Vincilos. Regarded as the hottest yet peaceful cities. The place is shaped like a cone—at least, that’s what half of it. The other half is the open field where adventures set out and hunt. In between, there's a wall between the city and the wild, acting as a border protecting the city.

The city is divided into three different districts—three separate halves. The first layer is the Housing District located on the top half of the city. It was a place where residential homes like private houses, apartment complexes, and inns are located.

The second layer is the Shopping District, which is located in the middle area of the city. It is the heart of Vincilos where most people shop for goods such as food, clothing, furniture, and also weapons, and also locations such as restaurants. Some stores also act as living quarters for owners who don't want to leave the store.

Lastly, the third layer located in the lower level of the city is the Docking District. It is used to dock ships and uses the warehouses to ship goods or store them until another ship arrives to transport them to another country.

It’s also known for its good fishing spot. Fishermen are free to fish from the docks or use rental boats to fish in the ocean. However, since the Blue Sharks took over the Docking District, a lot of fishermen weren’t able to fish ever since.

If they could beat the leader of the Blue Sharks, then the Docking District would be free for the people to fish once more.

※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※ ※

Shouya and Gin arrived at the city square, where the center of the chaos was happening. Fires scorching and spreading from one building to another. Blue Shark members were persecuting people; dragging them from their homes and into the street, or casting fire magic or throwing molotov cocktails at their homes, burning them alive inside.

The cries and screams of people that are being tortured by these horrific events that Shouya felt terrified and uneased by these hellish scenes.

This is what he was describing in his mind: Hell.

This is horrible. So much destruction. So many killings. Why would anyone do such a thing? It’s just like—

“Hey, watch out!”

“—!!”

“Huaaa!”

Without a moment to think, a man with a sword in hand ran towards Shouya. He was so distracted by the uncomfortable situation that this doesn’t give him enough time to react. Before he could take Shouya’s life, Gin quickly deflected the man’s sword and, with his sheer strength, made a wide cut through his torso with his large greatsword, splitting him in two.

“You’re alright?”

“Y-Yeah.”

“Don’t let your guard down for a second! They’re going to attack you, so be prepared! C’mon!”

“Right!”

Shouya and Gin made haste through the fiery streets. One might suggest, even Shouya in his mind at one point, that they would’ve used the alley to get to their destination safely. While that may be a safe option, the only downside is that it would only slow them down to the point that they don't have enough time to save the city before the Inquisitor arrives.

The city is huge; there’s just so many paths to take that you could easily get lost and take the wrong path if you don’t know the location. Not to mention that some paths are too narrow to get through, you could easily get jumped by an enemy at any time, and also, Gin is at a huge disadvantage because his sword was too big to even swing it, he’ll be left himself wide open. If they were to engage in combat, they would have very limited space to fight in.

While traversing through the alley is a safe option, it’s too risky to take that idea. The only quick way to get to the warehouse as fast as possible was to take the dangerous route, and they went along with it.

“These people… Isn’t there anything we can do to help them?”

“As much I want to sympathise with you, but we don’t have enough time to help them. They’ll pay for the pain they’ve caused.”

Gin grounded his fangs as he felt the frustration within him. All of the chaos in front of them happened preemptively. They couldn't have known that this was going to happen. They couldn’t do anything to prevent this.

“Look alive boys! We got fresh meat!”

Before they could continue, they were stopped by a group of Blue Shark members—a total of twelve men—were blocking the street in front of them. They were holding various weapons such as swords, axes, spears, and maces and machetes, too. Even some of them are going to fight barehanded.

Their menacing looks and intimidating bodies gave Shouya a little fright, but Gin, however, was not fazed by it. Instead, he was annoyed.

“Tch! I don’t have time for you goons! Move out of our way so we can give your boss a piece of my mind.”

“You? Going to face our boss?”

After they had heard Gin that he and Shouya were going to take down Vikov, the members of the Blue Sharks laughed at them, not taking them seriously.

“W-We do not want to cause any more trouble, but it would be grateful if you all not to destroy the city. If you guys stop and surrender peacefully, we won’t have to fight each other.”

Their laughs subsided when Shouya stepped in and tried to negotiate with them. Shouya wants to be a pacifist and not want to start a needless combat. But to them, they don’t care.

After hearing his negotiation, their faces turned sour as they didn't like the idea.

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“Look at this smartass! Are you suggesting that we’re gonna give in and do what they say like their personal servants?”

“That’s not what I—”

“You don’t understand how much suffering we had to put through. The Blue Sharks are gonna change the socility and no one's gonna stop us!”

“But—”

“Don’t worry. I’ll understand once I’ll get to your boss and give him a piece of my mind after I’ll cut him down.”

“Damn you!”

Agitated by Gin’s words, the man ram towards them with a weapon in hand. The others followed suit after.

“Stand back, kid. I’m gonna show you how you fight.”

Gin walked forward with his giant sword while Shouya stayed behind. It’s a group of twelve beastmen versus one man. If it’s a battle against odds, Gin was very outmatched. He would have no chance facing all twelve of them by himself. However, Gin’s smile didn’t fade as he had something up on his sleeves.

The group surrounds him in a circle, covering his surroundings. Then, he aims his large sword at the group.

“Now c’mon, who’s gonna face me first?”

Intimidated by his taunt, one of the men from the group charged at him from the left side. He came charging with an axe in hand and swung at him. Gin blocked the attack, but another man charged next to him with a large machete in hand and tried to attack him, but he pushed the man who was blocking the axe in front of him and deflected the attacking man’s machete with the same large sword before decapitating him with a single slash.

