Broken Crowns
The Low Cut District wasn't just cracking — it was breaking. The empire Cainen had built with fire and fists was fracturing from the inside. The air inside their hideout tasted thick with suspicion and anger. Faces that once carried loyalty now flickered with doubt, and every glance felt like a knife pressed to the throat.
Cainen stood at the center of the chaos, fists clenched, jaw tight. He wasn't just fighting outside enemies anymore — the real battle was bleeding inside his own ranks.
The Council RoomThe dim light flickered over the worn concrete walls, casting long shadows across the faces of the Deadly Six. But tonight, the six weren't whole — some seats sat empty, and trust was thinner than the smoke hanging in the air.
Rekka cracked his knuckles, pacing the room with restless energy.Kaito leaned back against the wall, eyes cold and calculating.Lilith sat cross-legged on the floor, bat resting across her lap, smiling that crooked grin that never promised anything good.DMK hovered silently in a corner, observing.
And Cainen? He was the king with a fractured crown, staring down a storm he hadn't seen coming.
The Whisper of Betrayal
It started with the small things — messages that never got through, shipments that disappeared, and word on the streets that government agents were suddenly walking with too much confidence.
Rekka slammed his fist against the wall, sending cracks spiderwebbing across the concrete."Someone's selling us out. And they're doing it from inside."
Kaito's eyes narrowed."Could be one of us."
Lilith giggled softly, her grin wide enough to split her face."Oh, I love a good game of 'who's the snake.' It's always the funnest."
Cainen's voice cut through the tension, sharp and commanding."We find the traitor. We burn them out. No questions."
Flashback — Loyalty Tested
A memory sliced through Cainen's mind, sharper than any blade. Months ago, beneath the burning glow of city fires, Titanium Fist Creature had stood beside him."Power's the easy part. Holding it? That's the real fight," the old man had said, voice rough like gravel."Watch your back, kid. The ones closest can stab the hardest."
That warning echoed now louder than ever.
The First Confrontation
Late that night, Cainen caught one of his trusted lieutenants, Mikai, in the act — a secret meeting with government agents in a shadowed alley.
The confrontation was brutal. Words twisted like knives."Why?" Cainen demanded, voice cold.Mikai's eyes were haunted but defiant."Survival. I'm tired of this endless war."
But Cainen wasn't buying weakness. Not now."You either fight with me or against me."
The Punishment
Mikai's betrayal couldn't be forgiven. The punishment was swift — a fight that left bones broken and loyalty shattered.
As Mikai lay broken, Cainen's voice was low and ruthless."Let this be a lesson — no traitor lives."
The Fracturing
News of the punishment spread like wildfire. Some saw Cainen's mercy as weakness, others as necessary. But the cracks ran deep.
In whispered corners, deals were made. Alliances shifted like sand. Trust was a currency no one could afford.
Lilith's Move
Meanwhile, Lilith played her own game. She wasn't just chaos — she was the wild card no one saw coming.
Her twisted smile hid plans darker than anyone guessed.
One night, she disappeared into the government's territory — and returned with information that shook the Deadly Six to their core.
The Real Threat
The government wasn't just attacking—they were manipulating. Using spies, propaganda, and dirty tricks to turn friend against friend.
Cainen realized the war wasn't just outside the district — it was inside their own heads.
The King's Resolve
In the depths of the night, alone, Cainen clenched his fists, burning with resolve.
"I won't let this empire fall," he whispered.
With fire in his eyes, he prepared to fight the fractures — to hold his crown, no matter the cost.
The Storm Ahead
The empire was broken, but not finished.
The true battle for the Low Cut District's soul was just beginning.
End of Chapter 21 — Broken Crowns