The battlefield was drenched in blood. **Fifteen days of war.**
Fifteen days of death.
Vinay had **massacred 48 of the 50 mid-tier commanders** sent against him.
Of the **2,987 low-tier commanders** that stood for Goodie Hunters, only **1,380 remained.**
And now, even some of Vinay's own commanders had **abandoned him**—shaken, broken, unable to withstand his wrath. They defected to Goodie Hunters, seeking a cause that wasn't built on destruction.
**Manav welcomed them.**
Not out of kindness. **Not out of mercy.**
But because **they were useful.
As the sun dipped behind the horizon on the 15th day, a single raven descended from the skies, landing atop a ruined structure near Vinay's war camp.
The bird carried a sealed letter, the wax insignia unmistakable.
It was from **Manav.**
Vinay's fingers curled into a fist before he even opened it. **His aura flickered.**
He knew this was meant to enrage him.
And yet, he read it.
> *Vinay,*
>
> Your army is turning against you. How does it feel to be abandoned? How does it feel to be weak?*
>
> *Tomorrow, only the commanders who left you and an additional 200 low-tier warriors from my side will fight against your forces. That is all.*
>
> *Not you.*
>
> *You will not enter the battlefield.*
>
> *If you do… I will personally end this war, and you won't like how it ends.*
>
> *- Manav*
The letter crumbled in Vinay's hands, turning to dust in his aura's burning intensity.
His **breath slowed.**
His muscles tensed.
A deep, guttural rage boiled inside him. **A firestorm threatening to erupt.**
**Mockery.**
Manav wasn't just stopping him from fighting. **He was treating him like a child.**
As if **Vinay wasn't a threat.**
**As if he was nothing.**
A commander near Vinay stepped forward cautiously. **"My Lord—"**
**BOOM.**
The ground beneath them **shattered.**
Vinay's aura pulsed, shaking the very air. **The commander stumbled back, trembling.**
Vinay's eyes burned like dying stars. **Cold. Deadly. Merciless.**
Manav's strategy had shifted.
The battlefield was no longer a slaughterhouse of chaos.
Only **the defected commanders and 200 extra soldiers** were chosen to fight against Vinay's remaining forces.
And Manav's **true commanders?**
They watched.
**Ryan Jim. Karael. Dain. Elyas. Thane. Liora.**
They stood on the battlefield's edge, **motionless.**
Not interfering.
Not speaking.
Simply watching.
Because they didn't need to fight.
**Not yet.**
**Rudra entered the battlefield.**
Not in a storm of power.
Not with the terrifying might Vinay had displayed.
He **walked.**
Slowly.
Calmly.
Effortlessly.
**He did not raise his sword.**
**He did not summon his aura.**
He merely **stepped onto the blood-soaked land, among the broken bodies, the torn banners, the destruction left behind.**
And for the first time, **Ryan Jim's gaze locked with his.**
**Two forces of absolute chaos.**
Ryan Jim **froze.**
A chill ran down his spine.
It wasn't fear. It wasn't hesitation.
It was **recognition.**
Because **Ryan Jim knew what Rudra was.**
Not a warrior.
Not a soldier.
Not even an enemy.
**A calamity waiting to happen.**
If Vinay was destruction in its purest form, **Rudra was the unknown.**
A storm that had not yet decided if it would rage.
A blade that remained in its sheath, yet still **felt sharper than any other.**
Ryan Jim's hands curled into fists. **His instincts screamed.**
**This man is dangerous.**
And yet…
Rudra didn't even **acknowledge him.**
He merely **watched.**
Like a spectator at a play, unaffected by the death, the pain, the war.
Ryan Jim exhaled. **His pulse quickened.**
He had seen countless monsters in battle.
But Rudra was different.
He wasn't a monster.
**He was something worse.**
As the war raged on between Vinay's defectors and his remaining forces, the battlefield felt **split in half.**
On one side, **those who fought.**
And on the other, **those who merely watched.**
Ryan Jim. Karael. Dain. Elyas. Thane. Liora.
And Rudra.
**All unmoving.**
All **waiting.**
For what?
For something.
For the moment.
For **chaos to take its true form.**
Because deep down—**everyone knew.**
This war hadn't even **truly begun yet.**