In the central district of New Janus was the abandoned branch building of SIGIL. It was a decrepit concrete tower looming over the heavens. Near the entrance of the forsaken structure, alarms bellowed as mobsters scrambled to their positions, preparing for battle.
Hecate watched as the barrels of numerous rifles pointed at her and the summoned monsters standing beside her. Strands of her crimson hair swayed with the silent breeze while her scarlet eyes narrowed with a cold and disappointed glint.
"Who is that?" One of the thugs questioned while tightly gripping his rifle. Dread echoed within their hearts as none expected to face two monsters who could maul them to death in mere moments.
"I... I don't know. She doesn't seem to belong to a gang." Another mobster responded, preparing to shoot once the battle began. Even though their bodies trembled from fear, they didn't think of deserting their positions.
It wasn't out of loyalty, but from greater fear. Once one was branded as a traitor, every bastard within the central district would be hunting them down and making an example out of them. Such a fate was worse than death.
An officer belonging to one of the central three gangs stepped out and glanced at the crimson-haired girl standing beside aetheric beasts, two of which towered over them. His eyebrows furrowed as his heart began to pound from trepidation.
The officer's phone promptly rang, prompting him to hold it beside his ears. It was orders from the top. The voice of the buff man escaped the device, commanding the threat to be taken care of. "Handle it."
"I want them captured and dragged into the cellars."
"B-But... Boss, the intruders are two aetheric beasts and a crimson-haired girl." The officer could barely form words while he reported the appearance and circumstances of their adversaries.
"An aetheric beast!?" There was astonishment and a tinge of fear, but greed followed. "Our supplier already delivered RPGs. Use them to capture the aetheric beasts and that damn girl."
After years of ruling over the central district, these gang leaders gained a sense of invincibility. In their mind, nothing and no one could stop them. They command an entire army of thugs, equipped with weapons that could tackle the garrison of an industrial town.
Their forces should be capable of handling aetheric beasts. As long as it wasn't an Aberrant or a Jaeger, none could challenge them within New Janus except for those ruling families in the cardinal districts.
Hearing the command of his boss, the officer swallowed his throat and gritted his teeth. He could only nod in agreement and answer to the orders of their leader. "Okay, Boss. We will handle that girl and the aetheric beasts."
As the communication between them was cut off, the officer clenched his fist and glared at the intruders. Glancing at his men, he commanded them to take out their heavy weaponry. Meanwhile, he nodded at the guards ready to pummel the invaders with a hail of bullets.
On the other hand, Hecate noticed the mobsters glaring at her, prompting her composed face to break apart into a chilling smile. "Looks like all of them are ready. The spectators are watching, as affirmed by Damien."
"What must be done is simple. To show the strength of Block 7, the consequences of resisting us, and the futility of defiance. Since the audience has arrived."
"Let us begin, shall we?" She glanced at the wyvern, Fafnir, who nodded in understanding, and Hound, who growled before charging at the mobsters guarding the entrance of the abandoned building.
As the abominable hellhound stormed the defensive positions of the thugs, bullets showered overhead and ricocheted from the hardened skin of the summoned monster. It didn't take long for their formation to break apart.
"What the-" A mobster cursed out as the hellhound lunged at him and took a bite of his neck. Blood splattered as his scream was muted halfway through. Chaos consumed the defensive ranks of the three gangs, some retreating into the abandoned building.
One after another, the thugs were being bitten alive by the monstrous dog of hell. The officer commanding them felt his heart pound from utter dread as he slowly backed away from the bloodied lines where corpses lay.
A puddle of blood took shape, its crimson hue transforming the entrance into the gates of hell. Bullet casings were scattered with the bloodied ground, the scent of gunpowder coursing through the air.
'I have to run from this bloody mess.' The officer thought as he hastily sprinted towards the emergency staircase, far from the chaos and screams that echoed through the interiors of the abandoned building.
But before he could reach it, a pale fist flashed before his eyes. It slammed onto his face, smashing him into the concrete wall. Cracks splintered from the rough surface, blood dripping from his mouth and nose. It felt as though he had been rammed by a car.
