The red sky wept fire.
Ash drifted like black snow over the shattered remains of the city, settling upon the broken bodies of alien beasts and fallen defenders alike. The smell of smoke, blood, and scorched metal hung heavy in the air.
At the centre of the ruins stood Rudra.
Alone.
His chest heaved as blood trickled from the wound carved across his torso, the poisonous purple energy spreading like venom through his veins.
Before him stood the two people he had once trusted most.
Varun.
And Elena.
His closest friend.
The woman he had once believed would stand beside him for the rest of his life.
Now both of them stood beneath the blood-red sky, untouched by the chaos around them.
Too untouched.
Rudra's eyes narrowed.
The alien soldiers surrounding them lowered their weapons.
Not in caution.
In obedience.
A chill ran down his spine.
"You…" Rudra's voice was low, trembling with disbelief and fury. "You were with them from the beginning."
Varun smiled.
It was the same smile that had once reassured him through years of hardship.
Now it looked like the grin of a devil.
"You finally understand."
The words struck harder than any blade.
Rudra's gaze shifted to Elena.
Her crimson battle dress fluttered in the hot wind, her long hair stained with dust and blood. Yet her expression remained cold.
No pain.
No guilt.
No hesitation.
"Tell me this is a lie," Rudra said.
For the first time, his voice cracked.
Elena met his eyes.
"It isn't."
Silence.
The world around him seemed to fade.
The distant screams.
The explosions.
The burning sky.
Everything disappeared.
Only her words remained.
His fists clenched so tightly that blood dripped from his palms.
"Why?"
Varun stepped forward, his white coat spotless amidst the ruin.
"Because you were too powerful."
Rudra's eyes flashed.
Varun continued, his voice calm and cruel.
"You had everything, Rudra. Wealth, influence, disciples, and power that surpassed nations. Even the hidden cultivation clans feared your name."
His smile widened.
"And yet you trusted me."
The words were like poison.
Rudra's aura trembled violently.
Elena finally spoke.
"The alien empire offered us something you never could."
Rudra stared at her.
Her gaze did not waver.
"Immortality," she said softly.
A bitter laugh escaped Rudra's lips.
"So you sold Earth."
"No," Varun corrected, his voice icy. "We chose survival."
A thunderous roar shook the heavens.
Above them, the largest alien warship descended lower, its enormous core glowing with terrifying blue light.
A voice echoed from it, mechanical and ancient.
"Target confirmed. Eliminate the Earth Sovereign."
Rudra's eyes widened.
Earth Sovereign.
That was what they had called him.
Their greatest obstacle.
Varun lifted his hand.
Behind him, hundreds of alien soldiers knelt.
A mark glowed on his palm.
The same mark.
The symbol Rudra had once seen in ancient forbidden texts.
The Mark of the Void.
So that was the truth.
This betrayal had been planned for years.
His mind raced.
All the accidents.
All the missing intelligence.
All the failed missions.
Every clue led back to one thing.
Varun.
The friend he had trusted with his life.
Rudra slowly turned his head toward the battlefield behind him.
The empty places where his disciples had stood.
Ten stars.
Gone.
His heart twisted.
A memory flashed.
Luna, the Sword Saint, smiles through blood.
"Master… live."
His breathing grew heavier.
"You let them die."
His voice was barely a whisper.
Varun's eyes remained emotionless.
"They were collateral."
The next second—
BOOM!
Rudra's aura exploded.
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
A wave of spiritual energy tore across the battlefield, blasting alien soldiers into the air.
The entire city trembled.
The sky itself seemed to scream.
"You dare call them collateral?"
His voice thundered across the ruins.
Purple lightning burst around him.
The poison in his wound mixed with his cultivation energy, pushing him beyond his limit.
Varun frowned.
"Elena. Fall back."
But Elena remained still.
For a brief moment, something flickered in her eyes.
Regret.
Then it vanished.
Rudra saw it.
That single flicker.
And it only made the pain worse.
He laughed.
A broken, hollow laugh.
"I gave you everything."
His eyes locked onto Elena.
"I trusted you with my heart."
Then he turned to Varun.
"And I trusted you with my life."
Blood ran down his face.
The red sky reflected in his eyes.
"This time…"
His voice dropped to a deadly whisper.
"…I will remember."
The alien warship above began charging its main cannon.
Blue light gathered into a sphere the size of a building.
The final strike.
Varun's expression hardened.
"Kill him."
Alien soldiers surged forward.
Rudra raised his hand.
His aura erupted into a blinding storm.
And the battlefield descended into chaos once more.