Empire of Silence is the notes of a world destroying warrior reflecting on what really happened to put him in the position to destroy a massive part of the universe. Hadrian doesn’t start out as a hero, he’s running from family obligations which takes him from the pinnacle of society to the streets to fighting with aliens and having to watch torture happen that he doesn’t agree with.
I grabbed this from the library after seeing recommendations in many spots and have since purchased the entire series.