The four bandits didn't wait for a signal. They moved as one.

Gorm, the Orc-kin, roared, swinging his massive, double-headed axe in a horizontal arc that was wide enough to chop a tree in one swing. It was a killing blow, designed to take Leo's head off his shoulders.

Simultaneously, the Swordsman lunged low, aiming his long sword at Leo's gut. The Brawler threw a haymaker at Leo's jaw, and the Spearman thrust his spear tip straight for Leo's heart.

It was a coordinated move. One thing was certain, the Blackfang Bandits were not your brainless brutes. They left Leo nowhere to dodge. No space to retreat.

Leo stood perfectly still. His hands were clasped casually behind his back. He watched the weapons coming at him with a look of mild curiosity.

[System Alert: Hostile Intent Detected.]

To the bandits watching, it looked like a blur.

Gorm's axe sliced through the air exactly where Leo's neck had been a fraction of a second before.

Leo didn't jump out of the way. He had simply leaned back at the waist, his spine bending at an impossible angle, letting the heavy steel blade whistle past his nose. He watched the rust on the axe pass by his eyes.

Before Gorm could recover from the momentum of his missed swing, Leo snapped back up like a sling.

Instead of his hands, he used his head.

CRACK!

Leo headbutted Gorm directly in the face. It wasn't a human headbutt. It was like being hit by a cannonball fired at point-blank range.

Gorm's nose exploded in a shower of green blood. His head snapped back violently, lifting his massive, three-hundred-pound body off the ground.

He flew backward, airborne for a second, before crashing into the banquet table behind him. Wood splintered, food flew everywhere, and Gorm lay there twisting and groaning in pain.

The Swordsman was next. His long sword was inches from Leo's ribs.

Leo pivoted on one foot, as he spun, avoiding the attack.

He delivered a spinning back kick that connected squarely with the Swordsman's chest plate.

CRUNCH!

His breastplate caved in like tin foil. His ribs shattered. The Swordsman was launched across the room. He skimmed across the stone floor like a skipped stone on a lake, bouncing once before slamming into the far wall and sliding down in a heap.

Next the Brawler threw a punch. Leo ducked under it, weaving like a professional boxer. He came up inside the man's guard and drove his knee upward.

THUD!

The knee connected with the Brawler's groin. The man's eyes bulged out of his head. He made a sound like a deflating balloon, a high-pitched wheeze and crumpled to the floor.

Now only the Spearman was left who froze.

His friends were down. The giant Orc was out cold. The Swordsman was wheezing blood. The Brawler was curled in a fetal position.

He looked at Leo.

Leo was standing in the exact same spot he had started in. His hands were still clasped behind his back. He wasn't even breathing hard. He hadn't broken a sweat.

"Well?" Leo asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are you going to stick me with that, or are you in line here for some kebab?"

The Spearman dropped his weapon. It clattered loudly on the stone floor. He fell to his knees, pressing his forehead against the cold stone.

"Mercy! I yield!"

"I was a fool, my King!"

Leo looked around the hall. Every single bandit in the hall was staring at him with slack jaws. The silence was absolute.

He looked at Belladonna on the throne. Her cheeks were flushed red. She looked like she wanted to drag him onto the throne and have him right there, right now.

Leo unclasped his hands. He dusted off his tunic, flicking a speck of dirt from his sleeve.

"Anyone else wants to fly?" Leo asked, his voice echoing in the silence.

No one moved.

Leo walked over to where Gorm was groaning, trying to push himself up from the wreckage of the table. The Orc shook his head, blood streaming from his ruined nose. He looked up at Leo with dazed, fearful eyes.

"You..." Gorm rasped, "You must have cheated."

"Yeah! Yeah!" Leo corrected, "Sore loser."

Gorm hesitated, then slowly climbed to his feet, towering over Leo again. But the arrogance was gone.

"Pick up your axe," Leo commanded.

Gorm looked confused, but he grabbed his weapon.

"Swing it," Leo said, extending his neck for Grom, "At my neck. Full strength."

Gorm froze. The hall gasped. Belladonna took a step forward, her hand going to her whip. "You... Have you lost it?"

"Do it," Leo said, staring into the Orc's eyes, "Prove you have the balls."

Gorm's eyes narrowed. The humiliation burned. He roared, raising the axe high.

"DIE!"

