The airboat docked at the airship port or tower in the East Bastion. There was a crowd in the plaza that was shouting various things, soldiers everywhere, but no reception committee at the top of the tower.

I stepped off along with two of my personal guard. While I was far stronger than them, it was a matter of appearances that I had soldiers with me. At least to keep the riff raff away. Did they think there would be no response. I walked off slowly. “Lift off and hover. Only come back down if I signal from here,” I told the pilot who nodded.

“Yes sir, Emperor Michael,” they replied and lifted back off into the air. I didn’t want to walk back. The elevator at the center of the tower rose up and there were twelve soldiers surrounding what could only be an official of some kind.

“You are asked to leave the city of Narobi,” the man said. I let out a sigh and brought up my left hand to pinch the bridge of my nose.

“Do you know who I am?” I asked slowly. There was silence. I let my hand drop and looked at the man in question. The guards were shuffling nervously. “I asked, do you know who I am?”

“Tyrant Michael,” the man said nervously.

“Tyrant. Anyone who drops their weapon will be spared from the initial purge,” I said and took a step forward.

“He might kill us, but he won’t kill our dream of freedom!” the official called out while shuffling nervously. I focused on death and killing and allowed my Aura to expand. I felt the pain from my stats, but this was manageable. One of the soldiers pissed themselves. Two began backing away. None of them dropped their weapons.

I kicked off the floor and moved. I slammed my palm into one of the soldier’s chests, it caved in, and he went flying into one of his comrades, before they both went tumbling off the side of the tower. I repeated the process several more times, killing the idiots who thought that a rebellion was going to happen.

There was some screams for mercy, some dropped their weapons, some tried to attack, but it was easier than crushing ants. The difference in stats was so immense, that I allowed their attacks to hit me, which did absolutely nothing.

A toddler would have been more effective than these people since at least a toddler would have struck my emotions. These people couldn’t do anything except die. My personal guard didn’t do anything. They had been ordered to not intervene unless attacked. We took the elevator down to the ground and there were twenty more men gathered in the hallway of the tower that led outside towards the plaza.

“Drop your weapons immediately, or die,” I said calmly. None of them listened, which was insanity. But I was not in the mood to be merciful. I killed them all without hesitation. I stepped out into the plaza and there were people shouting, but it wasn’t in English.

I pushed out a bit of energy and manipulated it. “SILENCE!” My voice boomed out across the plaza. Everyone shut up. “Why are you rebelling? Someone step forward and explain quickly before I kill everyone,” I demanded.

No one moved, finally one dark skinned woman stepped forward. “We, the free people of Narobi, have rebelled to fight the injustice of colonizers. For too long the government of Purgatory has oppressed us, our religion, and our freedoms. They couldn’t even protect their own cities. We have killed the corrupt governor and his cronies. And we will not bow to any tyrant,” she said and spat on the ground in front of me.

There was silence at that as I processed what I had just been told. These people were complete and utter idiots. “I just finished fighting a massive threat and saving everyone. And you are rebelling?” I asked slowly.

“It isn’t rebellion when we are nothing but slaves,” the woman replied.

“How were people slaves?” I asked, out of morbid curiosity. I already knew what I was going to do. But I was curious to hear whatever nonsense this woman spewed at me. I desperately needed some entertainment and this woman fit the bill perfectly.

“The corrupt governor had a harem of women, he took. They had no choice but to obey him. His cronies did the same. People who objected were killed. That governor was appointed by you, our oppressor!” Clarissa, you screwed up, now I had to clean up this mess.

“Alright, and you think that pointing your weapons at me, and insulting me will help things?” I asked.

“We are all dead anyways. This is nothing but a hell created to further our suffering. We plan to release our spirits to be free.” She then turned and shouted at the crowd who roared back. I kicked off the ground and reached the woman. I hand easily pierced through her flesh, grabbing onto her spine through her back.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Ahhhh!” she screamed in pain.

“There is but one rule. My rule. If you wish to be free. To be in charge of your fate. Then talk is cheap. Words are wind. Kill me,” I said and threw the broken woman into the crowd. She landed with a splat across the plaza and died.

Some people screamed and rushed at me. Others ran away. I stepped forward and punched, then kicked, and repeated the process over and over. Each blow killed at least one person, sometimes multiple as corpses were thrown away from me.

My personal guards had retreated to the airship tower and were holding the tunnel to the elevator with their skills. The number of corpses quickly began to file up as I massacred my way through the populace.

