WAR GOD : Rise After Betrayal

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The night grew deeper. The guest room lights had been turned off, leaving only faint moonlight slipping through the gap in the curtains. Ares lay flat on his back, staring at the ceiling. His eyes were closed, but his mind was far from calm.

At some point, the sounds around him disappeared.

Everything felt dark. Then a loud crashing sound echoed. Ares opened his eyes, but it was not the room he saw.

The sky burned red. Black clouds twisted violently. The ground cracked, filled with rubble and blood.

“The Ninth Heaven is collapsing!”

The voice echoed. Ares looked down. His body was clad in black-and-gold armor. His hand gripped a long spear drenched in blood.

“This…” he murmured.

Before him, thousands of gods stood in formation. Their faces were tense, wounds covering their bodies.

“Areskael Valdyr!” someone shouted.

He turned. A sword-wielding god ran toward him. “The left flank is nearly collapsing! The God of Chaos has breached the third defense!”

Ares lifted his head. His voice came out without hesitation. “Hold your position. Do not let even one descend into the human world.”

“But our forces—”

“Execute the order!” Ares cut him off firmly.

The god fell silent for a moment, then clenched his fist. “Yes, God of War.”

Ares stepped forward. Each step made the ground tremble.

In the distance, a towering black figure stood, shrouded in thick mist.

“So you finally appear,” Ares said flatly.

A low laugh echoed. “Areskael. Protector of humans. You are still stubborn.”

“As long as I stand,” Ares replied, “you will not touch that world.”

The God of Chaos raised his hand. “Then perish along with the Ninth Heaven.”

Their powers collided. Light, fire, and lightning crashed into one another. Ares staggered, but remained standing. His spear pierced his opponent’s chest. The black figure screamed, then shattered into fragments of energy.

Silence followed.

“Did we… win?” someone asked uncertainly.

Ares lowered his spear. “The war is over.”

Cheers erupted. The gods smiled in relief.

But suddenly—

Excruciating pain struck Ares’s back.

“What—”

A sword pierced through his chest from behind. Ares vomited blood. He turned his head slowly. A familiar figure stood behind him. A face he had trusted all this time.

“You…” Ares’s voice trembled. “Why?”

“Because you are too strong,” the figure replied coldly. “And you should not live any longer.” The sword was pulled out.

Ares’s body swayed.

“The Ninth Heaven does not need a single God of War,” the figure continued. “We need control.”

Ares fell to his knees. His hands trembled.

“If your divine core is destroyed, your soul will vanish,” another voice said. “Seal it. That is the only way.”

Ares let out a small, bitter laugh. “So… this is how far your betrayal goes.”

He closed his eyes. With the last of his consciousness, Ares pressed his hand against his own chest.

“One day,” he murmured, “if this seal cracks… I will remember everything.”

Light enveloped his body. And then darkness.

Ares woke up gasping.

“Ngh—!”

His breathing was ragged. His chest rose and fell rapidly as if he had just run a long distance. His vision blurred for several seconds before finally focusing on the ceiling of the guest room.

That room. Not a battlefield. Not a red sky. Not screams.

Ares sat upright while clutching his chest. His heart was pounding violently, ringing in his ears.

“What… what was that?” he murmured hoarsely.

His hands trembled. His palms were soaked with cold sweat.

He swallowed hard, trying to calm himself. But images of spears, blood, and clashing sounds still clung tightly to his mind.

“Just a dream,” he said quietly, as if convincing himself. “Only a dream.”

Ares rubbed his face with both hands. His breathing slowly became steady, but the strange feeling did not fade.

He stared at his hands.

“Why does it feel…” he paused, searching for the right word. “Like it really happened?”

He shook his head quickly. “Impossible.”

Ares rose from the bed and stood in the middle of the room. He took one step, then stopped. His legs felt slightly weak.

“I’m too tired,” he muttered again. “It must be because of what happened today.”

He glanced at the clock on the wall. Just past midnight.

Ares walked to the window and pulled the curtain aside slightly. The mansion grounds looked calm, the guards still on duty as usual. There were no signs of danger.

“See,” he said to himself. “Everything is normal.”

But when he touched his chest, right above his heart, he froze.

Ares pulled his hand back quickly, as if afraid of his own thoughts.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he whispered. “I’m just an ordinary person.”

He returned to the bed, sat for a moment, then lay down again. His eyes stared blankly at the ceiling.

Fragments of the dream still surfaced occasionally, broken and incomplete.

He did not understand. And for now, he also did not dare to try to understand. Ares pulled the blanket higher and closed his eyes.

“Tomorrow will be better,” he murmured softly.