Chapter 558: Mark this day!... VENGEANCE BEGINS!

Upon seeing Leon—rightful crown prince of the Empire—the nobles exchanged uncertain glances. Even though Leon’s father had been declared a traitor, Leon still carried the Emperor’s blood, meaning he held an undeniable power over them, and possibly even control.... And worse, Leon bore the blood of ten powerful dragon lines.

The nobles were on edge, some secretly hoping they might find a way to manipulate him to their advantage.

"I asked you all—what’s going on here?" Leon demanded, his frown deepening as he scanned the room, finally landing his gaze on the throne.

The sight of Victor lounging there turned his expression to one of disgust and barely-contained fury, "YOU! How dare you sit on my father’s throne!"

Victor looked at Leon with cool indifference, resting his chin on his knuckles as he leaned back against the armrest. "I didn’t expect you to arrive so suddenly, my fellow students," he remarked, a haughty smile playing on his lips that made the entire room tense with irritation.

"ANSWER ME, YOU BASTARD! GUARDS KILL HIM!!!" Leon roared, stepping forward in a rage, only for two guards to block his path, raising their weapons against him.

Leon halted, taken aback. "What… what is this?"

The guards simply pressed forward their weapons... Leon frowned, "You’re supposed to defend the throne, not him!" he said in disbelief, his voice wavering as he looked around, searching for any sign of loyalty among them.

Victor interrupted his stunned silence by tossing something at him—a grim object wrapped in cloth.

Leon instinctively caught it, "What the...." and as he peeled the fabric back, his blood ran cold. "F-Father?" he stammered, staring in horror at the severed head of his father, pale and lifeless in his hands.

The room fell into stunned silence, gasps escaping several of the students. Selene and Aria stepped back, their expressions twisted with shock and disbelief.

Raven and Thalia looked on with wide eyes, caught between horror and confusion.

Jack, on the other hand, felt a strange thrill, glancing back and forth between Leon and Victor. ’Holy hell, he actually did it!’ he thought, half in awe and half in fear. ’This guy might actually be… kind of amazing?’ A strange excitement flickered within him, his intrigue growing almost.... feverish?

[+4000 AP]

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[+4000 AP]

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Leon’s voice cracked with desperation, "This—this is some sick joke, isn’t it? This isn’t real! It can’t be!" He threw the head at Victor, trembling. "Father! Come out! This isn’t funny!" His voice echoed in the Throne Room, but the empty silence that followed crushed any lingering hope.

General Drakhairs stepped forward, his tone firm but almost gentle. "Former Prince Leon Dragonheart… this is no joke. Let’s talk this through somewhere else," he suggested, gesturing for the guards to escort Leon out.

But Leon swatted the guards’ hands away, glaring daggers at Drakhairs. "Don’t touch me, you scum! Someone tell me the truth—NOW!" His eyes were wild, bloodshot with barely restrained rage.

Victor let out an exasperated sigh. "There’s no need for theatrics, Leon," he drawled, meeting Leon’s enraged gaze head-on, "I killed your father and took his throne... Yeah, that’s it" he let out a haughty smile!

Leon stumbled back, momentarily speechless. "You… what?"

Victor shrugged, his tone almost dismissive. "There’s no sense avoiding reality. It’s done. You should just accept it." A faint, smug smile played on his lips.

BOOM!

At that, Leon’s fury ignited, a palpable wave of killing intent radiating from him as his fists clenched. "YOU MONSTER!" he roared, surging forward to attack Victor.... only for Drakhairs to step in, blocking his path.

"What are you doing?" Leon demanded, his voice venomous.

"Think this through," Drakhairs urged, holding his ground. "You need to control yourself. This is no place for rash actions—"

"YOU FILTHY LOWLIFE!! TRAITORS! All of you are backstabbing scum!" Leon’s voice was thick with barely-contained hatred as he glanced around the room. "Where were you when he killed my father?! You disgusting cowards—I command you to kneel before me!" His voice boomed, calling upon his bloodline to enforce his order.

"...."

But nothing happened.

He hadn’t yet grown into his full power; his bloodline abilities were dormant, his dragon horns still absent.

His command fell flat!!

Leon clenched his teeth, realizing the trap he was in. The room was closing in on him, and he was surrounded.

"Former Prince Leon," Drakhairs spoke with a warning tone, "please understand the situation. We don’t want to escalate this further. You’re not in a position to make demands."

