Cosmic Ruler - Chapter 275

Chapter 275: Ramona VI

Aiden clenched his fist, frustration coursing through him as he listened to the Old Man’s recount. “Damn it,” he muttered under his breath. “I thought using an avatar with no emotions would be a clean way to avoid complications… but I never considered how it would impact Ramona when they accepted her date and just disappeared afterward.”

He rubbed his temples, feeling the weight of the situation. It was his mistake, he realized that now. Ramona’s sudden change, her fury, and the devastation she was causing—he couldn’t blame her entirely. She had been pushed to the edge, and it was his own actions, or rather the inactions of his emotionless avatar, that had tipped her over.

“This is spiraling way more than I expected,” Aiden mumbled. He sighed deeply, knowing that the responsibility lay squarely on his shoulders. He hadn’t anticipated the depth of Ramona’s feelings or how she would react to what she perceived as betrayal.

“I just hope she won’t try to kill me if I show up to explain things,” he muttered to himself with a touch of nervous humor, rubbing his neck.

After getting directions from the Old Man, Aiden took a deep breath and activated his Dimensional Authority. With a sudden whoosh, the space around him twisted and shifted, his figure disappearing into a swirl of dimensional energy, heading straight toward Ramona. This time, he would confront the situation head-on, no more avatars, no more emotional detachment—just him, ready to face whatever Ramona had become.

As Aiden crossed through the dimensional fold, the swirling colors of space-time faded, and he reappeared just outside the remnants of the Ravan Kingdom’s capital. The sky was darkened, heavy with an ominous energy, and the once-bustling city lay in ruin, reduced to smoldering rubble. The stench of death and destruction lingered in the air.

Aiden’s gaze narrowed as he took in the sight before him. The grand palace, standing defiantly amid the ruin, seemed to taunt the devastation around it. The once-majestic seat of power of the Ravan family was now a grotesque monument built atop the burial grounds of their ancestors. Bones and crumbled gravestones peeked through the charred earth, a chilling reminder of the past that was now desecrated by the very descendants meant to honor it.

“It seems Ramona’s fury didn’t end with just the death of the Ravan family,” Aiden muttered to himself. His eyes lingered on the towering castle, which now loomed over the wreckage like a sinister symbol of arrogance and betrayal.

The ancestral burial ground beneath it had been torn apart, as if Ramona’s vengeance had not been sated by mere destruction. It was as if she wanted to erase the very history of the Ravan family, ensuring that nothing of their legacy—neither their name nor their bones—would remain.

“She’s not just targeting the living,” Aiden thought grimly. “She wants to erase their existence from the world completely.”

Once again, Aiden was reminded of just how cruel the world of cultivation truly was.

In this world, a single misstep could annihilate an entire family—one that had persisted for generations, only to be wiped out in the blink of an eye. Aiden had heard countless stories during his travels, both in the Spirit Realm and the Immortal Realm, about such tragedies. Tales of families who, despite their legacies and power, were destroyed by a single act of vengeance or the ambitions of a stronger cultivator.

But this… this was the first time he was seeing it firsthand—and worse, he was tied to it. He wasn’t just an observer. He was part of the chain of events that had led to this destruction.

“How many families have fallen because of something like this?” Aiden mused bitterly as he made his way through the ruined streets, his steps slow and deliberate. “How many more will fall?”

The weight of the world’s harsh reality bore down on him. He knew that in the world of cultivation, strength was everything. It defined life and death, loyalty and betrayal. Yet no matter how strong one was, mistakes still happened. And in the end, even the strongest could suffer the consequences of one wrong choice.

He clenched his fists, a familiar frustration bubbling up inside him. Aiden had lived long enough to know that power, while necessary, often came at a cost. A cost measured not just in battles and victories but in the lives ruined along the way. The Ravan family had made their mistakes, and Ramona had acted out of her own grief and rage—but now, the consequences of those actions would ripple far beyond this moment.

