Rebirth of the Villain-Chapter 36: The Prince’s Cruelty

Arthur’s transformation was complete. Power coursed through rebuilt pathways, his emerald eyes now carrying flecks of primordial silver.

The depleted prince was gone—in his place stood something far more dangerous.

"Surrender?" Arthur said. "That’s an interesting proposition from someone who just watched his constructs get incinerated."

Vex stepped fully through his dimensional tear, stolen dragon essence writhing around him like living flame. His silver hair moved with supernatural wind, and his eyes held the predatory hunger of something that had forgotten its humanity decades ago.

"I watched you exhaust yourself healing," Vex replied, his smile revealing teeth. "Impressive display, but ultimately useless. The Syndicate has been patient, Prince. We know exactly how much energy that little performance cost you."

[ENHANCED COMBAT ANALYSIS ACTIVATED]

[TARGET: MAGISTER VEX - SOVEREIGN RANK]

[STOLEN DRAGON ESSENCE DETECTED: 47% INTEGRATION]

[VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT: PROCESSING...]

"You know what I love about overconfident fools?" Arthur asked conversationally, his hand resting on his sword hilt. "They always assume their prey hasn’t evolved."

"Arthur," Sylrathi whispered through their bond, her consciousness touching his with centuries of tactical experience. "He’s not human anymore. The dragon essence has given him abilities beyond normal enhancement."

"I know," Arthur replied mentally, his thoughts carrying new depths that surprised even her. "That’s what makes this interesting."

Vex raised his hand, dragon-fire gathering in his palm with enough heat to melt stone. "Enough games. You’re coming with me, Prince. The Syndicate has plans for you."

The fire lance shot forward with devastating force—and passed harmlessly through Arthur’s afterimage.

"Too slow," Arthur’s voice came from behind Vex, carrying dark amusement.

[ENHANCED ABILITY: SHADOW STEP ACTIVATED]

[ENERGY COST: 25 POINTS]

[POSITION: OPTIMAL STRIKE ZONE]

Arthur’s blade, wreathed in primordial energy, sliced through Vex’s shoulder with surgical precision. Not a killing blow—exactly the opposite. The cut severed specific tendons while leaving arteries intact, dropping the magister to one knee while ensuring he’d survive for questioning.

Vex spun with inhuman speed, claws extended and wreathed in stolen flame, but Arthur was already gone.

"The thing about dragon essence," Arthur said from a new position, his voice echoing strangely in the chamber, "is that it makes you powerful but predictable. Dragons are proud creatures. They fight head-on."

Another cut, this one across Vex’s hamstring. He stumbled, his enhanced healing already working to close the wounds, but Arthur’s blade carried something that resisted supernatural recovery.

"What—" Vex snarled, trying to track his opponent’s movements.

"Primordial energy," Arthur explained, appearing directly in front of him with confidence. "It doesn’t just cut flesh. It cuts the magical bindings that hold stolen power together."

This time Arthur’s strike was different—not a blade thrust, but an open-palm technique that sent waves of disruptive force through Vex’s stolen essence. He screamed as dragon-fire began consuming him from within, his own stolen power turning against its unnatural host.

[COMBAT TECHNIQUE: ESSENCE DISRUPTION]

[EFFECT: ENEMY’S STOLEN POWER DESTABILIZING]

[ENERGY COST: 40 POINTS]

[ESTIMATED TIME TO MAGICAL COLLAPSE: 3 MINUTES]

"Stop," Vex gasped, falling fully to the ground as his enhanced abilities began eating him alive. "You don’t understand what you’re doing—"

"I understand perfectly," Arthur said, kneeling beside the writhing magister with predatory calm. "I’m giving you a choice. Answer my questions truthfully, and I’ll stabilize your essence. Lie to me, and I’ll let your stolen power burn you from the inside out."

Sylrathi watched with fascination and growing arousal as Arthur displayed tactical brilliance. This wasn’t just enhanced power—this was a total evolution in how he approached conflict.

"The dragon," Arthur continued conversationally. "Where exactly is she being held, and what are the specific defenses?"

Vex tried to resist, his face contorting with pain as dragon-fire consumed his nervous system. "The... the Obsidian Sanctum. Three levels below ground, ward-locked chambers. But you’ll never—"

Arthur’s hand moved to the his chest, primordial energy flowing in a different pattern. Instead of disruption, this was enhancement—accelerating the process of essence consumption.

Vex’s screams filled the chamber.

"That wasn’t complete information," Arthur said calmly. "Try again. Guard rotations, magical defenses, ritual timing. Everything."

