The air grew heavy with tension as more figures emerged from the palace, their armor glinting under the sun, weapons drawn as they moved to stand beside User. They were not ordinary soldiers. These men carried themselves with a distinct arrogance, their faces marked with the kind of cruelty that came only from taking too many lives without consequence. Their presence alone confirmed what Nate had already suspected.
He exhaled sharply. His gaze swept over the men, their numbers greater than he had anticipated, but it didn't matter. Numbers meant nothing when faced with overwhelming power.
"I knew it," Nate muttered, his voice carrying across the courtyard. His sharp, golden eyes locked onto User, who remained frozen in place, still in shock from what had just happened. "You couldn't have wiped out an entire settlement alone." His tone darkened, his fingers twitching at his sides. "So this is your little army?"
