Frozen Flame of Dawn - Chapter 49

Chapter 49: Chapter 23: The Gathering Storm_2

Everyone turned to see Tommy, leaning casually against a tree at a distance, his hand glowing faintly as he activated his power. The entire field was surrounded by a transparent barrier that shimmered into position, keeping Grant’s team within.

“No one’s leaving,” Tommy said in a calm but dangerous voice. “And no one is getting in the way. I’m sure you don’t want me to go over there.”

The soldiers hesitated, their faces pale as they looked at Tommy, then back at Aiden. The spiritual pressure was suffocating, but the quiet menace in Tommy’s voice was enough to keep them rooted in place.

Aiden closed the gap again, leaving Grant all by himself as he clenched his teeth. Aiden’s punches were no longer just precise—they were brutal. Every blow landed with a bone-crushing force, and Grant’s body screamed in protest.

Finally, Aiden grabbed Grant’s arm in the middle of a punch and twisted it with a sickening crack that made Grant scream in pain that could be heard across the field as he dropped to his knees.

“You should have stayed down.” Aiden said as his grasp remained iron-tight.

Grant who was still gasping for air tried to pull away his arm but Aiden didn’t let go. With a swift and brutal motion Aiden shifted his weight and delivered a powerful kick to Grant’s leg.

The sharp snap of bone breaking was followed by Grant collapsing to the ground, writhing in agony.

“Ghost,” Aiden called without turning his head. “Pick him up as we will drag him out of here.”

Ghost, who had been standing frozen in shock, snapped to attention. He hesitated for a moment, glancing at Grant’s broken, sobbing form, before nodding. “Yes, sir.”

Aiden straightened, his icy gaze sweeping across the remaining members of the escort team—awakened individuals who had watched their captain fall. Without a word, he moved toward them.

One by one, he took them down. Some tried to fight back, activating their powers in desperation, but Aiden’s skill was unmatched. He didn’t use flashy attacks or unnecessary force—just calculated, devastating strikes that left them crumpled on the ground.

For the soldiers, Aiden didn’t bother with such precision. A single punch or a well-placed kick was enough to knock them out cold. When he was done, he turned to Tommy.

“Don’t let them go,” Aiden ordered, his voice low and sharp. “Bind them in your barrier.”

Tommy gave a mock salute, though his usual smirk was replaced with a grim determination. “You got it.”

Ghost, meanwhile, had managed to drag Grant to the edge of the field, where he lay groaning in pain. Aiden approached the last remaining members of the escort team, who were trembling under his gaze.

“Ghost,” Aiden said, his voice calm but unrelenting, “tie them up and drag them out also. They’re going to answer for this.”

“Yes, sir,” Ghost replied, already pulling out restraints.

As the dust settled, Aiden’s spiritual pressure began to ease, but his cold fury remained. He looked around the field of unconscious and defeated enemies, his fists still clenched.

“This isn’t over,” he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. But the promise in his tone was enough to send a chill down everyone’s spine.

But just as Aiden’s anger seemed to dissipate, the sound of heavy boots marching broke the silence.

From the far side of the field, General Karep strode into view, flanked by a team of his security staff. His sharp eyes widened as he took in the scene before him: his soldiers strewn across the ground, incapacitated, while the members of the Rienfeld escort team, though conscious, were tied up and visibly battered.

And then there was Grant—a broken mess, barely able to move, rolling on the ground in agony.

At the center of it all stood Aiden, calm yet commanding, his presence alone enough to make Karep’s security staff hesitate.

Karep’s face twisted in anger, a mix of humiliation and outrage. This is my camp, my jurisdiction! His fists clenched, and he barked, his voice echoing across the field. “What the hell happened here?!”

Aiden turned his head slightly, his gaze falling on Karep. His expression remained unreadable, but his posture shifted ever so slightly—a signal that his previously subdued anger was stirring again.

“Major General Aiden!” Karep continued, marching closer. “Who gave you permission to run amok in this camp? Did you attack my soldiers? What do you think you’re doing, treating a military camp under my command like this?”

