Love or Vengeance - Chapter 5：Betrayal

“How is he?”

“He seems to be recovering, your majesty. He just passed out from the shock. But he should wake up soon.”

“That’s good.”

“V-Victor…”

“Ah, Julius. You’re awake.”

“What happened?” Asked Yamato as he tried to stand up.

“Just lie down for now and rest.” Suddenly his eyes grew wide as he realized what had happened.

“Cana and the others! The mansion! It’s on fire. We have to save them.” Said Yamato as he stood up.

“Julius. It’s too late. The mansion is gone. And so are Cana-san and your friends.”

“W-What? You’re joking, right? That can’t be true.”

“It’s true, your highness.” Said Ishin as he entered the room. “It’s all gone. My Cana is gone.” Said Ishin as he fell to his knees.

“No, no, no! I can’t accept this. I can’t… I’ll make him pay. I’ll make each and every person involved in this pay for what they’ve done. No more running. I’ll find them all and do to them what they’ve done to Cana, Akari and Reina.” Said Yamato with a vengeful look in his eyes.

“Oh will you now?” Said Freed as his face appeared on the screen of the TV.

“Freed!”

“Good morning to all of you. I hope you all slept well. It was a bit hot last night, wasn’t it?”

“When i get my hands on you, I’ll wipe you off the face of the Earth.”

“I’d like to see you try. As we speak, fifty of my men have infiltrated the hospital and are making their way up to your room. I believe you can hear the battle between my men and yours raging on.”

The three of them listened and heard people fighting inside and outside the hospital.

“If you somehow manage to get out of that hospital without a single scratch, then i might consider facing you. Oh but just you know, at least one of you will die today. I hope that you won’t be the one, Julius. I want to take you on myself. Three swords can be found under your bed. Good luck.”

“That coward. He’s going down.” Said Yamato as he rushed under the bed.

“That’s true, but first we have to get out of here.” Said Victor as he took off his royal jacket.

“I swear to protect both of you with my life.” Said Ishin as he took a sword.

“We will have to protect each other if we want to come out alive.” Said Yamato.

“Precisely. But this is going to be tough. Our only weapons are swords, while some of them have guns. So be on your guard at all times.”

“Right.” Answered the two.

“Let’s go.” Said Yamato as he opened the door.

◆◆◆

The three of them started making their way down. On the floors beneath them, the battle raged on. The number of men on their side were about half of the men Freed sent. But it turned out that most of them were Freed’s men in disguise.

“As always. He’s using our men against us.” Said Victor.

“How will we know who’s who?” Asked Yamato.

“We do have some people that we can trust. We need to randevous with Suzutski-san and her squad. They should be okay.” Said Ishin.

“Yes. Three of my men are trustworthy as well. They shouldn’t be too far.” Said Victor.

“Ishin-san, to your left!” Shouted Yamato as he spotted some enemies. Ishin dodged all the bullets as he ran towards the men and struck them down.

“Wow. That was amazing.” Said Yamato.

“Well, who do you think thought Cana how to fight?” Said Ishin as he threw Yamato a gun. “She did teach you how to use a gun, right?”

“Yes, she did.” Said Yamato.

“Well then, we should keep going. We should keep the swords though. They seem to come in handy.” Said Victor.

The three continued going, cutting and shooting left and right. The battle seemed to last forever.

“There’s no end to them.” Said Yamato dodging another bullet.

“Are there really just fifty men?” Asked Victor who cut down another enemy.

“Mochizuki-san!” Shouted a woman.

“Suzutski-san. Right on time.” Said Ishin who made his way towards her. Your majesty, this wa…Argh!”

“ISHIN-SAN!!! Shouted the two.

“S-Suzutski-san, why?” “I’m sorry, Mochizuki-san.” Said Suzutski as she removed the sword from Ishin’s chest. She then carried a gun and shot herself.

“Victor, we need to get to him.” Shouted Yamato who was still fighting.

