Skorr POV:
I let out a sigh while leaning back in the chair. It had taken months of planning and precise timing, but here I was again—back in the District Leader position...
Kind of.
Brunaulf had started sending Vices to check on me regularly, so even if I was planning something, he’d know right away. It was annoying but understandable.
Believe it or not, I was a man of customs. The kid had beaten me fair and square, so the position was his. That being said, challenging him again would be stupid, especially since he’s made the Organization into a literal army now.
*Knock, knock*
“Enter.”
The door closed behind them, and my nephew entered the room. Every time I saw him, I couldn’t help but remember what the kid had done to him. I clenched my teeth as he dipped his head slightly.
“I should get my revenge after all.”
“Uhh... Uncle, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
I studied his facial expression carefully. He had matured a lot since the last time I saw him, and he was no longer involved in moving drugs; I had put a stop to that as well as getting rid of the prostitution ring in this district.
If it wasn’t for some small-time people from Inner Astril interfering with my plans, I would have been sitting on this seat a lot sooner.
“Tch. Did you forget what he did to you?”
“Oh, not at all. In fact, I’m grateful for it. He really beat the sense back into me.”
The veins on my head bulged as I glared at his happy-go-lucky face.
“Have you no pride?!”
“I do, but if Mum was still alive, she would have beat me much worse.”
I shut my mouth instantly. The image of my sister came to my mind, and I quickly cleared my throat.
“...You make a good point...”
This was for the best actually. I had been going against my late sister's wishes by dragging her only son into this mess. Losing my seat and having to work my way back up again really opened my eyes to how I used to run things.
The kid had spared me and let me keep some of my old subordinates too. I had chosen to work under him because I was curious to see how far he could go. Could he do what Copycat couldn’t? I wanted to know.
“What brings you here anyway, Nephew?”
“I’m here to report that Sindel and Orga are heading to District 2.”
It had been months since I had seen those two. My lips curved upwards as I wondered if they had gotten any closer.
“Alright. Remember to keep everyone in check. Copy what the kid is doing in District 4.”
“Yes, Sir!”
He bowed his head and left with a bounce in his step. I guess it wasn’t so bad leading like this.
***
Ven POV:
We reached the rooftop immediately after seeing the mushroom cloud in the distance. The estate we had chosen to stay in was among one of the tallest in the area, so we could see a fair distance without any obtrusions.
We stood there silently as several more explosions, scattered around the heart of District 3, went off. A bloody red mist blanketed the buildings closest to the detonations. The mist was so thick that it looked like a sea of blood was slowly rolling closer towards us.
“Report or investigate? What’s the best choice in this situation?”
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Triste looked at us with a slightly worried expression. It had only been a couple of minutes since Denise reported that nothing strange had occurred on her side, and now this. I had to make a decision.
“Investigate. Denise, can you sense anything?”
I shifted my gaze to her while Gunnar narrowed his eyes as the ends of his jacket flapped more violently than before. Denise had the best sensor range among us and was particularly good at identifying even the smallest of things.
“No... I’m too far.”
She shook her head after a few seconds of trying to locate anything worthwhile ahead.
“Let’s move.”
Gunnar took the lead and was about to jump down when I stretched out my hand to stop him.
“Everyone, remember the mission. We are only here to observe, avoid fighting at all costs and don’t get caught by the enemy.”
“Roger.”
Triste switched gears, and I jumped on ahead of Gunnar. Our usual formation placed Denise in the middle, Gunnar and Triste at both flanks behind her, while I took the front.
We dashed across the nearby rooftops as we moved according to Denise's instructions. It would be bad if we got caught trying to start something in District 3; the situation was delicate, and our leader didn’t seem ready to face the Ruler yet.
The bloody mist began to take up more and more of our vision as the gap between us slowly closed. I had spotted a few Blood Hounds, but they were running away from the mist, which was odd.
“Should we pull back? Their behaviour is strange.”
Denise voiced my concerns, but heading back now wouldn’t be beneficial.
“Not yet. We need to have a better idea of what is actually going on.”
The red mist soon engulfed us, and our formation grew tighter in response. A few more minutes passed by, yet nothing of note popped up on our radar. A sudden thought flashed through my mind, and my feet immediately came to a halt.
