Lumieri Chronicles: Rise of the First Empire (Book 1)

Chapter 18.2 Execution and The Innocent

Lissius has little time to look at the spectacle however as Frederick stands before him. He looks up and see that Frederick has already walked away and is heading to Leo who's headed to the front of the line and that the archers have stopped firing and the Harkon Guards have begun their charge as they rout the bandit army while the Lumieri stay in position.

"Excellent work General. He never stood a chance from the beginning" Leo states in adulation as Frederick responds with a smile.

"Thank you sire, but perhaps next time please don't rile me up in a battle. I like to relish a fight, not end it abruptly."

Leo chuckles at the response and nods. "Sure thing General. And don't worry, once this campaign is over, I'll specifically mention to your wife how you've defended her honor with great effort and devotion."

Frederick barks in laughter at this and clasps Leo on the shoulders. "That...is something I'm looking forward to."

Leo then dismisses Frederick and walks to the still kneeling Lissius with a couple of guards in tow. He kneels down and stares at Lissius straight in the eye. "You already lost this fight before it even began. Do you honestly think I was going to lose to someone like you?" Leo chuckles soon afterwards and begins to walk away.

Lissius stares at the retreating king and grits his teeth in anger. He couldn't believe that he got outsmarted by someone so young that he could be his son. And the fact that Leo was so cocky in his victory further infuriated him. He then remembered that there was a hidden dagger within his shoe and immediately took it out and charged at Leo. The guards that accompanied Leo saw this and immediately attacked but one was sent flying his body giving a loud crack as he smashed the wall and the other was stabbed so hard in the chest that the armor just shatters with bits of his heart leaking out from the back as the dagger drives in deep.

The rest of the Lumieri were quickly running towards their king but they couldn't make it in time. Lissius was already within arm's length of Leo and when he was about to stab him, a flash of light, metal, and blood clouded his vision and when it returned, he saw Leo still unharmed and now wielding a sword. He was surprised that he can no longer feel the dagger in his left hand and soon stared in horror as his left hand was no longer there.

Lissius screamed again at the pain and the virtual loss of one hand and literal loss of the other. The missing hand flying in front of the stunned Lumieri soldiers as it starts twitching and blood started oozing out of the separated arm. The sight mixed with the man's agonizing screams were enough to make the scene seem like nothing but torture.

Leo then once again kneeled before him and with a cold voice, whispered in his ear, "Did you honestly think you were gonna kill me the same way they killed my brother?"

"What-"

These were the only words that left Lissius' mouth as another flash of metal clouds his sight and this was the last thing he sees.

Leo chopped of his head with one precise strike. The head flew in front of the Lumieri soldiers next to the severed hand and rolled a bloody trail until it stopped at the foot of a soldier. The rest of the army who've stop dead in their tracks, look at their king who has a blank expression. "Well seeing as it's finally done, why don't we round up the opposition elders quickly yes?"

The Lumieri give nothing but a nod, still in a state of awe at how precise the cut was. They knew Leo was good in precision attacks but they never expected his precised strikes and parries would become so lethal in four years. It was as if he was preparing for a fight. And they knew who it was for they also felt the shame and sadness of the event four years ago. But despite their young king's desire to avenge his brother with his own hands, his army was planning on killing that man before Leo can even fight him. Losing his brother was already unforgivable, but losing him as well would be damnable.