The Supreme Overlord

Chapter 3

"Are... Are you Tanner?" Laura's voice, hoarse from five years of suffering, trembled as she spoke. Her once-bright eyes, now clouded and nearly blind, strained to follow the sound.

Guided by instinct, she reached out, her frail hand shaking as it traced the contours of Tanner's face. The harsh lines etched into his features softened under her touch.

"It's you. Tanner! You're back! Five years... You've grown stronger. You've finally come back..."

Her lips curved into a smile, but it quickly gave way to panic. "Tanner, you shouldn't have returned! You need to leave—run!"

"Don't worry about me, and don't try to save your father. The Price family is too powerful. You can't fight them. I was wrong... I never should have called you," she pleaded, her voice breaking.

"Mom, I'm here now. Don't worry. I'll take care of everything." Tanner pulled Laura into his arms, his voice steady and reassuring.

As a child, her embrace had been his sanctuary. He would rest his head on her shoulder, lulled to sleep by her gentle stories.

In his memories, she was always the most beautiful woman—kind, graceful, and wise.

But the woman he held now was a shadow of that memory, and the sight of her pierced his heart.

Her hair had turned gray, her face was hollow and gaunt, her small frame frail and stooped. At just over forty, she looked sixty.

Tanner's chest tightened with guilt. She shouldn't have aged like this. It was the Price family's cruelty, their endless torment—and his failure to return sooner.

"Mom, I'm so sorry." His voice cracked as tears streamed down his face.

"I've been a terrible son. I was wrong. I should've come back sooner. I'm useless. I failed you. I let you suffer so much. I'm so, so sorry!"

He had thought he'd made it in time, but the situation showed he was wrong.

Ryder, a towering man with a bear-like frame, stood silently nearby, his own eyes rimmed with red.

Tanner wasn't just anyone—he was the Commander of Meriland, leading 350,000 troops.

Just three months ago, he had single-handedly crushed an enemy force of a million soldiers, saving countless families. He was Meriland's hero. And yet, he hadn't been able to protect his own mother.

A hero's mother, tortured and humiliated beyond comprehension. The weight of that failure was unbearable.

"D*mn it, you two big babies! What the hell are you crying for? Are you stupid? Cry again, and I'll cut your tongues out!" A sneering voice cut through the moment.

Noah, who had just recovered from the shock of a helicopter crash, glared at Tanner with disdain.

"I thought it was the Caridonian military running drills. Fancy seeing you here, Tanner. So, you're not dead after all?"

"If you're not dead, you should be living like a stray dog. And yet here you are, back in Caridonia looking for a fight? You've got a death wish."

"Shut up!" Ryder's fists clenched as he lunged forward, ready to strike.

"Ryder," Tanner's voice was calm but commanding as he stopped him. He slipped off his jacket and gently laid it on the ground for Laura. "Take care of my mother. I'll deal with this myself."

"Yes, sir!" Ryder's massive frame immediately positioned itself protectively in front of Laura. His eyes burned with resolve—he knew the Price family was about to face their reckoning.

"Jaxon, right? Are you the one who did this to my mother?" Tanner's gaze locked onto Noah, his eyes blazing with a predatory intensity that made the air feel heavy. Every inch of him radiated lethal intent. Everyone who had hurt his mother would pay.

Noah stumbled back, terror written all over his face. Tanner's murderous glare was like nothing he'd ever seen, freezing him in place. His legs shook. But then his gaze shifted to the dozen bodyguards standing nearby. His fear melted into arrogance. There were only two of them—Tanner and his frail mother.

"I'm Noah, Mr. Price's assistant," he sneered, puffing out his chest. "So what if I beat your mom like this? Captains and colonels in the Caridonia military bow to me. And you? You're just some joke of a soldier. What are you gonna do?"

He'd never seen a marshal's uniform before—Meriland had only four marshals, after all. And even if he had, there was no way he'd believe a twenty-five-year-old could be one.

To him, Tanner was just a performer playing dress-up.