“Ven?”
Gunnar called out to me as I stood on the ledge of the roof. I stretched my hand out and touched the mist surrounding us. We could still see each other a meter or two away, but something was off.
“Do you think... this mist is a trap?”
“!!!”
The others looked at me with surprise, but soon they started to process what I was getting at. We hadn’t sensed anything once we had entered the red mist, and it probably wasn’t a coincidence either.
“A trap for who? They wouldn’t know that we’re here.”
“Triste... I think that’s the point. Maybe... Maybe it’s not for us.”
“Interesting.”
The three of them conversed amongst themselves as I crouched down. Those were my exact thoughts too; this red mist wasn’t meant for us.
‘The Blood Hounds running away...’
A faint smell of blood, fresh blood, drifted into my nose as I focused my senses to the limit.
“Enigma...The Ruler might have chosen to fight off Enigma instead of coming to an agreement.”
“Ha? That sounds like a really dumb thing to do. Everyone knows you don’t mess with Enigma.”
Triste put her hand on her hip while openly criticizing the Ruler's stupid decision. Gunnar stood by my side as I pondered for a while on what the best course of action to take was. I wanted to confirm it, but it was too risky.
The faint smell of blood confirmed some sort of battle was going on deeper inside—that’d have to be enough for now.
“You guys go back. I’ll go in closer to confirm.”
I looked at Gunnar as he prepared himself to continue on alone. Brunaulf had made it explicitly clear to not do anything that’d put ourselves at risk, so I couldn’t agree to this.
“No. We’re heading back.”
I turned around and walked past Gunnar.
“Let me do this, Ven.”
“No.”
I didn’t look back as Triste and Denise got ready to leave. There was no way I was going to let Gunnar go in alone. The sooner we got out of here, the better.
“!”
Denise suddenly stopped moving and raised one of her hands into the air slowly. We all knew what that signal meant—we had been surrounded.
“They... Can’t sense us clearly...”
Denise whispered while examining their positions. It seemed like breaking through unnoticed was impossible, but we also didn’t know who our enemies were.
“I’ll bait them. This isn’t up for debate this time, Ven.”
I sighed inwardly. I really didn’t want him to be the bait either, but in this situation, that was the best course of action. I stood on the balls of my feet and kissed Gunnar's cheek.
“Once we break through, you get out of there immediately.”
“Roger that.”
He grinned while stroking my cheek gently. Honestly, I was nervous, but I knew what he was capable of.
“Now that the two lovebirds have said their goodbyes, can we get moving?”
We all shook our heads and smiled at her words. Gunnar moved far away from us and released his Ki causing a shift in their positions to be pointed out by Denise. She gave him the thumbs up while the red mist swallowed him whole as I stared at his back.
“Try not to worry, Ven.”
I smiled at Denise's comforting words and calmed my beating heart. We stood still, waiting for her to give us the signal that the coast was clear. Sure enough, a few minutes later, the signal came.
We dashed forward without looking back. The thickness of the red mist began to lessen when a flash of light entered the corner of my eye.
“!”
I leaned my head backwards while watching an arrow shoot past me. My hand shot forward, catching it by the base. It looked like it had been aimed at Denise.
“Eh? Who are these guys? They don’t look like Enigma.”
“Just some local rats trying to play hero, I bet.”
Two unknown voices could be heard in front of us. The mist gradually grew thicker, and I started to regret my decision. Their shadowy figures finally came into clear view as they stood a couple of meters ahead.
“Oh? Three women? Have I ever told you how I went on a date with Solina?”
“...You mention it every time you see a woman. Besides, you didn't go on a date with her. She turned you down... Brutally.”
“...Ahem.”
The two men released their Ki simultaneously as they grinned at us. Triste and I took the lead while Denise retreated to the rear.
“Theo Simmon, rank 26th among the Royal Guards.”
“Hervey, rank 25th.”
I didn’t know which one was worse: running into a Royal Guard or facing Enigma; both had serious implications. The only way out of this mess was forward, so we released our Ki which pushed the red mist circled around us away, creating a mist-free dome of space in the process.
“I’m going to need you three to die here.”