The royal guards followed Leo and Ben all the way to the palace gates, their steps heavy with restrained fury. They kept just a few feet behind the duo, their weapons gripped tightly, as though they were desperately holding back the urge to strike at the dastardly Assassin's.
The hate emanating from their eyes was palpable, searing and relentless. It wasn't mere anger—it was a visceral, unyielding loathing, the kind that carved itself into the soul and demanded vengeance.
It was unlike anything Leo or Ben had experienced before, as this seemed to be hate in the purest form.
The royal guards seemed to hate them for what the two did to their Emperor, however, they seemed to hate letting them walk free even more.
As Leo and Ben reached the palace gates, several guards shifted uneasily, their gazes locked on the duo's retreating forms.
Their trembling fingers and shallow breaths betrayed a fragile restraint, and more than one man seemed ready to break rank, their bodies leaning ever so slightly forward as if prepared to leap, regardless of what the consequences of that leap would be.
But begrudgingly none did. They simply watched, their silence more deafening than the battle cries that had filled the palace mere minutes ago.
The tension was suffocating, a choking weight that hung heavy over the procession, as every step that Ben and Leo took toward the gates stretched the moment unbearably thin, as if the hatred itself might burst into flames at any second.
"Halt there…. soldiers, not one of you shall step outside the royal gates, or else I'll kill the little boy!" Ben threatened as soon as he and Leo crossed the threshold of the palace gates and into the city streets.
"Like hell we will! Faulkner! What if you kill him and throw him in a ditch once we stop following you?" Jao, the Virex Chief said, as Leo looked at him with pity evident in his eyes.
"You can take that chance then…. And maybe he died…. Or you can take the chance to come at us and he DEFINITELY dies" Leo said, as his words deterred Jao and the other soldiers who faltered ever so slightly.
"The two of you! You're an insult to the civilized race of humans…. You're worse than demons. An OUTLAW master and an OUTLAW disciple. You will never find peace within the Unity Empire, I promise, I'll never let you breathe in peace!" Jao vowed, as Leo curled his lips into a challenging grin.
*Inhale*
*Exhale*
*Inhale*
*Exhale*
Taking in long and deep breaths, Leo mocked Jao right to his face, as he made a point to show that he breathed easy even in this moment.
"Come on big guy… I'm right here and breathing easy…. Do your worst. If you think even for a second that you can beat me, come try me. I've killed THREE master warriors and ONE emperor with these very hands today, and countless of your best soldiers. If you think you're special, come be my guest" Leo taunted, as his words caused many behind Jao to feel their throats going dry.
What Leo said was entirely true, he had waltzed into the capital city all alone, accompanied only by his master and a frog, yet it was the city that was ruined in the end while he still stood strong.
Never in the history of the Empire was there a man this powerful, apart from perhaps the founding Emperor who was a Grandmaster, however, other than him, 'TheBoss' was the strongest human to ever be.
Standing across such greatness, there were many men who felt their knees go weak, as although they hated Leo and his guts, they could still not deny his strength.
"Nobody can escape judgement forever. You will pay for your sins boy, sooner or later you will—" Jao shouted at the top of his lungs, as Ben and Leo retreated back to the corner of the street, out of their eyesight.
Any chance that the royal soldiers had to follow Ben and Leo was now disappearing fast, as after getting out of eye-sight, the duo simply began to run like the wind, making their way out of the city as fast as they could.
"34 minutes till the rest of the players come online–" Leo muttered to himself, checking the in-game clock, as all things considered he felt like he and Ben had done a pretty decent job.
Unless nothing unexpected took place, 34 minutes was enough for him to escape the boundaries of StrongHaven City, giving him ample chance to escape the rush of players that would come searching like hungry hounds for him once they came back online.
"We did it, Lord Father! Lord Grandfather! We completed the mission—" Dumpy said, chuckling while perched on Leo's shoulders, as for him this was his first taste of real adventure.
In his mind, all of his Lord Father's life-stories were adventures of equal proportion, however, little did he know that his Lord Father had outdone himself on this one.
Nobody but him could have pulled off what he pulled off here today, and the gains he was set to receive from this situation were equally high.
"Haha, the job isn't done yet…. We will only be safe once we are home" Leo said, as although internally he felt extremely giddy, he understood the importance of keeping a rational mind in such circumstances.
"Dumpy… go sit on your Lord Grandfather's shoulder, and protect him in case there's trouble–" Leo instructed, as Dumpy immediately jumped from his shoulder onto Ben's, much to Ben's surprise.
"What happened boy? Too tired to carry the little frog?" Ben inquired, as Leo simply shook his head and denied the allegation.
"No… I'm taking a different path home, master, I'll see you on the other side" Leo said, as without waiting for Ben's answer, he branched away from him, knowing full well that being alongside Ben and Dumpy will only bring unnecessary trouble for them both on their way home.
Instead, he preferred fighting alone now, where his survival was his own responsibility.
—--------
/// A/N - Bonus chapter progress 300/2500.
Also here is the first riddle of the month, solving which will give you a coupon code for 100 Fast Pass or We can purchase coins.
The Encoded Word:
6.2 - 3.5 - 9.2 - 2.2 - 2.2 - 7.3 - 13.1- 4.4 - 5.5
Drop the answer in the comments below. The fastest one to solve wins! ///