“Your majesty. We’re here.” Said a man as he came rushing with two others behind him.”

“Fujima-san. Thank goodness. Cover us so that we can get to Ishin-san.”

“Yes, your majesty. Protect the king and the prince at all costs!”

“Ishin-san, hang in there.” Said Julius as he tried to stop the blood. “Dammit! He won’t stop bleeding. At this rate he’ll…”

“Julius, look. There’s a doctor’s office up ahead. Let’s get him there and close the wound. Fujima-san…” The king turned to call for his men, only to see the last one fall.

“This is bad. Julius, I’ll cover you while you take Ishin-san.”

BOOM!!!

“Was that an explosion?! But his men are still inside. He’d even take out his own men?!”

“Victor, we need to get out now!” Said Julius as the ground started to crack.

“Julius, watch out!” Shouted Victor as he pulled Julius out of the way. The ground where Julius was sanding gave way and started crumbling. Ishin went down with the rubble.

“NO! ISHIN-SAN!!!” Cried Julius.

“It’s too late. Run!” Said Victor as the two of them began to run for the exit.

Along the way they encountered several enemies who were still in the fight. Even if the building was falling apart, they were still trying to kill the king and prince with the risk of loosing their lives as well. As they were getting close to the exit, some rubble fell on the king’s leg.

“ARGH!!!”

“Victor! Hang in there. We’re almost out.”

“Go without me. I can’t walk anymore.”

“There’s no way in hell am I leaving you to die here as well.” Said Julius as he carried Victor on his back. With little strength left, the two brothers finally managed to get out of the building as it all collapsed to the ground.

◆◆◆

A few days later.

“It has been three days since the incidents at the Duke’s mansion and at Central Hospital. Lady Cana and her two friends who were identified as her classmates, Reina Yatogami and Akari Murasame, have lost their lives in the fire that engulfed the mansion. Soon after that, a large group of armed men stormed Central Hospital where Prince Julius was being treated after he fell unconscious when he heard the news of Lady Cana’s death. Due to the attack on the hospital, fifty three men were reported dead. Although his body hasn’t been found, Duke Mochizuki Ishin-sama has already been declared dead by the King himself who miraculously escaped along with his brother Prince Julius. After these tragic events….”

“Please, turn it off.” Said Victor who was sitting at his desk.

“I still can’t believe all of this actually happened. How could we not see this coming?” Said Julius after he switched off the TV. “I was a fool. I should have agreed to Freed’s terms…”

“No! You can’t give in to Freed’s plans. If you did…”

“If I did, none of this would have happened! Ishin-san, Cana-san and your friends would have still been alive.”

“I know. But you have to think bigger than that. If you gave Freed what he wanted, who knows what would happen to Wisseragna. I also care about what happened to Cana-chan and the rest. But the whole Kingdom is at stake.”

“Huh. You’re right. I’m sorry. I lost my composure for a bit.”

“It’s alright. I know how you feel.”

“I was never really suited for this job.” Said Victor as he took his crutches and slowly made his way to the window. “Sure I was next in line for the throne, but i was never good at making these kind of decisions. Back then I had Ishin-san who would advise me. But now that he’s gone, it’s going to be hard to get back on my feet.”

“I still don’t know much about being a prince and all, but you can rely on me. All we have now is each other. So we need to stick together.”

“You’re right. That’s really reassuring.”

“Now isn’t that sweet.” Said Freed as his face appeared on the screen of the TV.

“It’s about time you showed your face.”

“Oh. You missed me that much? I’m faltered, Julius.”

“As a matter of fact, I did. But don’t worry. All this time that we’ve been apart has only made my hatred for you grow even more.”

“A dog that barks but can’t bite. So I see that you’re still in one piece. His majesty seems to be hurt. I hope you recover soon. But it seems that Ishin-san isn’t with you. I’m impressed that my predictions we’re that accurate.” “Shut up! Come out and face me, you coward!”

