Chapter 9
The moment those death-sentencing words left Seril's lips, Jared's world froze—then trembled, then shattered.
He stared at her in disbelief. Seril, the Goddess of Peace... the kindest of the Sovereigns... How could she condemn his father to death?
No, this wasn't what a merciful god would do. It couldn't be.
Jared's heartbeat thundered in his chest. All the gods had spoken. His father's fate had been sealed. He was going to be executed.
Just as despair threatened to swallow him whole, Kraven's voice cut through the silence like a blade.
"What about you two?" he asked, turning his gaze to the God of Light and the God of Dust.
Jared's eyes lit up—though only slightly. He hadn't dared to hope, but in that moment, he realized he had forgotten about them entirely.
There were still two Sovereigns left.
The God of Light radiated such intense brilliance that it was impossible to see his form, his blinding aura brighter than the sun. Beside him, the God of Dust looked painfully out of place—dull, muted, and nearly invisible among the divine. Yet somehow, that made him harder to read.
There's still hope... right? Jared thought. It was a foolish, fragile hope, but he clung to it with everything he had.
The silence dragged on, heavy and unbearable.
Neither god spoke.
Then Lucis, the Sovereign of Light, broke the stillness with a calm voice.
"Be quick, Kraven. Not all of us have time to waste."
Kraven's grin widened. He nodded slightly, then turned toward the God of Dust.
"You're quiet. I'll take that as a yes," Kraven said with a smirk.
The God of Dust remained silent.
Kraven shrugged.
He stepped forward, approaching Raven—the once-proud warrior now kneeling in a pool of his own blood. His breaths came shallow and slow, each exhale weaker than the last. His eyes dimmed. His body trembled. He was dying—and it showed.
"You fought well," Kraven said, voice tinged with admiration. "Hard to believe a warrior like you came from Earth. But what a shame... all that talent wasted on foolish defiance."
Raven barely heard him. His thoughts blurred, pain clawing at his mind. Death was near. Yet even in his final moments, his sorrow wasn't for himself—or even the fate of Earth. It was for the one who meant the world to him.
His son.
Through sheer willpower, Raven forced his eyes open. The fog in his vision cleared, and in the distance, he saw him—Jared.
The boy stood frozen, helpless, eyes wide with fear.
Raven smiled.
It was a small, broken smile—but it carried everything he wanted to say.
Kraven raised his dagger.
"Any last words?"
Raven's body screamed in pain. Blood filled his lungs. Every breath was agony. Still, he had to speak.
He had to say goodbye.
His lips moved, but the first attempts were nothing—just blood, just silence.
Jared watched, unable to move, barely able to breathe. His father—his invincible father—was trying to speak. Dying, and still trying.
Finally, Raven forced the words out, each one dripping with love and pain.
"Be safe... son... and take care."
And with that, the last light in Raven's eyes began to fade.
Jared stood in silence. His heart felt like it had been crushed, torn, and burned all at once. He wanted to scream, to cry, to collapse—but his body refused.
His father—the strongest man he had ever known—was slipping away before his eyes.
But Jared didn't have time to think.
Raven's eyes closed gently—then a final, peaceful smile spread across his bloodied face.
Kraven's grin deepened.
Without ceremony, he brought the dagger down.
The blade sliced cleanly through Raven's neck like it was nothing. Though Kraven had swung with little force, the impact sent a tremor through the entire coliseum. Raven's head was flung high into the air, spinning as it flew, before landing and rolling across the stone floor—coming to a stop several meters from where Jared stood frozen.
The severed head smiled even in death.
This… this can't be real, Jared thought. It can't be…
His gaze dropped to the fallen body—the body that no longer had a head. His father's lifeless form lay sprawled on the cold ground with a dull thud.
And yet, that smiling head still faced him.
The truth hit him harder than any blow could.
He was gone.
His father… was truly gone.
He was an orphan now.
Something inside Jared shattered. A scream tore from his throat, raw and full of pain, rage, and disbelief. His eyes were red, tears flooding down his cheeks. But his cry—his heartbreak—was drowned out by the deafening cheers of the crowd.
They celebrated.
