Sindel POV:

I watched her pigtails sway side to side as we walked down the streets of District 2. Her golden blond hair contrasted against the short dark jacket she wore, and her curvy body attracted the eyes of many men.

She suddenly stopped walking, turned around and put her hand on her hip. Her soft blue eyes glared at me intensely. I already knew what that look meant, but every time I saw it, I was grateful. Grateful that the current District Leader showed mercy and didn’t kill Orga.

There was an unwritten rule in the Organization: Don’t kill each other. If we didn’t have such a rule, it would be chaos. You would constantly have to watch your back, and you wouldn’t know who you could trust. However, as with most rules, there were exceptions.

The District Leader could execute anyone he wanted to whenever he wanted to. It was part of the power that came with being the main governing force within a district, and those under that power would have no choice but to look the other way.

One of the reasons I said what I said that day was for her sake. I thought I could restrain the District Leader's hand by telling him about loyalty and customs. In the end, it was a pointless worry because he was different; he didn't seek power the same way the other District Leaders did. So, how could I not be grateful?

I gazed at Orga while her twitching eyebrows grew closer together. Her wounds from back then had healed up well without leaving any scars behind.

“Haa. Why do you walk so slow?”

The corners of my mouth rose slightly, and I took a few steps forward. I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling Orga into a deep hug.

“W-wait... S-stop... Not here...”

I felt her breathing become unsteady as I embraced her. There were times when I just needed to do this, to enjoy the moment of holding her close.

“Wow~ How bold!”

“I wish you would hold me like that.”

“Kyaa~ Adorable~”

Various people passed by and expressed their opinions. Each one making Orga's face go a deeper shade of red. She had finally reached her breaking point and pushed me away.

“I... Told you about this already...”

She struggled to make eye contact with me as her pupils darted around the street.

“Orga. You know I—”

She abruptly lifted up a hand in front of her face to stop me from talking. I raised an eyebrow slightly, surprised by how many cute sides of her I still hadn’t seen.

Orga closed the gap between us and dragged me forward by the arm. If you told any of the other guys 8 months ago that Orga could make such a cute expression, they’d laugh at you.

That being said, this wasn’t a date, and we weren’t here to sightsee. Brunaulf had sent us here to start building up a solid force for the upcoming war.

“What do you think about the mission?”

If it was anyone else, I would never ask this question. No matter what the order was, I would follow it. I had a reputation for being Mr Perfect, but I just liked sorting out things in an organized way—efficiency is key.

“...I hope it goes well. We just need to prepare properly, right?”

She had let go of my arm and walked by my side normally. There was a slight trace of concern in her voice, but I didn’t blame her for it; everyone knew that the Ruler of the South was a monster.

“That should be the case, but District 1 is no pushover.”

“A District designed to churn out talented fighters, hm...”

Vice Lissandra shared that information with us to keep us on our toes. With the addition of dozens of new Watchers and Vices, it was more important than ever that we didn’t get too comfortable; our fight was far from over. We needed to be ready for anything they could throw at us.

We reached the inner part of District 2 and continued to make our way to the main Organization's base. I couldn’t help but think that if the situation in District 3 was different, our forces would be more stable.

In the end, all we could do was put our trust in the District Leader's judgement and abilities.

***

Lyon POV:

It had only been a few days since I last fought here, yet District 3 looked even worse than before. The Blood Hounds attacked local stores and actively beat down any residents getting in their way.

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“Despicable.”

Lissandra, who had been unusually quiet for the whole journey so far, finally spoke. Her eyebrows furrowed as we darted across the rooftops, and I could see a quiet rage burning within her eyes.

We didn’t have the time to stop and take care of the Blood Hounds, so I used Ghost to get rid of as many as I could while moving. It didn’t take long for the blood-red mist to come into view as we approached the boundary between the inner and outer parts of District 3.

“Leader, how will you handle the red mist?”

Gunnar looked at me with concern. He had an idea of where the others most likely were, but he wouldn’t be able to guide me due to the mist's effects.

I glanced at Holder, who had stopped healing Gunnar. He nodded his head and took the lead as we jumped into the mist. Holder released his Ki causing an eruption of wind to force the mist away. It converged around us in a large dome shape, unable to interfere with us any further.

“Lead the way, Gunnar.”

“Y-yes, leader!”

Gunnar quickly recovered from his initial shock and took the lead. He was probably surprised by Holder, who was still a new addition to District 4. Holder wasn’t exactly strong, but he had reached the Shin stage; that alone couldn’t be looked down upon.

We cut through the mist with ease, defeating any groups of Enigma or District 1 that showed up. Around 8 minutes later, we arrived at the site of a bloody body sprawled out on the debris of a demolished building.

‘...’

I examined what was left of him closely—he wasn’t one of us. He was most likely a Royal Guard or someone from the Organization in District 1.

Gunnar's eyes darted around as he searched for something. I assumed that this was near the place where he had split up from the rest of the Senior Vices.

