The moment the gunshot rang out, the world slowed.
Ochieng didn't flinch. He had already anticipated it. His body shifted just enough for the bullet to graze past his shoulder, embedding itself into the steel frame of the entrance behind him.
Kieran's men had moved first. A fatal mistake.
Before the echoes of the shot faded, Ochieng twisted his wrist. In a flash, a small blade sliced through the darkness, burying itself into the hand of the shooter. A scream tore through the air.
Kieran remained seated, his expression unreadable. "I see you came prepared."
Ochieng stepped forward, his shoes clicking against the pavement. The scent of gunpowder lingered, but he was as calm as ever.
"You should've killed me when you had the chance."
Kieran exhaled sharply. "I still can."
Ochieng smirked. "No. You can't."
A shadow moved in the distance. Tielen. Sienna. Linet. They had already infiltrated the building.
Kieran's men were surrounded.
---
At that moment, across Emerald City, chaos erupted. Ochieng's forces moved like ghosts, striking at every weak point in Kieran's empire. Warehouses burned. Supply lines collapsed. Key informants disappeared.
It wasn't a war. It was an execution.
In the heart of the city, Jeff walked through an abandoned alleyway, a black ledger in his hands. The names of Kieran's closest allies were scribbled inside.
"Time to clean house," he muttered.
One by one, Kieran's men fell.
---
Back at the rooftop, Kieran's grip tightened around his glass.
"You think this is over?" he growled. "I have contingencies."
Ochieng chuckled. "So do I."
The large screen behind them flickered to life. Surveillance footage from Kieran's most secure vaults. His hidden assets, his offshore accounts—everything exposed.
His empire wasn't just crumbling. It was being erased.
Kieran's breath hitched. "How—"
Ochieng tilted his head. "You made one mistake, Kieran."
Silence.
Then Ochieng stepped closer, his voice a whisper.
"You underestimated me."
-
The sky rumbled as rain began to fall.
Kieran's men, outnumbered and overpowered, began to surrender. Some tried to run, but the city itself had turned against them.
Ochieng turned, walking away without looking back. "This was never a war."
Kieran's fists clenched. "Then what was it?"
Ochieng glanced over his shoulder. "A warning."
And then—
Boom.
Kieran's headquarters exploded in flames, the skyline reflecting its destruction.
Ochieng stepped into his car, closing the door just as the fire consumed the building behind him.
The war was over.
For now.
---