Revenant's Slaughter: The Reaper System

Death

As Atticus stormed through the palace hallways, his blood-soaked appearance drew horrified gasps from anyone who crossed his path. His crimson-stained sword, gleaming with a murderous aura, seemed poised for violence. His determination to confront Emperor Ling Tian knew no bounds.

Moving with a murderous aura, his aim was the throne room, along the way he stumbled upon a palace maid, her trembling hands carrying a tray of silverware.

"Clang!"

The clattering sound of falling dishes echoed through the corridor as her wide eyes locked onto Atticus, frozen with shock and fear. The scene before her was a nightmare - a battle-worn warrior, soaked in blood, holding a menacing sword.

Atticus, despite his inner turmoil and the bloodlust his sword emanated, couldn't bear to harm an innocent soul. With a stern but not unkind voice, he demanded, "Where's the king?"

The maid's lips quivered, and she pointed a trembling hand down the hallway toward the throne room. Her relief was palpable as Atticus allowed her to flee without further harm, leaving behind the mess of fallen silverware.

Atticus wasted no time proceeding down the hallway, his crimson sword still at the ready. As he reached the grand entrance of the throne room, he didn't bother with subtlety. With a powerful shove, he pushed open the massive doors, causing them to crash against the walls with a thunderous bang.

The throne room was bathed in a dim, ominous light, the vast space dominated by a towering throne where Emperor Ling Tian sat. Atticus's eyes, filled with rage and sorrow, locked onto his target. This was the bastard responsible for all his pain and suffering.

"You know, when I heard you survived everything thrown at you, I can't say I wasn't surprised, but then I heard the sacrifices you made too. Tsk, tsk, tsk... a waste of potential indeed," Ling Tian said with a sinister smile, his voice dripping with malice.

Atticus's blood boiled, and he couldn't contain his anguish any longer. "How dare you!!! I bled for this kingdom! So why!!" He screamed, his voice a tumultuous mix of anger, pain, and desperation.

Ling Tian's demeanor remained disturbingly calm, his smile unwavering. "Well, let's just say you rubbed me off the wrong way," he replied in a nonchalant tone, punctuating his response with a dismissive shrug.

The callousness of Ling Tian's words pushed Atticus beyond the brink of reason. Roaring with anger, he lunged at the emperor with every ounce of his remaining strength, sword raised for a strike that would exact vengeance.

However, before Atticus could reach his target, a sudden force struck him like a battering ram. He was sent hurtling through the air, crashing against the walls of the throne room with a tremendous impact. The entire room reverberated with the sound of his collision, and Atticus crumpled to the floor in agony, coughing up blood as pain coursed through his battered body.

"I suggest you stay down, General," a voice echoed through the chamber. Atticus's blurred vision struggled to focus on the figure responsible for his brutal interruption. It was a man, concealed in shadows, his face obscured from view. What was clear, however, was that he was an earth elemental, a master of stone and rock, and his power was formidable.

As the man emerged from the shadows, Atticus's eyes widened in shock, his voice trembling with disbelief. "Old Zhao?" His lieutenant, the one he had trusted as a brother in arms, was also involved in this betrayal? It seemed that his fate had been sealed long before this moment, destined to unravel in a series of devastating events.

Zhou Ran, now revealed, stepped into the dim light of the throne room. "I suggest you refrain from making attacks on the emperor; your actions have already set you on a path of treason," he advised with an air of authority.

"He killed my pregnant wife, Zhou Ran! My wiiiiiife!" Atticus retorted, his voice filled with grief and fury, unable to comprehend the depth of the betrayal.

Zhou Ran's response was chillingly callous. "Actually, that was me, but I can't say I didn't enjoy every bit of it. I mean, a couple of soldiers finally had the chance to achieve their fantasy of having a world-class beauty like Mei." His expression twisted with a sick satisfaction that sent shivers down Atticus's spine.

Atticus, heartbroken and betrayed, could only stare in shock at the man who had once been his comrade, with whom he had faced life-and-death situations.

"Haha! You, Zhou, are more twisted than I thought," Ling Tian laughed aloud, further taunting Atticus.

Frustration and helplessness consumed Atticus as he felt his strength wane, surrounded by the enemies he had once called brothers. With the emperor's command, several Core Formation experts emerged from the shadows, their swift actions binding Atticus with chains that coiled around him like serpents, rendering him immobile, forced to his knees.

Atticus could feel his cultivation base steadily decreasing, a result of the energy leaking from his dantian and his inability to access it.

As Ling Tian descended from his throne and approached Atticus, he continued his gloating. "Do you even know why Eldoria is so feared and stands strong, even when faced with kings like Jiang Shao, whose battle might could alone change the tide of a war?" The emperor's words were laced with arrogance. "Well, let's just say, Eldoria has a thousand Jiang Shaos."

The emperor's voice dripped with conceit as he continued his boast. "You, a small-time general whose vision is limited by your talent, can't see the grand scheme! While you dedicate yourself to war, there are a thousand experts ready to decimate any kingdom that refuses to bow! And who am I? The fucking Emperor of them all!"

Ling Tian then turned to Zhou Ran and demanded his sword. The lieutenant complied without hesitation, surrendering his finely crafted blade to the emperor, who held it with an air of malevolence. The blade shimmered ominously even in the dim light, a testament to its sharpness.

"I, Emperor Ling Tian, have found you, Atticus Steele, guilty of treason, and I hereby sentence you and your kinsmen to death," Ling Tian pronounced, his tone dark and final.

Atticus, now devoid of strength, lifted his gaze to the emperor, his eyes reflecting a mixture of anger, defiance, and despair. "My soul will haunt you, and even in death, I will make sure I raze this palace to the ground," he muttered through gritted teeth.

" The Desperate words of dead man"

Ling Tian brushed off Atticus's words with a chilling finality. In a swift, merciless strike, he swung Zhou Ran's sword at Atticus's neck. The last thing Atticus saw was the glint of the blade, held by the emperor he had once served, then...well, there was no then, only darkness.