"Forty... forty-seven guards," Vex gasped between screams. "Enhanced like me, but not as strong. The wards reset every six hours. Lunar ritual starts at midnight tomorrow—thirty-six hours from now."

"Better. Continue."

"Three circles of protection. Outer perimeter, underground entrance, ritual chamber itself. The entrance is... is through the old mine shaft, half a mile east of the corruption zone."

[INFORMATION ACQUIRED: SYNDICATE STRONGHOLD LAYOUT]

[GUARD STRENGTH: 47 ENHANCED AGENTS]

[RITUAL TIMELINE: 36 HOURS REMAINING]

[ACCESS POINT: IDENTIFIED]

Arthur’s expression didn’t change, but Sylrathi felt his satisfaction through their bond. He was extracting intelligence with surgical efficiency.

"Her condition?"

"Alive," Vex whispered, his stolen essence now consuming his extremities. "Weakened but... but alive. The chains prevent her from shifting, but she needs to be conscious for the ritual."

"And the dimensional gateway?"

"Requires... requires her death at the moment of lunar eclipse. The dragon’s essence opens the path, but only if freely given or taken by force at the exact celestial alignment."

Arthur nodded, his tactical mind already processing the information. Then he looked directly into Vex’s pain-twisted eyes.

"One more question. How many people has the Syndicate taken from the surrounding villages?"

"I... I don’t—"

Arthur’s hand pressed harder against Vex’s chest, and the magister’s screams reached new heights.

"How many?"

"Two hundred and thirty-seven!" Vex shrieked. "Mostly children and young adults! Their fear enhances the ritual circles!"

The temperature in the chamber dropped ten degrees. Arthur’s emerald eyes now blazed with silver fire, and when he spoke, his voice carried harmonics that made reality itself pay attention.

"Two hundred and thirty-seven innocents. Tortured for magical enhancement." Arthur’s expression became something that made ancient predators look tame. "That changes things considerably."

He stood, looking down at the writhing magister with complete emotional detachment.

"Please," Vex gasped. "I told you everything. Stabilize the essence—you promised—"

"I promised I’d stabilize it if you told the truth," Arthur corrected gently. "But you left out something important."

"What? I told you everything!"

"You forgot to mention that you personally participated in those kidnappings. That you were there when they tortured children to enhance their fear responses."

Vex’s eyes widened in genuine terror as Arthur’s perception cut through every lie and self-deception.

"I can read it in your magical signature," Arthur continued with clinical calm. "The essence you’ve stolen carries imprints of every atrocity you’ve committed. Every scream, every plea for mercy, every moment of innocent terror—it’s all written in your power."

[ENHANCED ABILITY: ESSENCE READING]

[CRIMES DETECTED: 73 DIRECT MURDERS, 156 TORTURE SESSIONS]

[EMOTIONAL IMPRINT: SADISTIC PLEASURE IN SUFFERING]

Arthur crouched down again, meeting Vex’s terrified gaze.

"So here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to let your stolen essence consume you completely. It will take approximately seven more minutes, and you’ll be conscious for all of it. Consider it justice for every child who died screaming because of your choices."

"You can’t," Vex whispered. "You’re supposed to be a hero—"

"Heroes are for fairy tales," Arthur replied with perfect serenity. "I’m a king. And kings do what’s necessary."

Arthur stood and walked away, leaving Vex to burn in his own stolen power. The magister’s pleas turned to curses, then to screams, then to sounds that weren’t quite human anymore.

Sylrathi watched it all with growing fascination. This wasn’t cruelty for its own sake—this was calculated justice administered with surgical precision.

"You’ve changed," she observed quietly.

"The ancient entity that rebuilt my core didn’t just enhance my power," Arthur replied, his voice returning to normal as Vex’s screams finally stopped. "It stripped away the parts of my personality that were holding me back. Hesitation, guilt, the need to be liked—all the weaknesses that would have gotten me killed."

He turned to face her, and Sylrathi saw something in his eyes that made her centuries-old heart race.

"I’m still me, Sylrathi. But I’m the version of me that can actually protect the people I care about. The version that can make the hard choices without breaking."

[BOND PROGRESSION DETECTED]

[SYLRATHI MOONWHISPER: 95% → 98%]

[SYNCHRONIZATION DEEPENING]

"Show me," she said quietly, her ancient power responding to his transformation with recognition and hunger.

Arthur smiled—not the uncertain expression she’d grown used to, but something that promised both protection and possession.

"With pleasure."

[TIME TO RESCUE: 36 HOURS]