Chapter 82 – The Condemned Hero

The bells spread faster than fire.

From the frost-ridden north to the gilded spires of the holy cities, their toll carried one message:

The Abyss-Hero has been condemned.

Markets froze. Taverns fell silent. Soldiers tightened their grips on weapons they’d never dreamed of pointing at the one who once saved them.

And in every temple, the same decree echoed:
“He is no longer the savior, but the shadow that defies salvation.”

Kael stood on the broken balcony of the Council chamber, cloak torn, eyes burning with unyielding black fire. Below, the capital city swarmed—guards, civilians, zealots—all staring upward as though witnessing the fall of a god.

Aria clung to his side, bloodied from her futile struggle to reach him. “Kael… they won’t stop now. Every kingdom will hunt you.”

He laughed bitterly, the sound hollow. “Good. Let them come. For once, their eyes are open—not to prophecy, but to fear.”

The Council’s herald stepped forward, his voice carrying through an enchanted horn.
“Kael of the Abyss. By decree of the united realms, you are stripped of all names, all honors, all place in history. From this moment, you are nothing but a curse upon the world.”

Chains of light erupted from the tower, snaking toward him.

Kael’s shadows rose in answer, a storm of runes blotting out the sky. With one gesture, he tore the chains apart, the shockwave shattering the Council’s wards and silencing their cries.

His voice rolled across the city.
“If you fear me… then fear me fully. For I am done playing the hero you erased. From the ashes of your judgment, I will rise as something you cannot write away.”

The people trembled. Some fled, some dropped to their knees in terrified prayer.

And somewhere, hidden in the chaos, Serin’s voice whispered through the shadows—whether memory or mirage, Kael could not tell:
“Then prove it, brother. Prove you exist.”