Chapter 78 78: The Battle for Dominance : Leo vs the Mbali Brothers (4)

[1st POV] "It began with you." I said as I turned to face Roku, standing a few metres away. "And now it ends with you," I made a slow approach towards him. Each of my breaths came out rough, like the sound of an engine and my steps were firm and deliberate. He remained rooted on his spot, knowing that he could do nothing but accept the fate he had been dealt with. He did not even try to help his brother Baraka when we fought and instead chose to let him have his final moment of honour and pride. Not like he could do anything with his broken jaw anyway. A lion that could not bite was just a waste of space and would have just hindered Baraka during the intense fight. The sad thing about being a thinker and the smartest among his brothers was that he saw all of this coming. He knew they were not coming out of this alive. Perhaps he had known that for days now. "Do you remember..." I said and stopped in front of him. My height and size dwarfed him, making him look weaker and more pathetic than he already was. "I said I would kill you," There was a year delay but my words stayed true. Roku stared into my eyes with the kind of stubbornness and ego that only a lion could have. It didn't matter what state he was in, there was no defeat in his eyes. The fight was as good as over. Roku could do nothing anymore. If he had been in his best condition, he wouldn't have been able to do anything. With the state he was currently in, he could do less than nothing. So I did not end him instantly. It didn't matter either way. I could show him mercy in that moment and he would still die in a few days. "Any last words?" I asked, it was a bad attempt at a joke because obviously, he wouldn't have any last words. He couldn't speak anymore. But much to my surprise, Roku talked. He was not able to say coherent words but I could still understand him vividly. Perhaps it was because what he said was the same thing my inner voice said in a hidden corner of my mind. "Enjoy while this lasts, your time will come too," he said, "All kings must fall and I will watch yours with glee." Somehow, that really got under my skin. He knew the worst thing to say to me, even right before his death. I roared in fury and burst forward, aiming for his neck. But the hanging jaw got in the way, so I tore that right off his face. He staggered back with blood flooding out from his face and onto the ground. His throat produced a gurgling noise, and then he lunged at me with the final fight in his spirit. I side-stepped his lunge and then caught the back of his neck with my jaw. I clamped down hard and then, with a brutal jerk of my movement, I broke his neck just like that. There was a nasty crunch. I could almost taste his broken bone. Then I opened my jaw and his body fell down limply like the corpse he was and that was the end of the battle. A moment of silence passed while I stared at the corpse. Then I turned to look at the sky. I noticed hundreds of vultures circling overhead. They were releasing twisted caws and screeches as if to celebrate my victory. I looked beyond the flock of birds and saw the dark clouds swirling further in the sky. It looked like it would rain any moment. After that, I looked around me. I spared a glance towards the Siringet pride that stood frozen in a deafening silence. Then I looked at the three human vehicles that were standing on the edge of the horizon. I spared a short glance at the corpses of Makali and Baraka respectively. A crocodile sneaked out from the lake and quickly dragged Makali's corpse into the water. I watched it happen but did nothing else. That was simply nature happening before my eyes. 'It is done, I have conquered the land,' I thought to myself while trying to process the surreal feeling in my heart. The first drop of rain hit me, snapping me out of my strange reverie. A sparse shower of raindrops followed before that turned into a great downpour in seconds. I stood under the rain and so did everyone else. It felt like the world was crying, like it was mourning the end of a great dynasty. Indeed, what a strange feeling it was. To put an end to a whole legacy. The storm rained heavily and briefly. It was like the Sernegti was washing away the final marks left by the Mbali brothers to leave a new and fresh slate for me to start over and paint in my image. It was a moment of rebirth. Their time was over and now it was my time. I roared towards the sky as the rain stopped right after. I did not stop with just a single roar, I continued declaring my victory and decree for as long as my body would allow me. The females of the Siringet Pride lowered their heads and moved away from the silent battlefield. I continued to roar still, I was captured in that moment of glory. The sky cleared up and the sun shone brilliantly upon my image. The sun reflected my growing pride that was getting bigger and more intense with every passing second. My roar echoed, unchallenged and uninterrupted. For I am king. .. .. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [3rd POV] Tears fell from the eyes of the human researchers who had witnessed everything happening on the screen of the cameras. In fact, they had seen more than they wanted to see. It was a powerful moment. The sheer volume of Leo's roar shook their entire body, even though they stayed far away. It would take everyone, including the land itself, to get used to the roar that was starkly different from he roars of the Mbali brothers. The researchers who had focused on studying the Mbali brothers were having the worst breakdown. They hugged each other and the women could not help but sob out loud. It was such a brutal end to a legacy that it broke everyone's heart. A single lion tore down the might of three. Suffice it to say some of the humans had grown attached to the Mbali brothers and the Siringet pride as a whole. Therefore, to see such an intense event was quite traumatising for them. The vehicle with the researchers led by Dr Tonson was faring a lot better than others. They were silent in respect but they were not crying. Far from it, some of them could barely hide the smile on their faces. in fact. If the possible end of that conflict is either Leo's death or the Mbali brothers' death, then they would admit that they preferred the death of the Mbali brothers. "Alright everyone, it seems our job will also be entering a new phase. All the resources and manpower would be focused on our lion Leo from now on," Dr Tonson said while rubbing his palms together. "You are wrong, doctor," Ramirez said while looking into his camera. "It's King Leo now", he said. He was taking the best possible photos and videos of the historical event in Leo's life. In later years, these photographs would become one of the most liked photos and impactful image on the internet. "It has a nice ring to it," Hana said, her eyes looking bright despite just witnessing what was probably the most brutal fight of dominance between lions. Normally, it was rare to see death in a battle for dominance since the loser would usually run away to survive. But Leo killed all three kings in this battle. And this was not only a testament to Leo's brutality and strength but also the unwavering will of the three kings. Perhaps their legacy had come to an end but they would always be remembered as the three kings who did not run from the legendary lion king Leo. Hana showed a small smile while watching Leo continue to roar and declare his authority. "Leo, the Lion King," .. .. *ROAR!!* [IMAGE] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Author : Some of you are confused by the goal. It was 2000 more stones, meaning 4000 stones in total. And we miss that mark by 300+ stones. Insane amount though haha. I had to make sure you don't fuck with me again. But this puts an end to the fight so no more cliffhangers. Thanks for reading the story and see you guys tomorrow. Throw stones if you have some, or not. Greed knows no bound and I'm pretty sure we are already set for number 1 for the week.