“!”

Holder bent down and suddenly called us over. He had picked up a thick strand of black hair that closely resembled Gunnar's.

“There... appears to be a path, Leader.”

He pointed ahead, and the strands of hair seemed to be leading to a certain location. I pondered for a short while. This level of preparation meant that this Storm person knew I would come.

From causing the Senior Vices to split up to letting Gunnar live; it was all calculated. He somehow already knew that they were from District 4.

‘Storm...’

I suddenly felt an uneasy feeling grow in my stomach; I could tell that he was dangerous. Lissandra folded her arms but didn’t say a word. Ever since we had left, she had been acting... strange, and it bothered me greatly.

“So that’s why he took my hair.”

My opened mouth closed as Gunnar abruptly spoke. Lissandra looked at me with worried eyes before I turned my attention back to the strands of hair.

“Let’s go.”

We moved quickly, following the trail littered along the ground. Gunnar dashed ahead; his eyebrows crinkled upwards as they pulled together. A noticeable indent on his cheek appeared from the clenching of his teeth, and his fists began to tremble more.

The alleyways and streets became wider as we closed in on the end of the trail. My heartbeat began to race, and my pupils dilated. I overtook Gunnar as the uneasiness in my chest reached its peak. I turned the corner of the large alleyway and skidded to a halt in front of the exit.

“!”

My arm shook as I stretched out my hand slowly. My breathing spiralled out of control, and my legs struggled to hold my weight. I took a few trudging steps forward, unable to hear Gunnar screaming out someone’s name.

“B-Brunaulf...?”

He stood in the middle of the wide street in front of me with his arms outstretched. His face and body were almost completely unrecognizable. Bruises, cuts, slashes, punctures—he had it all as he stood in a pool of his own blood motionlessly.

The bodies of the Senior Vices were scattered behind him. They laid there bloody and almost lifeless. I grinded my teeth together when I saw Denise's top ripped in half, exposing her bare skin that had been cut to shreds. Her jaw was busted, and her head slumped against the wall as blood poured out around her. Triste and Ven weren’t in a much better condition either.

Brunaulf had given his all to protect them, and his only visible eye that wasn’t swollen had almost lost its light as he stared directly ahead.

I followed his line of sight and saw a boy wearing a short jacket. His eyes curved upwards as he gazed at Brunaulf. My fingers twitched, and blood rushed to my head—time started moving again. I was about to take a step toward the boy when I saw Brunaulf's body tremble.

“BRUNAULF!”

My eyes widened as I dashed forward, catching his falling body. His blood splashed against my clothes; his body—devoid of any strength, yet still, his lips parted to greet me as he saw my face.

“L-Leader...”

He coughed up blood, and his hand quaked violently as he tried to raise it. The thick strands of madness that laced the street began to disappear, and tears poured out of my eyes as the true state of his condition became even more clear to me.

“B-Brunaulf... T-this... I-I... I won’t let you die!”

My mind suddenly went blank. I was unable to process anything as my gaze rested on the smile I could barely make out on Brunaulf's busted face. His disfigured hand gently rested against my cheek.

“My... S-sister... P-please...”

His hand flopped to the ground, and the already dim light in his eye, began to vanish. I stared at him in a daze.

Holder. I needed Holder. Holder could save him.

“HOLDER!!”

I roared as he quickly appeared by my side. He laid Brunaulf's body gently on the ground and fanned his fingers over it. I looked at the blood on my trembling hands as I somehow got to my feet.

‘It was okay. It would be alright. Holder could save him.’

I kept repeating the same words to myself over and over again as I watched a green light cover his body. Time passed by at an agonizing pace when Holder's head slowly swivelled towards me with a grim expression; an expression I didn’t want to see.

I denied it.

“Bring him back to me.”

I glared at Holder as his eyes trembled.

“L-Leader... With my current ability, he won't li—“

“I said, BRING HIM BACK TO ME!! NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES!!”

I roared at Holder. He was a healer. This was the whole purpose of his ability, and now he was trying to tell me that he couldn’t save Brunaulf? I wouldn’t accept it. I couldn’t accept it.

“Y-yes, Leader...”

He bit his lip as the intensity of the green light increased. I felt something light inside of me; an unstoppable burning rage rose up. It consumed my mind as I peeled my gaze away from Brunaulf's destroyed body.

My teeth gnashed together, and a hot breath escaped my mouth while I glared at the boy responsible for this.

“Beautiful. Truly beautiful.”

My eyes bulged as I watched tears roll down the boy's face. My veins popped, and my fists shook as I clenched them tightly. The Mark of a Pantheon activated, and my Ki exploded around me.

The Mark extended, wrapping around my arm till its tail rested in the palm of my hand. His lips curved upwards, and he looked at me full of expectation.

“Yes... Show it to m—”

His head snapped back as my feet kicked off the ground.

“STORM!!”

I dashed towards him in a sea of rage. I would make him pay for everything that he had done today.