Chapter 123 Beyond Justice

Words : 769 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

*** {Outside The Projection} "..." "..." "..." "..." "..." "..." "..." "..." "..." "..."@@@@ "..." "..." "..." The silence was unbearable. They've long been quiet, watching the battle unfold... Cowards running, mortal women fighting, guards dying, bandits screaming. Malik's skills, Malik's fire, Malik's madness, Malik's rage... His rage. Oh, his rage. All of it born from a child's naivety. From Ali Baba's fall. From the loss of his leader—a father. But this? This end? What the actual fuck had they just witnessed? What kind of death was that?... People could die like that? What? It was ridiculous. Almost unnecessary. Because why?... Why? They'd asked that question a hundred times before, but... This—this—this 'why' ranked above them all. Shit didn't even compare. "Oh, God, I think I'm gonna be sick." A murmur broke through the stillness. "His arms—his legs—they fucking—oh, God—" Then another. "Someone cut the feed, I can't watch this..." Then another. "No—no, this can't be real. This fucking relic is messing with us." "Fuck. FUCK! He was eaten alive! ALIVE!" "Just... just close your eyes." "The chewing... oh, fuck, I CAN STILL HEAR IT!" "I-Is this what it sounds like to—?" "Shut up! Shut the fuck up!" "Why didn't he die?! He should've died already! He lost his arms, he had wounds all over, he was bleeding out, he should've... he should've just..." "...He kept fighting. Even with nothing left, he still fought." "That's not fighting! That's—that's a fucking nightmare!" "He lost all his weapons, and he still killed them. All of them. With his fucking teeth." Unlike them, Layla had not fainted, but she wished she had. She was on her knees, doubled over, her body wracked with violent tremors. Her hands clutched her sides, nails digging into flesh as she fought to keep her stomach from emptying itself onto the ground. But it was useless. A dry heave shook her frame. Then another. She vomited. Her throat burned, her eyes wide, horrified, disbelieving. "Blurgh... no... no... no..." Her voice was thin, weak, breaking. Safira was beside her, sobbing, her hands pressed against her face as though trying to block out the images, the sounds, the sheer horror of it all. "This... this isn't real." Layla wept. "It can't be real... it can't be real..." Azeem didn't speak. He simply stood there, head lowered, his gaze locked on the ground. His fists trembled at his sides, his brows twitched, and his jaw clenched so tight it ached. Every muscle in his body was wound like a coiled spring, as though if he so much as moved, he would shatter apart. He didn't know what to feel seeing his Sultan in such a state. Too many emotions suffocated him. Noor could not bear to look. On her hovering throne, her body was stiff, her arms crossed tight over her chest as though trying to hold herself together. Her head was turned away, her eyes squeezed shut, refusing to acknowledge what happened before her. Yet, despite all that she did, the image was still burned into her mind. Malik, torn apart. Malik, devoured. Malik, breathing, even as his body was stripped away. A bitter taste filled her mouth. "Dammit... grow stronger already... I can't... I can't continue seeing you like this." Roya was the only one still looking at the projection. Her face was blank, her gaze steady, unreadable. She did not flinch, did not cry, did not look away. Miss Informer was just silent. Zafar... the "hero." He was frozen. His breath came slow, shallow, his face had turned pale, his hands opening, closing, as though searching for something to grasp onto, something to ground him in the face of the sheer horror he had just witnessed. He turned his head slightly, looking at the others—at the ones on the ground, at the ones crying, at the ones too stunned to speak. This... this would bring disaster to their collation. People might even start rioting. So far, Malik's life has been nothing but Hell on Devil's Maw. Irrational kindness and suffering. All of Fam Iblis watched them, the Heroic Coalition, sentence him to death... To those unknowing of his cruelty, this would seem beyond justice. Something none of them would ever forget... something they'd pick up steel for. If Zafar wished things to quell, he needed Malik to do something unexplainably evil. One that would save their image, a scene the whole world would hate him for. But unfortunately for him, that didn't seem to be coming any time soon.

Chapter 123 Beyond Justice

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