Chapter 121: Chapter 121: We Surrender

His voice cracked through the air, filled with raw fury.

No one answered him.

Or maybe no one could.

“I said I won’t accept it!” Rhett roared. “I didn’t come this far to kneel to them!”

Some of the nearby soldiers hesitated.

“Rhett… it’s over…”

“Stop… please…”

But he didn’t listen.

Couldn’t.

His breathing grew heavier, his grip tightening until his knuckles turned pale.

“I will avenge her…” he muttered.

Quieter this time.

But far more dangerous.

“My Lira…”

His eyes shifted, locked onto one figure.

Carrion.

The one standing calmly amidst the retreating undead.

The one he had fought more than once.

The one still standing.

“You…”

Rhett’s voice dropped into something cold.

“You’re not walking away.”

Before anyone could stop him, he moved.

He surged forward, his body pushing past its limits, the ground cracking slightly beneath his step as he launched himself straight at Carrion.

“Rhett, stop!” someone shouted.

Too late.

Carrion didn’t move at first.

It simply watched him come.

The distance closed in an instant.

Rhett’s blade cut through the air, fast, precise, filled with everything he had left.

Carrion moved forward.

Its arm came up, armored and steady, catching the strike head on. The impact rang out, sharp and heavy, the force spreading through the ground beneath them.

Rhett’s eyes widened slightly.

But he didn’t stop.

He twisted, following up immediately with another strike, faster this time, aiming for Carrion’s side.

Carrion blocked again, effortless.

The difference was clear.

Even exhausted, even wounded, Rhett was still strong.

But Carrion…

Carrion wasn’t struggling.

“You should have stopped,” Carrion said quietly.

Rhett’s expression twisted. “Shut up!”

He pushed harder, his attacks turning more desperate, more reckless. Each swing carried his anger, his grief, everything he refused to let go of.

“For her!” he shouted, his voice breaking. “For Lira!”

Carrion’s gaze didn’t change.

For a brief moment, it simply watched him.

Then it stepped in, far faster than before.

Rhett didn’t even have time to react properly.

Carrion’s hand shot forward, its fingers closing around Rhett’s throat, stopping him mid-motion.

The force alone lifted him slightly off the ground.

His attack stopped.

Just like that.

Rhett’s eyes widened, his hands instinctively grabbing at Carrion’s arm, trying to break free.

He struggled.

But it didn’t matter.

Carrion held him in place like it was nothing.

“…You’re done,” Carrion said.

Rhett’s body trembled, his strength fading, but his eyes…

They were still burning.

“…I won’t…” he forced out, his voice strained, barely audible. “I won’t… bow…”

Carrion looked at him for a second longer.

Then its grip tightened.

A sharp, sickening crack echoed.

Rhett’s body went still. Just like that, silence followed.

Carrion then released him.

The body dropped to the ground without resistance, no breath.

The soldiers who had tried to stop him stood frozen, their faces pale.

Up on the wall, Caelus closed his eyes briefly.

Then opened them again.

The battlefield had already changed.

The fighting had stopped.

The undead were pulling back.

And the man who refused to surrender… was gone.

Aiden didn’t look down. The sounds reached him, of course. The shout, the impact, the brief struggle. Then silence.

But none of it mattered.

His gaze stayed on Caelus.

Calm. Unmoved.

As if what just happened below was nothing more than background noise.

“…For starters,” Aiden said, his tone casual, like they were discussing something trivial, “I want all your gold coins. Right now.”

The words landed heavier than any threat.

Some of the soldiers nearby stiffened. A few exchanged glances, clearly unsettled. They had just surrendered, and already they were being stripped of what little they had left.

But Caelus didn’t react the same way.

He lowered his head slightly.

Respectful.

“Yes,” he said without hesitation. “It will be done.”

Aiden watched him for a second, then gave a small nod.

“Good.”

Below them, the last of the undead began to withdraw fully from the city. The pressure that had nearly crushed everything was gone, leaving behind only the aftermath. Broken structures, wounded soldiers, and the quiet weight of what had just been lost.

Caelus turned to one of his men.

“Gather everything,” he ordered. “From the treasury. No delays.”

The man hesitated for just a fraction of a second, then straightened.

“…Yes, leader.”

“And make sure nothing is missing,” Caelus added, his voice firm. “Not a single coin.”

The soldier nodded and quickly left.

Aiden didn’t say anything else.

He simply turned, stepping back onto his undead beast. The creature shifted beneath him, its massive frame steady as ever, as if the chaos from moments ago had never existed.

“Bring it to me when it’s ready,” Aiden said.

“Yes,” Caelus replied.

—-

Time passed.

The fires within the city were being put out. The wounded were carried away. The dead… left where they fell, at least for now.

The atmosphere had changed completely.

Where there had been chaos, there was now a heavy, suffocating silence.

Inside the territory of the Zephyr Clan, the main hall stood intact, though the tension inside it was thick enough to feel.

Aiden sat at the head.

Not as a guest.

But as someone who owned the place.

The hall was wide, built with solid stone and reinforced pillars. Torches flickered along the walls, casting unsteady shadows across the room. Several guards stood at a distance, their posture stiff, their eyes occasionally drifting toward Aiden before quickly looking away.

No one spoke.

Until the doors opened.

A group of maids stepped inside, carefully, quietly.

Between them, they carried a large wooden chest, reinforced with iron bands. Even from a distance, the faint clinking sound could already be heard.

Gold.

They moved slowly, as if afraid that any sudden movement might draw attention they didn’t want.

Behind them, Caelus followed.

When they reached the center of the hall, the maids lowered the chest gently onto the ground.

The sound it made was heavy, and solid.

One of them stepped forward, her hands trembling slightly as she opened it.

The lid lifted, and inside… stacked of gold coins.

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