Leo watched the three attacks peel away from Raymond’s blade in diverging arcs of annihilation, as time seemed to stretch thin under the weight of inevitability, and in that stretched instant his mind tore through countless possibilities with ruthless clarity, stripping away hope, heroism, and fantasy until only the truth remained.
’I don’t have enough time to save everyone here,’ he realized, as the vectors and trajectories burned themselves into his vision and the gap between what he wanted to do and what he could do became brutally apparent.
’If Veyr falls now, after everything we sacrificed to free him, the army won’t just lose a Dragon... they will lose morale and a sense of purpose.
It will be as though we fought this entire war for naught....
And hence, no matter what I can’t let him die at the least.’
Leo thought, as his body moved before doubt could poison his decision, as he stepped into the oncoming violence rather than away from it, planting his foot forward with deliberate force as his torso twisted upward, daggers flashing as he met the first arc head-on.
*CLANG*
*PARRY*
*SWOOSH*
Redirecting the first arc skyward, he produced a brutal deflection that sent the heavens screaming as the redirected slash tore a wound through the clouds.
*SCREEEECH*
*Pushback*
The recoil slammed through his arms instantly, as bone rattled and muscle screamed, yet he did not pause, as he rolled through the backlash with practiced precision, momentum carrying him low and forward as the second arc curved toward Veyr, its edge humming with intent, as Leo rose into it with a full-body brace, channeling everything he had into a single point.
’[Enhance],’ he triggered internally, as power flooded his limbs in a violent surge, as his stance locked, spine aligned and feet dug into shattered Earth.
*CLANG*
*FSHHHHH*
Despite his best attempts to redirect this attack skyward as well, the angle and power behind this strike made it difficult for him to do so, as in the end he was forced to block it traditionally, the divine force pressing against mortal will, as his entire frame bent under a pressure that would have crushed an average Monarch outright.
*BLOCK*
*BOOOM*
The impact detonated outward, as the ground beneath him caved and fractured, a massive shockwave rippling around the execution platform area, as blood burst from his knuckles and nose alike.
*SPLAT*
*Drip* *Drip*
Yet, despite the minor injuries, the important bit for him was that he had been successful in blocking the two attacks, and that Veyr was still unharmed, however, even as he did so, he knew that the third had already found its mark.
*Screams*
*Bodies splitting in half*
Far from him, the widest slash continued unimpeded toward the retreating Cult Army, as evacuation lines broke into chaos and as millions looked up only to find death already upon them, the divine slash arriving without spectacle or mercy as it erased everyone in its path.
*SWOOSH*
The slash passed through them like a silent judgment.
Entire legions vanished in an instant, bodies severed mid-stride, transports cleaved cleanly in half, blood atomized into crimson mist, as roughly twelve million soldiers were wiped from existence in a single motion, their final screams cut short so abruptly that the silence afterward felt wrong.
*Blood river*
*Bodies twitching at the door of death*
The aftermath was horrific.
Fields once crowded with living bodies became layered carpets of severed limbs and armor shards, as half-corpses collapsed in delayed realization, while smoke rose from cauterized wounds and the stench of iron and scorched flesh overwhelmed the air.
*Plop*
*Oozee*
Blood continued to ooze from dead bodies as the ground soaked so thoroughly that it reflected the broken sky above.
Leo stood there trembling, his chest heaving as pain finally caught up to him all at once, while the weight of the choice he had made pressed down heavier than any divine attack ever could.
Behind him, the Cult Army screamed, their voices fracturing under the combined weight of grief and disbelief as horror rippled uncontrollably through their ranks.
He had saved himself.
He had saved Veyr.
And twelve million lives had paid the price for that choice.
’You sick bastard.....’
Leo thought, rage pooling inside him as he straightened slowly, blood dripping from his chin and fingers alike, as his eyes hardened with something far colder than anger.
’You will pay the price for this.... I will make sure you don’t leave this battlefield alive today, even if that’s the last thing I do....’
Leo swore internally, as his killing intent flared, his emotions heightening his aura strength, as Raymond chuckled out loud looking at his enraged expression.
"HAHAHAHA!"
The Demi God chuckled, as he pointed a finger towards Leo, before then pointing towards the millions dead beside him, as he tried to bait Leo into a rage filled charge.
"Look at those dead foolish mortals.
Did you really think they’re tough? Just because they trampled through some weaker mortals and managed to reach the core?
Because, NO!
No, they’re not tough.
They’re ants, just like most of existence.
If I wanted to kill them all, it wouldn’t even take me a full 30 minutes.
Hell, I could probably destroy this entire planet in a couple hours if I really wanted to....."
Raymond began, as he spread his arms and raised his chin.
"But since you are related to me by blood, I will give you a chance, Skyshard.
A chance to save the lives of millions more.
And all you have to do is kneel before me and acknowledge the fact that this whole war was a wasted effort....."
"I want you to get down on your knees and beg.
Beg for the life of your men.
Beg for the life of your Dragon.
And accept the glorious death I bestow upon you like it’s the most mercy you have ever received.
AND MAYBE.
JUST MAYBE.
If I’m satisfied after all that.
I might consider sparing them all."
Raymond offered, as he looked down on Leo with nothing but contempt in his eyes.