Dawn breaks over the abandoned warehouse where Thronjaw holds his hostages. The cold, damp air is filled with the stench of fear and the sound of muffled whimpers. Thronjaw strides through the dimly lit room, his presence alone casting a shadow of dread over the captives. His towering frame and piercing gaze make him a figure of sheer terror.
With a sadistic glint in his eyes, Thronjaw grabs a young man by the collar and drags him to the center of the room. The man struggles, his eyes wide with terror, but Thronjaw’s grip is unyielding.
“Please, no! I’ll do anything!” the young man pleads, his voice cracking.
Thronjaw sneers, “You’ll do anything, will you?” He forces the man’s hand onto a makeshift table, pulling out a wickedly sharp knife. The hostages gasp, their collective fear palpable as Thronjaw presses the blade to the young man’s finger.
“No, please! Don’t!” The man’s voice rises to a frantic pitch.
With a swift motion, Thronjaw slices through the finger, the young man’s scream echoing through the warehouse. Blood splatters across the table and drips onto the floor. The hostages watch in horror, some turning away, unable to bear the sight.
Thronjaw holds up the severed finger, his eyes gleaming with twisted satisfaction. He walks over to another captive, a middle-aged woman who has been sobbing quietly. He shoves the bloody finger toward her mouth.
“Eat it,” he commands, his voice cold and merciless.
The woman shakes her head, tears streaming down her face. “No, please! I can’t!”
Thronjaw’s expression darkens. “Eat it, or I’ll cut off more than just a finger next time.” His tone leaves no room for defiance.
With trembling hands, the woman takes the finger, her sobs growing louder. She hesitates, gagging at the sight and smell of blood. Thronjaw leans in closer, his breath hot on her face.
“Do it,” he snarls.
Her hands shaking violently, she forces herself to bite into the severed finger, her face contorting with revulsion. The other hostages watch in silent horror, some vomiting from the sheer brutality of the act.
Thronjaw steps back, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. “Good. Let that be a lesson to all of you,” he says, his voice dripping with malice. “Defy me, and you’ll suffer worse.”
The hostages are left in a state of constant fear and anguish, their spirits crushed by the relentless cruelty of their captor. Thronjaw revels in their misery, finding twisted delight in their pain and helplessness. His every action is a reminder of the hopelessness of their situation and the monstrous nature of the villain who holds their lives in his hands.
Thronjaw posts his latest atrocity on social media, the grotesque display sending waves of horror through anyone who sees it. In room 309, the tension is palpable.
Jennifer slams her fist on the table, her voice trembling with rage and frustration. “ARE WE STILL NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING?!” she demands, her eyes locking onto Alex with a fierce glare.
Alex’s face remains stoic, though his eyes reveal a flicker of guilt. “We still haven’t gotten any orders yet. The Commander has clearly stated that no other team except Squad A can go and fight him, and he isn’t wrong. There isn’t anyone in our team capable of handling him,” he explains, his voice steady but devoid of confidence.
Jennifer sighs heavily, her shoulders slumping in defeat. “So we are just going to let people suffer,” she mutters, her voice breaking.
Elio gives a disappointed smile, shaking his head. “You know, you are just proving Arata’s words more and more as time passes by,” he says, his tone a mix of sadness and frustration.
“Elio, you can’t say that. We don’t have a choice,” Lila interjects, her voice pleading.
Elio just smiles sadly, his eyes filled with empathy and determination. “We do. We can go out there and help those people. I’m not saying we have to fight Thronjaw, but helping people? What about that? Those are civilians. Not like us. Even I am not a super amped-up, beefed-up superhero Ringmaster like you guys, but even I feel bad for the people who are not being rescued by our superheroes,” Elio says, his voice firm and passionate.
He sighs and returns to his books, the weight of his words hanging in the air. Lila has no words to counter Elio’s statement, her face a mask of conflicted emotions. The team sits in uneasy silence, the room divided. One faction follows Alex, while the others are hesitant, their faith in their leader waning with each passing moment of inaction.
More time passes, and only an hour remains. There is still no sign of Squad A. The 240 people Thronjaw is tormenting seem to have given up hope entirely. Their faces are etched with despair, their spirits crushed. The once-vibrant glimmer of hope in their eyes has been extinguished, replaced by a hollow emptiness.
An elderly man stares blankly at the ground, his hands trembling as he mutters prayers under his breath. A young couple huddles together, their hands intertwined, clinging to each other for whatever comfort they can find.
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It seems there is nothing left for these people to even have hope for. The initial belief that the Ringmasters would come to their rescue has faded into bitter disillusionment. The once-unshakable faith in their protectors has eroded, leaving behind only a profound sense of abandonment and betrayal.
The oppressive atmosphere weighs heavily on everyone, a suffocating reminder of their dire situation. The silence is punctuated only by occasional sobs and the distant, menacing laughter of Thronjaw, who revels in their misery. The hostages, once filled with the conviction that they were safe under the protection of the Ringmasters, now feel utterly forsaken.
The news outlets are frantically asking questions: "Where is the Ringmasters squad?" "Our country's protection is at risk!" "A huge threat is currently endangering our people, and the Ringmasters are nowhere to be seen." These headlines and questions are bursting out from every media channel, their urgency echoing the growing panic among the populace.
Amidst the chaos, all Commander Williams offers is a brief statement: "Our Squad A will be here soon. Do not worry." Yet, despite his reassurances, there is no sign of Squad A. The clock continues to tick down, and with only an hour left before Thronjaw begins his deadly spree, the sense of dread intensifies.
