Chapter 179: The Face of Treachery
The courtyard was a battlefield stilled to silence.
The fires from broken carts and shattered stalls still burned, the air reeked of ash and iron, and yet all eyes were fixed on the lone figure who had stepped from the archway.
The traitor stood tall, draped in blue that shimmered faintly in the torchlight, a mocking echo of loyalty. His steel-gray hair lifted in the wind, his calm expression almost regal. Kael knew at once this was no common turncoat — this was a man of standing, a man who belonged within the heart of the Ocean Kingdom.
Thalren's knuckles went white on his sword hilt. "Do you mean to disgrace yourself further, Varenth?" His voice cracked like a whip, venom and pain bleeding into every word.
A ripple of shock ran through the assembled guards and citizens. The name was known. A name of the king's closest confidants.
Varenth inclined his head slightly, as though greeting an old friend. "Disgrace? No, Thalren. I do what you could not — cut out the rot before it festers. Align this kingdom with true power instead of false dreams."
Kael stepped forward, his blade gleaming with a faint, unsettling hum of chaos. "Power? You send assassins into the streets, burn homes, and call that strength? You don't seek power. You seek control."
The traitor's cold eyes flicked to him, narrowing. "And you — the demon-born dragon child." The word dripped with contempt. "You walk into our kingdom as if you belong here, as if you are not a creature destined to bring ruin. You are the symbol of his weakness, the stain he invites upon our people."
Thalren's teeth clenched, fury sparking. "You dare speak of weakness while hiding behind shadows and knives in the dark? You were at my side when my children were born. I named you brother, Varenth. And this is how you repay me?"
Varenth's jaw tightened, the veneer of calm cracking for the first time. "I was at your side because I believed in the kingdom we could build. Strong, pure, unbent to outside taint. But then you let him in." He jabbed a finger at Kael, voice growing sharper. "You let this abomination sully our halls with his presence. Do you not see? You are damning your bloodline. You are damning us all!"
The king's eyes flared with grief and fury, but Kael lifted a clawed hand before he could respond. His voice cut low, steady, like a blade sliding free of its sheath.
"You speak of purity as if it will save you when the true threats come — daemons, war hosts, kings who would see you fall. It won't. What will save you is unity, standing together despite what you fear. But you—" Kael's gaze hardened, his golden eyes burning. "You fear what you do not understand. And that fear has rotted you."
Varenth's lips curled into a snarl. "And you — you will be my proof. When I spill your blood, the people will see the truth of what you are. A monster cannot be a king's ally."
A low growl rolled from Umbra, the direwolf's fur bristling, shadows gathering like smoke around his paws.
The courtyard seemed to hold its breath. Then Varenth's hand snapped upward.
"Kill them all!"
The loyalists surged, blades flashing, fire and frost streaking the air. Chaos erupted — steel clashed, arrows flew, screams tore across the square.
Kael moved. His blade carved through the first wave, shadows trailing from every swing. Rogan and Fenrik roared to his side, cutting down the nearest assassins, their movements sharp and practiced. Soldiers loyal to Thalren rallied, crashing against Varenth's zealots in a storm of steel.
But the traitor himself did not join the melee. He stood at the center, eyes glowing faintly, mana thrumming around him like a storm barely held in check. He was no mere politician — he was a mage, and a dangerous one.
Kael felt it in the air, that coiled threat ready to explode.
Enough.
He thrust his clawed hand outward. The shadows of the square surged like living rivers, stretching long and sharp across the cobblestones. They rose, coiling around the legs of assassins mid-strike, yanking them screaming to the ground. Others found their blades bound, wrists locked in place by tendrils of living darkness.
Gasps tore from the watching crowd as the battlefield twisted.
Varenth snarled, unleashing a bolt of searing blue fire toward Kael. But Kael's shadows rose to meet it, swallowing the flame whole, twisting it into sparks that fizzled into nothing.
With another gesture, Kael's magic spread wider, like a net cast from horizon to horizon. One by one, Varenth's loyalists were dragged to their knees, their cries echoing in the square.
Only Varenth himself remained standing, his own magic flaring in defiance as the shadows clawed at his ankles. His teeth bared, sweat beading at his temple.
Kael stepped closer, every stride ringing with authority. His golden eyes burned in the torchlight, his shadow looming monstrous and immense behind him.
"It's over," Kael said, his voice low, final. "Your lies, your poison, your hunger. It ends here."
Varenth's eyes darted wildly, rage and desperation twisting his face. "You think this ends with me? Fool. You've already invited the doom of this kingdom. When it comes, your shadows will not save you."
The words dripped venom, but Kael did not falter. His shadows surged higher, coiling around Varenth like chains of night, pinning him in place.
The square erupted into shouts and whispers, citizens and soldiers alike staring in awe. Kael stood at the heart of it all — demon, dragon, leader — his power undeniable, his judgment unshaken.
And as Varenth struggled uselessly against the darkness, Kael locked eyes with Thalren.
The king's face was grim, torn between fury and sorrow. But he gave a single, sharp nod.
The traitor was caught.
The kingdom would never be the same.