The ranks of Shadow Eaters were as follows.

Spawn.

Dreadful.

Disaster.

Bloodmarked.

Demon.

Eldritch.

Ascendent.

Voidspawn.

Ender.

Deity.

Each step was not merely a rise in strength, but a leap in existence itself.

An Eldritch was more than three steps above a mere Disaster.

It was a creature meant to be paired against three Sigil Awakened, veterans who had engraved power into their very souls. Not frightened initiates. Not half-trained students clinging to borrowed strength.

Certainly not them.

So what, exactly, was such a monster doing in a Realm this low?

Bang!

Bang!

The chamber trembled violently with every step the demonic King took closer to the Cohort. Stone groaned under his weight, dust raining from the ceiling in thin clouds. Each footfall felt less like a step and more like a judgment, hammering itself directly into their bones.

Many fell to their knees immediately, their legs giving out as if their bodies had made the decision before their minds could. Their countenance went empty, eyes hollow, pupils trembling as hope drained away.

Others remained standing, teeth clenched hard enough to crack, muscles locked in defiance that bordered on madness. But it was only that defiance in spirit alone.

There was nothing that could be done against this monster.

Brain tensed, his pulse thundering in his ears.

’If he starts killing those in front, I’ll make a run for it... No, I’ll yell for everyone to run. Create chaos. I’ll use that moment to escape... Yes. That’s it.’

He forced himself to breathe through his nose, sweat trickling down his spine.

But he was awfully wrong.

Instead of tearing into the first lines of Awakened who stood in his chamber uninvited snapping spines, crushing skulls, painting the floor red with their blood—

King Nomis did the most unexplainable thing.

He did not linger.

He did not stop in front of the Cohort.

He simply walked past them, as though he had not seen them at all.

As though they were nothing more than dust drifting in the air.

The action stunned the entire Cohort into silence, their fear twisting into confusion. Worried glances were exchanged, eyes darting from one face to another.

He should have been decimating them. Erasing them. Turning them into a lesson written in blood.

Instead, he turned his back to the enemy.

Still, no one dared to move.

No one dared to breathe too loudly.

No words were spoken. All that could have been said remained trapped in their minds as they watched, unblinking, the back of the Eldritch King.

They stared at the jagged golden armour encasing his massive frame, etched with ancient runes that pulsed faintly, as if alive. The metal swayed softly with each stride, emitting a low metallic groan that set teeth on edge.

King Nomis continued onward, his towering figure ascending the stairs toward his throne. One step of his covered nearly six of a normal human’s, and yet he was not even attempting to move quickly.

It was a king’s walk.

Unhurried.

Certain.

Absolute.

"HUMANS! SUCH PATHETIC BEINGS!"

His heavy voice resounded throughout the chamber, crashing against the walls like thunder. The air itself vibrated under its weight.

"DID YOU REALLY THINK YOU COULD STEAL FROM ME?! DO YOU THINK YOU CAN ENTER THE KINGDOM OF AMBITION WITHOUT PAYING TRIBUTE? KILLING MY SUBJECTS AS THOUGH THEY ARE SOME SORT OF ANIMALS?!"

SPLURT!

An Awakened deep within the crowd jolted violently, eyes bulging in disbelief. In the next second, his head was sent flying into the air, spinning once before crashing against the stone floor.

Blood exploded outward, staining everyone around him in warm crimson.

His body convulsed for a brief, horrible moment before collapsing, lifeless.

The sound of it echoed louder than the scream he never got to make.

A collective shudder rippled through the Cohort. Silent gasps followed, lungs struggling to pull in air that suddenly felt too thick to breathe.

Steven stood close to the man who had just died.

His face was painted red with the man’s blood, droplets sliding down his cheek, warm and sticky. His heart felt like it had stopped beating entirely.

’It could have been me,’ he thought, swallowing hard, his throat painfully dry.

"WELL, KILLING MY SUBJECTS... I CAN FORGIVE."

Nomis finally reached his throne and seated himself upon it. The massive structure groaned under his weight as he leaned back against the dark cushions, carved from unknown material.

He placed one gauntleted hand upon his helmet.

Then he removed it.

The face beneath was old, unnaturally so. Cracks ran across his skin like fractured stone, as though he were a statue eroded by time itself. His hair was white, his beard short and scruffy, both devoid of any warmth. His eyes were milky, unfocused, yet somehow capable of seeing everything.

And still, his face was no less terrifying than the helmet.

SPLURT!

Another Awakened lost his head from a different section of the Cohort. Blood sprayed endlessly as his body slumped forward, collapsing in a boneless heap.

"IS THAT HOW YOU GREET YOUR KING?" Nomis roared, his voice dripping with boiling rage. "STANDING AS THOUGH YOU ARE MY EQUAL?!"

At that, some broke completely.

A few shuddered violently, wetting themselves as terror overtook reason. Others fell to their knees instantly, slamming their heads to the ground and kowtowing as though before a living Deity.

Three more heads went flying during this time, torn away without warning, the tension snapping tighter with every death.

"Everyone fucking bow!"

Silva’s voice cut through the chaos, sharp and desperate. But no one needed convincing anymore. Panic spread like wildfire as the remaining Awakened hurriedly dropped to their knees.

Including Steven.

Even though he hated the very idea of bowing to a deity hated it with every fiber of his being, still, there was little to nothing he could do now.

Survival demanded humiliation.

Within seconds, all were bowing.

Heads pressed firmly to the cold stone floor, necks strained, eyes locked onto nothing but the ground beneath them. The silence was suffocating, broken only by ragged breathing and the occasional drip of blood.

Hopefully... hopefully this would be enough to appease the Eldritch King.

’Still... we’re only bending to its will. There’s no assurance he’ll let us live,’ Silva thought grimly. ’Still, right now...’

"NOW," Nomis declared proudly, "THAT IS HOW YOU STAND BEFORE YOUR KING."

A pause.

"NOW, YOU. COME UP HERE."

You?

Who the hell was you?

Slowly, cautiously, heads lifted one after another. Eyes scanned the tightly packed crowd, searching desperately for the one being singled out. But with the Awakened pressed together, fear clouding every mind, it was impossible to tell.

SPLURT!

SPLURT!

SPLURT!

Three Awakened lost their heads all at once.

Their bodies collapsed where they knelt, blood pooling around them. The kills were precise, executed around a single untouched figure.

The only fat person among the Awakened.

Shawn.

He gulped hard, his shaky fingers trailing up to his chest before freezing mid-motion, terrified that even breathing wrong might get him killed.

Nomis grinned at his fright.

"COME UP HERE, CHILD."

***AUTHORS NOTE***

Only One Reader seems to be following up, I’ll keep pushing for him I guess.