Citizens glued to their screens feel their anxiety rising, their faith in their protectors waning with each passing minute. The silence from the Ringmasters is deafening, and the absence of action only fuels the fear and uncertainty spreading through the nation. The tension in the air is palpable, a grim reminder of the peril that looms ever closer.
In room 309, Jennifer, Dan, and Elio are all visibly frustrated. Lila, however, continues to browse social media, Carly is engrossed in her favorite K-drama, and Alex is absorbed in forming reports. Jennifer and Dan can hardly believe how everyone else, apart from Elio, seems so nonchalant about the situation. Dan shakes his head in disbelief, his frustration evident, and heads off to get his coffee, hoping it will help him regain some composure. The tension in the room is thick, the contrast between the urgency felt by some and the indifference shown by others creating a palpable sense of disconnection and exasperation.
The clock keeps ticking, each passing moment increasing the immense pressure Thronjaw exerts. The media is relentless, scrutinizing every possible detail about the Ringmasters to portray them in a bad light. Our heroes, the Ringmasters themselves, have completely given up on the situation. Outside Hex’s headquarters, a restless crowd is brewing, the tension and frustration escalating.
Somewhere, a Queen sits, observing the chaos. "Thronjaw... I see what he is doing here," she says softly. "But you should know, Thronjaw, even if the Ringmasters don’t appear before you, he definitely will. I saw it in his eyes." Her words hang in the air as Thronjaw begins a livestream to the world, the promised slaughtering stream casting a dark shadow over everything.
"Sorry to keep everyone waiting. Since the Ringmasters didn’t appear, I will end the life of these people." Thronjaw announces, his voice dripping with malevolence as he pulls a gleaming sword from outside his dimension. Panic erupts among the captives and the viewers alike.
"No... Mom..." A student watching the stream mutters, his eyes wide with terror. "PLEASE HELP, HEX, MY DAUGHTER IS THERE!" a woman screams outside of Hex’s headquarters, her voice cracking with desperation. The crowd gathered around Hex’s headquarters grows louder, their fear and frustration palpable.
"My husband is the only one I have in this world who is family. I can’t lose him as well!" another voice cries out, the fear in the crowd clearly visible in their tear-streaked faces and trembling hands. Commander Williams sighs deeply, a heavy, hopeless sound as he watches the livestream. He rubs his forehead, trying to stave off the panic threatening to overtake him. "Taylor... Where is your squad?" he mutters, desperation seeping into his voice as he tries to understand why Squad A hasn’t shown up yet.
“THE FIRST VICTIM WILL BE THIS YOUNG BOY!” Thronjaw's voice booms as he drags a young boy to the forefront. The boy, barely in his early twenties, looks petrified, his eyes darting around in search of a miracle.
“THAT’S MY SON!” someone in the crowd outside Hex’s headquarters shouts, their voice breaking with anguish. "Let’s put an end to you... boy!" Thronjaw's eyes gleam with sadistic pleasure as he raises his sword, ready to bring it down on the boy’s neck.
Just as the sword is about to strike, a metallic clink resonates through the air. Two swords clash, the force of the impact sending sparks flying. The crowd gasps, and all eyes turn to the source of the clash.
“You don’t understand humans, Thronjaw,” the Queen's voice echoes from somewhere distant. “Especially this one.” She speaks as if narrating a story, her tone imbued with a mix of admiration and anticipation.
Standing before Thronjaw, his sword locked with the villain’s, is a familiar figure. His eyes burn with determination, his face set in a fierce expression. Though not transformed into his Ringmaster form, the wolf has appeared, ready to fight. The sight of him sends a wave of hope through the crowd, their despair momentarily lifted by the appearance of a hero.
The Queen watches the unfolding scene with a contemplative gaze. Her eyes, sharp and perceptive, reflect a mixture of surprise and admiration as she speaks, “When hope is lost… There will always rise a hero to the occasion. So far, I have only read about them from the books that Sheena provided me, but this time… I have seen it in his eyes.” Her voice carries a tone of awe, her expression softening momentarily as she continues, “He is the hero that the humans don’t deserve… No, he is the hero we Undergrounders need more than those pesky humans.”
The Queen’s face shifts to a frown of annoyance, but it is quickly replaced by a wistful smile. “A hero… Just like her…” she murmurs, her voice tinged with a hint of nostalgia. Her eyes linger on the screen, her gaze filled with a mix of confusion and contentment. “Why does he have the same eyes as her? Why?” she sighs, her thoughts drifting to the past, yet a glimmer of happiness dances in her eyes.
The scene transitions back to the warehouse where the captives are huddled in fear. Arata, emerges from the shadows. The atmosphere is thick with tension as the captives look up in a mix of disbelief and hope. The warehouse, once echoing with despair, now vibrates with a new sense of anticipation.
Thronjaw’s surprise is evident, his eyes widening in shock as he takes in the sight of Arata. “Wolf?!” he exclaims, momentarily thrown off balance by the unexpected arrival.
Arata stands tall, his presence commanding and filled with resolve. “Thronjaw… You wanted someone to fight, right? I AM HERE!!!!” His voice rings out with unyielding determination, his eyes gleaming with a fierce heroism. The air around him seems to crackle with energy, his stance radiating a powerful aura of courage and defiance. The captives, once resigned to their fate, now find a flicker of hope in the arrival of this formidable hero.