Reborn as the Third Prince: To Build and Conquer my way to Royalty.

The cacophony of battle intensified as Sylus, Zani, and Sophia drew closer to Linye's main gate. Shouts of alarm mingled with the brutal clang of steel, painting a grim picture of the conflict unfolding. Red Viper thugs, easily identifiable by their tattered crimson sashes and crude, menacing weapons, swarmed the gate, their numbers overwhelming the meager royal guard.

"They're trying to breach the inner city," Zani observed, her hand instinctively going to the hilt of her blade. Her eyes, usually calm, now held a dangerous glint. The sight of her people being terrorized, even after the initial purge, ignited a familiar rage within her.

Sylus, however, remained outwardly impassive. "No," he corrected, his voice low. "They're trying to send a message. To show that my 'purge' was temporary. That their 'order' still holds." His gaze swept over the scene, activating his Blessing of Information, absorbing every detail.

[Alert: Red Vipers (Faction: Bloodfang Clan) - Strength: Moderate. Numbers: Approx. 70. Leader: Varkos (Unblessed, High Combat Skill). Objective: Reassert dominance, demoralize populace. Royal Guards (Linye Militia) - Strength: Low. Numbers: Approx. 30. Morale: Critical. Casualties: 8 dead, 15 wounded.]

The Vipers were brutal, but disorganized. Their strength lay in sheer numbers and the guards' low morale. The guards, though bearing Sylus's sigil, were still largely untrained, their newfound strength unable to compensate for a lack of experience and leadership.

"Sophia," Sylus murmured, his eyes narrowing, "find us a vantage point. Somewhere we can observe without being seen."

Sophia shimmered, her dark mist swirling, then solidified into her human form. She pointed towards a crumbling watchtower, partially obscured by overgrown vines, a short distance from the main gate. "There, Master. It offers a clear view."

They moved, a silent trio, scaling the dilapidated tower with practiced ease. From their perch, the full horror of the assault became clear. The Red Vipers were not just attacking; they were reveling in the chaos. One brute laughed as he kicked a fallen guard, another smashed a merchant's stall, scattering goods across the cobbled street. The citizens, caught between the fighting, huddled in doorways, their faces etched with terror, their hope for a new Linye flickering.

"They are animals," Zani hissed, her hand tightening on her blade, a tremor running through her body. Her purple eyes burned with a cold fury. The memories of her own childhood, the suffering of her mother, resurfaced with brutal clarity. She wanted to descend, to tear them apart with her bare hands.

"Patience, Zani," Sylus said, his voice calm, though a dangerous glint had entered his own eyes. The sight of his people, the ones he had promised to protect, being brutalized, stirred a cold, calculated rage within him. "We observe. We assess. And then... we make an example."

He watched Varkos, the Viper leader, a hulking figure with a scarred face, barking orders, his movements surprisingly agile for his size. Varkos was directing his men, pushing them to exploit weaknesses in the gate's defenses, clearly aiming to break through and spread terror deeper into the city.

Sylus closed his eyes for a moment, accessing his Blessing of Information again, focusing on Varkos. 'Unblessed, High Combat Skill. No Star Blessing. No Sigil.' Good. He was a brute, not a threat on a cosmic scale.

"Sophia," Sylus commanded, his voice barely a whisper, "prepare. I want a message sent. Not just to the Vipers, but to every citizen, every guard, every noble in Linye. A message of absolute, unyielding authority."

Sophia's eyes glowed with destructive anticipation. "As you wish, Master. What form shall this message take?"

"Pain," Sylus stated, his voice flat, devoid of emotion. "Pure, unadulterated despair. Let them remember why they feared the dark. Let them remember why they should fear me."

He opened his eyes, his gaze fixed on the chaos below. "Zani, when I give the signal, your Blazer. Target Varkos. Disable him, but do not kill him. He is part of the example."

Zani nodded, her own Blazer already beginning to pulse. The raw power she had absorbed from the Heart's Sanctum felt like a roaring fire in her veins, eager to be unleashed.

The moment came. Varkos, with a triumphant roar, landed a crushing blow that sent the main gate's wooden beam splintering. His men cheered, surging forward.

"Now!" Sylus's voice, though quiet, resonated with the chilling authority of his Catalyst Star.

Sophia shimmered, her dark mist expanding, not just around them, but through the very air of the city. It was subtle at first, a faint, oppressive haze that seemed to cling to the Red Vipers. Then, it intensified.

