, grotesque painting: a man locked in terror, eternally reaching for a hope that would never come.

He managed, in those last seconds, to look at Kaiser. And in that gaze was not just desperation, but faith. The plea was unspoken: Save me. Please. I believed in you.

What he saw instead was the coldest contempt the world could conjure.

Kaiser didn't even reach for his sword. His eyes narrowed, lips curling in a sneer, as though he'd caught the scent of rot on a summer breeze. "Pathetic," he murmured, not raising his voice, not offering comfort, not even looking away as the darkness swallowed the man whole.

Silence reigned. The monstrous cats shivered, finished with their work, and melted back into the gloom. The last of the ink dripped from the painting's frame, and as it hit the floor, it coalesced into a small, flawless pearl.

Kaiser watched its formation with mild disappointment, as if expecting something greater. He shook his head, more bored than grieved.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

The Herald's broken mouth stretched into a wry grin. "I confess, I'm almost surprised you're disappointed. I hadn't thought you capable of any sentiment for such men."

Kaiser's gaze slid to him. "Don't jest. I saved that man. I had hoped his existence would serve as proof of my power, words in the mouths of the desperate, fuel for my reputation. But no. His usefulness is spent, and his death gains me nothing." He gestured lazily at the pearl. "Perhaps the only value left in him is what the ink chose to keep."

Kaiser turned, almost bored, brushing a fleck of glass from his armor. "Now. Before we were so rudely interrupted," he said, voice smooth as ice, "I believe you were about to tell me where Sabel was. Yes?"

The Herald's lips twitched, and a low, bubbling laugh tumbled from his throat. It was the sound of something old and something utterly amused. "You humans—always so quick to call us monsters. Yet look at the predators among you." His gaze flicked to the ruined painting on the wall, then back to Kaiser. "Tell me, who's the beast here?"

Kaiser didn't blink. "You're wasting my time."

The Herald's amusement faded, replaced by a lazy, unhurried challenge. "I won't tell you where Sabel is. Not until the Elder is dead. That is the deal."

For a moment, only the tick of falling glass broke the silence. Then, a chill began to seep through the broken room, frost spidering from Kaiser's boots. His eyes went dead flat—no anger, just an absence, the abyss opening wide. He moved faster than thought, boot slamming into the Herald's chest. The impact sent Maximilian sprawling onto his back, air hissing from his borrowed lungs.

In the same motion, Kaiser's sword came down, the edge biting into the floor so close to the Herald's skull that a single strand of pale hair drifted down over his eye.

Kaiser's glare was bottomless. Merciless. The sort of look that reminded the world why it should fear his name. "Is this some sort of joke?" he hissed. "Right now, you're nothing but a tool. And a faulty one at that."

The Herald's lips parted, a strange flush coloring his undead cheeks, but his eyes never wavered. Instead, he seemed suddenly unsure, glancing away, then forcing himself to meet Kaiser's stare again. For the briefest moment, Maximilian looked almost…flustered.

He coughed, gathering what was left of his dignity, and forced out a laugh—half-defiant, half-nervous. "Partnerships built on trust are rare in our business, aren't they?" he managed, voice cracking just a little. "You have no guarantee I'll hand you Sabel, just as I have no guarantee you'll hold up your end. But that's the nature of deals between monsters."

Kaiser didn't move, didn't even seem to breathe. If anything, the pressure grew heavier and the threat sharper.

Maximilian pressed on, words tumbling out as if buying time. "Sabel is under our care, but you, Kaiser Dios, are worth far more than him. The Elder's death… That would echo across both our worlds. Kill him, and every court, every Liberator, every god with a stake in this war would take notice. The honors, the rewards, the political standing... You could have it all. And I will give you the resources you need to grow, to match the Elder in strength. I have no reason to sabotage you—after all, your victory is my victory."

Kaiser narrowed his eyes, something like suspicion twisting through his thoughts. "You're lying about the Elder's only power being negation," he said flatly. "If that was all, I would already be ready to kill him."

A flicker of admiration danced across Maximilian's face. "No, you're right. The Elder's body is that of a Titan. When his field is active, all Sol vanishes, but his strength, his flesh, his bones, they all remain as they are. It's not supernatural. It's what he made himself into. You won't find a man on earth who could match him for sheer force. But he isn't invincible. He can be killed if you outmaneuver him and if you strike the right blow."

Kaiser considered this, his mind dissecting the possibilities. "I'll need a weapon," he mused aloud. "Something that doesn't use Sol at all and at the same time strong enough to cut a Titan. That will take time, materials and a lot of knowledge I do not possess."

"Precisely," Maximilian said, hope leaking into his voice. "And that's where I come in. I will direct you to the resources you need. I know of caches—ancient steel, half-remembered secrets, weapons that have killed gods before. I can even point you toward those willing to aid you in forging such a blade."

Kaiser's brows drew low, a storm gathering behind his gaze. "I will take what I need, and if you try to betray me, I will destroy you. Even as you wear another skin, I'll hunt you through every shadow in this world."

The Herald's smile returned, brittle but real. "I would expect nothing less from you, Kaiser Dios. Betrayal is a two-way street. But let's be clear, this partnership is in both our interests. Sabel is safe, for now, because of our protection. And when you succeed, I will give you his location, as promised."

Kaiser stared for a moment longer, his stillness suffocating. "Then let's stop wasting time. Tell me where to start."

Maximilian nodded. "Very well. I'll begin with something immediate, and that is our current operation."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.