The King Falls

"Ugh," a robed figure was clawing the floor with his hands as he dragged his dying body towards the corpse of a woman who lay dead in a pool of her own blood.

The glowing tiles on the floor which looked like carved, glistening diamonds, made the scene of this black-haired beauty with the light in her eyes gone while a depression could be seen on her chest, all the more tragic.

The figure of a man crawled as tears ran down his eyes. He had never asked for something as good as her. For the children that lay a few meters from his wife's corpse, but they had been taken from him ruthlessly. The eyes of this immortal being were bloodshot as he groaned and grunted from the combined ache of emotion and bodily pain.

His back was riddled with golden arrows that emitted a golden mist, glittering with bits of blinding white essence. His leg had been ripped off during the battle where he singlehandedly killed four hundred thousand of the arrogant immortals that had descended in his realm to take what was his.

However, like all men, the scene of his wife in the hands of his enemy, ravenously molested before being brutally killed, had shaken his warrior's heart.

His son and daughter were subjected to a less painful death by beheading as he was pinned and struck down by the Golden Trinity archers' arrows.

Now he was crawling like a worm while his magnificent palace that was as large as a moon, precious gemstones forming its walls, tamed lightfire spirits providing the lighting for the interior, Realm Essence being so abundant for cultivation that even his lowest servant had the strength kill a mid-rank Transcendent beast.

However...

It was all gone.

It was a betrayal.

Outside he could hear the sounds of battle as the last of his warriors were putting up a final fight against their master's enemies.

"You never knew this day would ever come, did you?" asked a voice from behind the man who crawled.

It was a figure donning a royal blue robe that was fitted with golden star-shaped studs that emitted a regal glow. His hair draped over his shoulders to his waist, its burgundy sheen complementing his crimson coloured, almond-shaped eyes.

He held in his hand, a large spear whose height exceeded his own. It continuously released bursts of white power that shook the entire palace at fixed intervals. Its handle was golden, white runic markings carved on the surface. Its blade was menacing. It was akin to a mirror, reflecting all that it faced, yet its edge being so sharp that its wielder held it away from himself. It was one of the only weapons known to be able to kill an Immortal cadre like the man who was still crawling towards his wife.

"Truth be told, neither did I. I did not think that our fates would be so cruel as to conjure such a brutal scene where I slaughter everything that you loved and you... old friend, are left to crawl on the ground devoid of the pride you once bore as King," the man said with a solemn look on his face.

"Ugh... I...You..." the man on the ground struggled to speak without looking at the man behind him.

"There is no need for words. Everything that should have been said, was said long ago. Is there a curse to spare that we haven't spat in each other's face?" the man said as he lifted the spear that towered over him, preparing to end the life of the King.

The man on the ground spat out blood, his hand merely an inch away from his wife. He knew he was doomed. But he wanted at least his finger to remember the feeling of his wife. Just a touch of her arm to carry with him where his immortal soul would be tormented for eternity, his enemies jeering over his fall.

He felt the power of the weapon above him. It could kill his body as well as his soul, with the user having the additional option of sealing the soul of the slain within the spear itself.

"Come now. There shall never be peace for you. May the people of all the realms celebrate your fall," said the man as he plunged the spear downwards to slay the man on the floor!

A barely visible stream of transparent energy streaked through the air and struck the man with the spear on his head!

He staggered, missing the body of the man who lay on the floor, his spear slinking into the beautiful floor with a thunderous crash that released a blinding light!

The portion of the floor that he stood on burst with chunks of the diamond-like tiles flying everywhere!

The man who was on his dying breath did not hesitate. Seeing the chaos, the man with the spear struggling to stand on the shattering floor, he made a final attempt at saving his life!

A dense blue light exited his body as he roared before flashing out of the palace, speeding upwards with an immense speed!

The man with the spear released a powerful wave of energy that blew outwards, forcing the caving floor to regain its sturdiness as he held onto it with his Essence!

He saw the escaping soul streaking its the sky and wore a scowl on his face. His eyes glowed with a frightening light, the space around him dancing under the pressure of his might.

He wielded the spear with his right hand and drew in a breath. He cocked his arm, the spear releasing a brilliant light as it looked like it was charging up, its blade reflecting the view of the starry sky.

"I had intended to imprison your soul, but... " he did not finish, as he immediately threw the spear with all his might!

First, it was the ceiling, the ornate materials that made its entirety burning with a flame that could not be described by mortal standards as they parted to make way for the spear's ascent!

BOOOM!!!

The roof followed, shattering with a thunderous explosion that attracted the warriors who were killing the remains of the loyal forces under the King.

The spear turned into a blur as it chased after the soul of the King with a malevolent desire!

The glimmering soul of the King accelerated, but the spear closed the distance in a few seconds, barely leaving room for the soul of the King to react!

A transparent energy streaked through the air and intervened in the nick of time...again!

It struck the spear, its course changing slightly as it pierced a portion of the soul of the King whose voice could be heard grunting as the spear passed, but he used this chance that he had been given, using every bit of strength he had to bolt out of the realm and disappear into the void!

The spear remained on its course until it lost its momentum a great distance away.

The man who had held the spear frowned and glared at the surroundings, looking for whoever had interfered. He spread his Essence throughout the entire realm in a second, catching a glimpse of a presence he couldn't identify in time before it vanished into thin air.

The look on his face changed. He softened his features as he let go of the tension.

"Even in a time like this, you still had powerful allies. A King through and through. However, you won't escape my grasp today," said the man softly as he floated outside the palace where gigantic floating contraptions floated, firing beams of searing hot energy that carved into the realm, eviscerating all those that took refuge under the protection of the King.

There was no option except death for all of them. They could only scream and beg for mercy while calling for their King. Women, children and men were all treated the same. They all burned under the banner of their King.

That day, the King fell and all that he built. All that he raised from the ground. His subjects. His family.

The man in the burgundy hair pulled out an object that he had taken from the King after the battle. It was a katana within a black, curved scabbard. On it was a crimson marking in the shape of a tear.

The man gazed at the sky and breathed out. He had almost finished it. Now all that remained was making sure that the King died.