Chapter 45: A Dragon's Wrath
"Perfect." I say in the same emotionless tone, as my eyes gleam in murderous insanity.
Immediately afterward I head to my office once again, and see not only Isaac there, but Darius as well, patiently waiting for me. I waste no further time as I take my seat facing him, and instantly order "Report."
Isaac nods as he begins "Yes, sire. As you might have expected your majesty, this attack was done by non other than the Noble Faction. And we have enough evidence to implicate nearly two dozen of their members."
"How did we not receive any warning from our spies before this happened?" Darius questions with narrowed eyes.
"According to those we captured, this operation was very sudden for them as well, and they were even ordered to do it without any prior planning or notice what so ever, and had to quickly scramble together a rushed plan, which is why they used Black Sand Bombs.
Many even claimed that they didn\'t even know who their targets were until they saw the royal insignia on the carriages, but by then it was too late for them to back out." Isaac replied.
"That explains it." Horus muttered, before swiftly clarifying "I thought the incident seemed slightly illogical since the first moment I heard of it.
Although Black Sand weaponry might be powerful and very destructive, it\'s completely useless on those who have reached the third rank of martial artist and above, and everyone knows that the Palace Guard only accepts those who have reached at least the fourth rank."
Darius nodded in approval as he sincerely praised, before further analyzing "An excellent observation young man.
And I also believe that the reason those assassins were so rushed by the nobles, was because they were fueled by their bruised egos after his majesty humiliated them in yesterday\'s celebration."
My madness filled eyes, which both Darius and Isaac noticed but decided not to comment on, began to swirl, like two black howling vortexes of depravity, as I roared ferociously "Abraham!"
Instantly a blur of gold appeared before my eyes, as Abraham seemed to materialize before me, while kneeling and respectfully saying "Your orders, sire."
"Command the Palace Guard, except those who are protecting my family, to immediately prepare to capture all the nobles in the capital!" I say as my carefully controlled bloodlust leaked through my words.
"Understood." Abraham replied, as he saluted by pounding his right hand on his left chest.
I then turn to Isaac and say "Order the Shade Corps to deploy over the entire capital, and make sure that no one escapes."
"Right away, your majesty." Isaac replied as he slightly bowed down.
I once again turn, this time toward Darius and say "Send a message to both Sodarus and Hasdrubal to prepare the Chimera and Diomedes Knights, along with twenty thousand of my personal soldiers to move at any moment.
While the command of the rest of my army is to be given to Hamilcar, who is to deploy them all in the streets of the capital!"
"Very well, sire." Darius acknowledged.
But before they could move to begin their tasks, a man who was barely managing to control his rampaging aura and bloodlust, entered the room as he said "I wish to offer my aid as well."
Seeing my uncle like this, I look back at Abraham and say "My uncle Haytham will deal with Archduke Zadkiel, while you will handle the rest."
A grateful smile appeared on my uncle\'s face, while they all nodded before vanishing from my office, as Bellerophon jumped on my lap and began to rub his head on my hand, in an attempt to brighten my mood, which admittedly, did manage to bring a small smile to my face, as I stood up with him in my arms, while heading to the throne room to await my soon to arrive guests.
And as I was doing that, the capital that still maintained an air of happiness and joy, due to yesterday\'s grand celebration was suddenly plunged into chaos, as the savage roars of Chimeras and the thunderous sounds of galloping hooves echoed menacingly across the once peaceful night sky.
Little did they know that was only the opening debut of this abysmal nightmare, as the soldiers that usually protected them and treated them with respect and kindness, became rabid!
Like a pack of snarling, blood thirsty hounds, hungerly sniffing around for the slightest smell of prey, as they patrolled every nook and cranny of the city!
But even this was not the end, as the gates of the royal palace opened, and unleashed a seemingly unending torrent of golden plated demons, who immediately began to storm through the city as they pleased, raising a maelstrom of mayhem, as they dragged terrified, half naked, indignant nobles from their beds with absolutely no regard or care to even basic human morals, and if a guard or servant foolishly tried to stop these emotionless fiends, they would be instantly and ruthlessly introduced to the keen edge of their blades!
Within less than an hour all the nobles inside the capital were humiliatingly shepherded into the throne room, where I leisurely slumped back on the throne, while calmly petting Bellerophon\'s soft fur, as Dark Majesty threateningly leaned on the throne beside me.
And as soon as the doors shut behind them, figuratively and effectively sealing their fate, they finally started to look around the silent hall, and saw that there were hundreds of not only Palace Guard, but also dozens of Shade Corps assassins glaring holes at their exposed flesh from all sides, with brazen bloodlust.
They then directed their attention to the center of the room, which made their eyes gape widely in horror, as they beheld their young emperor calmly brushing the fur of his Chimera King cub, while being flanked by the empire\'s titans, such as Darius and Hamilcar.
It was then that they noticed a horrid smell they couldn\'t describe, and turned their heads toward it, and beheld the chilling sight of ten men missing their fingers and toes, while being clad in iron chains and shackles, while being so brutally beaten and bloodied that even their own mothers would fail to identify them!
Seeing all this, the nobles realized the severity of the situation, and silently reached a consensus to first hear their monarch\'s words, before doing anything.
