448 Mano's Inferno

Delju was so stunned by his offer that she didn't realize she froze for a good two minutes.

"Delju?"

"Huh?..Um, I don't want any." Coming out of her shock, she pushed the glass away from her.

"...but I insist." Mano moved the glass back towards her.

Scared of the red liquid, she slapped the glass from his hands.

*Crash!*

It shattered to the floor.

All of a sudden, Delju began to feel weak. Her head was beginning to spin.

"Delju, what was that for? This there something wrong with the wine?"

"N-No." She shook her head, making herself more dizzy.

"Then why did you slap my hand away?" Mano glared at her.

"I...did..n't want…" She needed to sit down, her heart felt like it was in her ears.

"Delju, I'll given you one last chance. Tell me what you are planning with Cohnal."

Hearing her lover's name, Delju grew scared. "I...I don't...no…"

Mano moved closer and stared down at the female who had been his wife for decades, and shook his head at how stupid she could be.

"You think you are the only one he has seduced?" He laughed, "Cohnal has slept just about all my wives except for Lyra, Thalia and Jaelah."

When Delju heard this, she gripped the sleeves of his robe and slowly shook her head with tears coming down her eyes, "That's not...true...he on...ly...loves me…"

"Hahaha...okay, you keep on believing that." He brushed her hands off of his clothes and walked towards the exit, "Oh, and by the way, that dizzy sensation you are feeling right now, is from the poison entering your lungs. The poison he gave you to poison me, doesn't need to be consumed, just inhaling it long enough will kill you."

With that, Mano left Lady Delju's residence.

Whether due to the shock or poison damaging her lungs, Delju could no longer stand and collapsed to the floor right next to where she spilled the wine.

As her eyes meet the red liquid, Mano's words replayed in her mind, No, it can't be…

Mustering whatever strength she could, Delju rolled her body away from the liquid and towards the exit.

When she felt herself about to pass out, she used her powers to make herself lighter than a feather. As her body began to float upwards, she had to struggled to guide it towards the front door.

Due to her constantly blacking out and her strength leaving her, what would have taken Lady Delju not even five minutes to do, took her over thirty minutes to accomplish.

Finally, out of the house, she could no longer hold control of her gifts and dropped to the ground.

"Ugh!" Unconscious on the ground in her front courtyard is where Delju stayed, barely breathing.

~

When Mano left Delju's place, he wanted to make he way to a safe place to cleanse his body of the poison that was working its way into his lungs.

However, the minute his foot step outside Lady Delju's front gate, a group of Amara clan's household soldiers stood waiting for him with Cohnal's younger brother[1], Tamneath.

"This is why I told him not depend on those females." He said, shaking his head at Mano's figure lone figure coming out of the residence.

"Sigh...so you guys are really doing this?" Mano stared at the men before him in clear loathing.

"Mano, the only reason our father gave you that position is because of his guilt towards your mother...it's time the rightful owner takes his place!" Once the words left his mouth, all the household soldiers and Tamnaeth charged Mano at once.

Mano stood at Lady Delju's front gate, watching as the group of males came rushing towards him.

Cohnal's soldiers and Tamnaeth saw Mano wasn't moving, but assumed that Lady Delju was able to poison him, which must be the reason he was just standing there.

Excited that this is going to be a instant victory, the males' vigilance lowered as they sped up to attack him.

When they were within three meters from Mano's body, a shower of arrows rain down on them.

"Aaah!"

"Wait-argh!"

"Nooo!"

The arrows pierced the every vital parts of their bodies that weren't cover by their armor.

Within seconds they fell, never even getting the chance to swing their swords at Mano's neck.

"You-" Tamnaeth glared at Mano as blood seep out of his mouth, "….knew…!"

"Of course, I knew. You and your brother weren't being very secretive about your hatred towards me. Plus, the fact that you guys went around sleeping with my wives, made it clear that there would be no brotherly love between us." Stepping over the dead bodies of Cohnal's soldiers, Mano made his way towards his brother.

Bending down he looked Tamnaeth in the eyes, "You should have expected this outcome… Did you guys think I was just goning sit and wait to be killed by you two."

"Sor...ry...pleas..e...don't...kil...me..." Tamnaeth gripped the edges of Mano's robes as he begged for mercy.

The soldiers, Mano had stationed around Lady Delju's house came walking out of the shadows.

"My Lord." They bowed as one, saluting.

The Captain of the guards came closer and handed him the Amara family heirloom, given to Mano by his father after he died.

When Tamneath saw the weapon being passed to his younger brother, he cried out, choking on his blood and spit, "Ma..no, p-p-please…!"

Mano stared down at his older brother, "Tamnaeth...die with pride."

Seeing that Mano wasn't going to let him go, Tamneath tried one last attempt to crawl away. Mano watched his brother trying to run away for while before giving chase.

Walking behind his brother with his halberd in his hand, ironically called Clemency, Mano waited until he was right above Tamneath before ending his life in one clean swing.

The whole battle took less than twenty minutes, but it left Mano feeling disgusted and cold; and unfortunately, it is only the beginning.

"Move out." He ordered.

"Yes, sir!"

He planned to cleanse the whole clan tonight.

[1] Even though Tamnaeth is also Mano older brother. I thought it would be better to called him Cohnal's younger brother, because they came from the same mother.