Kai stepped forward, placing a calming hand on Leon’s shoulder. "Leon, take a breath. This is Victor’s domain now. We’ll figure it out, but right now, you need to keep a cool head."

Leon’s fierce gaze was fixed solely on Victor, rage smouldering in his eyes. He knew, however, that there was nothing he could do—not here, not now.

"L-Leon?" Vesperine’s voice was barely a whisper, her body tense with fear.

Leon shot her a quick, reassuring glance before his gaze returned to Victor, brimming with rage, "YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS, VICTOR! Mark this day—I swear, within three years, I’ll take back what belongs to me! MY VENGEANCE BEGINS NOW! YOU ALL PAY FOR THIS BETRAYAL!!"

Victor raised an eyebrow and then smirked, grabbing a pen and scribbling, "Marked. Within three years, Leon... loses his balls entirely." He chuckled, waving his hand dismissively. "Now, get out~"

Leon’s fists clenched, veins pulsing at his temples. "Fucker," he muttered under his breath, turning sharply and striding toward the door, his whole body coiled with fury.

But before he could exit, Victor’s voice rang out, "Idiot, you forgot something." With a casual wave, he sent his father’s severed head hurtling toward Leon.

"YOU MOTHERFUCKERS----!" Leon bellowed, diving forward to catch it, the weight of rage and sorrow mixing in his grip as he cradled his father’s head.

Victor cast a sly glance at Jack, who nodded with a wicked grin, signalling him before slipping out of the throne room following... Leon!

Turning to the remaining students, Victor addressed them with a dismissive wave, "As much as I’d love to treat you all to an extravagant welcome, I’m afraid there are… pressing matters at hand. No one else is permitted to stay in the castle. So, please, gather your things and be on your way."

The throne room doors shut behind them, and the students exchanged bewildered glances before murmuring among themselves.

"What the heck just happened?"

"I don’t know…"

"How did he manage to kill the Dragon Emperor?"

"Beats me."

"What level is he anyway?"

"How would I know?! IDIOT!!"

Their voices were laced with shock, struggling to process the turn of events they had just witnessed.

Lia’s fists clenched as the truth dawned on her—Victor had manipulated Aether in some grand scheme to seize the throne, using him as a pawn.

"So… what do we do now?" someone asked.

"Obviously, we’ve done what we came for," another replied. "We should just leave while we still can."

"But are you guys idiots or what?" Kai’s voice rose above the rest, his tone seething with frustration. "You’re all just going to walk away and leave Leon to suffer on his own?"

Nyx raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on her lips. "And what exactly do you propose we do?" she asked, crossing her arms.

Kai’s face hardened, his eyes fierce, "Leon is the rightful heir. We can’t just stand by and let someone else steal his place. He’s one of us, a chosen one!"

Nyx let out a dry chuckle, amusement flickering in her gaze. "Now I understand why Aqualina was disappointed in you."

Kai’s frown deepened. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Nyx said, her tone dripping with sarcasm, "that you’re a fool. Victor has the entire empire under his thumb now. Going up against him would be like… well, jumping off a cliff expecting to fly."

Kai’s mouth twitched in irritation, "Who are you calling a dumbass, bitch?"

Nyx rolled her eyes and turned away, walking off to pack her belongings. One by one, the others followed her lead, deciding it was best to leave.

Meanwhile, in their quarters, Raven and Thalia were gathering their belongings when a sudden knock interrupted them.

Knock, Knock..

"Come in," Thalia called out, but no one entered.

Knock, Knock...

She sighed, raising her voice. "I said, come in!"

Knock, Knock.....

"Ugh, who the hell—" she started, yanking the door open, only to be met by Aether’s calm face.

Thalia blinked, frowning at him, "Are you some kind of idiot? Can’t you hear?"

Aether merely smiled, his eyes drifting past her to meet Raven’s gaze.

Raven, who had been busy packing, looked up, her hands freezing mid-action.

Thalia glanced between the two, the silence heavy with unspoken words. She sighed, throwing her hands up. "Fine, should I leave you two alone, or—"

"I have a surprise gift for you, Raven," Aether said, a small, mysterious smile tugging at his lips.

Thalia’s eyebrows shot up, "Gift? And where’s mine?" she teased, but her smile faded as she looked past him, her eyes widening as she saw… someone else.

Aether stepped aside, allowing an orange-haired woman to step into the room, her eyes softening as she met Raven’s gaze.

Raven’s lips parted, her eyes glistening with shock and disbelief.

"M-Mom?" she whispered, her voice barely a breath.