The king looked around himself and heaved a heavy sigh.

"What is the meaning of this, Jacob?"

Jacob smiled like a maniac.

"We’re all tired of your corruption. You’ve manipulated all of us for far too long. We will no longer be your slaves in this kingdom."

"So, you decided to work with my brother behind my back?"

"I guess you could say that. I didn’t originally plan on joining him, but you’re just too powerful for the noble clans to handle."

The king held up his hand.

"I would stop weakening my power if I were you. Tens of thousands of citizens are relying on it to stay alive fighting the duplicates."

Jacob hesitated. He never thought his father would help out the citizens before, but he didn’t know if the king was bluffing or not to try and make it easier for him. His uncle interjected.

"He’s lying Jacob. There are no citizens fighting the duplicates. I called them off before I carried your dad here."

Jacob started seething with anger and stood up from his throne.

"Just how many more lies are you going to spout before I make you pay for what you’ve done?"

The king seemingly gave up arguing and rested his shoulders. Suddenly, his wounds started to magically heal all around his body. Everyone looked at him dumbfounded. However, right as they were preparing to attack, an old man’s voice resounded form the entrance of the throne room.

"Man... you’ve dug yourself in one deep hole, your majesty. Need some help climbing out?"

It was Doc. He had completely healed the king’s wounds and was slowly starting to walk toward the rest of the group. The king held up his hand, commanding him to stop.

"Don’t come any closer, Doc. This kingdom needs you alive."

"Your majesty, I can’t possibly sit by and allow my best friend to die in front of me."

"Please. Don’t fight them, Sam. I’m commanding you."

"And what would Rose say if I didn’t help you? It’s not your time to see her yet."

Leo flinched at the mention of his sister’s name.

"It’s been my time for a while. They are all correct. This show I’ve been putting on could only last so long. I should have expected this outcome for a while now. Please, Sam... just leave and protect my child and his friend when I’m gone. It will all make sense soon."

Sam seemed utterly shocked. He didn’t want to leave his only friend to fight all these people by himself, but he also didn’t want to go against his wishes. Small tears started filling the corner of his eyes.

"She better not blame me when it’s my time to go too. You chose this, Arthur."

A small smile appeared on the king’s face.

"I’ll see you later, friend."

Jacob started yelling down at his father.

"Wanted to put on one more fake emotional show before your end? Is that your idea of a trick? I’m not falling for it."

The king cleared his throat, stretched his arms, and put up both his hands in front of him.

"It wasn’t a show or a trick. It’s just something none of you can understand about me."

Lida pounded against her chest multiple times.

"You killed my daughter, King Vice. All for the sake of your precious peace. Her name was Iris Rose. How could you kill someone from a clan you named your wife after?! You make me sick!"

"Let’s save the conversation. I have nothing more to hide, nothing more to share, and most importantly..."

A dark red aura shrouded itself around the king, as if it was desperately trying to fight against Jacob’s enchantment.

"...I have nothing left to lose."

Lidia couldn’t hold her anger anymore. She jumped after the king with all her might and started swinging her fists at his body. Maria joined not to long after her, followed by Jacob. All three of them surrounded the king and were desperately trying to harm him in any way they could. On top of their combined strength, Slade seemed to be enhancing all of their speed.

Their attacks were working in perfect harmony. Whenever Jacob would miss an attack, Maria would follow up with an attack of her own. Whenever she missed one, Lidia was there to support her. On top of all of this, if there was ever an instance where Maria or Jacob accidently hit Lidia, it would only give her more power and energy for her to fight.

Their circle was completely overwhelming the king. A fist collided with his face, followed by and elbow to the chin, followed by a foot to the stomach, and then finishing with a knee to the groin.

The impact from each hit was devastating the area around them. Shards of rock were being sent in every direction from the floor. Air was swirling around them. However, something felt off. The king was refusing to fight back. There had been many instances for him to take advantage of, but he just kept blocking all their attacks instead.

"What’s the matter? Afraid to fight back?"

A small intuition grasped Jacob’s mind. He knew what his dad was going for, which caused Jacob to jump away from the fight circle and firmly grip his charm. The king was waiting for the right opportunity to yank it away from Jacob as soon as he got the chance. This suspicion was confirmed when he saw what happened as soon as he stepped away.

The king seemed to have regained his courage to fight. He sent a massive fist roaring into Lidia’s stomach, causing her to get thrown back into the wall. He then turned his body and kicked Maria right in the head. However, Maria seemed to have been ready for this and blocked the blow with her elbow. Despite that, she was still thrown far away from the king. Slade’s face filled with dread. Before he could react, a fist collided with his skull, and he was sent through a stone wall.

A creepy smile appeared on the king’s face.

"You’re definitely my son. I wonder what gave my plan away?"

"Maybe because you hardly have any human left in you, so it’s a bit suspicious when you do not attack back while being jumped."

"Hm... you make a good point. I hate being attacked from multiple people. Have you people no shame? Beating up on an old man together?"

"You beat up on a helpless servant woman. You’re one to talk."

"Oh, spare me. With a punch like hers, she could hardly be called helpless."

Jacob’s mind was devoid of any thought.

With no emotion in his voice, Jacob gazed at his father with pity. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"I’m going to make you pay. Goodbye, father."

He closed the distance instantly and connected a punch right on his dad’s jaw.