“Now, now. I didn’t mean to get you all fired up. Have you forgotten? I said that I will only face you if you manage to get out of there without a single scratch. So i guess you aren’t ready to face me just yet. Even if I did agree to fight you, I’d end it all in a few seconds.”

“We’ll see about that. I just might surprise you.”

“I know that you’ve grown stronger since the last time we fought. But you’re just not there yet.”

“You bastard…”

“Calm down Julius. Let me have a word with him.”

“Ah your majesty. You honour me by taking the time to talk to a filthy man such as myself.”

“Filthy indeed. Since the other people involved in this matter are dead, I presume that one of us is the next target, correct?”

“What a wise king you are. Yes. I will be coming for you soon. But our next reunion might be different. That’s if you agree to my terms.”

“I will never do that.”

“I’m very sorry to hear that. I thought that by now, you would have reconsidered after seeing what i am capable of.”

“Don’t get me wrong. Nither me, nor my brother shall fall. Remember that you are talking to the King of Wisseragna. I will fight for my people and i will also avenge those that you have killed. Mark my words Freed. The next time we meet, will be your doom.”

“Very well. We will have to see who kills who. As of now, you have twenty-four hours. If you don’t agree to my demands, by this time tomorrow, one of you will be dead.” And with that, the TV went off again.

“Victor. Do you have a plan to stop Freed?”

“No. But that doesn’t mean that I’ll let him run loose. Come.”

“Where are we going?”

“To train you.”

“Train? But why?”

“My current condition isn’t good enough to face Freed. Which is why I will teach you everything I know.”

“Alright. I will do my very best.”

“That’s the spirit.”

◆◆◆

“Come on brother. You can do better than that.” Said Victor as he continued to instruct Julius.

“I’m trying, but nothing seems to work. How can he be so strong?”

“Well, there is a reason why he’s the general of the army. Besides me and Ishin-san, he’s the strongest man we have in our ranks.”

“You honor me with your words, your majesty.” Said the general.

“And i thought Cana’s training was rough.”

“Even though we only have about twenty four hours, I’m gonna train you as much as i can in order to improve your chances. That’s why we’re going so hard on you.”

“I know. I’ll train harder than ever in order to take Freed down.”

“Good. Now keep going. I know you have it in you.”

After five hours,

“Alright. Let’s call it a day. We will continue tomorrow morning. Thank you for your time Kurosawa-san.”

“It was my pleasure, your majesty.” Who bowed as he took his leave. “Good work Julius. I’m really impressed by how well you held your own against Kurosawa-san. Cana-san must have thought you really well.”

“Yes. She did.”

“Now go and take a bath. Dinner should be ready soon enough.”

“Alright. I’ll be there soon.”

After dinner.

“Now this is what we know about Freed. He’s very skilled in combat, can easily infiltrate the palace, has a lot of connections and can persuade our men to fight for him. But most of all, we know that he will target us tomorrow.”

“Yes. He is quite hard to catch.”

“Now here is what I plan to do. First, I won’t be able to fight, which is why I’m having you train so that you can fight him instead. Second, having many guards will only bring us to a disadvantage since he has the ability to have his men disguise themselves as our guards. Which is why we’re gonna keep only the elites. Those being Kurosawa-san and twenty of his men. Only they are gonna know about this plan.”

“I too think that that’s the best course of action.”

“And finally, I plan to lure Freed out by pretending to give in to his demands. That way, we will know where to strike.”

“It’s a good plan indeed. Freed will definitely fall for that given how frustrated he was because he couldn’t get his hands on the projects.”

“Yes. At least, that’s what I hope will happen. But…”

“But what?”

“In case our plan fails and Freed somehow manages to get past us and gets his hands on the projects, I want you to take the throne and take back the projects.”

“What?! Victor, don’t think like that. We’ll get past this.”

“Julius. A wise man prepares himself for any outcome. So promise me.”

“I-I promise.”

