CHAPTER 148: CHAPTER 148 | AFTERMATH II

*distant rumbling

*distant sounds of vehicles

From his vantage point, Jinn could see the sheer scale of the movement present below.

Hundreds—

No,

Perhaps even more than thousands of soldiers swarmed the streets like an unstoppable tide of armor and flesh.

Their formations split into smaller units, dispersing through several alleys and side roads, sweeping through each corner for possible hostiles or enemy civilians they could possibly capture.

At the same time, the main column of armored vehicles relentlessly thundered forward along the broad central road.

It was as if it was a singular artery that cut the city in half, the road dividing the left and right of the city.

Engines growled as treads and wheels rumbled along the earth, the vehicles unyielding advance made the nearby houses slightly tremble upon their force.

"Mhm, another city down..." Jinn muttered under his breath, his voice low, almost carried away by the wind flowing at the apex of the tower he was on.

*Fwoooosh!

His crimson-red hair whipped widely as the breeze rushed around him, each strand dancing like fire in the already fading sunlight.

His words...

Were neither boastful nor mournful, but rather...

Heavy

For a brief moment, Jinn closed his eyes.

As he inhaled, his lungs were filled with the suffocating air of war, the stench hitting him all at one.

The acrid burn of smoke,

The metallic tang of blood lingering in the air faintly,

And of course, the underlying reek of destruction.

The smell was thick, clinging, like a cocktail mixture of misery that pressed upon the environment.

Jinn held the breath for a heartbeat longer, letting it burn inside his chest,

*phew

Before exhaling slowly, his eyelids lifted to reveal the scenery in front of him once more.

Time to move.

In one smooth motion, Jinn flexed his legs as he coiled them with raw power

*BANG!

before launching himself forward.

He leapt from the peak of the tower with explosive force, his body arcing through the open air as the wind howled past his ears.

*Thud!

Then he landed,

His landing was fluid, boots striking another rooftop across with a dull sound.

Carrying this momentum, he leaped once more towards the next,

*Thud!

And the next,

*Thud!

And the next.

Over and over, he bounded from one rooftop to another, moving with great speed as he soared through the sky as if he was flying.

"Hey look!"

"Isn’t that Venedix’s apprentice?"

"Heh, the kid’s showing off."

From below, several soldiers patrolling the streets caught sight of him.

Their heads turned upwards as they narrowed their eyes on his silhouette that darted across the air.

At first, some saw merely a slave—

Someone who had once been nothing more than a chained survivor dragged into servitude.

Yet some others remembered him as the inexperienced greenhorn, the untested fighter.

Yet,

As his shadow continued its relentless advance across the rooftops,

even the most skeptical among them could not deny what he had become after so many operations with him along.

Jinn’s skill,

His speed,

His strength,

His eidra and his wrath combines...

His presence that carved through doubt like a blade.

He was no longer just another soldier.

He was an apprentice molded for nothing but war, one whose prowess was undeniable,

One worthy of the title that whispered around him—

Apprentice of a Battlemaster.

And not just any Battlemaster, but Venedix herself, the very blade of the empire.

That alone carried weight greater than steel,

Greater than any banner of rank.

It was clear as day.

Jinn will be one of the greatest assets of the empire one day if he grows even more stronger.

.

.

.

Seconds slipped into minutes,

And the minutes bled seamlessly into hours.

The city changed as the sun crept across the sky, the light slowly dimming until the edges of the horizon burned gold and crimson.

The day was finally surrendering to the night.

The sun was setting.

As the sun dipped and the moon conquered the sky,

Throughout the city, several beams of pale, artificial light have been erected by the Zeraf soldiers.

They illuminated the streets in a cold glow, casting harsh shadows across the walls of empty homes and dark hollow alleyways.

Yet among all the light sources, one stood above all the rest—

A singular, enormous banner that blazed in the heart of the city’s main square.

Its fabric bore the imperial crest of the Zeraf,

Illuminated so brightly it seemed to glow with an almost divine authority.

The banner swayed slightly in the night breeze, its glow painting the square with an aura of dominance.

A reminder to all who stood beneath it that this land now belonged to the Empire.

Yet at the same time,

It was here,

Beneath that oppressive light,

Jinn and the rest of his squad had been summoned, along with several other high ranking officials.

The square, once a place of gathering for the city’s people, had been repurposed into a stage for authority and judgement.

Soldiers stood rigidly at attention along the perimeter, their faces stiff, while Hinn’s squad lingered nearby,

Caught between loyalty and unease.

The air was heavy,

For this was no celebration of their victory.

But for a trial,

For Jinn.

"HOW DARE YOU ACT ON YOU OWN, IMBECILE!" a high-ranking officer shouted, his voice laced with fury.

The words crashed across the square before his hand lashed out,

*Thwack!

Striking Jinn’s face with a brutal smack.

The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed through the space as the soldiers stood around with faces stiff.

Jinn’s head turned slightly from the impact, a slight redness swelling on his cheek, but his body remained upright, unmoving.

Around them, soldiers and squadmates bore witness in tense silence, their eyes darting nervously between the officer and Jinn, unsure if they should intervene—

or if they even dared.

"This is treason!" the officer roared, his finger stabbing and pointing toward Jinn.

His voice then cracked with anger as he continued.

"You allowed the enemy to escape freely! Assets—resources—that the empire could have seized for its strength! You have robbed us of what is ours!"

His spit flew with each word, his rage consuming him as his accusations echoed through the air.

But Jinn...

Jinn remained silent.

His blue eyes locked forward, unyielding, as he held an expressionless face.

No reply left his lips,

No defense,

No apology.

Yet in his silence, the truth radiated clearly.

He had no regrets.

The decision he had made earlier, the actions that allowed the civilians to flee, were his burden to carry—

And he bore them without flinching.

His lack of words was more powerful than any explanation, more defiant than any retort.

And that made the high-ranking officer even more furious.

"Damned slave!" the officer spat as he drew his arm back, preparing to strike again.

But before his hand could even snap forward,

A different grip clamped around his arm with the force of iron.

The officer froze, his eyes widening slightly as he turned his head upward.

General Gaius stood before him, towering and immovable, his broad hand locked tightly around the officer’s wrist.

The difference in presence was overwhelming—

The officer, despite his rank, suddenly felt small, diminished beneath the weight of the General’s authority.

"Leave this matter to me, officer," Gaius commanded, his tone low yet brimming with a steel that brooked no defiance.

His gaze shifted toward Jinn, and in his eyes there was no mercy,

only the sharp glare of discipline,

the kind that could cut deeper than any blade.

"You..." he said slowly, his voice carrying across the silent square.

"You need discipline."

He inhaled deeply, his chest expanding like a bellows before he released his fury.

"EVERYONE... OUT!"

The words erupted from him in a thunderous roar, his voice carrying such force it was more than mere sound—

it was power.

The very air quaked, rippling outward as if struck by a physical blow, scattering dust and vibrating through the bones of those present.

In that instant, the square emptied in hurried motion.

Squad members, soldiers, and officials alike dispersed, their boots pounding against the stone as they scrambled to obey.

None dared linger beneath the weight of General Gaius’s order.

And soon, only Jinn and the General remained beneath the glaring banner, its light spilling down upon them like the watchful eye of judgment.