In the suffocating darkness of the tunnel, Ryusoke finally caught up with him. He grabbed the prince by the back of his robe and threw him against the stone wall. Hua Lian coughed, blood spurting from his mouth as he staggered, barely able to lift his dagger.
"You—You barbarian!" the prince spat. "You dare touch me? I am royalty!"
Ryusoke's eyes blazed with cold fury. "And I am the hand of justice."
Hua Lian lunged forward with the dagger, screaming, but Ryusoke sidestepped effortlessly. In one clean motion, he drove his blade straight through the prince's chest. The steel cracked through bone, the prince's scream ending in a wet, choking gasp.
"You… You don't know what you've done…" Hua Lian gasped, blood trailing from his lips as he gripped the blade still buried in him.
Ryusoke leaned in, his voice low and firm. "I've done what your people cried out for. This is for every village you burned. For every child who starved. For every soldier you buried in lies."
