Soulbound: Dual Cultivation

Chapter 579: Trial by Combat

The Great Hall was in complete chaos.

Thousands of voices shouted at once.

Citizens screamed for blood.

Nobles demanded immediate execution.

Several soldiers looked as though they wanted to drag Khan from the trial box and carry out the sentence themselves.

The insult toward the Empress had shattered whatever sympathy remained for him.

Even those who had once hoped for mercy now looked upon him with disgust.

Yet amidst the uproar, the Empress slowly rose from her throne.

The movement alone was enough.

Silence spread through the hall like a wave.

One by one, the voices died.

The shouting ceased.

The nobles sat back down.

The citizens quieted.

Even Khan’s laughter faded.

Within moments, the Great Hall had become completely silent.

The Empress stood tall upon the dais.

Her gaze was fixed upon the trial box.

Upon her son.

There was no sorrow visible on her face now.

No hesitation.

No uncertainty.

Only judgment.

The ruler of Lechia had arrived at her decision.

Her voice echoed throughout the chamber.

“Prince Khan of Lechia.”

The accused looked up.

The Empress continued.

“You have confessed before this court.”

“You have admitted to every charge.”

The hall remained silent.

“You have betrayed your kingdom.”

“You have aided its enemies.”

“You have caused the deaths of countless innocent people.”

Her voice remained steady.

“You have committed treason against Lechia.”

Each word felt like a hammer strike.

The crowd listened carefully.

This was the moment they had come for.

The Empress slowly drew a breath.

Then she delivered the judgment.

“By the authority vested in me as Sovereign of Lechia and in accordance with the laws of this Empire…”

The hall held its breath.

“…I hereby sentence you to death.”

The words echoed throughout the Great Hall.

A wave of satisfaction swept through the crowd.

Many nodded.

Some closed their eyes in relief.

Others whispered prayers.

Justice had been delivered.

But the Empress wasn’t finished.

Her voice became colder.

“The sentence shall be carried out through quartering.”

A collective gasp swept through the hall.

Even among those who wanted Khan dead, the severity of the punishment was shocking.

Quartering.

One of the harshest executions permitted under Lechian law.

Reserved only for the worst traitors in the Empire’s history.

The crowd erupted.

Not in outrage.

In approval.

“JUSTICE!”

“LONG LIVE THE EMPRESS!”

“DEATH TO THE TRAITOR!”

The Great Hall shook beneath the thunderous reaction.

Many citizens felt vindicated.

Many soldiers looked satisfied.

The nobles nodded solemnly.

Even King Highmoor remained silent, understanding why such a sentence had been chosen.

The Empress had made a statement.

No one stood above the law.

Not even her own son.

For a moment, it seemed the trial was over.

Then Khan began laughing.

Again.

The sound cut through the hall.

Loud.

Mad.

Mocking.

The crowd gradually quieted.

Confusion spread.

Why was he laughing?

He had just been sentenced to one of the most brutal executions imaginable.

Yet he laughed harder than ever.

The judicial elders frowned.

The guards tightened their grip on their weapons.

Khan finally raised his head.

His eyes gleamed with something dangerous.

Something almost triumphant.

Then he shouted.

“I invoke my right!”

The words immediately caused murmurs among the nobles.

The Empress’s eyes narrowed.

Khan’s smile widened.

“I demand Trial by Combat!”

The entire Great Hall froze.

Silence descended.

Complete silence.

The words had struck like lightning.

Every noble in the room immediately understood the implications.

Several judicial elders exchanged troubled looks.

The military commanders frowned.

The common citizens looked confused.

Many did not fully understand what had just happened.

But the nobles certainly did.

The ancient laws of Lechia were clear.

Long before the Empire had existed, the royal bloodline had possessed certain privileges.

Among them was one sacred right.

A member of the royal family facing execution could demand Trial by Combat.

The purpose had originally been to prevent corrupt rulers from eliminating legitimate heirs through false accusations.

The law had survived for centuries.

Few had ever invoked it.

Fewer still had succeeded.

But the right remained.

And Khan had just claimed it.

The murmurs grew louder.

The judicial elders quickly began discussing among themselves.

Several nobles looked deeply uncomfortable.

The crowd’s earlier satisfaction began giving way to confusion.

Lucas frowned.

Beside him, Henrietta looked annoyed.

Princess Nyx sighed.

The Ice Belle simply rolled her eyes.

“Of course he would.”

Selene looked toward the throne.

The Empress remained standing.

Her expression had not changed.

Yet everyone could tell she was thinking carefully.

The law was the law.

Lechia’s authority rested upon it.

If she ignored it now, the legitimacy of the judgment itself could be questioned.

Khan seemed to know this.

His grin became wider.

He looked around the hall.

“You all want me dead?”

His voice dripped with arrogance.

“Then earn it.”

The crowd immediately began shouting again.

Several citizens demanded that his request be denied.

Others called the law ridiculous.

The nobles remained silent.

Because they knew something the commoners did not.

The Empress had spent the entire trial proving that even her son was subject to the law.

If she denied him a legal right now, everything she had done would lose credibility.

The realization slowly spread through the chamber.

Khan’s laughter echoed once more.

For the first time all day, he looked confident.

