"Virex Corps members... and Royal Guards? Always a pleasure!" Leo muttered, a sharp grin tugging at his lips as he launched himself into the fray.
With only Dumpy at his back, Leo faced down at least a few dozen adversaries, the odds stacked overwhelmingly against him—but the overall situation was still precisely how he liked it.
"He's here! Ben Faulkner's disciple is here! Protect the Emperor at all costs!" one of the guards shouted, his voice trembling with panic as the chaos of battle erupted.
The shout galvanized a handful of soldiers, who scrambled toward the panic room in a desperate bid to lock themselves inside with the Emperor, hoping to escape the deadly storm that was Leo Skyshard.
But Leo, ever the tactician, was far too sharp to let such a scenario play out.
*Stab*
*Thunk*
*Stab*
Daggers hissed through the air with pinpoint precision, embedding themselves in the door's locking mechanism with a series of sickening thuds, as Leo deliberately jammed the gate.
The soldiers halted, their faces twisting in confusion and despair as they realized what had just happened.
"He's jammed the door! We can't close it!" one soldier barked, his voice rising in panic.
They fumbled with the door, desperately trying to dislodge the daggers. But their distraction was all the opportunity Leo needed.
"Big mistake," he said, his voice a cold whisper that cut through the chaos.
*Thunk*
*Thunk*
Before they could react, more daggers sailed through the air, striking unerringly.
Each one buried itself deep in the skulls of those unfortunate enough to stand in his way, as the poor soldiers crumpled to the floor like marionettes with their strings cut, blood pooling beneath their lifeless bodies.
Leo stepped forward, his movements fluid and unrelenting, his each kill a calculated act.
The panic room door creaked open slightly, as if mocking the remaining guards' futile efforts.
"I suggest you surrender," Leo growled, his voice dripping with menace. "Or don't. I could use the warm-up."
Behind him, Dumpy croaked menacingly, the guttural sound echoing through the room like a death knell. The surviving soldiers hesitated, their morale visibly crumbling as they realized they were not fighting a man—they were fighting a monster.
However, the Virex Corps dogs, loyal as they were, decided to fight to the bitter end anyways, as despite knowing that they were no match for Leo, they chose to fight till the bitter end nonetheless, as they fought him with reckless abandon.
Some had tears in their eyes as they willingly charged towards their demise, while the others seemed to be a bit more angry.
However, no matter what emotions they carried at the moment of their death, die they did, as Leo mercilessly slaughtered every last one of them.
*BAM*
Kicking open the panic room door with all his strength, Leo stepped inside with a calm smile on his face as he fought against the last few soldiers who opposed him.
In the far corner of the room, he could see the terrified queen clutched onto the ground with her youngest child, while the young Emperor stood last behind his guards, nervously gripping a sword in his hands.
"Oh?" Leo said, as he slashed past the last guard, only to look the Emperor in the eye who swung his sword around wildly in front of Leo.
"GAHHH—"
"HYAAA—"
He screamed as he swung his sword around with all his power, however, it was futile.
While the weapon did seem to give him some semblance of courage, it quickly drained from his face when he saw Leo's half crooked grin as he blocked his petty sword swings with nothing but his bare hands.
"Agh, your majesty…. This loyal subject greets you!" Leo said, as he yanked the sword off the poor boy, the force of the pull dragging him to his knees as the young Emperor humiliatingly knelt before Leo.
"NOOOO—" His mother yelled from a distance, as Dumpy instantly jumped and killed her off, so that she would not become a nuisance.
"Wow, your mother has got quite the shout…. It almost stings my ears" Leo noted, as he simply ignored the fact that the Empress Dowager was now dead and chose to focus on her last scream instead.
"Monster…. If you can stay so calm in the face of brutal…. Cold blooded murder, you're nothing but a monster!" The young Emperor said, as he closed his eyes and simply accepted his fate of death.
There was a slight fear in his eyes right before he shut them off, but his facial expressions looked resolute.
He did not try to barter for his life, he did not try to begin.
He did not even try to say empty words and just closed his eyes, as if the end was already here.
"Is this it? Do you have nothing more to say? Your little sister is crying in the corner…. Will you not even try and save her?" Leo asked, scratching his head, as he could not understand how a 14 year old Emperor could be so composed in the face of death?
Something felt amiss and Leo could just not wrap his head around what it was?
"Shut-up! It's not like you shall spare me even if I beg! So what point is there for me to die without dignity, at least this way, I get to die without giving you the satisfaction that you killed me—" Marcus said, as it was at that moment that Leo smiled harder.
"Let's go Dumpy…. We've been duped…. This is a fucking illusion, this is not the real panic room, this is not the real Emperor, there's some fucking mage nearby that's playing tricks on us—" Leo said, as Dumpy's eyes widened with disbelief listening to his master's words.
For a moment, Leo could see the eyes of the young Marcus flicker, and to his dismay, they did not flicker with relief, but rather panic, as the young prince seemed more panicked that Leo let him off, than he was about being killed.
'Agh damn it!' Leo thought, gritting his teeth, as the expression in the young emperor's eyes only confirmed what he already suspected.
He had been duped.