A blinding dome of energy expanded outward, consuming entire districts in seconds. The ground split and buckled.
The city—once alive with laughter and lanterns—was reduced to a crater filled with fire and ash.
Kang hovered in the air, speechless.
"All those people..." he whispered. His voice cracked as the weight of it hit him. Hundreds of thousands—gone in an instant.
Reign floated beside him, arms crossed.
Kang's legs trembled mid-air. He wanted to look away, but his eyes refused to close. His hands—still stained with blood—shook at his sides.
"I thought… this was supposed to be power," he said, barely audible. "Not… this."
Reign didn't answer at first. The silence stretched, only broken by the wind sweeping ash into the sky.
Then came the cold reply:
"This is power, Kang. Real power doesn't ask for permission. It takes everything." Reign's eyes glowed faintly in the dark.
