Chapter 6: Echoes of the Massacre

The old, crumbling stronghold stank of mold, burnt stone and forgotten battles.
Sae, Kurumi, Zar, Rya, Hu and Katori stood together—
facing Osaki and his thousand-man gang.

Osaki grinned, the expression stretching grotesquely across his scarred face.

“Hey, hey… Saecchi. If we kill you here, not even your corpses will ever be found.”

Zar’s fist clenched so hard it trembled.
“I’m going to fucking end you.”

Kurumi stepped forward, forcing calm into her voice despite the tension tightening her chest.

“Sae, Zar—wait. We can’t kill our own people. It’s pointless. They can be punished, yes, but murder is—”

Her words evaporated into the stale air.
No one listened.

Zar stepped ahead, eyes blazing.

“I’ll crush you into paste. You’re dead.”

Osaki’s gaze slid to Kurumi—and lingered.

“Well… aren’t you pretty. Mind if I get a closer look?”

He leaned toward her.

Kurumi’s body froze, revulsion twisting her expression.

“Disgusting.”

Before he could touch her, Zar and Rya stepped in front of her at the same time.

“Touch her and we’ll kill you right here, you traitorous bastard,” they growled.

Osaki lifted his guard and chuckled.
“Come on then, little brats.”

“Let us at least help them,” Kurumi whispered.

Hu approached her, voice gentle.
“Don’t worry, Kurumi. Zar and Rya are Sae’s fighters—they’re strong enough. They can handle this.”

Kurumi still looked uneasy.

Sae, without looking away from the brewing clash, spoke quietly:

“Sit and watch, Kurumi. This is their fight. Respect the duel of a cult soldier.”

Zar made the first move.

Osaki bent to the side, evading the strike with an almost playful smoothness.
Stone crept over his arms—turning his fists into hardened rock—
and he drove his punch into Zar’s face.

A sickening crack echoed as Zar’s nose snapped.

Rya lunged from behind, fist raised—
but Osaki spun, granite knuckles burying into her stomach.

Blood sprayed from her mouth.

He laughed.

“Pathetic. And you fools think you can free Ayanon from Dravok?
There’s no place in this world for the weak.”

Zar staggered upright, wiping the blood dripping down his face.

“Your attacks… feel like bug bites.”

Osaki’s gang burst into crude laughter.

“Listen to him! Kid’s already dying and still talking big!”
“Look at him—breathing through his ass!”
“He’s done for!”

Osaki blurred forward and slammed his stone fist into Zar’s groin.
A crack echoed—bone giving way.

Hu flinched.
“What kind of monster is he…?”

He tried to rush into the fight, but Sae’s voice sliced through the air:

“Hu. I told you not to interfere. Respect their battle.”

Hu froze, swallowing hard.

“O-Okay, Sae…”

Kurumi snapped.

“Sae—what the hell is wrong with you?! They’re dying! Zar’s ribs are broken, Rya can barely breathe!
If we don’t step in, they’ll both die! Do you not understand that?!”

Sae slowly turned to her, eyes colder than steel.

“Do you see losers out there? I don’t.
I see two people refusing to give up. Nothing more.”

Kurumi stared at him, horrified.

He’s… delusional.
Zar and Rya aren’t fighting—they’re just being beaten.
If this continues, they’ll die…

The fight raged on.

Osaki struck Rya one last time—
she collapsed, unable to rise again.

Zar remained standing only through sheer will, swaying like he might collapse at any breath.

Osaki approached him laughing.

“What happened, little shit? You were talking big earlier.
Should’ve stayed home playing with your toys.”

He drove his boot into Zar’s stomach.
Zar flew back, landing right at Sae’s feet.

Gasping for air, he whispered:

“I’m… sorry, Sae.
I couldn’t keep my promise.
I couldn’t take my revenge…”

Sae stepped past him, whispering:

“Don’t worry, Zar.
I’ll take your revenge.”

He walked toward Osaki, passing through the amused gang members.

“Oh? Sae! Cat got your tongue?”
“If you beg, maybe we’ll spare you!”
“Show us your crying face, little Ayanon hero!”

Sae stopped right in front of Osaki.

Osaki grinned.
“What’s wrong? Scared of my stone fists?”

Sae didn’t answer.

Kurumi felt the air shift—
a cold, suffocating dread creeping into her chest.

Hu exhaled shakily.
“…It’s going to be a bloodbath.”

Kurumi couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Sae! You don’t have to kill them! We can still take them to Rex—they can be judged—”

Osaki leaned toward Sae, mocking:

“She’s right, Sae. Come on, beg me a little.
Maybe I won’t ki—”

Sae raised his hand.

In a single, merciless motion—
he ripped Osaki’s head clean off.

Blood erupted in a violent spray.
Osaki’s head bounced across the stone floor.

Sae lifted his gaze, white hair dripping red.
His silver eyes locked onto Kurumi—

cold, emotionless, terrifying.

His voice chilled the air.

“I’m not Ayanon-born.
So killing trash like this means nothing to me.”

A thousand gang members froze in horror.

“He ripped his head off—”
“With one strike—”
“He’s only twelve?!”

They drew their weapons and charged.

Sae pulled a small knife from his pocket.

And then the massacre began.

He severed heads, tore jaws from skulls, split bodies cleanly in half.
Blood pooled across the ruins like a crimson river.

Kurumi watched until her stomach twisted in revulsion.
She looked away—and met Katori’s sorrow-filled eyes.

When she turned back, Sae stood among nearly a thousand corpses.
His once-white hair was drenched in red, dripping onto his face like rain.

Kurumi’s vision blurred.
She vomited—then collapsed.

When she awoke, she was in Sae’s arms.
The stench of dried blood suffocated her.

“Put me down…” she whispered.

Sae obeyed.

Kurumi stood before the cult’s gate.
Before entering, she murmured to herself:

“Sometimes… I wish you could see that there were other ways.”

Sae didn’t hear her.
Or perhaps—
he didn’t care.