Outside, the sounds of war roared—explosions, spells, and steel clashing. The rebellion had started. The people were rising.
But in here, the silence was thick—until it wasn't.
"Hey! Look! He's the one who came through the window!"
Two guards appeared, followed by ten more from behind—swords drawn, charging.
Leo sighed. "I don't have time to play."
In a blink, they were gone—cut to pieces before they could understand what happened. Bodies hit the floor in silence. All except one.
One guard, barely alive, crawled backward, his right arm missing, trembling in terror.
Leo approached him, voice calm but laced with unshakable rage. "If you want to survive, tell me… where is the king's room? Do you know who and where Lia or Niya are?"
The guard, shaking, stammered, "Y-Yes, yes… I know both of them. Niya… she…"
Leo's eyes darkened. "Say it."
"She… from the time she was brought here, they all used her as plaything on bed. She's… probably with the king and the nobles right now."
Leo's hands clenched into fists, a dark aura rising slightly before he forced it down. ''Where is king and nobles room ? Leo asked'' He said that Straight. Right. Straight. Left. Left and you will find the main room.
"And Lia?" he growled.
"I—I think you mean the little girl. She's… safe. No one touched her. But in the future, Kael might—"
He froze mid-sentence.
Leo stepped closer. "You said used. You said they. Were you one of them?"
The guard's face turned pale. He couldn't speak. Couldn't move.
"Tell me."
Tears welled in the man's eyes. "Yes… I'm sorry…"
The world seemed to vanish from his vision. He looked at Leo—and saw something impossible.
His own body… being sliced apart. From the nose down, invisible cuts spread—his vision splitting in half.
Blood hit the marble floor.
Leo didn't look back. The pieces of the guard fell as he walked down the hallway, his mind lost in fury.
The directions burned in his head. Straight. Right. Straight. Left. Left.
Every corner brought him closer. Every step, heavier with rage.
And finally… he stood before the main door.
A massive, blackwood structure inlaid with gold and crimson—a throne room, a torture room, a hall of gods who thought themselves immortal.
Leo looked up.
His hand tightened on the hilt of his blade, eyes glowing like amethyst fire.
He took a breath. And stepped forward.
"I'm here."
Inside the throne room, laughter echoed like poison dripping from gold.
An old man's voice sneered, dripping with rot.
"Hey! You damn lady, undress yourself. We three will enjoy you together tonight."
The woman's voice trembled, soft, humiliated.
"O-okay... King Valerious…"
Leo froze.
His breath caught in his throat.
That voice—
That was Niya.
The rage simmering in his chest surged. He pressed himself against the cold stone wall, unseen, listening. Listening as his soul cracked.
"Please, King…" Niya's voice cracked, a mother begging. "I will undress myself. But… please… show mercy to the child. Lia… please stop Hero Kael from reaching her. She's just a little girl…"
CRACK!
The sound of a slap rang out. The next voice was Rex's—mocking, cruel.
"And now a bitch tells the king and nobles what to do, huh? Know your place."
Niya whimpered.
Leo's body twitched.
That was enough.
He stepped toward the two towering black-gold doors. Doors meant to hold back armies. To declare power. A hundred tons each.
Leo didn't care.
With a deep breath—he grabbed both handles.
And in a single motion—
TORE THE GATES OFF THEIR HINGES.
BOOM!
Stone shattered. Metal screamed. The entire throne room shook.
The nobles jumped to their feet. Goblets fell. Dishes shattered. Silence.
"What the hell—?!"
Silas gasped, stepping back.
King Valerious clutched his armrest, eyes wide.
"Who is this…?! How did he—?! That door weighs over a hundred tons—!"
Rex's pupils shrank, his thoughts racing.
"That's impossible… That's not human… That can't be…"
Even Niya looked up from the floor, tears streaming, her mind blank.
"Who… Who is he?"
And then they saw him.
Leo.
But not as a boy. Not as a human.
From his violet eyes poured an overwhelming purple aura, flooding the throne room like a demon's breath. There was no kindness. No soul.
Only judgment.
He tossed the shattered doors to the side like broken toys.
CRASH.
His voice echoed, cold and thunderous:
"I'm not here for mercy."
Rex roared, stepping forward. "I don't know who you are, but you're not leaving here alive!"
He charged.
Leo didn't move.
He just looked at him.
And Rex's body—
Split. Instantly.
From head to groin, like a fruit beneath a blade. Blood splattered like a wave, nobles screaming.
Silas cried out and lunged, magic coating his blade, swinging for Leo's heart.
Leo raised one hand—calmly.
A twist of his wrist.
Silas's heart burst like glass.
He dropped dead. A thud and silence.
King Valerious clutched the throne, trembling, urine spreading across his golden robe.
Leo looked at him—not with hatred.
With sentence.
Judgment Day had come.
King Valerious collapsed, his golden robe stained not just with sweat—but with fear.
He cried out, dragging himself on his knees across the blood-slicked floor.
"Please! Spare me! Mercy—please, I beg you! Don't kill me!"
Leo paused, looking down at the broken man. And then, slowly… he smiled.
But it wasn't kindness.
It was a smile colder than death.
"Mercy?" he echoed. Then laughed—a sharp, bitter laugh. "You want mercy?"
He stepped closer. The king whimpered.
"A man who showed no mercy to my village. Who tormented his own people. Who sold lives like toys. Now begs for mercy?"
Leo's voice dropped, low and thunderous:
"There's no mercy for you, bastard."
King Valerious trembled, crawling backward like a rat cornered by fire.
"I-I can give you gold! A title! Women! Anything! I'm the king! I—"
Leo cut him off.
"No. You're just another monster I've come to erase."
The king screamed, "Kael! Hero Kael! Save me! Guards! Anyone! Help me!"
But silence answered.
No Kael.
No guards.
No one.
Leo tilted his head.
"Seems like you're going to hell alone."
He raised his hand, placing it gently atop the king's quivering skull.
And then—
CRACK!
With one brutal motion, Leo's hand clenched—and the king's head crushed in his grip. Blood and bone exploded like a rotten fruit. The throne room grew still.
Dead still.
Niya stood frozen, her legs weak, her lips trembling.
She didn't move. Didn't breathe.
In her heart—she was ready to die too.
She shut her eyes tight… waiting.
But death never came.
Instead… warmth.
Two arms wrapped around her gently. Soft, careful. Protective.
A hug.
Her eyes widened. Trembled open.
Leo was holding her.
Tears rolled down her cheeks. Her voice cracked.
"Who… are you?"
Leo pulled back just enough to meet her gaze. His expression was soft—gentle despite the blood on his hands.
"I'm Leo. Leo Vallis."
He smiled faintly.
"Miss Niya… your daughter is waiting for you."
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"Everything's over now," Leo whispered. "You're free. The ones who hurt you… they're gone. You don't have to suffer anymore."
Niya's knees gave out.
Her elven ears drooped as her body shook.
And for the first time in years—
She cried.
Really cried.
She clutched Leo, her sobs escaping in broken breaths.
"Thank you… thank you, Leo. For coming."
Leo gently held her, letting her break.