I blinked a couple of times and looked around. There were distant screams, cries for help, but there was no one left standing. Just a plaza covered in broken bodies and shattered dreams. I let out a long sigh. I then walked to the corpses and began dragging them and tossing them onto the store pillars, one after another.

I didn’t risk damaging the pillars, but I planed to make a point. If the corpses were shattered, I let their entrails spill out behind the largest piece I dragged over. I slowly began to build up a pile of corpses on top of each store pillar in the center of the plaza.

Once I was done, I instructed my personal guards to kill anyone who approached, and toss their corpse onto the piles. I then signaled my airboat to come down. “Return West and order a blockade of the single road leading away from East Bastion and that reinforcements need to come take charge of this place. The rebellion’s rot has settled in deep. I am going to starve everyone out and I don’t want people to escape,” I ordered.

The airboat took off back West. I went back to the plaza as my personal guards were tossing another corpse onto the pile. They both looked at me. “Anything either of you want to say?” I asked.

“How long are we going to be here?” One of them asked. If it had been a complaint or anything that annoyed me, I would have dismissed them from my service. My tolerance for nonsense had hit an all time low at the moment. I hadn’t thought about the question he had asked and considered it.

“At least two days, probably around ten days,” I finally said.

“Can we clear a pillar to purchase supplies then?” The other personal guard asked.

“Sure. Get me some water, food, and clean clothes. Probably two sets. Also, a bed. I will be sleeping in the plaza. To make sure no one uses the store. A table and some chairs so we can wait as well,” I replied.

There were no objections as a pillar was cleared of corpses and stuff was purchased. I then cleaned myself off and took a seat. I spotted people looking at the plaza and myself occasionally, but I didn’t hunt them down. There was no point. They would be running out of food and water very quickly.

Once those resources ran out, then this entire rebellion would collapse. The corpses on the pillars sent a message and would take time to clear out if a large group rushed me at once. That would give me time to kill them all before anything could be purchased. I was content to wait for a while.

I doubted they had stockpiled enough food and water to outlast me. Once I had settled in and it was starting to get dark a group left the buildings and approached my group. They had their hands up and were waving a white flag.

“Yes?” I asked once they got close, they came to a stop. An older gentleman at the front stepped forward.

“We would like to negotiate a truce,” the man said.

“Are you the Almighty System?” I asked slowly. The man looked confused.

“Um, no?” he answered.

“Are you somehow concealing a million stat points. Some secret master hiding in the wilderness for decades with a portable store?” I asked.

“No,” he said in a confused tone.

“The only surrender I will accept is cutting out one of your eyes. Anyone who does that, will be spared. Everyone else will be starved to death. There will be no mercy. No compromise,” I said.

“That’s barbaric!” the man shouted at me.

“So all of you are refusing my surrender terms?” I asked. They looked at each other and then at the man.

“We refuse. We will not bow to a tyrant-“ I got up from my chair and kicked off the ground. The man’s corpse went flying onto one of the piles. I then quickly added the rest of the people who were with him. A few tried to run, but they all got tossed onto the corpse piles along with their white flag.

I sat back down. My soldiers glanced at me but didn’t say anything and didn’t stare. I saved these people, and they weren’t grateful? They should be thanking me on their hands and knees. Now they could all die. Hunger and thirst would drive them to desperation. They would try to escape, but that route would be cut off by my forces. Everyone would die and this city purged entirely.

My amusement had worn thin very quickly with the insults thrown in my direction. There probably was a root cause, the governor, other people stirring up trouble, I didn’t care. The East Bastion would be a statement to all people of my Empire that rebellions would be crushed harshly. It helped that the city was so isolated to the East, which made this course of action practical.

Well the message would be sent that there was no weakness in my Empire. At the end of the day, the reasons for this rebellion didn’t matter. They had fought against my representatives and insulted me. If they had cheered my arrival instead, and said kind things about me, and insulted the former governor, I would have been prepared to be lenient. Most likely appointing of the people in charge as acting governor.

But instead they had to insult me and drag me into this mess. And my solution was to let people die until there was no one left to complain in any shape or form. It was harsh, but stupidity could not be allowed to persist. The fact they didn’t have the self-awareness to beg for my leniency was proof enough that purging them to contain such thoughts was the only way forward. Unless you had strength, then you better be smart enough to know when to not cause problems.