The acting leader looked up, his heart thumping. Blood dripping from an identical hole in his skull, the body of another mercenary hung high in the branches, swaying gently.
The leader started to yell, but his words were cut short when a hot chain whipped around his neck. With vicious force, it jerked him upward, choking out a guttural snarl as he clawed at the chain, his boots scraping the bark.
With his dark cloak flaring like a storm, Leo launched himself from a nearby tree. Only his crimson eyes, which blazed with icy focus, were visible through his black neck mask. The blade of his chained blood dagger sliced through the air as it gleamed.
It cut off the leader's head in a single motion, sending the head and torso crashing to the ground and settling among the leaves with lifeless thuds.
Drawn by the sound, the three mercenaries that remained ran back, skidding to a stop upon seeing the body of their leader.
