(Cyrus POV)
Walking up to Adam with my hand imbued with cosmic energy, I prepared to end this battle. I only had a few uses left of my ability due to the Eternal Hydra Scale being needed more than I had anticipated. Adam's strikes from his soul weapon were essentially breaking my bones every time I deflected a blow, and I couldn't tell exactly how many I had already deflected. The biggest drain on my cosmic energy, however, was regrowing my arm. Luckily, it was enough to strike fear into Adam, and I still had the advantage because he didn't truly know the extent of my powers.
With my ability active for a few more seconds, I kicked Adam's soul weapon away and lifted him with my newly regrown arm.
"An arm for an arm," I said as I severed one of his.
Hearing him wail in pain as my ability began to fade, I decided to cut off the other one as well.
"How does it feel, Adam? Painful, isn't it? But I don't think it compares to the agony those families felt when you killed their loved ones in cold blood. I want you to suffer as they did," I said, walking over to his prone body. Then, I began severing each of his legs.
"Your fate constellation is the Tree of Life, right?"
"Yes," he replied, barely able to speak.
"And now you're lying here like a little stump of a tree that used to be." I grabbed his hair, dragging his barely alive body. "Come on, let's go show the people of the town exactly what you are and have you confess your sins."
It didn't take long to get back to the city. When we arrived, gasps of horror and looks of terror spread through the crowd as I dragged Adam's limbless body through the town center. Upon reaching the square, I saw Adam's assistant standing in utter shock. We exchanged a long glance before she turned her head away. The entire time my father and I had been in this town, I couldn't tell whether she and Adam were romantically involved or not, but now, I could care less about that matter.
Stepping onto the stage of the town square, I propped Adam upright so that everyone could see him before I proclaimed the truth.
"What have you done?" one of the townspeople shouted at me.
I took a deep breath, gathering myself before responding.
"I have gotten revenge for your loved ones. That's what I did," I declared. "My father was not the one who killed your friends and family in the mines—he was trying to save them. Whatever Adam told you was a lie to keep you all in the dark."
"Lies!" a group of people yelled. "Adam would never do such a thing! He has been the sole pillar of our town and has done nothing but good for us—something your terrorist of a father could never claim."
Anger built in my chest as I activated my ability on the crowd.
"Silence now!" I shouted in frustration, watching them all collapse to the ground.
"I was there! I saw it with my own eyes! Adam has been lying to you all about the cosmic batteries, about their true effects. He chose to keep your loved ones in the dark, letting them mine while knowing they were being poisoned by the decay of cosmic energy batteries. Why? Because he needed them to keep working so he could make money.
"My father was the one who discovered the truth and confronted him, but Adam saw that as a threat—he knew it would be the end of his financial empire. That's why he trapped my father in the Astral Realm and made him watch as he slaughtered every single one of those miners."
"What makes your word better than Adam's?" an older townsman said. "The way I see it, the true culprit and murderer is you, boy."
"Just think for once in your life. Why did Adam rush to find me in the woods? He was trying to tie up loose ends. Why do you think I ran out of the Astral Gate that day and disappeared for weeks? I was escaping from him."
I turned to Adam. "Now it's time for you to speak. Repent for what you did."
Struggling to move his limbless body, Adam slowly lifted his head, meeting the eyes of the crowd.
"He is right," he admitted, his voice weak. "Everything he said I did… I did.
"At first, I didn't realize what was happening to them. But by the time I figured it out, we were making so much money from the Celestium that I couldn't stop. It was the first time our town had seen prosperity, and I didn't want to let that go. I wanted to build us into one of the biggest powers on this continent so we wouldn't have to rely on that filthy Great Clan in our region.
"I knew I was doing wrong… but at least it was for a good cause. I know I don't deserve your respect, but just know—I tried, in the end."
After hearing his words, I could tell the townspeople were conflicted. They wanted to be angry, yet I saw the way they hesitated, the way they understood the twisted sincerity behind his confession.
It disgusted me.
They should have been furious. They should have been trampling over each other to deliver the final blow and get revenge for their loved ones. That's what I would have done.
Situations like these weren't gray to me—they were black and white. Adam was a man who manipulated everyone to get what he wanted, and even in his final moments, they were still under his spell.
"These people are hopeless. If this is their reaction, they honestly deserve what happened to them for not seeing through the deception—even when it was firmly presented before them." I thought to myself.
"If you won't deal judgment on him, then I will. Any last words, Adam?"
A smirk formed on his bloodied lips.
"It looks like even in the end, I still won," he said weakly. "The people still hold me in high regard. And I took away the satisfaction you would have gotten from this little conquest of yours.
"But I'll leave you with one question, little prince—when will the job of the reaper ever be finished?"
I stared at him for a moment before answering.
"When my enemies cease to exist in this world."
Without hesitation, I pierced his chest with my hand.
When I pulled it back, I held my consolation prize—his core, still humming with cosmic energy, coated in trickles of blood. His body slumped over and fell to the side.
I turned to the townspeople.
"You are free now. No longer manipulated for the benefit of someone else's desires. Live just and honorable lives—do your best to uphold the memory of those who unwillingly sacrificed themselves for your prosperity."
With those final words, I walked away, heading toward the Astral Gate to wait for my father.