Cell district B,

The trio had just escaped from district C to a hallway leading to district B. However, when they heard the blaring alarms fade, Malkov and them decided to take a small breather.

"How long are we till the surface?" Oliver turned to Malkov, both of them dead tired from all the running.

Malkov took a deep breath, "When I was brought here, they went through that way into A district which— shit!"

"What the fu— Mmph!!"

"Shh!!" Getting tackled by Malkov, he was caught off guard when they shoved him into a small, derelict room. Sadly, although he wanted to protest, Malkov and Merriam quickly shut him down.

-Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!-

Oliver's face was deadpan when he caught sight of the soldiers that was suddenly walking by, thinking to himself: '...Deja vu,'

-Stomp! Stomp!-

They waited...

-Stomp!-

And waited...

-Stomp...-

And waited...

.......................

Until they were safe...

"Whoo... I think we're good for now," Malkov whispered as he cautiously looked around the corner, just in case a few strays decided to come by.

"They all came from district A. Do you think we can rush out and escape?" Merriam spoke as she studied the footprints of the guards.

But Malkov shook his head, "I doubt it; knowing Isaac, he'd probably leave some soldiers there as a contingency plan... He was never known to put all his eggs in one basket, after all,"

Now that the guards were finally gone, they resumed their escape, sneaking out of the hallway and into a cell area.

"This is great! After this should be the stairway to district A, and after that..." Malkov smiled, "Freedom awaits!"

Wasting no more time, the trio dashed past the countless number of cells, all the while taking care of lone guards. Eventually, they finally arrived on the surface, or to be exact, the prison courtyard. Merriam could see the dome right behind her.

"C'mon! Let's go!" Malkov pointed at the gate while wildly gesturing to the other two, "We're almost there! No time to be tired!"

"Haaa... I'm a detective, not a damn track and field runner!" Gasping for air, Oliver had to stop and catch his breath, "Plus, there are no guards here; what's there to be scared of?"

Malkov thought for a bit before sighing, "I suppo—"

"I'm not so sure about that!"

""!!!!!""

All three of them turned to the source of the voice, panic clearly plastered on their faces.

This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

Walking from the dome was Isaac and two cloaked men.

Isaac strained a smile as he glared at them, "Hum... it's only been our second meeting, and I already have to kill you; a pity really,"

Merriam crossed her arms, and with the snootiest tone she could muster, "A pity? Yes, I think so too. Only, it won't be us who dies,"

Isaac wanted to respond, but he was interrupted by one of the men standing behind him, "Be careful, that woman's a corporis. And that man..." He pointed at Oliver, a confused look on his face, "He's something even I can't figure out,"

"Oh? Is that so?" Isaac raised an eyebrow at the two, but he soon returned his attention back to Malkov, "And you, I should've never allowed you to stay that far away from me!"

"And that's how it should be! You wanted to chain me like a dog, and now you expect me to—"

"To what?! I only do this because you're too stupid for your own good!!"

"Good? Good? I know what's for my own good! I'm aware enough to know the world hates me! But I won't lower my head to them, even if I die!" The veins in his neck throbbed as he screamed.

"Fine... have it your way, just don't blame me for having mine,"

He turned to the men behind him and said: "You two, deal with our guests... I'll take Malkov back myself,"

"Nyeheheh!! My pleasure!" Oliver frowned in disgust when he saw the man lick his lips. Still, readied himself for the fight, unsheathing his sword.

-Woosh!-

The two men didn't waste any time and began rushing towards Merriam and Oliver.

-Clank!-

Oliver parried the man's strike and jabbed with his own.

Parry.

Strike.

Parry.

Strike.

As their bouts went on, Oliver started to get used to the flow of battle. His eyes were able to catch the small quirks and flaws in his opponent's movement, his brain was able to react quicker. Not by much, but each and every time he parried or struck, he became that bit faster... until—

"Hah!!"

His strike finally connected! Oliver felt the sword enter the man's chest, and in turn, a wave of crimson-red blood exited him.

"G-Gaahh!!" The man died almost instantly, and with a thud, he crumpled to the floor.

After making sure he wasn't faking, Oliver looked around to see the state of the battlefield:

'Hmm, Mariya is still dealing with that other guy,' Oliver glanced curiously in Merriam's direction, and just as he was about to go and help, he noticed something else...

To the right of him, behind Merriam's position, was Malkov and Isaac. However, instead of fighting, they were speaking to each other.

Curious, Oliver stayed on the ground to play dead and began listening in on their conversation.

"Why are you doing this? The moment you met me, it felt like my life has been miserable,"

"I just want to protect you,"

"I don't want to be protected,"

"So, what do you want? I can give you anything,"

"Then let me go; you're hurting me by keeping me here,"

"Impossible, I can give you anything but that,"

"Why not?! Just because you love me doesn't mean you have the right to keep me here! I'd rather you kill me,"

"... Yes, I have no right, but I certainly have the power!" Isaac looked at Oliver, "I'm frankly impressed you were able to deal with him so quickly, but I won't be so easy,"

His cover blown, Oliver slowly got up, and under the gaze of Isaac, he smirked.

"You won't be easy, sure. But it's three against one; I'm sure you'll find it a lot harder to fight no matter how skilled you are. Isn't that right, Merriam?"

"Indeed,"

-Flick!-

Isaac's eyes instantly narrowed, and in a split second, he turned around and—

-Clank!-

The sound of metal hitting metal could be heard during the exchange.

"What the fuck..." Oliver was shocked; Isaac had... he used his hands!

'Was he wearing a metal gauntlet? No... When I got up, he had nothing on! Could it be he had a weapon hidden?'

While Connor was in the midst of his thoughts, Isaac started to speak again. His eyes easily able to track the agile Merriam.

"Yes, you do have three people against one, but if all three of them were disabled and barely able to fight... wouldn't that be fairer?"

Merriam didn't answer, instead choosing to rush in for the kill.

-Clank!-

Again, with his bare hands, Isaac deflected her slashes.

"Raahh!!" But while he was still busy, Oliver suddenly rushed behind him to strike!

"So you're going to gang up on me?" He chuckled to himself. "Fine, fine. But since none of you wants to question how I intend to even the playing field, it'll be better shown than tell, right?"

-Snap!-

"Hrnggh?!" With a snap of his finger, both Oliver and Merriam crashed into the ground, unable to move even a single muscle.

He laughed maniacally, his arms spread full-mast.

"This... Is Why!!"