The guards forcefully brought Katie to the ground, their boots pressing down on her arms. She bit her lip to stifle her cries of pain but offered no resistance. Leon watched helplessly, his body trembling. Kirkland licked his blade, snickering. “Oh boy, I’ve always wanted to see a sky pigeon bleed, hahaha! Do you know how rare of an opportunity this is?”
“Do not make jests of this. Make it quick,” Queen Lioness said, her eyes narrowing in disgust.
Kirkland gave her a sharp salute, grinning ear to ear. “Oh, don’t you worry, your highness! We got one Xenova fried angel coming right up!” he shouted, leaning to look at Katie’s face.
He grasped it, cutting the tip of her cheek with his cleaver. She wriggled and clenched her teeth as he laughed. A fiery fist smashed into the side of his jaw. He hurtled across the room, crashing into a pillar. “Get the fuck away from her!” Leon snapped, his sword unsheathed.
Everyone prepared to charge at Leon, but the commanding voice of the King shattered the impending chaos. "HALT!" he bellowed, his gaze fixed upon Leon. His eyes glimmered with intrigue.
Leon turned to him, glaring back. “Is this your sick idea of a game? I thought this kingdom valued strength! You want to execute a girl who can’t even fight back?”
“Leon! Don’t-” Katie begged, but King Malik raised his hand. It was as if the volume of those around them had been snuffed out, a faint mist coming from his palms.
A sigh crept across the King Lioness’s face. “You are the host of Diablos. Do you understand what it is to fight for a traitor? You wish to fight for this angel?”
“What proof do you have that she is a traitor? Did anyone actually see her kill that unit? I saw her memory and all I saw was jumbled chaos. Nothing set in stone to justify this!” Leon shouted, standing over her.
King Lioness’s mouth opened to speak, but then his eyes widened. “Kirkland, wait!”
“Leon, watch out!” Richard shouted, a sharp pain coming from Leon’s back.
Blood splattered all over Katie’s face as he fell to a knee. “What?” Leon twisted to see Kirkland already standing, a bruise on his cheek.
Before his sword could even raise, knuckles slammed into his teeth. They scattered against the carpet as another hand grabbed his collar. “I. Do. Not. Like. Being. INTERRUPTED!” Kirkland screamed in his face. He tossed Leon like a football, his body crumbling painfully against another pillar.
Leon's back snapped upon impact, causing him to crumple to his knees. Unlike his fragmented memories, this pain lingered and surged through his body. He spat out more blood, his senses reeling as Kirkland closed the distance in seconds. Leon's friends watched in stunned disbelief, their faces drained of color. Katie watched with wide eyes, trembling with fear.
Hime prepared to unsheathe her sword, ready to intervene. King Malik was already at her side, forcing her to sheathe it. “Father, what are you doing? You can’t call this a fight.”
He steeled his expression. “Just watch.”
Kirkland raised his sword, and in a sickeningly swift motion, it cleaved through Leon's arm, severing it from his body. Agonizing screams tore through the air as Leon was forcibly hoisted to his feet. The guards stood by, mere spectators, as he was dragged across the room, his stomach churning with nausea from the pain. Leon fought back the urge to vomit, swallowing the vile taste, only for another merciless punch to slam into his gut. The resulting expulsion of brown matter splattered against the carpet, further staining the scene with horror.
“Malik this is madness! Stop them-” Queen Lioness started when Malik snapped, “Silence, Agatha! To stand between a bout of strength is nothing short of the greatest disrespect our kingdom can offer! Stand true to your values and stand strong!”
Agatha and Hime reluctantly listened, hardly able to watch the ensuing chaos.
There was no time to think, no time to react. Leon mustered all his remaining strength, gripping Kirkland's arm with his one good hand. Flames erupted from his touch, causing Kirkland to yelp and thrust him away. Leon's body crumbled helplessly in front of the onlookers. "S-s-stop... Please..." Katie begged, tears streaming down her face as Kirkland advanced toward Leon.
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Ignoring her pleas, Kirkland continued his relentless assault. Every attempt to fight back ended in the same manner—Leon being beaten, slammed, and thrown across the room. The sheer brutality of the scene had even the soldiers trembling in horror. They no longer bothered to hold Katie down; their attention fixated on the unfolding brutality.
Leon's blood stained the carpet and drenched the room, but still, he refused to stay down. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Ed cried out, tears streaming down his face. But even the pleas of his friends fell on deaf ears. Once again, Leon was thrown against the front of the throne, struggling to rise despite the pain that consumed him.
