Rhett walked with his eyes forward. The blood mist swirled slowly around him. As he expected, this advanced nation had no presence that could threaten him.
Rhett: Without their ancestors, they're nothing.
He had forcibly pulled the "Holy Maiden" from her fate in the most domineering way.
Guards arrived, saw the broken door and the "Holy Maiden" in Rhett's grip. Their faces changed. Their energy weapons raised. "Stop! Release the Holy Maiden! Who are you?!"
Rhett didn't even blink.
The blood mist surged.
The two guards couldn't even pull the trigger. Their throats were pierced. Shock froze on their faces. They fell.
The girl let out a short gasp, watching the blood spread. Her body shook more violently.
Rhett pulled her over the bodies and onto the clean streets of Piruka.
Their appearance caused an uproar. A murderous stranger in strange clothes, dragging their sacrificial "Holy Maiden" in prison garb. It was jarring.
Patrol officers in small flying vehicles rushed over, shouting warnings. "Release the Holy Maiden! Surrender!"
In response, several thick, blood-red mist arrows shot out. The vehicles were pierced and exploded, raining fire. The officers didn't even have time to scream.
A well-dressed "upper citizen" watching laughed mockingly. "Where did this barbarian come from? Daring to cause trouble in Piruka? Don't you know whose territory this is? Someone call the—"
Before he could finish, a wisp of blood mist passed by. His head separated from his body. His mocking expression frozen.
Then, alarms blared. A squad of officers, far better equipped than the previous ones, surrounded them from the air and ground. The leader had a high-ranking insignia. He didn't attack. He stared at the girl in Rhett's arms with a pained, stern look. His voice echoed through loudspeakers.
"Holy Maiden! Look at yourself! Have you forgotten the glory Piruka gave you? Your mission as the 'Wedge of Atonement'? Return to your place now! Or else..."
The harsh words struck the girl's numb nerves. She flinched. Instinctively, she started to explain, fear in her voice.
"I... I haven't forgotten... I..."
"Shut up."
Rhett's cold voice cut her off. He didn't even look at the leader. He just said to the girl in his arms, "Your answer means nothing."
Then he looked up. His crimson eyes swept over the dark line of officers. He said only four words.
"I'm taking her. And I'm not leaving any of you."
Before the words faded, Rhett's figure blurred. In the next moment, he was on the roof of a tall building. The blood mist under his feet surged and quickly formed a massive, menacing throne.
Rhett sat on the throne, the girl in his lap. He placed her in front of him, his chin resting on her head.
"Watch," he said, his voice emotionless.
The thick blood mist around them churned violently. From within came the sound of metal scraping and heavy footsteps.
One, ten, a hundred, a thousand... Countless warriors made of pure blood mist stepped out. They carried weapons of mist.
Rhett brought the wind! The great wind!
They had no faces, no sound. Only a flawless formation and overwhelming killing intent. They formed an unstoppable army, facing the technology of the officers.
Without a single command, the blood mist army surged forward like a flood.
No shouts. Only the clash of weapons, the tearing of energy guns, and the short, cut-off screams of the dying.
It was a one-sided massacre. Energy weapons only caused ripples in the mist warriors. But the mist blades brought real death.
The girl sat in Rhett's lap, forced to watch the slaughter below. Her eyes were wide with shock. Her body was stiff.
Rhett's cold voice spoke again in her ear, stating a harsh truth.
"See?" he said. "With or without you, they die anyway. Your prayers, your atonement, your mission..."
"...mean nothing."
The girl sat on the cold throne, watching the slaughter. The people who had decided her fate were being cut down like straw. In her empty eyes, a faint ripple of "confusion" finally appeared.
She watched the familiar uniforms shatter. She heard the short screams. Her lips moved. She spoke for the first time.
"But... this... this is the power of a devil..."
This was what she had been taught. All power outside of technology was evil. Sin.
Rhett's chin rested on her head. He felt her trembling. He didn't get angry. His arms tightened around her, a firm, reassuring presence.
"Wrong."
"Power has no good or evil. Only the one who uses it decides."
"Remember this. From now on, this is 'our' power. Power isn't for begging for mercy. It's for making everyone learn to respect."
He paused, a hint of guidance in his voice as he whispered in her ear.
Rhett's silver tongue activated.
"Say it. 'This is my choice.'"
The girl looked up, confused. She couldn't understand. Instinctively, she repeated, "This... this is my mission..."
Before she finished, "THWACK." A light tap.
Rhett had flicked her forehead. It didn't hurt. But it made her pause.
"No," his voice was still calm. "Say it. 'This is my choice.'"