One after another, members of the Blue Sharks charge on him one by one with their weapons; metal clashing, sparks flying, and blood painting on the battlefield. It seemed like it would be an impossible fight, but to Gin, it was not a problem to him as he kept on blocking and dodging for every attack he saw as he counterattacks.

Gin landed a hit at the Blue Shark member with his sword and the man’s body collapsed to the ground, falling victim to the wolf-man’s blade. Other members charge towards Gin as they try to avenge their fallen comrades. But alas, they suffered the same fate as the giant sword struck their body.

Half of the group was annihilated by the wrath of the large lavender wolf and they couldn’t get a single scratch off of him.

“C’mon, I still got energy left in me to take you all down!”

As Gin exclaims to the remaining members, the two men look at each other with a grin on their face and charges at Gin simultaneously. One member attacks him with his axe and Gin blocks the upcoming attack, blades locking into each other.

“—!”

However, the other member passed through Gin as he ran towards Shouya with a machete in hand, becoming the target.

“Quick, defend yourself!”

“Eek!”

In response to Gin’s warning, without a moment too soon, Shouya quickly raised his sword and guarded the member’s attack. The boy managed to keep on defending for a while until the man smacked his sword from his hands with his machete, leaving Shouya nothing to defend himself.

“Die!”

“Aaah!”

Shouya closed his eyes as the man raised his machete in the air to kill him. Shouya’s means of defending himself was stripped away from him; he doesn’t have anything to defend himself. All he can do now is to accept his fate.

“…Kaaa!”

Before his fate can be bet, Shouya looked up and saw the tip of Gin’s blade pierced through the man’s chest. It was something that was unexpected that even both the Blue Shark members and Shouya couldn’t believe their eyes.

What struck the grunt was a long iron chain that connects from the tip of the blade to the mid-section of Gin’s greatsword. It was long enough to reach from where he’s standing to where Shouya was.

He yanked the man from Shouya and threw the body at one of the grunts before the chains retracting the tip back to the sword.

“Damn it! There’s no way we could take this guy out. Let’s attack all at once!”

Only five of them are left standing, but only four of the members charged towards Gin simultaneously with full force. As the group was about to approach him, Gin snorted.

“So that’s how it is, huh? Very well!”

Gin puts two of his hands on the hilt of his giant sword. Then, something unordinary happens. His sword was suddenly split into two, turning from one sword into two swords.

“Haa!”

As the grunts were coming to them, Gin rapidly slashes the oncoming men in front of him, tearing them from limb to limb. Not only that he changed his sword, but his fighting style was changed as well. When his sword was one, his movement was slow and he could only take out one at a time. This time, when his sword became two, his attacks and movement were fast and he could take out more than one enemy.

That was the power that Shoya couldn’t comprehend and was out of his league.

After turning them to mincemeat, there was only one remaining member left in front of him. But after seeing his friends get killed by the large wolf-man, the grunt fearfully surrendered and dropped his weapon.

“I-I surrender! I didn’t know I was fighting the Wolf of the Grey Moon. I was doing what I was told. P-Please, spa—guk!”

Before the thug could continue, Gin grabbed him by the neck with his giant hand and lifted him in front of him. Comparing both the hand and the man’s neck, it’s like he could choke him out—or even break the man’s neck—with only just one hand.

“If you knew who I am, then you shouldn’t have started the fight in the first place, otherwise I would let you and your friends live.”

Gin raises his blade behind him as he was going to stab the remaining grunt. If he does that, he would eliminate the obstacles that were in their way from the warehouse.

However…

“…Gin, wait! Don’t kill him!”

“Huh?!”

Before he could kill the last thug, Shouya intervenes, halting Gin’s execution. What was his purpose for stopping Gin from attempting to kill the thug? After what the Blue Sharks had done, it would’ve been ideal to get them back for the destruction that they’ve caused.

But to Shouya, however, that isn’t the case.

“What do you mean don’t kill him? Don’t you see what they’ve been doing?”

“I know that, but he chose to surrender. At least spare someone who is unarmed.”

“Even so, they’re the cause of this destruction. You gotta know the circumstances.”

“Gin, please…”

“…”

Gin looked at the worried Shouya, pleading to spare the thug’s life. Despite that they are the enemies and what they’re doing to the city right now, Shouya doesn’t want another person to be killed, even if someone gave up the will to fight.

“…Fine.”

He gave a deep sigh and let go of the thug and the man fell to the ground bum first. After he was released, the thug cowardly ran from the scene with his life spared. Gin turns to Shouya with a mild expression on his face.

“I can see that you have a good heart. I can commend that.”

“T-Thank yo—”

“But…”

Gin flicked Shouya’s forehead and he yelped out “ow”. Even though it was a harmless flick, it felt as if he got hit by a baseball.

“Even if you tried to be nice, the same outcome won’t work again. I mean, I can see what you’re trying to do, but you gotta learn that not all people are gonna feel the same way.”

“—”

“But you’re not a bad kid. You’ve got good intentions, and I can’t blame ya. I just don’t want to see another person die in front of me. That includes you. You get what am I saying, right?”

“Y-Yeah…”

Hearing what Gin had said made Shouya feel a little warm inside. Even though what he said was true, his compliment and his safety for Shouya rings into his ear, and he couldn’t help but to acknowledge what he said.

“Anyways, let’s get going. We don’t want to keep Jakki waiting.”

“Right!”

That being said, both Shouya and Gin continue towards the Warehouse and save Jakki.