themonasnovels Chapter 257: The Man He Killed
Chapter 257: The Man He Killed
Chapter 257: The Man He Killed
General Secutor stood at the head of his legion under a red sky. A mild drizzle began to fall from the sky as he watched the carnage of the city center in the aftermath of Nero’s desolation of the Sage Empire legion.
Secutor rubbed his hand down his face to clear the rain from his vision and was surprised to see a smear of red blood on his hand. As he stared at his hand, he thought to himself, “So this is the blood rain that precedes the BloodStar eminence.”
He took a deep breath as the rainfall increased from a slight drizzle to a steady rain and remarked to himself, “Scary names and battle cries don’t measure up to a blood rain of your own kin and countrymen falling down upon you before battle. What incredible intimidation.”
Secutor looked back over his shoulder to his second-in-command, “How are the men?”
“Permission to speak freely, sir?”
Secutor merely nodded, and his officer continued, “The men are prepared to die. But they are fearful.”
“Thank you.” Secutor shook his head to himself, “A fearful death is no way to die.”
Standing strong, steeling himself for the battle to come, Secutor surveyed the Sage Palace grounds until he saw a hulking, muscular, and shirtless figure come into view. He grunted, “Nero.”
Nero’s hair dripped with blood from the rain above which followed his path, and his entire body ran with hundreds of small tributaries of fresh blood flowing over his chest and back down onto the ground.
Secutor could feel the tension in the air from his men, so he held up his right hand in a fist to signal for them to stay calm.
Nero came to within ten yards of Secutor and dropped his massive war hammer to the ground sending a small tremor through the immediate vicinity.
“Welcome to the Sage Palace, Nero! No enemy has made it this far since The Great War! You make your empress proud; I am sure of it.”
Nero grimaced with a furrowed brow and merely grunted in response as he cracked his knuckles.
Secutor waited a moment until calling out again, “Did he die with honor? Kublai?”
Nero looked up with a serious expression, “No. He died a coward. He died hidden away behind Sage Empire shields while Sage Empire soldiers died by the thousands.”
Nero and Secutor exchanged locked gazes in the rain for a moment until Nero said, “He was not like you General Secutor.”Find the newest novels at novelhall.com
“Not like me?” Secutor smirked, “No, I guess not. Few men are like us.”
Nero grunted, “If that is all...”
Xenia smiled, “I won’t kill them. Nero won’t kill them. But I will not be their guardian angel. Death will still find you all.”
Secutor bowed his head in respect, “Thank you, Empress BloodStar.”
She walked over to him and raised his chin with her finger to look him in the eye, “Yes, quaint and curious war is. You shoot a fellow down you’d treat, if met where any bar is...”
Secutor then completed her sentence, “...or help to half a crown.”
Xenia tilted her head in surprise and smiled at him, “An educated warrior. I had no idea you liked classic poetry, general.”
“Only as it pertains to the harsh reality of battle and war.”
Xenia lowered her face to his, holding his chin firmly in her grip and whispered, “Then let’s just say if this wasn’t war, you’d be buying me a drink, and I’d be fucking you all night long.”
Caught off guard, Secutor was left speechless at the casual but very forward flirtation from an empress towards him.
Xenia then kissed him on the cheek, “I used to watch Nero fight in the coliseum growing up. And when he wasn’t fighting, I was watching and reading about his contemporary in the Heraklinos Empire. You. And now after all these years I get to watch my two teenage crushes fight in person against one another, to the death.”
She then released his chin and took a step back, “War or not. I’ll be fucking the winner.” She began to back away with a flirtatious smile, “Don’t worry. Your men can watch regardless of the outcome. Though I’m sure they’ll be more comfortable if you win.”
Xenia winked at Secutor before turning around fully and walking back over to Nero, “Two honorable warriors fighting over me.”
Nero turned his gaze from Secutor to Xenia at her words, and Xenia nodded her head, “Yes, over me.”
Nero grunted and punched his own palm without saying a word further confident in his own strength.
Xenia began to walk away and stopped to look over her shoulder, “I love watching you fight for me, Nero. Please make it good. Please draw it out. For me.”
She then walked to the center of the encirclement and shouted, “No weapons! Only ki-enhanced physical attacks with no beams or projectiles of any kind.” She then turned to Nero and winked, “And no using my BloodStar!”
She pointed to Nero, and he nodded in confirmation. She then turned and pointed to Secutor who also nodded in confirmation.
Xenia backed up to the edge of the encirclement standing in front of the border of Heraklinos soldiers forming the perimeter of the arena.
“FIGHT!”