Chapter 220 Execution
The execution of the eldest prince was set at the same place as before: a podium erected in front of the Palace Gates which was visible to all those who assembled in the Central Passageway that led from the Inner city to the Outer.
On the fateful day when the citizens of Lanthanor had witnessed their king make the promise that those who escaped would be brought to justice, some had scoffed thinking that they were just empty words to hide the incompetence of the bratty, inexperienced kid, while others had kept these words in their minds and vowed to return, hoping to see their King prove himself to be one that did what he said.
Knowing that both would receive their answer today, Daneel ascended into the sky exactly like before to witness the entire passageway filled to the brim with people looking at the podium with waiting eyes.
Although more than half of them had already seen those who had destroyed their lives be brought to justice in the previous execution, they still turned up today knowing that the man on the podium was at least partly responsible for the younger nobility to turn out in that way.
Indeed, the Eldest Prince was already on the podium even before the crowds started to converge.
Beside him stood the previous Grand Court Mage, who had apparently been in closed door cultivation for the past few months both due to the injuries he sustained during the last execution, and the fact that he had told Kellor that he was close to a breakthrough.
Daneel had totally forgotten about this man who had served under the previous King. The last thing he remembered was sanctioning the resources that the man had asked for to facilitate his breakthrough to the eighth level as an Exalted Human Mage.
Realising that he had ignored an important resource who had at least put in the effort to show his loyalty, Daneel resolved to take the time to talk to this man and try to figure out if he was worth trusting.
As everyone waited for the appointed time to arrive, Daneel found his thoughts drifting to all the people who had accompanied him on his journey so far.
The first one who came to mind was Elanev, whom he had always treated as his own elder brother. The last he had heard of him was when the Righteous Hawk had mentioned that Elanev had set out on a journey to grow in power and be of use to his younger brother instead of just being someone to be left behind as an afterthought.
Daneel had found nothing wrong with this decision, as he knew that Elanev was a very competitive person who prided himself on his strength. Besides, he was also not someone foolish who would go seeking his own death to grow in power.
Still, although he admired the goal of this elder brother-like figure to grow stronger by facing adversity, he still wished that he could be by his side.
When he had made the decision to give the lesser development techniques to his confidants, Daneel had also told the Righteous Hawk to send a message to Elanev that he should come back at least once immediately before continuing on his journey.
Indeed, there had been no goodbyes between the two, making it so that Daneel had no way to contact him directly. The last time he had seen him was during the Royal Court when Eldara had been chased away by Daneel.
Apparently, at that time, the thing which had led Elanev to taking the decision was the sight of him being one of the most powerless persons who had stood in front of the King during such a momentous occasion.
Deciding to ask the Righteous Hawk later if there were any updates, Daneel's thoughts turned towards the Fists of Justice Training Hall and the Domination Corp who had been training steadily all this while to become his secret weapons which would aid him in uniting Central Angaria.
All this while, he had decided not to deploy them as the most important thing was that they improve their potential and strength in order to become the true hidden force of the Kingdom of Lanthanor.
Finally, he found himself thinking of Eloise who was apparently burning the candle at both ends to ensure the smooth running of the Network of Angaria.
The Network was indeed one of the most powerful tools with which he still had a lot of plans, and he felt glad that he had chosen the right person to lead it. Still, he decided to go meet her once to tell her not to burn herself out in the process of making his dreams come true.
DONG
With the sound of the chiming of an enormous bell, the execution began.
The whole point of recreating the same atmosphere was that he could incite the same emotions which had been there before during the initial execution.
Thus, it had been decided that suffocation would still be the way in which the event would be carried out.
As Daneel gazed at the man whose death had been postponed for so long, he felt a very slight chill in his back when he noticed that the Eldest Prince was looking right back at him with eyes that almost looked as if they had achieved something.
Yet, this lasted only for a moment, leading Daneel to wonder whether he had imagined it all.
This was because when the Eldest Prince was led to the center of the podium by the previous Grand Court Mage, all Daneel saw was a defeated man whose every attempt had been futile and who was now going to finally face justice for all of his horrendous actions.
His face which was now in front of the crowd caused roars and shouts to emanate from the people who had stayed more or less silent till now.
Initially, it was just those whose lives he had affected, but the frenzy soon spread to the others who had also lost loved ones at the hands of the nobility of the Kingdom of Lanthanor.
Although most of their hate had been wrung away during the previous execution, the sense of loss was still something that could not be filled no matter how much time passed.
Thus, they found themselves empathizing and resonating with the others whose hearts were still filled with a desire for retribution.
Hearing the roaring, all the Eldest Prince did was smile slightly, as if he had no regrets.
This smile only made the uproar even louder, leading Daneel to order the previous Grand Court Mage to begin the execution without further ado.
The smile on the Eldest Prince's face was wiped away when he finally felt himself being lifted into the air while his throat was constricted, cutting off the airflow.
Just like all those who had died on the same spot before him, his entire life flashed in front of his eyes- from the times of grandeur to the months spent in extreme pain all to take revenge on the person who had destroyed his life.
Even though he struggled in the air and even started screaming with pain due to all of his wounds opening and dripping blood onto the podium below him, the Eldest Prince still somehow found the energy to look up at the King for one last time.
Gathering all the remaining energy he could, he spit at Daneel as if to show that his defiance would not end no matter what situation he was in.
Seeing this, the King of Lanthanor only flicked his fingers, making another wind blade just like the one which had taken the Vice Sect Master's life appear on the podium.
SHHIKKKK
The head of the Eldest Prince detached from his body, rolling on the ground before coming to a stop upright and staring at the people whom he had treated as ants his entire life.
Yet, it was those ants that had partly been the reason for him dying in this way.
As the roaring from the crowd reached a crescendo, Daneel cast a spell to amplify his voice and said, "Here lies the criminal who killed thousands of Lanthanorians while even having the gall to lead enemy forces back into the Palace to kill innocent maids and soldiers who were only doing their duty. Let this be a warning to all those who even think of harming any Lanthanorian under my rule. Justice can be delayed, but it will never be denied."
Saying these words with a cold tone, Daneel turned around and flew back to the palace without even glancing back at least once.
"King Daneel! King Daneel! King Daneel! King Daneel!"
The passion of the chanting was enough to let him know just how much effect his actions and his words had had on the people who had trusted and supported him to ascend the throne.
Back in his chambers, Daneel quickly went to the hidden Energized Training Chamber to come upon a large bowl which had a red fluid inside it.
Sitting down in front of it, he placed his palms above the bowl after taking out and flicking away one last mosquito corpse which had still been left in the solution.