SWNOVELXO Chapter 13: Is there another master?
Five hours after the attack, the Imperial City had plunged into chaos with no end in sight.
The citizens still did not understand where the enemy forces had come from, and yet many were already being slaughtered.
The once-prosperous capital had turned blood-red—not just as a metaphor but in the truest sense.
Everywhere one could see people, the ground was soaked in blood.
The streets, buildings, and high walls—everything had turned dark red.
This city, once the emblem of "light and hope," was now steeped in death, reverberating with despair sent forth to the ancestors.
***
In an effort to eliminate the invading forces, all elite troops within the Imperial City were mobilized, including the Empire's highest power—the "Fourteen Generals of the Array."
Though the Emperor had fallen, their resolve to protect the nation remained unshaken.
"The nation is greater than the ruler." This principle was one that the Emperor of the Tensai Empire, Gabriel Silva, had constantly impressed upon his subordinates.
In times of crisis, the nation took priority; should the Emperor perish, those with "true power" among the officials would lead the nation in his stead.
The only one who could be considered the foremost authority under the Emperor was "Kriz Calderon."
And he was, indeed, the only one.
***
"Seven of the Fourteen Generals have fallen…"
Kriz Calderon, the de facto leader of the Fourteen Generals, looked around the empty long table and sighed.
Though each of the generals was exceptionally powerful, the invading forces proved strangely formidable, wielding various abilities that were overwhelming to contend with.
All but the top four generals and himself were struggling, and casualties had already begun to appear.
Kriz Calderon knew he couldn't remain at the rear issuing commands; he had to take the field himself.
His approach: sending out several avatars to support the defense from all angles.
For someone with Kriz Calderon's immeasurable power, such a feat was as effortless as breathing.
Yet now, some inexplicable force had impaired his abilities, suppressing his strength in various ways.
Even so, he remained the Empire's mightiest force, providing a crucial advantage in the defense. He knew this all too well.
So he would not stop, for the vow he had once made with two dear friends.
As long as the enemy forces were not completely eradicated, Kriz Calderon would keep fighting.
***
Meanwhile, near the Empire's Fourth High Tower at an amusement park.
"You bastards! Why have you launched such a brutal assault on the Tensai Empire?!"
The Fifth Seat of the Empire's Fourteen Generals, "Avarpali Prithvi Krishna," roared furiously at his powerful opponent.
They stood in the heart of a brutal battlefield, surrounded by the corpses of allies and enemies alike.
Among them lay the fallen bodies of the Eighth Seat, "Reynolds Lankintine," and the Thirteenth Seat, "Zatox Solos."
They had both been killed by the powerful foe standing before Avarpali.
Enraged by the deaths of his close friends, Avarpali's fury surged to an intense peak.
In that moment, his only thought was to avenge them.
"I don't know who you are…"
Wiping the tears from the corner of his eye, Avarpali began to move.
He swung his body with all his might, channeling every joint until he reached a critical point and struck the ground with both fists.
In an instant, an invisible field spread from Avarpali, enveloping the entire battlefield.
"This is the 'Domain of Calamity Suppression,' and with the greatest force of this star, I'll annihilate you!"
A crushing pressure descended from above, immobilizing his foes within range.
This was Avarpali's innate power: gravity.
"Unforgivable!"
Disregarding his own conscience and trampling on the boundaries of morality.
A person who refused to use their power to save lives, instead slaughtering the innocent, deserved nothing less than total obliteration.
"I won't let you leave alive! You'll fall into the abyss of torment, each one of you, drowning in endless regret!"
The pressure of the gravity field intensified.
In that moment, Avarpali became a righteous hero, ready to obliterate the evil enemy before him.
But righteousness doesn't always guarantee victory.
Ignoring Avarpali's rage, the man removed his triangular hat, ablaze with eternal black flames, revealing the eyes he had hidden.
"Your power isn't bad—"
A pair of violet eyes filled with a deathly aura swept across the battlefield in an instant.
Only then did Avarpali realize that his gravity field had no effect on this man.
A chill pierced through his burning anger, striking directly into Avarpali's heart.
"Hehehehe..."
The man's low laugh seemed to contain a sinister magic, instilling Avarpali with fear, his fervor dissipating.
He instinctively took two steps back.
"Damn…!"
Something felt terribly wrong, as though the gravity field was slipping from his control.
"What's wrong? Where's that fire from earlier?"
The man raised his right hand leisurely. Avarpali's sense of the world faded entirely.
For he had been crushed beyond recognition by his own gravity.
"Your power—I'll take it."
It was not even a struggle, just a one-sided slaughter.
This was the third Imperial General that the man had easily dealt with.
The victor, his true name unknown, brushed aside his flowing blood-red hair, placed the triangular hat back on his head, and calmly walked away.