But after waiting for a full five minutes, as I continued to peacefully play with Bell without saying anything, a countess couldn\'t take it anymore, as she loudly asked "Your majesty, what is..."
But before she could continue, I coldly interrupted "Did I allow you to speak?"
And before anyone could even say anything else, a guard suddenly appeared behind her and barbarously decapitated her, before unceremoniously tossing her severed head before my feat.
Many nobles fell over in absolute shock, as others screamed in panic and hysteria, while some immediately raised their voices of condemnation and outrage at me, believing themselves to be upholding justice, conveniently forgetting all the heinous crimes they had all committed.
Sadly for them justice, law, honor, morals and even hypocrisy, held no sway before me tonight, as they all suffered a similar fate to the countess, and shortly afterward a small mound of nearly fifty severed heads that still held their owner\'s last mortified expression, decorated the space beneath my feat, as the repugnant stench of spilled blood wafted through the entire room, causing many who were unaccustomed to it to uncontrollably retch.
Seeing that they had finally understood and stayed quiet, I raised my head to look upon them, as I loudly asked in an emotionless tone "Do you know why you\'re here?"
But instead of getting an answer, all I received was complete silence, \'It seems they learned their lesson a little too well.\' I thought in morbid amusement.
"Doesn\'t anybody know?" I asked again, but once again no one spoke up, even the usually outspoken Zadkiel held his tongue, as he questioned my sanity, which he was completely correct to do.
Seeing that no one responded, I turn toward the chained men, who were the assassins that were sent after my family, and say in a tone of blatant sadistic pleasure, as my eyes gleamed in unspeakable madness "Then how about I let these men kindly enlighten you."
The prisoners flinched, as their hair stood up on end; decades of experience living amongst the most depraved murderers and psychopaths of mankind did nothing to aid them before the being currently staring at them, as one of them stutteringly bellowed in a panic "W-We sw-swear to you sire, that we didn\'t know who the targets were!
We j-just did as we were told!"
Hearing his words a few nobles, whose minds became muddled in anxiousness, cried out "He lies sire! We would never act against the royal family! We\'re innocent!!"
A large grin appears upon my lips, as I ask in pure murderous ecstasy "And how did you know what he was going to say?"
Their faces were suddenly plundered of all color, as they realized their momentous blunder, but before they could utter their pathetic excuses, the Guards acted and shattered their knees and arms, before ruthlessly slamming their writhing bodies in front of me.
Seeing this I pick up Dark Majesty, as Bellerophon jumped off of me, while I menacingly marched towards them.
"Please! Please, spare us sire! Please don\'t kill me! We beg of you!!!" They cried out with tear soaked faces, as they gazed at my approaching figure.
But their pleas fell on deaf ears, as I held Dark Majesty to one of their necks and demonically replied "Kill you? No, no, no. I\'m afraid death is a luxury you can no longer afford for a very long time.
But please take comfort in the fact that you will eventually die an excruciating death, and that your families, friends and everyone you have ever met will be awaiting you on the other side."
Their mouths opened wide in disbelief at such cruelty, but before they could utter anymore worthless words, I sliced their jaws, splattering blood across half my face, leaving them barely hanging on their skulls, while members of the Shade Corps dragged them from the hall, as the rest of the nobles gazed at them in silent horror.
I sit back down on my throne, while starring back at the terrified nobles, as I say in inhuman apathy as I looked specifically at Zadkiel "I have no need for rebellious dogs. And today you shall all bear witness to the hellish fate of all those who forget who their master is."
All the nobles understood the implications behind my words and actions, as they could suddenly feel the same pressure they felt during yesterday\'s coronation, only this time it seemed a hundred times more intense, as they dropped to their knees, not in respect, but in untold fear!
Which filled me with a refreshing sense of nostalgia, as the monstrous voice in my head laughed maniacally!
While the more experienced and wise among them, suddenly cracked the mystery that had been haunting them since yesterday!
They finally understood the origin of this primal pressure they constantly suffered from, they finally understood the reason for the constant warnings their instincts screamed at them, as they all unanimously exclaimed in their minds \'Dragon!\'
***Scene Change***
True to his words, Alexander unleashed hell upon the unsuspecting world, as the earth rumbled under the hooves of the Diomedes Warhorses, while the skies darkened before the wings of the Chimera Knights, as they departed to deliver their emperor\'s vengeance!
Over two dozen noble and powerful houses of the Eclipse Empire vanished over night, as their grand and luxurious castles and mansions were bathed under a torrent of crimson flame by the Chimera Knights, their loyal servants massacred, their helpless elderly thrown to endless work in the brutal and unforgiving conditions of the mines, their proud sons emasculated and sold to slavery, their beautiful wives and daughters dragged to the dirtiest brothels found in the empire, condemned to spend their lives in endless humiliation, even their infants weren\'t spared as they became the Diomedes horses feed!
They were absolutely and brutally exterminated, with only a few charred and broken ruins standing as the final proof of their long gone glory!
While the entire world learned two things that dreadful night, the first was that the seemingly invincible and perfect new emperor of the Eclipse Empire, did indeed have a reverse scale, which was his family.
The second thing was to never, ever touch this reverse scale of his, since if you did, then may the Gods have mercy upon your soul, because he won\'t!