Because despite his confession.

Despite his sentence.

Despite his betrayal.

He had found one final weapon.

The law itself.

And now the entire Great Hall waited to see how the Empress would respond to the challenge.

After Khan invoked his right to Trial by Combat, the atmosphere within the Great Hall completely changed.

What had moments ago been a concluded trial was suddenly thrown into uncertainty.

The judicial elders quickly consulted ancient legal texts.

The nobles discussed among themselves.

The commoners grew increasingly restless.

But everyone already knew the truth.

The law was clear.

A royal accused of treason could invoke Trial by Combat before the sentence was carried out.

If he won, the gods themselves were deemed to have judged in his favor.

The sentence would be void.

His freedom restored.

No matter how severe the accusations.

No matter how overwhelming the evidence.

No matter how much the people hated him.

The law was ancient.

The law was sacred.

And the law could not be ignored.

Eventually, the chief judicial elder rose.

His expression was grim.

“The request is valid.”

The crowd erupted.

Many shouted in protest.

Others demanded the law be abolished.

The elder struck his staff against the floor.

“The law shall be respected.”

The hall reluctantly quieted.

He then turned toward the throne.

“As required by the ancient statutes, the Empire must appoint a champion.”

Every eye immediately shifted toward the Empress.

The choice would be critical.

The champion would carry the fate of Lechia itself upon their shoulders.

If the champion won, Khan would die.

If the champion lost…

A dangerous silence spread through the chamber.

Khan would walk free.

The traitor prince would regain his liberty.

Nobody wanted that outcome.

The Empress remained seated upon her throne.

She didn’t consult anyone.

She didn’t hesitate.

She didn’t even take a moment to think.

Her answer came immediately.

“Xavier Alden.”

The single word echoed throughout the hall.

A stunned silence followed.

Then came the reactions.

The crowd erupted.

Many nodded enthusiastically.

Others cheered.

Several nobles visibly relaxed.

The military commanders exchanged approving looks.

Even the visiting rulers seemed unsurprised.

King Highmoor folded his arms and smiled faintly.

The Emperor of Rus nodded once.

The King of Blackmare appeared satisfied.

To many present, there was no better choice.

Lucas had repeatedly accomplished what others considered impossible.

He had survived battles against overwhelming odds.

He had defeated enemies thought invincible.

He had become a symbol of resistance against the usurpers.

If anyone could ensure Khan’s execution, it was him.

Lucas himself looked mildly surprised.

Not because he had been chosen.

But because the Empress had selected him so quickly.

No hesitation.

No alternatives.

No deliberation.

Just Lucas.

The choice revealed how much faith she placed in him.

The chief elder turned toward Lucas.

“Do you accept?”

The entire hall watched.

Lucas slowly rose from his seat.

His gaze shifted toward the trial box.

Toward Khan.

The prince was staring at him.

And for the first time since the trial began, genuine caution appeared in Khan’s eyes.

Lucas noticed it.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

Then he looked back toward the elder.

“I accept.”

The hall exploded into applause.

Thousands cheered.

Many citizens shouted Lucas’s name.

The tension that had gripped the hall lessened considerably.

Hope had returned.

Khan’s smile disappeared.

His expression darkened.

The chief elder raised his hand.

“The matter is settled.”

His voice boomed throughout the chamber.

“Tomorrow at first light, the Trial by Combat shall be held.”

The crowd immediately quieted.

The elder continued.

“The accused, Prince Khan of Lechia, shall fight for his freedom.”

His gaze shifted toward Lucas.

“Xavier, Champion of Lechia, shall fight on behalf of the Empire.”

The elder’s next words caused the hall to become silent once more.

“The combat shall continue until death.”

No surrender.

No mercy.

No intervention.

Only death.

The ancient law was merciless.

One fighter would leave the arena alive.

The other would not.

The elder’s voice became even colder.

“If Prince Khan emerges victorious, all charges against him shall be considered resolved under the ancient right.”

The crowd looked horrified.

Many still hated the law.

But they respected it.

The elder finished.

“Should Prince Khan win…”

His voice echoed throughout the Great Hall.

“…he shall walk free.”

The statement landed heavily.

The possibility suddenly became real.

Not likely.

But real.

Lucas remained calm.

The girls beside him looked unconcerned.

The Ice Belle looked as though she already considered Khan dead.

Henrietta appeared equally confident.

Selene and Lira shared a glance but seemed reassured by Lucas’s presence.

As for the Empress—

She sat silently upon her throne.

Her eyes moved between Lucas and her son.

Tomorrow would determine everything.

If Lucas won, justice would finally be carried out.

If Khan won…

Lechia would be forced to release the most infamous traitor in its history.

The trial was adjourned soon afterward.

The crowds slowly began leaving the Great Hall.

Yet nobody spoke about anything else.

Tomorrow’s battle dominated every conversation.

Every street.

Every tavern.

Every noble estate.

Every military camp.

The entire capital would be watching.

For one final day, Prince Khan remained alive.

For one final night, the Empire held its breath.

And somewhere deep within the palace, a mother prepared herself for the possibility that by tomorrow evening, one of two men would be dead.

Her son.

Or the champion she had entrusted with the fate of her kingdom.

———