The alarm bells rang.
Once.
Twice.
Then continuously.
Taai's eyes snapped open.
A soldier burst into the training hall.
"Leader!"
"The assassin has escaped!"
Silence.
Then—
Taai vanished.
The floor beneath him cracked as he sprinted.
Kai followed immediately.
By the time they reached the prison—
The smell hit first.
Blood.
Far too much blood.
The entrance had already been sealed off.
Guards stood frozen.
Some looked sick.
Others simply stared.
Taai slowly walked inside.
The prison corridor...
Had become a slaughterhouse.
Bodies lay scattered everywhere.
Walls painted crimson.
The reinforced cell stood open.
Empty.
Taai closed his eyes.
"..."
His fists trembled.
Not from anger.
From disappointment.
"...Akari..."
Before anyone could speak—
Another soldier came running.
Completely out of breath.
"Leader!"
Taai turned.
"What now?"
"The eastern district!"
"A monster!"
"It's attacking civilians!"
No one wasted another second.
---
The eastern residential district.
People ran through the streets.
Shouting.
Crying.
Buildings burned.