The Holy Capital was no longer holy. The scent of ozone and burnt incense filled the air as Ren walked through the shattered remains of the Gilded Gates. His footsteps echoed in the deathly silence of the plaza.
Thousands of citizens and lower-level knights knelt, not out of respect, but because the sheer weight of Ren's Abyssal Aura forced their bodies to the cold stone.
"Where is she?" Ren asked, his voice calm yet carrying the weight of a mountain. "Where is the Saintess who sold my soul for a drop of divine light?"
A high-ranking Paladin, coughing blood, struggled to look up. "You... you are a monster, Ren. The Gods will strike you down!"
Ren smirked, a dark, joyless curve of his lips. He raised a finger, and a spike of pure shadow erupted from the Paladin's own shadow, piercing his shoulder.
[System Notification: Enemy Will Broken.] [Absorbing Soul Fragments... +500 Void Essence.]
"The Gods aren't coming," Ren whispered, leaning down to look the Paladin in the eye. "I ate the messenger they sent this morning. Now, tell me... does Elara still hide in the Inner Sanctum, or should I level the entire palace to find her?"