Mildo froze for a moment, staring at the flames dancing rapidly before him, then glanced at his weapon.
"What should I do, Father? This world…" he whispered hoarsely, barely audible.
Armanda was quick, as she was used to such situations. With skill, she fired, the bullet piercing the head of one man and dropping him to the ground.
Logan was also skilled, his face calm, showing no trace of worry. He fired steadily, each shot hitting its mark.
Finally, Mildo raised his weapon slowly, his eyes glistening with sorrow. He whispered,
"Sorry…"
He squeezed the trigger; the bullet struck a man's shoulder, making him scream and fall. Mildo froze in place, as if the shot had hit him, not the man.
His hands trembled as he tried to steady the gun, his breaths short, as if his chest refused the air.
"Sorry… sorry…" he murmured between each shot.
Enzo squinted, trying to steady his aim on the bald man amid the chaos. A greedy smile spread across his face, and he pulled the trigger.
The bullet pierced the target's forehead directly; the body recoiled and collapsed to the ground.
Enzo laughed loudly, shouting,
"Finally! I've colored your shiny skull!"
Panic surged among the men in the cabin; their screams rose:
"Our master has fallen! He's dead!"
At that moment, one of the remaining guards raised a larger weapon toward the hill where the group was positioned. He fired, detonating the hill.
The explosion shook violently, the mountain trembling beneath their feet. Rocks began to loosen, and the ground under Armanda gave way.
Her eyes widened in terror as she felt herself losing balance.
"What…?!" she shouted, voice choked, before plunging down the slope, her hand reaching out in vain.
Logan's eyes widened; he leapt from his hiding spot, screaming as loud as he could until his voice echoed through the area:
"Armanda!"
Before he could finish, a bullet pierced his chest directly, sinking into his heart. He froze for a moment, blood beginning to seep from his mouth.
He fell to his knees, eyes fixed on the void where Armanda had vanished.
Mildo stood frozen, his eyes trembling with terror, heart pounding violently. His gaze shifted from the valley below to Logan, whispering:
"No… why!? Why do I always lose?"
He then spun toward the direction the shot came from, eyes blazing with rage and a desire to kill.
He shouted, a furious cry mixing pain and madness:
"Aaaah!"
He raised his pistol without hesitation and fired. The bullet struck the man's skull directly, sending him crashing to the ground.
Mildo panted violently, his chest rising and falling rapidly, his fingers trembling from the shock.
He ran toward Logan, finding him struggling to breathe, body shaking with pain.
"Logan… Logan, hold on!" Mildo called out, worry etched in his voice.
Logan opened his eyes with difficulty, grasped Mildo's face in his hands, blood smearing his cheeks.
"Sorry… I can't hold on any longer," he whispered, voice low and filled with regret.
His gaze shifted to where Armanda had fallen, his face a mix of sorrow and despair:
"I wanted us to go on a nature trip… to eat ice cream together. But I guess even a simple wish like that… we're not allowed to dream it."
"Logan…" Mildo whispered hoarsely, tears streaming down his face.
Logan closed his eyes, his hand falling lifelessly. His body became motionless, devoid of life.
Mildo watched his hand drop, tears spilling freely. He closed Logan's eyes gently and stood up, emotionless, as if his soul had departed with them.
Enzo finished off the remaining men, then approached Mildo with slow, steady steps.
"Oh… he's dead, then," he said mockingly, grabbing Mildo's hand without mercy.
"Come on, let's go."
Mildo pushed his hand away forcefully, raising his gun at Enzo with blazing anger.
"You're a true monster, heartless! Don't you see Logan and Armanda are dead!?"
Enzo paid no attention, unfazed by the gun aimed at him. He cared only for his arrogance and pride:
"Do you realize what you're doing? You're attacking someone far above you!"
Mildo gripped his weapon with both hands, steadying his trembling fingers:
"I don't care about your rank, I don't care who you are."
Enzo sighed with boredom, put his hand in his pocket, and activated a small device, shocking Mildo with electricity. He fell, dropping his weapon.
Enzo approached coldly, a look of cruel enjoyment on his face. He kicked Mildo in the stomach, drew his gun without hesitation, and shot Mildo's foot.
Mildo screamed in burning pain, heat spreading through his leg.
"I will kill you… I WILL kill you!" Mildo roared with fury.
Enzo laughed maliciously, enjoying his scream:
"Good… the pain will make you think a little."
He began walking away while Mildo remained collapsed on the ground, leg throbbing, shock still gripping him.
Then Enzo turned, smiling with menace:
"If you don't follow me now, I'll make you feel this pain over and over."
Mildo's body trembled with pain, every muscle screaming, but he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and forced himself to rise.
He staggered toward Enzo, each step dripping blood from his foot.
Enzo paused briefly, watching Mildo with a cold smile, seeming to enjoy seeing his endurance despite the pain. Then they continued walking toward their headquarters.
Upon arrival, the air was thick with the smell of blood and gunpowder, clinging to their clothes, reflecting what they had just endured.
Henry sat on a chair, legs crossed, a faint smile on his lips.
He raised his eyes coldly and asked,
"Are they dead… Logan and Armanda?"
Enzo stepped forward without hesitation, emotionless:
"They were weak. Their deaths were inevitable."
Henry glared at Enzo, eyes sharp as daggers, a strange anger coursing through him.
He leaned slightly forward, voice cold yet charged with quiet rage:
"I don't think they were weak. You… you are weak. Your failure to protect your team, your ignorance of the mission's weight… you are the weak one, Enzo!"
Enzo's expression stiffened, his hand trembling on the gun, and he raised it at Henry, shouting with mingled anger:
"How dare you?!"
Then a deep, sharp voice echoed through the room:
"You two, stop."
A heavy silence fell over the hall. All eyes turned toward the source, as Mr. Dante appeared at the entrance, walking slowly and steadily, a cigar dangling from his fingers, his stone-like expression unshaken.
Enzo stepped back, gritting his teeth, while Henry lowered his gaze slightly in respect.
Dante moved forward, standing between them. His piercing gaze burned into Enzo, then shifted calmly to Henry.
Finally, Dante turned his cold gaze toward Mildo, who was exhausted, injured, and pale from pain.
He raised a hand and said in a voice devoid of mercy or hesitation:
"Tend to his wounds immediately."
Then added, cold and merciless:
"Once your injuries are treated, you will clean the hall completely. No rest until it's done. This is how the weak learn to become strong."
Mildo lifted his head despite the pain, eyes glittering with anger and bitterness. His voice carried rage and hatred:
"You… are no less vile than that scum!"
He pointed a trembling hand at Enzo, shouting:
You… you monsters without mercy! You roam this earth, devouring everything in your path like gluttonous beasts, oblivious to anything but eating and killing !
Henry looked at Mildo in shock at his audacity, as if his actions exceeded expectations.
Dante approached slowly, coldly, and threw his cigar to the ground, flames flickering slightly upon impact.