He brought the axe down with everything he had. It was a executioner's swing.

Leo didn't move. He didn't dodge. He stood there, smiling.

The blade descended.

CLANG.

The axe stopped two inches from Leo's neck.

It hit something invisible. A shimmering, translucent barrier of mana flared into existence around Leo's skin. Sparks flew as the heavy steel bounced off the shield.

[System Alert: Attack Shield Activated.]

[Damage Absorbed: 1759 HP (Threshold Not Met).]

The axe vibrated in Gorm's hands, the shock traveling up his arms. He stared at the empty air in front of Leo's neck.

Leo tilted his head. "Is that it? My neck itches. Scratch a little harder."

Gorm dropped the axe. It hit the floor with a dull thud. He fell to his knees, his spirit completely broken.

"Monster..." Gorm whispered, "You are a monster."

"Calling your King, monster," Leo sighed, "How rude."

He kicked Gorm in the chest, sending the massive Orc flying back into the wall again.

Leo stood in the center of the room. He looked at the sea of bandits. They were terrified. They looked at him like he was a god of war who had descended to punish them.

Leo changed his demeanor. The killer vanished. The charismatic leader emerged.

[Charisma: 65]

He walked to the edge of the dais. He spread his arms wide.

"Look at you," Leo said, his voice projecting to the back of the hall. "You're scared. You think I'm here to break you. To enslave you. To replace one master with another."

He shook his head. "Wrong."

"I'm not here to be your master. I'm here to be your escalator."

He pointed at the shabby clothes of the bandits in the front row.

"For ten years, you've been hiding in these woods. Eating scraps. Raiding farmers for copper coins. Running from the City Watch like rats. Sleeping in the mud."

"Is that what you want? To die in a ditch for a few silver coins?"

"NO!" he roared. "I'm here to take you out of the mud. I'm here to make you Kings!"

He paced the stage.

"We aren't going to raid villages anymore. We aren't going to steal chickens. We are going to raid Kingdoms."

"We are going to take the cities. We are going to wear silk. We are going to drink wine that costs more than a house. We are going to sleep in beds made of feathers with women who actually want to be there!"

"Follow me," Leo promised, his eyes burning with ambition. "And I will make you rich. Follow me, and the world will fear the name Blackfang not because we are bandits, but because we are Conquerors!"

The hall was silent for a heartbeat. The words sank in. Greed replaced fear. Hope replaced hesitation.

Then, a cheer erupted. It started low, then grew into a roar.

"LONG LIVE THE KING!"

Leo smiled. "You thirsty?"

He waved his hand.

POOF.

Three massive wooden barrels appeared from his inventory, landing on the floor with a heavy thud.

"From my personal collection," Leo lied smoothly. "The finest vintage from the Capital. Drink up, boys! Tonight, we celebrate the new era!"

The bandits cheered even louder. Free, magical booze was a universal language. They rushed the barrels, popping the lids. The smell of expensive wine filled the air.

Leo walked down into the crowd. They parted for him like the Red Sea. He spotted the Bald Bandit with the tattoos—the one who had joined the loyalist group early.

Leo clapped him on the shoulder. "Good choice earlier. Enjoy the wine."

He looked at the Noseless Bandit standing next to him. The man looked rough.

Leo reached into his pocket and tossed him a small vial.

[Item: Amber Seed Extract]

"You," Leo said. "You look like you've had a hard week. Take this. Use it tonight. Trust me, your wife—or your hand—will thank me."

The bandit caught it, confused. He read the label. He grinned, revealing his yellow teeth. "Thank you, Boss! Thank you!"

The mood shifted entirely. Fear had turned to awe, and awe had turned to loyalty.

Gorm, conscious again, limped forward through the crowd. He looked at Leo with newfound respect. He didn't see a boy anymore. He saw power.

Gorm knelt. He placed his fist over his heart.

"Hail the King."

The rest followed. Wave after wave of bandits dropped to one knee, the sound of armor clanking filling the hall.

"HAIL THE KING!"

Leo stood amidst the cheering army. He looked at the hundreds of men and women bowing to him. He felt the weight of it. The power.

He turned to look at the throne.

Belladonna was standing there. She was biting her lip, her eyes shining with lust and pride. She looked at him like he was the only man in the world.

Leo winked at her.

** ** ** ** **

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