Chapter 302

Chapter 302
Kaiden pov

The battle lasts for what feels like hours, but couldn’t be longer than one. It just couldn’t. Everything went down so fast, I barely registered how it happened, let alone follow the flow.

I’m exhausted to no end, heaving for breaths, feeling the last bit of my humanity slip between my fingers. I can’t hold it down anymore, whatever I still had is now gone, all I have left is the magic and indescribable need for power.

The forest is quiet now, save for the groans of the wounded and the crackle of dying flames. The battle is over, but the stench of blood and death lingers thick in the air.

My rogues gather in uneven lines, their bodies battered, their faces smeared with dirt and sweat. Many are gone, too many, damn it, but the victory is ours. Even as I scan their tired faces, I can see the anger in their eyes, the determination and the lust to keep on going.

Eventually, more will join our rows and replace those we lost today, I’m sure of it. And just to feed their little imaginary, power-hungry egos, I will go as far as bury the dead ones, offering the survivors something they have never gotten - a real place to rest even after death.

It’s a small price compared to what they are offering me now.

Looking around, I can’t help but grin as I watch the full extent of the battle that has taken down the so-called most powerful organization known to humankind.

And best of all, it’s me who’s standing here. I stand at the center of it all as my fingers tighten around the throat of the hunter leader. He dangles in my grasp, feet barely brushing the ground, his face red and swollen as he struggles for air.

“You’re done,” I say, my voice cold and detached, void of any emotion.

He tries to speak, but I don’t loosen my grip as his hands claw at mine, desperate and weak. I’ve seen enough desperation today to last a lifetime.

Around me, the rogues hold down the last of the hunters. Five of them remain, pinned to the ground, their weapons ripped away, their faces pale with fear. They’re nothing now, broken remnants of an army that thought they could stand against me.

The hunter leader’s lips move, but no sound comes out. His eyes plead with me, but I feel nothing. No pity. No mercy.

I finally let him breathe, throwing him to the ground at my feet like the trash he is. He coughs and gasps, his body trembling as he struggles to sit up.

“You’ve lost,” I say, staring down at him. “Everything you’ve built, everything you’ve fought for - it’s over.”

He glares up at me, his eyes burning with hatred. “You’re a monster,” he spits, his voice hoarse.

I kneel down, grabbing his chin and forcing him to look at me. “And whose fault is that?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper. “You made me this way. You and your kind. You call me a monster, but I didn’t create hybrids. I didn’t hunt people like animals. That was you.”

He doesn’t answer, but his jaw tightens, and I see the fear in his eyes. He knows I’m right.

I stand and turn to my rogues. “One by one,” I command, my voice loud and clear. “Kill them. Do it slowly. Let their leader watch. Let him see the extent of the consequences of his actions.”

The rogues grin, their fangs glinting in the dim light. One of them steps forward, dragging a hunter to his knees. The man screams, begging for mercy, but the rogue doesn’t hesitate. With a quick, brutal motion, it’s over.

The hunter leader flinches, his face pale as he watches his men fall one after the other. “Stop!” He shouts, his voice breaking. “You don’t have to do this!”

I ignore him.

Another hunter falls. Then another.

“Please! Listen to me, please!” The leader screams. “This isn’t justice! This is murder!”

“Murder?” I echo, turning to him with a bitter laugh. “You don’t get to talk about justice. Not after everything you’ve done. Not after the hybrids.”

He tries to crawl toward me, his hands outstretched in a pathetic attempt to plead. “We were trying to save humanity! To protect our people!”

I grab him by the collar, yanking him to his feet. “And how many innocent lives did you destroy in the process? How many children? Families? You don’t deserve protection. You deserve this.”

The last hunter is dragged forward, his cries drowned out by the laughter of the rogues. The leader shakes his head, tears streaming down his face. “Please,” he whispers. “They were just following orders.”

“So were the hybrids,” I reply, my voice ice cold.

The final hunter’s scream cuts through the air, and then it’s silent. The rogues stand over the lifeless bodies, their faces twisted with triumph.

I turn back to the leader, a cruel smile tugging at my lips. “Look around,” I say, gesturing to the carnage. “This is what you’ve created. And now, it’s your turn.”

His body shakes as I release him, letting him collapse to the ground. I step back and wave a hand toward the rogues.

“As a sign of my good will,” I announce, still looking at the hunter leader, making sure he hears every single word that leaves my lips, “I leave him to you. Do whatever you please to the man who’s been hunting you like filthy animals.”

The rogues don’t need to be told twice. They descend on him like wolves on a wounded deer, their laughter mingling with his screams. I don’t watch. There’s no need.

I turn and start walking, my boots crunching over blood-soaked leaves. The path ahead is leading back to the place I once called home. The hunter leader’s screams grow louder and then cut off abruptly.

The rogues cheer behind me, but I don’t stop or look back. The hunter leader and his whole group of followers were just the beginning. My father is next.