Three days passed quickly.
In the middle of the night, more than 500 men in dark armor were slowly advancing toward the estate of the Licinius family.
Licinius had underestimated the seriousness of the situation and quickly forgot about the matter, immersing himself in the pleasures of the nobility, leaving for another day the task entrusted to him by his sick father.
On the other hand, Lucius' health had worsened after feeling deeply disappointed in his son; he only hoped to recover a little so he could ask his friend Marcus to mediate the dispute with Septimus.
Neither father nor son considered the possibility of being attacked in the middle of the night by Septimus. They were nobles and had unwritten rules.
The 500 soldiers were clones assigned to attack the villa.
Slowly advancing toward the mansion, the clone soldiers split up as they surrounded the place.
In the middle of the night, the slaves were sleeping deeply, and only a few trusted men of the family were in charge of watching over the slaves and the security of the mansion.
Licinius' estate had only 30 fully equipped guards with Roman armor, along with 60 trusted slaves assigned to various tasks, who only carried swords or daggers.
The black-armored soldiers, like wolves lying in wait, easily killed the few peripheral sentinels.
The black-armored soldiers entered the wooden houses of the slaves, beginning a clean massacre without sparing anyone.
As the black-armored soldiers advanced along their bloody path, the restless dogs were the first to notice, and their barking began to awaken the sleeping people in the mansion.
The screams in the middle of the night grew clearer and clearer, and the slaves were the first to realize the attack by the black-armored soldiers.
Suddenly, screams and pleading cries erupted, alarming Lucius and Licinius.
"What is happening? Why is there so much noise?" Lucius shouted at the slaves.
"Master, we are being attacked," a slave said with panic in his voice.
"Damn it," Lucius roared angrily as the slaves carried him to escape.
Lucius did not know who the enemy was; now the highest priority was to flee. The slaves also pulled Licinius out of his room.
The estate of the Licinius family turned into a slaughterhouse, with cries of lament everywhere.
Five black-armored soldiers intercepted Lucius and his son.
Of the seven slaves protecting father and son, only three dropped their weapons and began to beg, while the other four advanced and were easily killed.
A clone guard in black armor recognized Licinius and approached to take him hostage. Another clone guard dodged a spear while his sword cut a slave's throat.
Father and son were defenseless against the clone soldiers and were easily subdued.
Septimus recognized Licinius but did not recognize his father; however, judging by the way the slaves protected him, he decided to take him hostage as well.
While Lucius and Licinius were carried like packages and taken out of the mansion, they were able to see the hellish scene outside.
The black-armored soldiers had begun a massacre and were cutting off the heads of all the dead while stacking them into a small mound.
On the other hand, there were black-armored soldiers tasked with searching for spears or wooden poles within the estate.
Finally, a group of black-armored soldiers was in charge of impaling the heads of the dead on spears planted in the ground, forming a forest of human heads.
The scene was chilling.
Lucius and Licinius, completely terrified, forgot to ask questions or scream.
The cleanup of the battlefield took two hours, and the black-armored soldiers left behind a forest of impaled heads on the estate.
Lucius and Licinius were taken as guests to the newly built torture dungeon.
Septimus observed that arrogant young man who had insulted him at the banquet. He had promised Cornelia that he would not kill him, and as a man who keeps his word, he would only torture him.
The clone soldiers threw cold water on the terrified father and son, awakening them from their stupor.
"Who are you? Bandit, you will be hunted by Rome!" Lucius shouted hysterically, forgetting his weakness from illness. All his slaves and guards were dead, and hatred was evident in his eyes.
"Hahaha, ask your son," Septimus replied with amusement.
Licinius, awakened from fear, also looked at Septimus, unable to believe what had happened.
Lucius realized that this young man was Septimus. His emotions became complicated, and he harbored nothing but resentment for the situation, shedding tears of hatred.
"Kill us at once to avoid humiliation," Lucius said with a resentful look in his eyes.
"Kill you? So easily? Without any fun?" Septimus said with a mocking grimace on his face.
Lucius panicked; he was an elderly noble who could not bear the idea of being tortured.
The clones tied Lucius and Licinius to the torture devices.
The screams of the two men were shrill and unbearable, like music to Septimus' ears.
Septimus withdrew to amuse himself with his women while the clones tortured Lucius and Licinius.
After two days, news of the attack on the Licinius family mansion became known throughout Capua.
The nobility of Capua knew that Septimus was the culprit, but no one dared to accuse him.
Hundreds of heads impaled on poles or spears were found within the Licinius family estate, as if it were a forest, leaving those with malicious intentions completely terrified.
Marcus did not dare to seek answers from Septimus for fear of angering him.
The council of Capua did not insist on investigating the matter and tacitly agreed that the attack on the Licinius family had been committed by bandits.
The situation in Capua quickly calmed down, and many nobles who had harbored malicious intentions against Septimus changed their attitude.
Fabius was in Capua gathering information about the nobles who planned to attack Septimus' caravans when he learned the news of the destruction of the Licinius family and began to break out in a cold sweat.
With such a ruthless and unscrupulous master, Fabius feared failing him and being killed.
The investigation into the nobles who planned to attack Septimus was blocked after the incident with the Licinius family; very few nobles had the courage to offend a madman.
Two days passed, and Cornelia visited Septimus' villa to inquire.
Cornelia and Septimus needed no words and kissed directly when they found themselves alone.
After having sex, Cornelia, completely naked, lay on Septimus' chest while pretending to be angry.
"You promised me you would not kill Licinius," Cornelia said with feigned anger while pinching Septimus.
"I kept my promise and did not kill him," Septimus replied indifferently while his hands played with Cornelia's breasts.
"All of Capua knows that you have destroyed the Licinius family," Cornelia said angrily.
Cornelia and her husband Marcus knew Licinius' father and considered him an ally and a friend.
"I promised I would not kill Licinius; I said nothing about refraining from torturing him," Septimus replied indifferently.
"Where are Licinius and Lucius?" Cornelia asked. It would be good to be able to rescue Lucius.
"Lucius unfortunately could not endure the torture and died last night; on the other hand, Licinius has become a good pet," Septimus replied with a smile.
"It is a shame about Lucius," Cornelia said with regret.
Cornelia only valued Lucius; she did not care about the life or death of Licinius, the arrogant and foolish son.