Aiden didn’t respond immediately. His spiritual pressure, which had been fading, began to rise again, but this time it was sharper, more focused. Karep and his staff faltered slightly under the weight of it, their breaths coming shorter as the energy pressed against them.

Aiden took a deliberate step forward, his cold voice cutting through the tension like a blade. “Now you decide to show up?” His tone was calm, but his words carried the weight of his rising fury. “Now, when it’s all over, you come here shouting and questioning me? Where were you when your soldiers slaughtered my team? Where were you when they committed a massacre under your so-called authority?”

Karep froze, the anger on his face faltering for a moment. But he quickly regained his composure, or at least tried to, straightening his shoulders. “I am the head of this camp,” he snapped, though there was a hint of uncertainty in his tone. “I am the head of the military here. I have the authority to assign missions to any unit, and that includes yours. The Vice-Chancellor himself authorized it—”

Aiden interrupted him, narrowing the distance between them with his stride.His spiritual pressure surged again but more sharper and heavier, as if the very air itself had turned against Karep.

“Authority?” Aiden’s voice was cold, and his words were sharp and clear. “You dare speak of authority to me? Do you think I don’t know the chain of command?”

“I am Major General, the same rank as you.” Karep’s eyes darted sideways, aware that he might have overstepped his boundaries but his pride refused to let him back down as he said, though his voice wavered slightly under Aiden’s gaze.”I have every right to—”

“To what?” Aiden interrupted, his voice rising slightly, his tone dripping with disdain. “You have the right to send my unit—my unit, which does not fall under your command—on a mission without my approval? You have the right to assign tasks to an independent squad? Do not test me, Karep. You know damn well you had no jurisdiction over my team.”

Karep opened his mouth to argue, but Aiden wasn’t finished. His voice grew colder, sharper, each word landing like a hammer. “And treason? You dare accuse my soldiers of treason? You executed them—without trial—and call it incompetence? Since when do incompetence and traitorous acts justify an execution without due process? Since when did you start playing judge, jury, and executioner?”

Karep’s confidence crumbled under the weight of Aiden’s words, and for a moment, his gaze flickered to the ground. He stammered, grasping at straws.”It—it was the Vice-Chancellor’s decision… and the mission… your team failed to—”

“Enough.” Aiden’s voice was low, but it was filled with so much anger that it immediately shut Karep up. “It doesn’t matter to me if the Vice-Chancellor made the choice. You keep talking lies to defend this killing. But let me be clear, Karep. Your title, rank, and power don’t mean anything to me right now. You are in charge of this. You will have to answer for it.”

Karep’s eyes widened as Aiden closed the remaining distance between them. His instincts screamed at him to run, but before he could react, Aiden moved.

In a blur of motion, Aiden’s fist connected with Karep’s stomach, sending him stumbling back, coughing and gasping for air. The sheer force of the blow sent a ripple of shock through the security staff, who immediately stepped forward, only to freeze as Aiden’s spiritual pressure spiked again, pinning them in place.

“This is your idea of leadership?” Aiden hissed, his voice low and deadly as he grabbed Karep by the collar, lifting him slightly off the ground. “Sending soldiers to their deaths for for your personal benefit? Calling them traitors just because they refused to let your dirty secrets stay hidden?”

Karep clawed at Aiden’s hand, his face turning red as he struggled to breathe. But Aiden didn’t let go. His fury was a storm, and Karep was caught at the center of it.

“I should end you here,” Aiden said, his tone calm but his words dripping with menace. “But that would be too easy. You’ll answer for this—every single one of you.”

With that, Aiden released Karep, letting him crumple to the ground like a ragdoll. He turned to Ghost and Tommy, his expression cold and unyielding. “Keep him up with the others. No one leaves until I’ve gotten answers.”

“Yes, sir,” Ghost said immediately, moving to follow the order.

As Karep lay on the ground, clutching his stomach, Aiden loomed over him, his voice cutting through the air like a blade. “You wanted authority, Karep? Congratulations. Now you’ll find out what it feels like to be judged by it.”