“This world doesn’t forgive,” Aiden muttered under his breath. “And it never forgets.”

Aiden knew that a never-ending cycle of death and destruction had already begun. The Panso Kingdom was now being isolated by the remaining three kingdoms. After Ramona’s display of power, they finally understood—the Panso Kingdom had chosen to be pacifist, not because they were forced to, but because they wanted to.

The other three kingdoms were once again forming an alliance, but this time it wouldn’t be a simple contest of might. It would be a full-blown war—a war that the Panso Kingdom would surely win, but at the cost of the other kingdoms’ complete annihilation.

“I won’t let it end like this,” Aiden whispered, his voice resolute.

“but first lets go and see Ramona” he mumbled to himself as he looked at the grand castle.

“Ramona,” he whispered to himself, “I hope I’m not too late.”

Aiden walked slowly, his presence noticed by the guards stationed around the castle, now infamous as a dead zone in the lower realm. Many of the guards eyed him, wondering why anyone would approach this place, especially after Ramona’s terrifying display of power.

Since her rampage, numerous sects had tried to recruit her, but those who dared to approach never returned—only their bones remained, littering the grounds. The reputation of this place had spread even to the Spirit Realm. It had become known as a forbidden zone, where one could enter but never escape.

The maid rushed through the halls, her heart pounding as she reached Ramona’s chamber. She barged in without hesitation, finding the princess lying silently in the bath, surrounded by pure white water adorned with petals, the contrast making her appear serene despite the storm she had unleashed.

“Princess, he’s back!” the maid exclaimed breathlessly.

Without even opening her eyes, Ramona’s cold voice replied, “Kill him.”

The maid, startled, quickly corrected herself. “I mean, Aiden is back!”

Ramona’s eyes snapped open. The calm demeanor she held cracked for a moment, confusion and shock flashing across her face. “What did you just say?” she asked, her voice dropping dangerously.

“Yes, your highness, it’s really him,” the maid stammered, trying to maintain her composure. “He’s arrived. He’ll be at the castle in less than five minutes.”

Ramona stared at the maid for a long moment, her gaze piercing. “Come here,” she commanded softly.

The maid hesitated briefly but then stepped forward, knowing there was no refusal in the face of her mistress.

As the maid reached Ramona, the princess gently placed a finger on her forehead. A faint glow appeared as Ramona sifted through the maid’s recent memories, confirming the truth. After a moment, she nodded and withdrew her hand. “Send him in,” she said calmly.

“But, Princess…” the maid began, hesitating, knowing full well Ramona was still in the bath, and the impropriety of the situation weighed on her.

Before she could finish, Ramona’s cold gaze silenced her immediately. The maid swallowed her words and nodded obediently, leaving the chamber without another word. She hurried back to guide Aiden, though her thoughts raced with unease.

Ramona’s calm acceptance of Aiden’s approach—despite her vulnerable state—was unnerving. The maid led Aiden down the winding halls of the castle, her heart racing at the thought of the impending confrontation in the bath chamber, knowing her mistress still awaited him, uncovered and vulnerable in appearance, but far from it in spirit.

Aiden remained silent as he followed the maid through the winding halls of the castle, his mind swirling with thoughts. Every step he took echoed softly in the quiet corridors, but in his head, the noise was deafening. He replayed countless scenarios of the upcoming conversation with Ramona, trying to find the right words to pacify her without inflaming the situation further.

He knew Ramona’s rage had already burned the Ravan family from existence, and he wondered how much of her fury remained. How much of it was directed at him? His stomach tightened at the thought. Aiden had always been strategic in his approach to handling emotions, but Ramona… she was a storm, unpredictable and relentless.

The maid, though silent herself, seemed tense, likely aware of the weight this meeting held. As they neared Ramona’s chambers, Aiden mentally rehearsed his words again. He couldn’t afford to provoke her further, but he also couldn’t apologize for things beyond his control.

They were long past the ‘Sorry’ word now.