A Man Like None Other (Jared Chance) novel Chapter 5391

He remembered every one of his sins with merciless clarity—colluding with Malevolent Path Hall, kidnapping Lorraine, forcing Aurelius' hand, even plotting to break the seal that held the demonic souls. Now, the debt had come due, and it demanded interest in lives.

"I was wrong... I was so, so wrong," Ieuan muttered, each syllable bleeding. Panic gnawed behind his eyes, threatening to splinter what was left of his reason.

Suddenly, a single name stabbed through the fog—Lorraine.

Jerking upright, he spun toward the Prime Minister's Office, shoes skidding through ash as he sprinted.

Inside the once-serene estate, the princess sat lashed to a marble pillar. Outside, steel shrieked against steel; inside, her heart hammered with dread.

Just then, the doors burst open and Ieuan all but crashed across the threshold, lungs blazing.

"Princess Lorraine, come with me now!" he blurted, fingers trembling as they sliced through the ropes. Panic shortened every breath; outside, the massacre edged closer with each heartbeat.

Lorraine stared, ice glinting in her eyes. "Why would you free me, Ieuan? Weren't you planning to hold me over my father's head?"

Shame reddened Ieuan's cheeks. "I'm to blame for all of this, Princess Lorraine. I lost myself to ambition, betrayed Celestia, the king, and every innocent bleeding in these streets. I deserve a thousand deaths, but I refuse to add one more crime to the tally... Go. Break for the outer gate. There's still a sliver of hope for you to make it out here alive!"

Lorraine's posture softened when she saw the immense regret in Ieuan's eyes, though caution lingered. "Why are you helping me?"

"Because I've ruined enough lives. This is the only restitution I have left."

With that, he pressed a communication charm into her palm. "This is a communication charm from the Intelligence Agency. Crush it, and Tredarin will send someone to find you. Run now before it's too late!"

Lorraine hesitated, then closed her fist around the charm. "Take care of yourself, Ieuan."

Having said that, she pivoted and darted into the burning courtyard, silk slippers skimming puddles of blood.

Watching her vanish into smoke, Ieuan felt a needle of relief pierce his despair. He stepped into the open courtyard and watched the silhouettes of demonic souls pour over the walls. Resolve crystallized behind his eyes.

"Citizens and soldiers of Celestia City, I, Ieuan Chapman, have wronged you all. Today, I will trade my life to atone for my sins!" he shouted.

Boom!

A hundred thousand demonic souls rampaged through alley and avenue. Soldiers crumpled like reeds, and civilians lay where they had run, the city's proud banners soaked black.

Stebarin surveyed the carpet of bodies and the drifting fragments of spirits. A slow, satisfied smile spread across his face, as though ruin itself were a masterpiece finally complete.

Beyond the shattered gates of Roaring Storm Church, damp coils of smoke still writhed. The once-sacred complex was now a splintered skeleton against a bruised sky.

Black corrosive scars pitted every flagstone. Rot-sweet vapors clung to the air, so thick they burned the throat with each breath.

When Aurelius and the Imperial Guard finally arrived, they were shocked by the sight that greeted them. Helms fell from stunned hands as the soldiers beheld the devastation and froze, unable to comprehend such sacrilege.

Rylan forced words past a dry tongue. "W-What on earth happened here?" Each syllable quavered like a child's candle in a gale.

For centuries, the church had pinned the demonic souls beneath the runes. Now, those runes lay cracked, useless—proof that even eternal walls could fail in one terrible night.

Aurelius hurried toward the Dragon Bell, still shrouded by a faint veil of golden light. Through the translucent sheen, he glimpsed Jared, Infinides, and Flaxseed.