Chapter 226: The Gateway of Gods

Zahliver’s POV

The others waited behind me, feeling uneasy, as I slowly turned back to face the ruined archway. This ancient place had once been sacred. A direct point between worlds. A tool used by gods to descend and meddle in mortal affairs. They had barred me from ever returning here, but they could never strip away what I truly was. Once divine, always divine. This sacred door still knew my soul.

I raised my right hand clawed and crackling with restrained, ancient power and sliced hard through the air in front of me. Four glowing streaks shimmered to life, acting like giant claw marks of pure energy etched right into the nothingness of the air. They stretched outward, expanding wider until they reached the very edges of the stone arch. Bright light bled through the cuts, and thick fog began to seep out like the heavy breath from the lungs of the door itself.

Still, it was not quite enough.

I tilted my head back toward the dark sky and let out a howl so deep and fierce that the surrounding trees trembled in fear. It echoed upward into the heavens, straight into the realms above, and right into the hearts of the arrogant gods who thought I would stay buried forever in silence.

I was coming for them. And I wanted them to feel it deep in their bones.

The solid ground vibrated heavily underfoot. The protective force field cracked loudly, then shattered like brittle glass, its shimmering remnants vanishing instantly into the rising fog.

The exact moment the barrier dropped completely, my massive army moved forward. No hesitation. No fear.

I did not look back.

Drawing both heavy swords from my back, I gripped their steel hilts with steady, calloused hands. One blade in each hand. The ancient weapons hummed with excitement, sensing the coming carnage.

I stepped through the shattered doorway and straight into war.

I heard the danger long before I actually saw it an arrow slicing fiercely through the damp fog, the sharp whistle cutting through the thick silence. My blade was already moving, slashing upward in a swift, practiced arc. Hard steel met wood with a sharp snap, and the arrow splintered into pieces just inches from my face. A low, irritated growl rumbled deep from my chest.

They really thought a few arrows would slow me down?

Not a single chance.

I pressed forward through the blinding fog, my elite warriors close behind my heels. The mist clung to us like damp breath, making visibility nearly impossible, but I knew it would not last long. Fog was never Alstha’s strong suit in battle. It was just a weak stall tactic. She always loved her cheap illusions shadows, whispers, and confusion. But none of those parlor tricks would save her today.

My fists clenched even tighter around the hilts of my swords. I had waited years centuries, even for this exact moment. I was going to bury my blade so deep into her gut that she would choke on the memory of every single punishment she had ever inflicted on me.

Another flurry of arrows tore violently through the air. I heard the sickening thuds as they found their targets in the ranks of my men, their low snarls echoing through the thick mist. I could feel the intense frustration boiling up behind me. They wanted to shift into their massive wolf forms, to rip through the enemy lines but they could not. Not without exposing themselves to grave danger. Armor had its strict limits, and going bare-skinned meant going dangerously vulnerable.

I broke through the jagged edge of the fog first.

And I arrived just in time.

A massive wave of arrows hurtled straight toward me through the open sky.

"There he is! Aim to kill!" a sharp, commanding voice snapped across the field. Female. And entirely familiar.

My eyes narrowed down to slits as I caught sight of her Alstha. She stood tall and arrogant at the very front of her massive army, her own sword held loosely in crossed arms like she had all the time in the world. Thousands of archers lined up solidly behind her, all of them cloaked in crimson red. Her long blond hair shimmered unnaturally in the dim light, and those damned green eyes glowed like wildfire in the dusk.

Then she smiled smug and entirely sure of herself. It made my skin crawl.

"Fire!"

At her crisp command, the archers released pure hell upon us.

The sky darkened instantly with the cloud of incoming arrows. I did not flinch away. Instead, I planted my heavy boots firmly into the earth and raised my twin blades, my muscles moving automatically before my thoughts could even catch up. The world around me slowed down as I spun and struck, my blades slashing in tight, fan-like arcs. My arms crossed, flicked, and moved with deadly precision and rhythm. Arrow after arrow shattered into pieces around me like falling rain hitting hard stone.

Brown wooden fragments flew everywhere, catching the faint light like glowing sparks, but I did not stop my relentless assault. I would not stop until the sky was completely empty of their weapons.

And through it all, something deeper stirred inside my soul something dark, ancient, and entirely primal. Every silver soul that died around me bled its remaining energy into my senses. I felt their fading strength merge seamlessly with mine, adding fresh fuel to the beast locked inside me. Each death fed my intense focus. My speed sharpened. My whole body hummed with raw, unstoppable power.

By the time the very last arrow fell harmlessly to the ground, I stood completely motionless in the eerie stillness, surrounded by heavy silence and the soft crunch of the dead beneath my boots.

Then, our eyes finally met.

Green met pitch black.

She slowly uncrossed her arms, her steps deliberate and slow as she walked forward to meet me. Her armor gleamed with a false, blinding purity, her dark magic twisting the battlefield around us. The air dimmed further, creeping shadows closed in, and the light hovering above the ancient temple warped strangely. Of course she did. She always had an annoying flair for the dramatic.

"Zalvius," she started, her smooth voice lilting with a forced, fake calm. "There really is no need for all of this violence. Honestly, we should just sit down, talk it out like civilized beings, hear both sides of the story, and then "

That name.

A cold, vicious sneer curved my lips upward. I lifted my heavy blade and pointed the tip directly at her throat.

"It is Zahliver," I snapped, my voice sounding like grinding steel. "And you are right there is not a real need for talking. So why do you not do me a massive favor and stand there nice and still while I carve out every single lie you ever told?"

Her smug smirk faltered instantly as I took a menacing step forward, my eyes burning straight into hers. "Call off your little toys, Alstha. Let me enjoy your final screams before I move on to everyone else’s."

Her pupils shrank down to pinpricks, just for a brief second. Pure fear. Good. She quickly masked it behind a cold mask, but it was already too late.

I had seen the terror in her eyes.

And I would remember that exact look when I finally dragged her down into the dirt.