“Good. Now go get some rest. Your training commences first thing in the morning.”

“Alright. Good night Victor.”

◆◆◆

“Come on Julius. Is that all you’ve got?” Said the king.

“Argh. I’m doing my best.”

“That isn’t your best. You won’t be able to take down Freed with those poor skills.”

“I know. I’m trying.”

“Try harder! The way you are fighting now will get you killed for sure. Is that all that you learned from Cana-san?”

“I know dammit!”

“Don’t see him as Kurosawa-san. He’s Freed. He killed Ishin-san, Cana-san and your friends. Avenge them!”

“AHHHHH!” Cried Yamato as his sword hit Kurosawa’s sword out of his hands.

“There. That’s the way.” Said Victor as he made his way towards Yamato.

“You did well. You’re ready.”

“Thank you for reminding me what it is I’m fighting for. And thank you, Kurosawa-san, for training me.”

“It was pleasure, my prince.” Said the general as he bowed.

“Prince Julius. We have just received a call from the school you attend. They said that the parents of Reina Yatogami-san and Akari Murasame-san wish to speak to you.” Said a servant.

“Tell them that I’m on my way. Victor.”

“Don’t worry. Go and see them. But be sure to come back soon. We don’t have much time. Take five of Kurosawa-san’s men with you.”

“Right. I’ll be right back.” Said Yamato as he left.

“Your majesty. Was it really necessary to push him that hard? I was clearly no match for him.” Said the general.

“Yes it was. He wasn’t bringing out his full potential. I needed to remind him what he’s fighting for. Now, we better start making preparations. It won’t be long before he shows up.”

“Right your majesty.”

◆◆◆

Knock, knock!

“Come in.” Said Victor.

“Your majesty, Prince Julius has returned.”

“Let him in.”

“I’m back Victor.”

“Welcome back Julius. I hope everything went alright.”

“Yes. It was hard meeting with them like that.”

“I’m sure it was.”

“Is everything set?”

“Yes. For now, only some attendants and the elites are still here in the palace. Everyone has already been sent home.”

“By the way Victor, you never showed me the projects.”

“Oh yes. That’s true. Only I know where my father kept them. Not even Ishin-san knew where they were. Father told me right before he died. It was too late for him by the time I found him, but he told me about them and where they are. I didn’t understand much at the time, but he told me to keep the location of the projects a secret from everyone except you.”

“Me? How come? I thought I disappeared by then.”

“Yes. But he must have known that we will find you. Now follow me.” Said Victor as he stood up and began to walk to the bed. He then pressed the royal emblem that was at the head of the bed. Suddenly the bed moved on its own and the ground gave way revealing a hidden staircase.

“Wow. There was a secret passage here all along?”

“Yes. Now follow me. Be careful.”

The two of them went down the stairs and entered a room. In that room were all kinds of books and equipment. But in the middle of the room was a large chest. Victor went over to it and opened it.

“There they are. Those are the plans and research on the Destroyer and project SS. If these were to fall in the wrong hands, the whole kingdom will be in danger.”

“I see. Thank you for showing me this. Now I know what it is we are fighting for.”

“Yes. We better go back up.”

“Of course.” Said Yamato as he smiled

◆◆◆

“Thank you for meeting with us, Your Highness. And we are very sorry for taking your time.”

“It’s alright. The two of them were very close friends of mine. I wish I could have done more for them.”

“Hearing you say that is more than enough. I know that their souls will rest in peace knowing that you will always remember them.”

“Of course I’ll remember them. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to return to the palace.”

“Yes, your highness.”

“That took longer than expected. Let’s return to the palace now.”

“Sorry your highness, but you won’t be going anywhere.” Said one of the five men that were with him.

“So you managed to infiltrate the elites as well, huh?”

“But of course. Master Freed isn’t as stupid as you make him out to be. In fact, I believe that he’s causing some problems in the palace as we speak. Or should I say, you’re causing some problems.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Oh nothing. If you wanna find out, you’ll have to get past us first.”

