Chapter 6: The Fall of the Jewel
The sun rose over Oakhaven, but its light felt strangely pale, as if the city itself were losing its vitality. By dawn, the news of the massacre at the Old Chapel had spread like wildfire. The "Jewel of the South" was no longer a place of peace; it was a cage of terror.
Inside the Governor's mansion, Count Marcus Oakhart paced his study, his face a mask of fury and grief. "My daughter... corrupted by a shadow? And the High Priest slaughtered like cattle? Who is this demon?!"
"He is no demon, Father," a cold, melodic voice echoed.
The doors to the study swung open. Isabella stepped inside, but she was not the timid girl who had left the night before. She was dressed in a gown of midnight silk, and her eyes—once the color of the summer sky—now glowed with a faint, predatory violet light.
"Isabella!" the Count gasped, reaching for the holy sword mounted on his wall. "What have they done to you? Step back, I will find a way to purify your soul!"
"Purify?" Isabella laughed, a sound that sent a shiver down the Count's spine. "You spent eighteen years trying to 'purify' me into a puppet, Father. But my King... he showed me what it means to actually live."
Before the Count could react, a figure materialized from the shadows behind Isabella. Cyan Valerian stepped into the light, his presence so overwhelming that the decorative glass in the room began to crack.
"Count Marcus," Cyan said, his voice a calm tide of darkness. "The last time we met, you were signing my death warrant. You didn't even have the courage to look me in the eye."
"Cyan... Valerian?" The Count's sword hand trembled. "The traitor who tried to kill the Saintess? You should be rotting in the Abyss!"
"The Abyss was a gift, Count. It stripped away the lies of the Light and gave me the truth." Cyan walked forward, ignoring the blade pointed at his chest. "I am here to offer you the same deal I gave your daughter. Kneel, and keep your city. Resist, and Oakhaven becomes a graveyard."
"Never! Guards! To me!" the Count roared.
The doors burst open, and thirty elite house guards—the Silver Shields—rushed in, their spears leveled at Cyan. These were men trained to fight monsters, their armor etched with anti-magic runes.
[Ding!]
[Enemy Group Detected: The Silver Shields.]
[Target Count: 30.]
[Objective: Total Domination.]
Cyan didn't even draw a weapon. He looked at the guards, and his violet eye flared with a blinding intensity.
"Kneel," Cyan commanded.
[Skill Activated: Sovereign's Command - Tier 2.]
The air in the room became as heavy as lead. The guards, men of iron will, suddenly felt an primal, ancient fear clawing at their hearts. Their legs buckled. Their spears clattered to the floor. One by one, they fell to their knees, gasping for air as if the very oxygen had turned into Cyan's dark mana.
"What... what have you done to them?" the Count whimpered, falling to his knees as well, the weight of Cyan's aura pressing on his shoulders like a mountain.
"I didn't do anything, Marcus. Their souls simply recognize their true master," Cyan said, stopping in front of the Count. He looked down at the man who had helped destroy his life. "Your army is outside, waiting for your signal to attack. But they won't be attacking me. They will be the first legion of my New World."
Cyan turned to Elara, who was watching from the corner with a cruel smile. "Elara, prepare the 'Nectar'. It's time the citizens of Oakhaven had a taste of the Sovereign's grace."
"With pleasure, my King," Elara whispered. She raised her hands, and a thick, purple mist began to pour from her fingertips, flowing out of the windows and into the city streets below.
[Ding!]
[Mass Corruption Initiated: The Fog of Sin.]
[City Status: Falling...]
As the mist touched the people in the streets, their hidden greeds, lusts, and rages began to surface. The "pious" citizens began to turn on each other, the thin veil of morality tearing like wet paper. In the distance, the bells of the great Cathedral began to ring in alarm, but the sound was quickly drowned out by the roar of a city embracing its own darkness.
Cyan reached down and grabbed Count Marcus by his gray hair, forcing him to look at the chaos outside.
"Look at your 'Jewel', Marcus. It's finally shining with its true colors," Cyan whispered. "In two days, my brother Victor will arrive at the capital for his coronation. He expects a kingdom in mourning. Instead, he will find a Sovereign at his gates."
Cyan's Heart of Ruin throbbed with a terrifying power. With an entire city now feeding his system with 'Sin Points', he could feel his evolution accelerating.
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
City Captured: Oakhaven.
Sin Points Gained: +50,000.
Current Level: 15.
New Title: Lord of the Corrupted City.
Army Size: 2,000 (Corrupted Guards).
Cyan looked at Isabella, who was watching him with a mixture of awe and absolute devotion. He pulled her close, his hand resting on her waist as they looked out over their new domain.
"This is just the beginning, Isabella," Cyan said, his voice echoing over the screaming city. "One city today. The Empire tomorrow. And the Heavens... the Heavens will be the last to burn."