Of course, Red Treia still had die-hard loyalists.
"You useless trash!" a commander barked hoarsely at his men. "His Majesty rewarded you generously! Get out there and fight!"
"Kill them," he shouted, eyes bloodshot, "and I swear—every one of you will be granted noble titles!"
Big rewards breed brave fools.
A few guards hesitated, greed flickering across their faces.
But before any of them could act—
A shadow appeared beside the commander as if conjured from thin air.
A single finger pierced straight through his heart.
"Shigan."
The Shadow Dragon probationary calmly flicked the blood from his fingertip and glanced at the remaining guards.
"Ambition's fine," he said coolly. "Just make sure you've got the strength to back it up."
The soldiers collapsed backward in terror, scrambling away on hands and heels.
"We—we won't! We surrender!"
"Pathetic," the operative muttered, turning away.
Moments later, the group reached the royal bedchamber.
BOOM!
The doors were kicked open.
Inside sat Red Treia, his expression dark and venomous.
"Karina… so you've returned after all," he said slowly. "I knew letting even one of you escape would come back to haunt me."
Karina's eyes were cold.
"If you have regrets," she replied flatly, "you'll have plenty of time to reflect on them in hell."
She didn't waste breath on him.
At her signal, Shadow Dragon members stepped forward and bound him.
Red threw his head back and laughed wildly.
"Karina… you're playing with fire."
"You really think I was the only one who wanted your family dead?"