A silent scream of pure despair erupted from the Vipers. Their movements faltered, their eyes widening in terror, not at a physical threat, but at an unseen, psychological assault. Sophia, the Concept of Envy, unleashed the raw, unadulterated feeling of utter hopelessness, of their lives being meaningless, their ambitions futile, their very existence a hollow mockery. They dropped their weapons, clutching their heads, their faces contorted in silent agony. Some simply collapsed, whimpering, their minds shattered by the overwhelming despair.

Varkos, tougher than the rest, resisted, his scarred face contorting in a snarl of defiance. He tried to fight through the mental assault, but his movements were sluggish, his will eroding.

That was Zani's cue. With a primal roar, she leaped from the watchtower, a white-hot streak against the morning sky. Her Blazer flared, the star on her brow burning, and from her outstretched hands, not thorned vines, but shimmering chains of pure mana erupted. They were ethereal, yet impossibly strong, crackling with raw power.

They wrapped around Varkos, binding him, lifting him into the air. He thrashed, roaring, but the chains held, tightening with every struggle. Zani landed gracefully, her eyes fixed on the suspended Viper leader, her face a mask of cold, righteous fury.

The remaining Red Vipers, those not completely broken by Sophia's despair, looked up at their suspended leader, then at the shadowy figure of Sophia, and the unyielding presence of Zani. Terror, pure and absolute, seized them. They dropped their weapons, scrambling, trying to flee.

But Sylus had anticipated this. He descended from the watchtower, not with a leap, but with a deliberate, measured stride, his pure Mana Crystal held aloft in his hand. Its soft blue glow illuminated his face, revealing an expression of cold, unyielding authority.

"No," Sylus's voice echoed, amplified by the ambient mana, resonating with the power of the Sanctum. It was not a shout, but a chilling pronouncement that seemed to seep into every corner of the city. "There is no escape. Not anymore."

As he spoke, Sophia's mist, which had permeated the city, solidified. Not into a physical barrier, but into a web of despair, trapping every fleeing Viper. They slammed into the unseen walls, their desperate cries turning into choked sobs as the despair intensified.

Sylus walked towards the main gate, passing through the frozen, terrified Vipers. The royal guards, who had been fighting so desperately, now stood frozen, their eyes wide with awe and terror. They had never witnessed such raw, overwhelming power.

He stopped before Varkos, who hung suspended by Zani's mana chains, his eyes wide with a primal fear.

"You tried to send a message," Sylus stated, his voice calm, but each word resonated with chilling finality. "And I will send one back. A far clearer one."

He raised the pure Mana Crystal. Its blue light intensified, pulsing with the raw power of Alhara. He channeled his Catalyst mana, not to manifest, but to purify. He directed the pure mana into Varkos, not to heal, but to strip away.

Varkos shrieked, a sound of pure agony, as the pure mana coursed through him, not destroying his body, but purifying his corrupted essence. The malice, the cruelty, the twisted ambition – it was being burned away, leaving behind nothing but a hollow shell. His eyes, once burning with defiance, became blank, empty, filled with a profound, terrifying emptiness. He was alive, but his will, his very being, was gone. A living husk.

"This is the fate of those who bring despair to Linye," Sylus announced, his voice echoing across the stunned silence of the city. "This is the example."

He gestured, and Zani's mana chains gently lowered Varkos to the ground. The once-feared Viper leader lay there, twitching, a broken puppet.

Sylus then turned to the remaining Vipers, trapped in Sophia's despair-web. "As for the rest of you," he began, his voice cold, "you have two choices. Serve Linye, or cease to exist." He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. "Sophia, release those who choose to serve."

Sophia's mist rippled. The despair lessened, allowing the Vipers to breathe, to think. They looked at Varkos, then at Sylus, then at each other. The choice was clear. One by one, they dropped to their knees, begging for mercy, pledging their loyalty, their voices hoarse with terror.

Sylus nodded, a faint, grim satisfaction touching his lips. "Zani, Alfred will be here soon. Secure the gate. Round up the remaining Vipers. Those who pledge loyalty will be put to work, under strict supervision. Those who refuse... Sophia will handle them."

Zani, still reeling from the display of power, simply nodded, her eyes fixed on Sylus. He was no longer just her prince; he was a force of nature, a cosmic arbiter.

As the citizens slowly emerged from their hiding places, their faces a mixture of awe and terror, a new chant began to rise. Not the desperate pleas of before, but a unified, powerful roar that echoed through the city, shaking the very foundations of the old order:

"Hail Prince Sylus! Hail the Star Killer!"

Sylus stood at the gate, the pure Mana Crystal in his hand pulsing with a steady light. The first step was complete. Linye was truly his. And now, the real work began. He would bring Alhara's wealth to Linye, and with it, he would forge an empire.