The streets of Mexico buzzed with unease. Citizens stepped back, whispering in fear as Rex strode past—two swords gleaming at his sides, two guns holstered heavy against his hips.
"My king," Cyrus called, his voice carrying in the tense silence. "Where can we find the Commandment of Faith?"
"In the center of Mexico City," Rex answered, his eyes hard. "He is locked away. But before we free him, we must gather strength."
Artemis frowned. "And how will we do that?"
Rex turned to them, his gaze sharp as steel. "By crushing every major cartel in Mexico. One by one, until none remain."
The air shifted, heavy with destiny.
"In three days," he declared, "we will bring all seven cartels to their knees. I will take Los Serpientes Negros. Cyrus, Artemis—you will dismantle Cartel del Silencio. We strike at midnight, when the darkness is absolute."
Cyrus bowed slightly. "My king… Cartel del Silencio's fortress lies near Cancún. That is hours away."
"Then go now," Rex ordered. "Be ready by twelve. No excuses."
Midnight – Los Serpientes Negros
At 11:59, Rex crouched in the shadows outside the compound of Los Serpientes Negros. Guards patrolled the gates, their rifles glinting under floodlights.
Rex's hand rested on his holsters, but his mind whispered something colder: I must leave the light behind. Only darkness will guide me now.
He unstrapped two weapons—Archangel Michael and Silent Fang—and placed them against the roots of a tree. Tonight, he would wield only death incarnate.
The clock struck twelve.
Rex burst forward with Cerberus in one hand and Eclipse in the other. The front gate exploded in a shower of splinters. Before the guards could blink, their heads hit the ground, bodies still upright.
Cartel soldiers screamed, rushing forward, only to watch Rex cut down twelve in seconds—his gun barking thunder, his blade flashing moonlight. Blood painted the compound crimson.
"I am the Conqueror!" Rex roared, his voice shaking the air. "You who have drenched this land in evil—your reckoning has come! By my hand, the king will cleanse the world!"
The survivors trembled. Their leader found himself staring into Rex's gun barrel.
"You ask why I am here?" Rex's voice dropped, low and merciless. "Justice brought me."
The gun fired once. The leader crumpled.
At 12:15 a.m., Los Serpientes Negros belonged to Rex Draven Kane.
The Silencio Massacre
Meanwhile, at Cartel del Silencio's fortress, chaos reigned.
From the shadows, Cyrus loosed arrow after arrow, each shaft finding its mark in men who barely had time to scream. His fire arrows lit the compound with brief flashes of orange as panic spread.
At the front gate, Artemis struck like a storm. Her blade cleaved through guards in sprays of red. She vaulted the wall, her war cry echoing across the night, blood raining with every slash.
Inside, she and Cyrus moved as one—he cutting down order, she carving through defiance. Leaders tried to rally the men, only to fall to arrows through the throat or blades through the chest.
At last, their quarry was cornered. The cartel boss stumbled back, gasping, when four of Cyrus's arrows pinned him against the wall. Artemis walked in calmly, eyes burning with fire.
With a single stroke, his head fell.
"You will serve my king, Rex Draven Kane!" Artemis cried, her voice ringing with both fury and devotion. "He will cleanse this world and slay the gods!"
The survivors dropped to their knees, whispering in fear. "Sí, mi reina…"
Artemis flushed crimson, but her sword never wavered.
The Conqueror's March
By dawn, two cartels had fallen.
At noon the next day, Rex summoned his allies. "At high sun, I will strike La Sombra. Artemis, Cyrus—you will annihilate La Sombra Negra. We will bring justice not in shadow, but in light."
The war continued, cartel by cartel. Mansions burned, fortresses toppled. Leaders were impaled, shot, or decapitated—each death a message carved into the soul of Mexico: a new power had risen.
And at last, when only Los Lobos del Infierno remained—the largest cartel of them all—Rex led his army into the heart of Mexico City.
Blood drenched the courtyards. Smoke rose in pillars. Fear itself hung in the air like poison.
When the leader of Los Lobos took his own life rather than face Rex, the conqueror raised his voice to the trembling survivors.
"Your master is dead. He died a coward's death. Follow me now—or join him."
None dared defy.
The Police Station
Hours later, Rex walked into Mexico City's police headquarters with Artemis and Cyrus at his side.
"There is no justice here," Rex said coldly. "Only rot. Only evil. I will cleanse it."
The police chief stepped forward. "Who are you to make such threats?"
Rex met his eyes, voice cutting like steel. "I am your retribution."
Artemis moved in a flash. The chief's body hit the ground.
The officers froze as Rex ordered, "Line them up with the rest."
Down the corridor, in a locked cell, Rex finally stood before the man he sought.
The Commandment of Faith sat in shadow, his body broken, his voice dry. He looked up at Rex with hollow eyes.
"The faith and hope you lost," Rex said, "I will give them back to you. But only if you will follow me."
Faith's voice rasped, bitter and defiant.
"Why," he asked, "would I follow you? You're nothing but a nobody."