While he lost everything.
Jared screamed until his voice gave out, until the fire in his lungs burned out completely. He dropped to his knees, shaking, broken. Soft sobs escaped him—then louder ones—until finally, he was wailing like a child who had just lost his whole world.
Because he had.
His mother was long gone.
And now his father too.
He was alone.
Alone in a universe that didn't care.
Jared slowly lifted his tear-streaked face. His eyes locked on Kraven, who was casually strolling back to the front of the stage, wiping blood off his blade.
It was him.
He killed him.
He took away the only thing I had left.
Hatred surged through Jared like a wildfire.
His trembling hand reached inside his cloak, pulling out a small emerald dagger. His grip tightened around it. The hatred in his eyes turned cold and lethal. Only one thought echoed in his mind:
He must die.
Jared let out a furious scream and charged forward.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"
He sprinted toward Kraven, the emerald dagger gripped tightly, aimed for the man's back. If he had been in the right state of mind, he would've known this was suicide. But he wasn't thinking. His mind was clouded—consumed by rage, sorrow, and vengeance.
"Hey, what's that little thing doing?" one green-skinned alien asked, pointing at the figure sprinting across the arena floor.
The other alien shrugged lazily. "He's clearly tired of living."
The first nodded in agreement. "Poor idiot doesn't even know how dead he is."
Despite not being a trained warrior, Jared ran with shocking speed—far beyond what any Earthling at his level should be capable of. The emerald dagger glinted in his hand as he closed the distance between him and Kraven, whose back remained turned.
Jared lunged forward, blade aimed straight for Kraven's spine.
But Kraven didn't flinch.
Without even turning, he tilted his head slightly to the side—one cold, knowing eye locking onto Jared mid-charge.
"What do you think you're doing, rat?"
And then it hit.
An invisible force crushed down on Jared like a divine hammer.
His body slammed into the ground as if gravity had multiplied tenfold. His bones creaked, joints screamed, and blood vessels threatened to burst. Every inch of him was pinned, trembling violently, unable to move, unable to breathe.
The pressure intensified.
His thoughts twisted. His vision blurred. Consciousness slipped like sand through his fingers. He felt his life draining away, his heart slowing.
Then—suddenly—the pressure vanished.
Jared gasped and coughed out a mouthful of blood, his body trembling. He forced his blurry eyes open, unsure of why he was still alive.
That's when he saw him.
Lucis.
The God of Light now stood between him and Kraven, his presence bathed in a blinding radiance that shimmered with unnatural calm.
His voice echoed through the silence, smooth and chilling.
"Enough, Kraven. The child has already paid the price for his insolence. Leave him be."
Kraven turned slightly, staring at Lucis for a long, tense moment. It looked like he was considering resisting. But then he scoffed and turned away.
"Tch. Whatever. This match already bored me. Arguing with you would only make it worse."
He walked off without another glance.
Truth be told, Kraven had never intended to kill the boy. If he'd used just a fraction more pressure, Jared would've been dead. Instantly.
Jared's broken gaze drifted back to Lucis.
With a wave of his radiant hand, Lucis sent Jared's weakened body drifting back to his seat. As the boy landed softly, Lucis returned to his own.
But Jared's eyes never left him.
Even though the God of Light had saved his life, Jared felt nothing close to gratitude.
Instead, his chest burned with raw hatred.
Hatred not just for Lucis… but for all of them.
The Sovereigns.
The Ascendants.
The Gods.
He hated them all.
This cursed universe doesn't need tyrants like them. They're nothing but a plague. They all deserve to die. Every single one of them.
His hand clenched tightly around the dagger, pain shooting through his aching bones—but he didn't care.
He wasn't just broken anymore.
He was angry.
He was helpless.
And he was awake.
He knew countless others across the galaxies must feel the same—trapped under divine rule, powerless to resist. But what could anyone do? The Gods were untouchable. Their power was absolute.
Unless…
Unless he could find the power to kill them.
Jared's fists trembled, his breath shaky, and his eyes hollow with pain—but somewhere deep inside him, something else stirred.
Desire.
The desire for power.
If only that kind of power existed...
To be continued...