The King Of War Returns (Jaden Rift) novel Chapter 128

“You arrogant fool… I’ll kill you where you stand!” Shadow roared, his voice echoing across the battered courtyard as he lunged at Jaden, his sword gleaming like a bolt of death.

But Jaden stood rooted in place, his eyes half-lidded with quiet disdain. A sharp exhale escaped his lips, barely audible beneath the chaos.

“Heh.” Jaden’s smirk curled with lethal confidence. “Kendal, you still don’t get it… You have no idea what you’re up against.”

As Shadow closed the distance, a sudden, radiant surge erupted from Jaden’s body. The ground trembled. The air rippled. A golden aura—pulsating, alive—burst outward, wrapping him like a divine mantle of untouchable power.

The crowd gasped, recoiling in awe and terror.

Shadow faltered mid-stride, but pride clamped his jaw shut. He gritted his teeth, shoving down the rising fear.

“Haha… Nice light show,” he spat, tightening his grip on his sword. “Even with all that flashy energy, you’re still just a man. And I—” his eyes sharpened, “—I’m the strongest swordsman in Ravenmoor. You won’t leave here alive!”

Jaden said nothing. His eyes gleamed—cold, precise, merciless.

And then, impossibly, Shadow froze mid-air, his charge halted by an invisible force. His body hovered helplessly, limbs rigid, eyes wide with dawning horror.

“What… what the hell is this?!” Shadow’s voice cracked, panic flooding his system as he thrashed, unable to move an inch.

Jaden extended his hand, fingers spread, manipulating the space around him with eerie ease. His smirk deepened, eyes locked on his prey.

“You wanted me kneeling at your feet…” Jaden’s voice dropped an octave, dangerous and steady. “Instead, let me show you a glimpse—just the tip—of what real power looks like.”

With a flex of his hand, an unseen force squeezed down on Shadow’s limbs. The swordsman’s joints cracked audibly. His bones twisted at unnatural angles.

“ARRGGHHH!!” Shadow’s scream tore through the air, raw and agonizing, as his body contorted like a puppet in a sadist’s grip. Blood dripped from his trembling fingers. His sword clattered to the ground.

“Mercy! Please—” Shadow sobbed, his proud facade obliterated beneath the suffocating weight of Jaden’s power. “I—I was wrong! Spare me!”

But Jaden only chuckled, the sound ice-cold and merciless.

With a flick of his wrist, Shadow’s body slammed into the concrete like a meteor, the impact carving a small crater beneath him. Dust and debris shot upward, the ground fracturing under the force.

The crowd recoiled in stunned silence, eyes wide as the once-feared swordsman of Ravenmoor lay shattered, moaning in pain at Jaden’s feet.

Not far off, Williams Gravesend stood frozen, every muscle in his body rigid with fear. His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, cold sweat pouring down his back. His mind raced, disbelief rattling his skull.

“He’s toying with Kendal like a child…” Williams’ thoughts spiraled into panic. “This man… this monster… unstoppable… God of killing… I never should’ve left prison… I should’ve rotted in that cell… What the hell was I thinking—?”

Instinct screamed at him to run. His legs moved before reason could catch up, his body turning to bolt.

Suddenly, the distant thwump-thwump-thwump of helicopter blades sliced through the tense atmosphere.

All eyes turned skyward.

A sleek, black military chopper loomed overhead, ropes unfurling as heavily armed soldiers began descending with practiced precision.

“Where the hell did that come from?!” someone in the crowd shouted.

“They’re not here to help…” another muttered, eyes wide with suspicion.

The tension skyrocketed.

And then… the ground rumbled again.

The crowd’s heads snapped toward the street as the deafening roar of engines approached. Through the dust and chaos, headlights cut through the shadows.

One… Two… Three demolition excavators rolled into the ruined courtyard, their steel claws gleaming like the jaws of mechanical beasts, engines snarling like predators ready to feast.

The bystanders stepped back, panic creeping across their faces.