Elara gazed at the twenty-four soldiers who now stood tall, separated from the main ranks. She let them stand in ignorance for a few moments before finally shifting her gaze upward to the ten commanders still holding their positions.
She immediately ceased the flow of her earth element magic. The ten stone pillars simultaneously sank downward in a seamless motion, bringing the commanders back to the ground to stand level with the rest of the troops.
"Now, it is your turn to look at each other! Observe the comrades beside you. Is there anyone among the ten of you who bears a different color?"
Hearing the order, the commanders immediately turned to one another. They scanned each other closely.
"There is one person who is colored black, Your Majesty!" nine of the commanders reported in unison, their eyes fixed on one of their peers.
Meanwhile, the commander who was the center of the other nine's attention also gave his answer.
"Everyone is colored blue, Your Majesty!"
Hearing their reports, Elara nodded, as if she had just confirmed something of utmost importance. Her eyes locked straight onto the commander who possessed the black aura.
"Come here, and stand right next to the magnificent soldiers standing before me!"
Without a second thought, the commander stepped forward. He walked with his chest puffed out and immediately positioned himself right beside the group of five soldiers with the black aura.
Hearing the Emperor refer to them as 'magnificent soldiers', a sense of pride instantly swelled within the hearts of the commander and the five soldiers in that group. In their eyes, being specifically called out from the ranks was not an evaluation, but a direct recognition from the supreme ruler of the Erthland Empire.
Their confidence skyrocketed. Their minds immediately jumped to one conclusion: a promotion.
They were certain that they were about to receive an unexpected rise in rank.
In that silence of anticipation, Elara's right hand moved to grasp the hilt of the sword sheathed neatly at her waist. A sharp yet elegant metallic 'schwing' rang out as the blade was drawn.
The Emperor raised her sword forward.
"Before the many pairs of eyes on these grounds, and before we march to Gias City, I shall bestow a new rank upon the six of you!" Elara announced, her voice echoing clearly across every corner of the imperial forces' headquarters.
Upon hearing the declaration, a wave of enthusiasm and joy instantly washed over the six men.
Are we really going to be granted new ranks? the black-aura commander cheered internally, trying hard to maintain a disciplined expression. Am I going to be appointed as an imperial general? I can't wait for my investiture ceremony!
In the main ranks, the hundreds of other soldiers could only watch in silence. Some of them felt a shared excitement, accompanied by a tinge of envy at the unexpected achievement of those six.
From where she stood, Elara took one step forward and raised her blade slightly higher.
For every imperial soldier, the customary procedure for a promotion investiture involved the Emperor resting the flat side of her blade upon both shoulders of the recipient.
Knowing this procedure, the six men bowed their heads slightly, brimming with eager anticipation for the blade to touch their shoulders and make their new ranks official.
However, rather than gently lowering her sword onto the commander's shoulder...
Slash!
With a single, lightning-fast, clean, and unhesitating horizontal swing, Elara severed the commander's neck.
But she did not stop there. Utilizing the momentum of her first swing, the Emperor fluidly cleaved through the necks of the remaining five black-aura soldiers standing in line, executing the strikes with frightening speed and precision.
All six heads were lopped off almost simultaneously.
The headless bodies stood frozen for a fraction of a second before finally collapsing to the ground.
At the exact moment the last body hit the dirt, a brilliant burst of light magic shot upward, forming sturdy, intersecting bars of solid light that trapped the remaining nineteen soldiers in a seamless magical prison.
The entire force gathered on the headquarters grounds was utterly stunned. Their breath seemingly caught in their throats. Hundreds of pairs of eyes stared in horror at the Emperor, who had just coldly executed a commander and their comrades a mere second after promising them a promotion.
Meanwhile, inside the prison of light, panic instantly erupted. The nineteen confined soldiers were completely bewildered by what was happening.
In a panic, one of the soldiers reflexively reached out and grabbed one of the glowing bars.
However, the moment the skin of his palm made contact, his hand instantly blistered and charred.
"AAAAHHHH!!!!!!!"
The soldier's agonizing scream sounded incredibly harrowing, echoing through every corner of the imperial forces' headquarters.
The other soldiers inside the magical prison immediately backed away in terror, not daring to repeat their comrade's mistake.
From the front ranks of the disciplined but terrified and confused troops, one of the commanders mustered the courage to speak.
"W-Why did you kill them, Your Majesty?" he asked, his tone trembling, voicing the thoughts of the entire army standing on the field.
Elara did not answer right away. She cleaned the remaining blood off her blade with one smooth flick, then sheathed it back at her waist.
She then bent down and picked up the silver necklace still hanging around the neck of the decapitated commander.
As she stood up again, Elara looked at the hundreds of pairs of eyes still waiting for her answer.
"A black aura indicates that the person is a traitor who has sold their loyalty for personal gain, betraying the Erthland Empire and its people!" the Emperor explained the meaning behind the auras the commanders had seen. Her voice was firm and unyielding, echoing all the way to the farthest ranks. "A yellow aura signifies that the person is a spy who has infiltrated our ranks. And a blue aura... signifies that the person possesses absolute loyalty to the empire."
Hearing the Emperor's explanation, the nine remaining commanders and the hundreds of soldiers on the field finally understood the reason behind the mass execution that had just taken place before their eyes.
"With the necklaces you are wearing right now, you," Elara concluded, staring straight at the imperial army commanders, "who lead the ranks will be able to easily identify any traitors hiding in Gias City without wasting time interrogating them. If you see individuals with black or yellow auras, execute them on the spot!"