The King's body staggered back as my strike connected—his crown falling loose, clattering onto the shattered marble floor.
But before I could deliver the fatal blow, the sky above the palace roared alive.
A blinding light descended.
BOOM!
A focused energy blast from a cruiser ship punched through the upper spires, tearing apart ancient architecture. The shockwave hurled me like a ragdoll across the hall, crashing into a cracked pillar with bone-jarring force. My vision blurred at the edges. Blood trickled down the side of my face.
Through the ringing in my ears, I saw them—The King's elite guards.
Black-armored and relentless, they burst from hidden alcoves. Shields deployed with a mechanical snap, forming an unbreakable wall around the King's battered form.
"Execute him!" I roared, fury clawing at my throat.
My soldiers surged forward.
The throne room became a battlefield of smoke and screams.
Blades sparked against plasma shields. Gunfire lit the ruins in staccato bursts of light. The banners of the kingdom, once so proud, were torn and burned, raining fabric ash from the rafters.
I fought like a demon possessed.
I spun, slid, and struck—my blade biting deep into enemy armor. Every pulse of my heart was a hammer beat of vengeance.
A nation without its king is nothing.I had to end this.
Across the chaos, I caught sight of the King. His guards dragged him backward, blood staining his regal robes, but his glare never left me—burning with fury, desperation... and fear.
"No!" I howled, tearing through two more soldiers.
I sprinted after him, slipping through the melee. Around me, my operatives fought tooth and nail, carving a brutal path through the defenders.
I was almost there.
Almost.
The ground trembled beneath my feet as the royal transport's engines ignited, a low, apocalyptic rumble.
The ship, sleek and black, loomed at the far end of the shattered courtyard. The King's entourage shoved him aboard as the docking ramp hissed closed.
With a primal roar, I pushed my body past its limits, leaping through the air toward the ship.
A barrage of energy blasts forced me to dive away, rolling across the scorched stone. By the time I regained my footing, the transport was airborne—lifting into the night on pillars of roaring blue fire.
I watched, teeth gritted, as it blasted into the heavens, a comet of retreat.
Ash and smoke filled the air. The bitter scent of defeat burned my lungs.
A hollow laugh escaped my lips.
"Run, coward," I muttered, wiping blood from my mouth. "Run as far as you can. It won't save you."
Behind me, the sounds of the dying palace faded into heavy silence.
My soldiers regrouped, bloodied but standing victorious over the king's once-mighty guards. Some knelt to catch their breath. Others simply stared at the stars where the King had disappeared.
We all knew the truth, etched into the scars of this night:
This was no victory.This was an awakening.
I turned to my forces, my voice iron.
"Prepare for war."
The future was set now.There was no diplomacy.There was no mercy.
There was only the storm—and we were its fury.