He could barely breathe, his consciousness narrowly holding on to the sliver of his perception. He lay sprawled beside the concrete wall, staring at the crimson-haired girl with fear. His eyes quivered, tears dripping with fright.
"You should have escaped when you had the chance. Instead of resisting the inevitable, you could have lived, shackled and caged like an animal." The crimson-haired girl muttered under her breath, sighing before gouging his heart out.
Hecate glanced at the lone corpse and felt a bit thirsty. Her fangs instinctively extended, but she forced herself to calm down. The scent was sweet and delicious. However, she didn't want to drink blood yet.
She had resisted the urge to take a bite since the beginning of her life. She didn't dare to taste blood, fearing herself to be lost in its depraved pleasure. Even now, amidst these corpses, she didn't want to betray herself.
'Calm yourself, Hecate. Be patient until you meet the one.' She reminded herself of what she had endured. Persistence was the key, alongside discipline.
Hound continued hunting the survivors through the main stairwell. Floor after floor, screams and cries for mercy rang. Blood splattered on every corner as the mobsters were forced to withdraw further. There was no escape for them.
Those who dared to leave the entrance were burned alive by Fafnir, circling around the abandoned branch building of SIGIL, waiting for prey that managed to escape the massacre of Hound. The three gangs were trapped within the decrepit structure, and death was an inevitability.
Meanwhile, as the lower levels were massacred by the abominable hellhound that hunted each and every mobster, the summit of the branch building was riddled with bullet holes and corpses. The gang leaders huddle within a reinforced room, frightened by a black-suited young man.
In their eyes, he was no different than a devil. None of their assault wounded the assailant, as though he was but a mirage, untouchable yet lingering. For the first time in their lives, they felt the guillotine of death hanging over their necks.
Outside, Damien whistled while passing through a couple of corpses belonging to the guards protecting the gang leaders. Against him, whose body was no different from a superhuman, they stood no chance.
Even without the assistance of his summoned monsters, he defeated them with ease. Their rifles couldn't touch him, nor could their blades strike his body. 'The bastards are hiding, huh?'
Killing them was a prospect that he could easily decide. But he stopped himself from doing so, intending to acquire key information from them. After all, these three gangs should have assets that could be utilized by Block 7. It would be a waste to let the hyenas take them.
"The three of you should surrender." He kicked the doors to the reinforced room open, where the gang leaders huddled together in fear. To think these men were the supposed rulers of the central district. It was disappointing and saddening to those who suffered under them.
Three minutes. It only took 185 seconds for the entirety of the central district's three gangs to be utterly annihilated. Regardless of their heavy weaponry or manpower, it didn't stand a chance against those who stood near the summit of the New World.
Alastair and Francine walked towards the bloodied entrance of the abandoned branch building. Although it looked appalling, at least their new headquarters wasn't wholly damaged during the battle. They simply needed to clean the mess left behind by their juniors.
When the two arrived near the entrance, three figures were kneeling with their legs crushed into oblivion. Beside them were Hecate and Damien, and behind were Hound and Fafnir. There was no escape for these three gang leaders. They could only meet the one who brought judgment.
"Hmm... You actually captured them, Damien." The edges of Alastair's lips curled into an arrogant smirk as strands of her white-hair swayed behind her hips. "I believe you have already obtained the needed information from them."
Damien glanced at the three quivering men and nodded. "Their assets have been recorded. We should acquire them before the vultures take our earned hard work."
"Good, so why are they still alive?" She nonchalantly asked her cute subordinate, while the three former gang leaders gazed upon her with stunned expressions. Memories were recalled into their minds, remembering a name that struck fear throughout the New World.
White Devil... Everywhere she went, landscapes would be broken like fractured glass, and hills of corpses would lie scattered throughout the bloodied background. She was the strongest of humanity, the seventh Paragon, Alastair Glass.
Before any of them could speak, Alastair gently smiled and flicked her fingers. Instantly, the bodies of the three gang leaders shattered into pieces, sliding onto the ground with a resounding thud.
"Block 7 does not compromise."