“With pleasure.” Said Yamato as he suddenly rushed at them and cut the five of them down.

“I-I-Impo-sible. How could we fall to the likes of you?”

“You five are nowhere near as strong as Kurosawa-san.”

“B-But it doesn’t matter. You’re already too late. I’m sure that Master Freed already got what he wanted.”

“What are you doing Julius?”

“Oh nothing. Now that you showed me where the projects are, I don’t have use for you anymore.”

“Julius, you can’t be serious. I’m your brother.”

“Ha! All I wanted was the throne. You’re not suited to be king. You said it yourself, remember?”

“Don’t do this Julius. You’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

“Regret? I regret having a weakling like you for a brother. You know it too. You have to, since you’re king. You know that the Northern Alliance has been planning to invade Wisseragna. And all you do is sit back and do nothing. You have the power to take over the world. But all you do is fantasize about peace. Well, I’ll make your dream come true. I’ll take over the world and as it will be under my rule, the world shall know true peace.”

“Julius, you’ve gone mad. It must have been because of Cana-san’s death. Don’t worry. We’ll avenge her. We’ll avenge everyone. Just put down the sword.”

“It’s too late for that now. Goodbye, brother.” Said Yamato as he struck down the king.

“J-Julius.”

“Now, before you go, there’s one more thing I wanted to ask you.” Said Yamato as he came close to Victor’s ear. “How was my acting, your majesty?”

“F-Freed.”

“Indeed.”

“Y-You w-won’t get away w-with this.”

“Oh. But I already have. Farewell.” Said Freed as he pierced the king one more time.

◆◆◆

“Victor! We’ve been tricked. Freed is already somewhere in the palace. We need to…” Said Yamato as he entered Victor’s room. As he entered, he saw the dead body of his brother. “VICTOR!!! NO!!! I was too late again. DAMMIT!!! FREED!!! I’ll kill you!!!” Cried Yamato in despair. “I’m all alone. What do I do now? Where do I go now?”

“Prince Julius.” Said someone behind him.

“Who’s there?” Asked Yamato as he turned around. “W-What? It can’t be. Ishin-san?! But how? I saw you die.”

“Well, I was fortunate enough to be saved in the last moment. It looks like I’m quite hard to kill.”

“Thank goodness you’re alive. But Victor…”

“That’s enough! Prince Julius Wisseragna, you are under arrest for the murder of King Victor Wisseragna and for attempting to murder me as well. Thus you are charged with treason and hereby sentenced to death. Seize him, Kurosawa-san.”

“Yes, Mochizuki-sama.” Said the general as he and some men pinned down Yamato.

“You’re making a mistake! I didn’t kill Victor! Freed did! He is behind this!” Said Yamato as he tried to break loose.

“Take him away. He will be executed tomorrow.”

“Yes, Mochizuki-sama.”

“You’ve got it all wrong. I didn’t do anything.”

The next day.

“There you have it everyone. As you saw on the footage, Prince Julius betrayed us and killed his very own brother, King Victor. Everything that has happened up until now has been planned by him. He deserves to be punished.” Said Ishin as he addressed the nation.

“Show him no mercy!” Said a citizen.

“Make him pay!” Said another.

“Kill the traitor!” Said another.

“Seeing how the kingdom is in a rough state, I shall take it upon myself and become the new king of Wisseragna. I will follow in King Claudius and King Victor’s footsteps and bring this kingdom back on its feet.”

“Yes! Long live King Ishin!” Shouted the crowd.

Ishin then made his way to Yamato.

“Before you go, here’s a final explanation. The one in charge of Freed and the one that killed your parents, was me. Farewell, your highness.”

“No! You won’t get away with this! I’ll make you suffer for what you’ve done.”

“Enough chitchat. Kurosawa-san.”

“Yes, your majesty.” Said the general as he turned to his men. “Ready! Aim! Fire!”