"And let me tell you something," Noah said, a twisted grin spreading across his face. "I didn't just beat your mom..." His voice dropped, dripping with malice. "Mr. Price told me to do her too. Said even though she's older, she's still got it."

He leaned closer, sneering. "I'll have someone hold you down and make you watch while your mom screams under me—Ahhh!!"

"You brought this to yourself." Noah's words were cut off by a sickening crack. Tanner moved faster than anyone could react, crossing the distance in an instant. His hand shot out, delivering a thunderous slap that sent Noah flying.

"Ahh!" Noah didn't even have time to react before he was struck with a brutal slap, sending him flying nearly 100 feet. His teeth shattered completely as he hurtled through the air.

Boom! Boom! Boom! His body crashed through several stone pillars before landing with a sickening thud by the swimming pool in the garden.

Puh! A sharp pain burned through his chest as blood filled his mouth and nose. He spat violently, and the water in the pool turned crimson.

"Tanner, you..." He tried to push himself up, but before he could, Tanner was already standing over him.

Rip! Without hesitation, Tanner tore off one of Noah's arms, blood spraying in an arc over 30 feet.

"Ahh!" Noah's scream echoed through the garden, raw with agony and terror.

He couldn't believe what was happening. How could Tanner—a mere private—be this strong? How could he dare to treat him like this? Didn't he know Jaxon was backing him?

But survival instinct kicked in. Gritting his teeth through the pain, Noah shouted at his bodyguards, "What are you waiting for? Do something! He's going to kill me! Or do I have to tell Mr. Price how useless you all are?"

"Release Mr. Bennett!" The bodyguards immediately drew their guns and charged toward Tanner.

"You're finished, Tanner!" Noah's expression twisted, his fear giving way to arrogance.

These weren't ordinary men—they were ex-military, personally hired by the Price family for their skill. Taking down Tanner would be as easy as squashing a bug.

Thud! Tanner slammed him to the ground effortlessly, and what Noah saw next was the most horrifying sight of his life.

Tanner moved faster than the eye could follow. The bodyguards' bullets couldn't even touch him. In mere seconds, he closed the distance to them, tearing through them with terrifying precision.

Tanner showed no mercy, ripping them apart as if they were nothing. In less than thirty seconds, over a dozen elite bodyguards lay dead, their blood pooling on the ground.

"What... how..." Noah's body trembled uncontrollably. His face was pale as he clutched the bleeding stump where his arm used to be, crawling backward in sheer terror.

"Tanner, please... I have the Price family behind me! Don't kill me! I'll give you money, women, anything you want—just spare me!"

Tanner stood tall, crossing his hands as he looked down at Noah with cold disdain. His handsome face was calm, but his eyes burned with fury.

"You beat my mother," Tanner said, his voice low and menacing. "You wanted to humiliate her. And now you have the nerve to beg me?"

His expression darkened further. "Can you bring back all my relatives—the ones who were slaughtered by Landon?"

Whoosh! Tanner's hand shot forward like a blade, slicing through the air toward Noah's neck.

"No! Tanner, wait!" Noah screamed, sensing the killing intent radiating from him. His voice cracked with desperation.

"I'm with Mr. Price! Your father Gavin is still in his hands! I can help you save him! He's guarded by dozens of ex-special forces and professional assassins. You can't fight them alone!"

"If you kill me, he'll never let you or your father go! Don't do this! Don't kill me! Please, I—"

His pleas were cut short. With one final, blood-curdling scream, Noah's head was severed cleanly from his body. Blood sprayed like a fountain, staining the ground.

Even in death, his wide, unseeing eyes held disbelief. He couldn't comprehend how Tanner—just an entertainment soldier—had dared to kill him, Jaxon's trusted confidant and Caridonia's battalion commander, a man even colonels respected.

"General." Ryder's voice broke the silence.

He approached quickly, carrying Laura in his arms, his face lined with worry.

"We just got word," Ryder said urgently. "Jaxon has doctors ready to remove your father's kidneys!"