Chapter 22 – Crimson Eyes
The Makansio stood before the enormous doors, unable to gather the courage to enter. Never in his life had he feared delivering a report, yet today his body refused to move. His hands trembled as he remembered everything that had happened. Third-Rank Kichatsu had fallen. Not against an army. Not against a veteran Guardian. He had been defeated by a single fourteen-year-old Guardian. Even now, saying those words aloud sounded impossible. The surviving Wrestlings behind him remained silent, each one lowering their head. None of them wished to be the one to speak. Taking one final breath, the Makansio slowly pushed open the massive doors and stepped into the chamber.
Darkness covered the entire hall. No light reached the throne at the far end. Only silence welcomed him. The Makansio immediately fell to one knee and lowered his head. "My lord..." His voice almost disappeared before it reached the throne. No answer came. The silence continued. His heartbeat grew louder with every passing second. He swallowed before forcing himself to continue. "The operation has failed. Third-Rank Kichatsu... has fallen." Still nothing. The Makansio tightened his fists. "He was defeated... by a fourteen-year-old Guardian."
For several long moments, nothing happened. Then... two crimson-red eyes slowly opened within the darkness.
The Makansio's breathing became uneven. Every instinct in his body screamed at him to run, but his legs refused to move. The chamber felt heavier with every passing second. Those eyes never blinked. They simply stared at him. A slow breath echoed through the hall. Then another. The Makansio felt cold sweat running down his face. He knew those eyes were judging every word he had spoken.
"I... that is all the information we recovered, my lord."
The figure finally rose from the throne.
Slowly.
One step.
Another.
The footsteps echoed across the chamber until they stopped directly before the kneeling Makansio.
A hand lunged from the pitch-black darkness, clamping around Makansio's neck and choking out his final scream. With a sickening rip, it tore his head clean off his shoulders, violently throwing the head one way and his body the other
The chamber returned to complete silence.
The remaining Wrestlings lowered their heads even further, not daring to look toward the throne. None of them spoke. None of them moved. Fear alone was enough to keep every one of them frozen in place.
He returned to his throne without saying a single word.
Only those crimson-red eyes remained visible within the darkness.
Far away, beyond the lands known to the Wrestlings, Ryo and the others continued their journey, believing the battle with Kichatsu had ended everything.
They never realized...
Someone had already accepted them as his next targets.