"Even emperors bleed."
Kai Shen had heard those words countless times throughout his thousand-year reign. Whispered in dark corners by those who resented his power. Shouted by rebels who thought themselves brave. Muttered by the envious who coveted his throne.
Now, as nine swords pierced his flesh and the Celestial Throne crumbled beneath him, those words had never felt more true.
Blood pooled around him, each drop containing enough spiritual energy to forge a thousand weapons. The irony wasn't lost on him—he'd spent centuries becoming the strongest existence in the Three Realms, only to fall to politics and betrayal rather than honest combat.
"Any last words, Void Emperor?" Sect Master Ling of the Azure Dragon Sect stood before him, robes pristine despite the carnage. Around them, the leaders of the Nine Supreme Sects watched with varying degrees of satisfaction and shame.
Kai's gaze drifted past them to the World Tree burning behind his throne. Its roots connected all three realms—Mortal, Spirit, and Divine. The fools had set it aflame in their rage, not understanding that destroying it would unravel the very fabric of reality.
But one figure caught his attention. Standing apart from the others, white robes stained with blood that wasn't his own, sword still drawn.
Feng Yuhan.
Their eyes met across the ruined throne room. Those silver eyes that had watched Kai's back through countless battles now held something that made Kai's dying heart ache more than the nine swords in his body.
Grief. And something deeper. Something that had always been there, unspoken, buried beneath duty and destiny and the weight of their respective roles.
*Too late,* Kai thought. *I realized too late.*
"My last words?" Kai's voice came out as a whisper, but in the sudden silence, everyone heard. He kept his gaze locked on Yuhan. "I have... regrets."
Yuhan's sword trembled. Just slightly. But Kai, who had fought beside him for centuries, noticed.
"Kill him," Elder Mei of the Phoenix Flame Sect commanded. "Before he attempts some final technique."
Sect Master Ling raised his sword for the final strike.
Yuhan moved.
Not toward Kai's executioner. But toward Kai himself, his movement so fast even the other sect leaders barely registered it. His sword flashed, and suddenly he stood between Kai and Sect Master Ling, his blade crossed against the descending strike.
"No," Yuhan said quietly.
The throne room erupted into chaos.
"Feng Yuhan!" Elder Mei's voice cracked like thunder. "You dare betray the alliance?"
"There was no honor in this." Yuhan's voice remained calm, but spiritual energy rolled off him in waves. "Nine against one. Ambush and poison. This was not justice—it was murder."
"He hoarded the secrets of the Transcendent Realm!" someone shouted.
"To protect you." Yuhan's silver eyes blazed. "All of you. He knew what that power does to those unprepared for it. He bore the burden alone so you wouldn't have to."
Kai tried to speak, to tell Yuhan to stop, to save himself. But his voice wouldn't come. The nine swords had been specifically designed to sever his connection to the Void, leaving him powerless.
"Step aside, Sword Saint," Sect Master Ling said coldly. "Or be branded traitor alongside him."
"Then brand me traitor." Yuhan's grip tightened on his sword. "I will not watch him die like this."
Fool,Kai thought desperately. Beautiful, honorable fool. You'll die for nothing.
But even as the Nine Supreme Sects prepared their final attack, reality itself began to fracture. The World Tree's destruction had reached critical mass. Cracks appeared in the air, revealing the Void beneath—infinite darkness shot through with silver light.
The same silver as Yuhan's eyes.
No, Kai realized with dawning horror. The Void is trying to preserve him too.
The last thing Kai saw before the world unraveled was Yuhan reaching for him, those silver eyes wide with understanding and regret and something that looked painfully like love.
Then the Void swallowed everything.
You cannot die here, an ancient voice whispered as reality dissolved. Neither of you can. The realms still need you both. But this time... this time, do not waste what you have been given.
This time, speak the words left unspoken.