Leonce let out a sigh and shook his head.

"This is really how you wish to spend your last few minutes?" He asked and he sounded almost sympathetic to their fate,

"Fighting a losing battle?"

"We’ll see about that," said the Gasqueton Representative through gritted teeth.

Suddenly, more people took on battle stances among the guests— People belonging to Noble families that the six vampires hadn’t implicated. They took on battle stances and unsheathed their weapons in clear solidarity with the six families implicated.

The Gasqueton Representative had a defiant smile on his face then. He looked almost triumphant that so many were going to be helping them.

"There," he said to Leonce Duval, "We are not alone, you bastard!"

Leonce frowned and put his hands behind his back, grabbing tight hold of the scroll that contained the Imperial Decree.

"Kill them."

As Leonce gave the order, the Task Force Militants standing with him took steps forward and turned their imposing magical energies onto the six families and those who had chosen to ally with them.

Everyone else took many steps back, trying to put as much distance as they could between themselves and what was coming.

Even with their allies, the Six families could see clearly that they were outnumbered and couldn’t help but purse their lips in trepidation.

"You cowards want to stay out of it?" The Chappuis representative yelled at the Nobles who had stepped back from the issue,

"Who do you think will fall next after us?"

"No one will fall unless they have made themselves enemies of the state as you have. Now, enough yammering;

Carry out the Decree!"

That last sentence from Leonce was to his Task Force Militants who were already taking action. The battle truly began then but it was bleak for the six families.

There was still an entire squad of Militants blocking the way out of the Hall, who had not yet gotten involved in the fight and yet, the Six families were already struggling. What hope did they have?

"We need to get out of here!" The Gasqueton Representative said as he was thrust into the role of de facto leader of this resistance of sorts.

"Easier said than done," said the Illouz Representative while their Guards were taking actual charge of the battle so they—the accused Nobles—could strategize,

"There’s no way out."

"There is," said the Darche representative, "We must go up."

The Darche representative spoke in a very hushed tone that was likely not overheard with all the sounds of spells and explosive bangs along with weapon clashes. The nobles directed their eyes upward and while the walls of the Hall seemed very fortified, there were windows that looked less sturdy. They just needed to get high enough to smash their way through.

"Let’s go!" The Gasqueton Representative said and led the way up as he made use of his free-flight ability thanks to his current Magic Circle.

An arch of magical attack went charging at him before he got even five feet in the air and he twisted just in time to avoid it. The attack had felt like it was at the sixth circle and yet, when it struck the wall, it did nothing. Confirming the already guessed sturdiness of the Hall’s walls.

The Gasqueton Representative avoided the first arch but the next three left him nowhere to move to and he had no choice but to slam his palms together and cast a defensive spell.

*BANG!*

All three arches struck the defensive spell, shattering it. The force behind the attacks was lessened but when they struck the Gasqueton Representative, they drew blood from his mouth as he hit the wall hard.

"Ack!" He groaned and spat out blood that splattered onto many below.

While he was still stunned from getting hit against the wall, a Task Force Militant took to the air as well, casting a spell that, on contact, was sure to end the Gasqueton Representative.

However, an attack struck the Militant before they could complete their spell cast, sparing the Representative. The ones responsible for the interception were the five other Representatives of the other accused families. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Come on!" They yelled in unison at the Gasqueton representative as they got in range to cast their spells at the window.

Their spells were backed by the entirety of their magical might and they were confident that it would open up the way out. Alas, as the spells drew close, Arcane symbols appeared on the walls around the window, creating nets of magical energy that absorbed the attacks and reduced them to nothing.

"No..." the representatives let out in horrified gasps.

Leonce just smiled up at them. Never once had he been bothered by their attempts. The moment they accepted his invitation and entered this Hall, their fates were sealed. The building wasn’t just made with the most sturdy materials available but also fortified with Arcane Formations.

There was no escape.

The six representatives refused to be disheartened. They just needed to overwhelm the Formation and essentially punch a way through, shattering the window in the process. They had enough allies and with all their magic focused on that point, it could be done...

Alas, when they looked down, their allies were practically no more. Every single one of their security detail lay on the ground, either missing limbs/other body parts and bleeding out even as their heart no longer beat, or burnt and singed by fire or lightning.

Only the six representatives remained because Leonce wanted them to remain. There was a delight that filled him as he looked at their despairing faces. Watching as they came to terms with the fact that there was no way out.

The Representatives looked at their fellow nobles as they still tried to defend against the onslaught of an entire squad of Task Force Militants, the weakest of whom was at the Seventh Circle. Militants who, as though to really prove the point of their superiority over their targets, all, to the last member, performed free-flight.

"Do something!" The representatives yelled at their fellow Nobles,

"They can’t take us all on!"

The cry was passionate but it was wasted. Watching the allies who had decided to stand with the six families, get cut down made it practically impossible for anyone else to stand for them.

It was over.

In another minute, the six representatives fell, their blood spilling on the ground to join those of their security detail and allies.

"Well, that’s that," Leonce said, "A very important first step in making the Capital safe once again."

Through it all, the seven screens were still playing footage. The pacifications of the six territories and estates of the six families had also ended. Now, the militants were moving in and out of the rubble they had created, carting off crates of what were so clearly treasured resources of the slain families.

Even though they had stayed out of it, as their eyes watched the screens and then looked at the bodies of their fellow nobles, no one in the Hall looked at all happy with what had just happened.

The carting away of resources in particular was what prompted one Noble to speak.

"Of course," she said with a scoff,

"You carry out an execution, killing innocents and you get rich in the process. Why the fuck not?"

"Rich?" Leonce said like the word sounded so foreign to him,

"Whatever has been recovered from the treacherous families becomes property of the Imperial Crown. As is the Law.

And you need not worry about the possessions of the dead.

Worry about yourselves instead."