Hime's gaze had turned away; her hands trembled against her hilt. The King and Queen watched the unfolding brutality with concern, but solidified resolve. “No more games, Kirkland. Either grant the boy mercy or end it,” King Lioness ordered.
Kirkland cracked his fingers, taking a moment to stretch. “You got it, my lord! Boy, I worked up a sweat there. Not often you get a toy that lasts this long.” He started walking forward when he froze.
Leon, battered and broken, was standing up once more. The glare in his eyes never wavered. Shadows seemed to lean in, and an unbearable chill emanated from within him. At his feet, Katie tugged at his leg through her bindings, tear-stricken.
"Why? Why are you doing this?" she pleaded, her voice trembling. "Just let me go. Let me die."
A smile tainted by blood formed on Leon's battered face as he looked down at her. Kirkland raised an eyebrow, a flicker of curiosity replacing his sadistic grin. "You're taking an awful lot of licks for sky trash, man. Just go be weak somewhere else and let me do my job," he sneered, growing impatient.
Leon paid him no heed. "You're finally looking at me again. That's good," he spoke, his words coming out muddled with blood.
Katie held her face, sobbing uncontrollably. "Of course, I'm looking! How could you do this? Why are you dying for me?"
Tears mingled with the bloodstains on Leon's face as he turned his gaze forward. "Because I'm sorry," he choked out. "I don’t have any real reasons why I’m here. Why I fight or why I exist… You were the only one who gave any of that meaning."
Flames ignited from every part of his body, and Kirkland began to sweat.
“I’ll die before I ever let that be snuffed out!”
Every drop of blood on Leon's body evaporated, and his mutilated arm emerged from the embers, restoring itself. Bones realigned and wounds closed as his fist smashed through the hilt of the ax. Kirkland’s jaw dropped no sooner than his knuckle smashed through his gut. The weight of his ribs being crushed caused a rippled cry to leave his lips. He backed up, looking down at Leon with a new fear.
“What’s the matter? This toy isn’t through with you yet.” His eyes were shining a deep crimson, steam rising from his shoulders.
—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A few moments later…
The room was speechless. They just witnessed a complete flip in the situation as the executioner was turned into a helpless punching bag. Kirkland lay crumbled on the rug, limbs and face battered and broken. Standing over him with bloodied fists, Leon let go of his collar.
King Malik’s eyes widened, his body trembling. This time a genuine warm smile spread across his face. Leon hesitated and then exhaled. The flames subsided, replaced by a flicker of resignation.
“Satisfied?” Leon snapped, walking forward to stand before him.
Malik looked between his wife and his daughter. “You did well despite being ambushed. There is certainly a lot of work to be done if we ever wish to hone your skills to face Death in the future…”
Leon’s eyes were glowing, when he sighed and the flames subsided. “What makes you think I want to fight for this world? Without her, I don’t want any part of it.” He looked to Katie as he said this.
The King raised an eyebrow. “You would simply allow Death to destroy us all? All for the sake of your mortal enemy?”
“I’m not some sort of hero. I’ve only ever fought for the people I care about. Without that, saving the world is meaningless,” Leon replied, meeting Malik’s gaze.
For a moment, he could sense dark intent behind the King’s gaze and braced himself. But then Malik let out a hearty laugh. “Hopelessly selfish, as Diablos and Jalaiya were both before you. I do not judge you for this, for without my family and my kingdom, I would see no reason to fight either.”
At those words, all of his subjects exchanged surprised glances. Yet they understood it and stood at attention. Hime shared a smile with her mother.
“You clearly possess strength. Strength that can be matured into protecting this world as Diablos has done before you. That being said, do not overlook your crimes Katie. We have no proof of your innocence, and to let you go without it would be nothing short of foolish. The boys are free to go, as they have done nothing wrong, but if you wish to free her, you will have one condition.”
“A condition?” Leon raised an eyebrow. “What sort of condition?”
King Lioness’s gaze shifted to Hime, who nodded at her father. “I understand that it is a childhood dream for my beloved daughter to face the mighty Diablos of legend. As the former is no longer available, the host will have to do. Defeat her and the angel is free to go.”
Leon groaned. “And if I lose?”
“Then the angel will be executed and you will marry my daughter. Any problems when that discussion arrives and I will execute you both myself. Is that clear?” Malik commanded, giving a stern look.
It was sudden. Random even. Leon couldn’t begin to see the reason or sense in this duel if it didn’t prove Katie’s innocence. But maybe at the very least it would give him the time to find the evidence. Taking a deep breath, he pumped a fist against his chest. “Then it looks like I’ve got some training to do.”