Rin walked deeper into the underground base, passing one laboratory after another.
Scientists hurried through the hallways carrying files, strange chemicals, and metal cases.
The farther he went, the busier the facility became.
Then he stopped.
In front of him was another laboratory.
Through the large glass windows, dozens of people were locked inside. Some sat silently with empty expressions, while others desperately held onto the bars separating them from the scientists.
Rin's eyes narrowed.
"...Oh, crap."
Before he could think any further, one of the scientists noticed him.
"Hey."
The scientist walked over with a friendly smile.
"Are you the new scientist?"
Rin quickly nodded.
"Yeah."
"I brought the delivery."
The scientist glanced behind Rin and nodded with satisfaction.
"Good."
"Perfect timing."
Rin looked through the glass again.
"...What will happen to them?"
The scientist followed his gaze.
"The experiment."
He answered as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
"We're going to perform experiments on them."
"We're trying to create a more powerful weapon."
Rin stayed silent for a moment.
"And..."
"If it fails?"
The scientist shrugged.
"Then a sacrifice is made for this journey."
"Progress always requires sacrifices."
Rin lowered his head.
"...Sacrifice."
A quiet laugh escaped his mouth.
"Heh..."
The scientist frowned.
"What's so funny?"
Rin slowly looked up.
"Want to know something?"
"What?"
Rin's smile disappeared.
"There was a time..."
"When I lived in my darkness era."
"I killed a lot of people."
"So many..."
"...that eventually my emotions went completely numb."
The scientist stared at him in confusion.
Rin continued calmly.
"But even then..."
"I never treated people as weapons."
He took a slow step forward.
"I treated them as equals."
His hand reached behind his back.
"And when I killed them..."
"...I made sure it was painless."
Shing.
A large scythe slid into his hand.
The scientist's eyes widened.
"W-What are you doing?"
He immediately stepped back.
"Stand down, newbie!"
The room fell silent.
Every scientist in the laboratory turned toward Rin as he stood there, gripping his scythe with an emotionless expression.
Rin let out a quiet breath.
"I've never been the type to feel sad watching people suffer."
He tightened his grip on the scythe.
"But..."
His eyes swept across the prisoners trapped behind the glass.
"...this is too much."
The room fell silent.
Rin slowly raised his scythe.
"It's time to remind people..."
"...why they call me The Death."
A crimson aura began flowing from his body, spreading across the laboratory like a cold mist.
The temperature seemed to drop.
The scientists froze where they stood.
"W-What is that...?"
"I-I can't move..."
The pressure grew heavier with every passing second.
Several scientists collapsed to their knees, while others lost consciousness before they could even react.
Rin's expression remained emotionless.
"I'm the only one..."
"...who has the right to execute people like you."
The scientist in front of him finally snapped out of his fear.
"S-Stand down!"
"Stop him!"
He reached for his weapon.
Too late.
Whoosh!
Rin disappeared in a flash.
A silver arc cut through the air.
The scientist's eyes widened in disbelief before he collapsed to the floor, defeated in a single strike.
The remaining scientists stepped back in terror.
"T-That's impossible..."
"Who... who is he?"
Rin slowly turned toward the rest of the laboratory, his crimson aura continuing to fill the room.
The prisoners watched in stunned silence.
For the first time...
They felt that death itself had walked into the laboratory.
A minute later, the laboratory had fallen completely silent.
The floor was stained from the aftermath of the battle, and the remaining scientists who could still move had fled in terror.
Rin lowered his scythe and looked toward the people locked inside the holding area.
"...It's over."
He walked to the control panel beside the reinforced door and unlocked it.
Click.
The door slowly slid open.
The captives hesitated for a moment before stepping out.
Rin looked at them.
"Find the back door."
"Get out of this place."
One of them nodded repeatedly.
"T-Thank you!"
"Thank you for saving us!"
The others quickly echoed their gratitude before hurrying away as fast as they could.
Rin watched until they disappeared down the corridor.
"...Good."
He turned around.
Only one frightened scientist remained nearby.
Rin grabbed him by the front of his uniform and pinned him against the wall.
Thud!
The scientist trembled.
"P-Please..."
"I don't want to die!"
Rin looked him straight in the eyes.
"Alya."
"Where is she?"
The scientist swallowed nervously.
"S-She's..."
"She's in a room upstairs!"
"I swear that's the truth!"
Rin stared at him for another second.
"...Good choice."
He released his grip.
The scientist slid down the wall, gasping for air.
Without another word, Rin turned away.
He rested his scythe on his shoulder and began searching the corridors.
"Now..."
"Where are the stairs?"
Meanwhile, outside the base, the battle was still raging.
Explosions echoed across the battlefield as scientists and Blue Scarf members clashed without stopping.
Kaito sprinted forward before leaping into the middle of the battlefield.
He drew his blade in one smooth motion.
Slash!
A scientist fell before he even realized Kaito had passed him.
More scientists immediately turned toward him.
"There he is!"
"Stop him!"
They charged from every direction, surrounding Kaito.
Before they could reach him—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of gunshots echoed through the battlefield.
The charging scientists were forced back as bullets struck the ground around them.
Herion emerged from the smoke, rifle in hand.
"I've got them."
He fired another burst, forcing the scientists into cover.
"Go inside."
"I'll cover you."
Kaito glanced at Herion for a moment, then nodded.
"Got it."
Without wasting another second, he dashed toward the entrance of the underground base.
Herion remained behind, continuing to fire at the scientists to keep them away.
"As long as I'm here..."
"...none of you are getting past."
Inside one of the laboratories, Alya lay on a metal bed.
Heavy chains restrained both her wrists and ankles, leaving her unable to move.
She pulled against them, but the restraints didn't budge.
The laboratory door slid open.
Noxus walked in first.
She adjusted her glasses before looking at Alya.
"Stand still."
Alya glared at her.
"As if I have a choice."
A moment later, Maxwell entered the room.
Behind him was Brody, wearing his black glasses and carrying a metal case.
Brody set the case on a nearby table and opened it.
Inside were several medical instruments.
He picked up a syringe and walked toward Alya.
He smiled faintly.
"This is going to hurt..."
He paused for a second.
"...maybe."
Alya frowned.
"I don't like the sound of that."
Brody ignored her.
He carefully inserted the needle into her arm.
Alya gritted her teeth as the syringe slowly filled with her blood.
"...Tch."
She winced but refused to cry out.
Brody watched the syringe fill before reaching for another.
"Just a little more—"
"That's enough, Brody."
Maxwell's calm voice stopped him.
Brody shrugged.
"Alright."
He pulled the syringe out and walked over to Noxus.
"This is the sample."
Noxus took the syringe and held it up to the light, carefully examining the blood inside.
A small smile appeared on her face.
"So it's true..."
She lowered the syringe and looked back at Alya.
"You really do have an excellent brain."
Alya simply stared back without saying a word.
Noxus then turned to Brody.
"Take this sample."
"And make a new one."
Brody nodded confidently.
"You got it, boss."
He took the syringe, closed his metal case, and walked out of the laboratory.
The door shut behind him.
Noxus shifted her gaze toward Maxwell.
"You stay here."
"Guard her."
Maxwell gave a short nod.
"Understood."
Satisfied, Noxus turned around and walked out of the room, leaving Maxwell alone to watch over Alya.