The King Threw Me to the Lions, But a Forgotten Scar Saved My Life

The Tyrant’s Desperation

The revelation rippled through the colosseum like wildfire. The crowd began to murmur, then chant Leo's name, realizing the man branded as a traitor was actually their legendary champion. Panicking, King Robert stood up and gestured wildly to the royal archers.

"Kill them! Kill the traitor and the beast now!"

he screamed, his voice cracking with desperation. But the archers hesitated, lowering their bows. To fire upon the savior of the realm and a sacred beast of the arena was an act of sacrilege they could not commit.

Seeing his authority crumble, the King drew his golden sword. He signaled his personal cohort of ruthless mercenaries, who flooded the arena floor, weapons drawn. At the same time, Leo noticed High Cleric Thomas quietly slipping away through the shadows of the royal box, clutching a leather satchel that contained the signed treaty with the enemy—the ultimate proof of their betrayal.

Leo faced an impossible choice. If he fought the mercenaries alongside the giant lion, he might survive, but Thomas would escape and destroy the evidence. If he pursued the Cleric, he would leave himself completely exposed to the mercenaries' blades. Whispering a quiet word of gratitude to the black lion, Leo made his move. He commanded the beast to hold the line against the mercenaries, trusting the creature's fierce loyalty to keep the soldiers at bay.

With a burst of speed, Leo sprinted across the blood-stained sand toward the stone steps leading to the royal box. The mercenaries tried to intercept him, but the black lion roared, leaping into their path and scattering them with powerful swipes of its massive paws. Leo leaped over the stone balustrade, his eyes locked on the fleeing Cleric. He cornered Thomas in the dim, arched corridor behind the royal box, just as the Cleric reached for a hidden escape hatch.