Damian and Joseph looked back in horror, their eyes widening in shock. What should have been a frail young woman suddenly became a monster in their eyes. There was nothing about her innocent expression that left them with any sort of ease any longer.
The amount of torque you would need to twist a human's head off, let alone from such an odd position, was enough to make them shiver down to their cores. This young woman looked no different from any other in her early 20's. Yet, the strength she displayed was beyond the realms of reason.
"Keep running!" Joseph barked.
The young woman continued to observe the running group, her breathing hiccupping into a bubbling giggle every so often. It was as though she had overexerted her body, but her brain had yet to register the fact. It short-circuited, trying to decide whether she should prioritise laughing or breathing deeply.
Damian and the others entered a state of high alert.
It was at that moment that the guards began to flood out of the cracked walls one after another, some quickly catching up to some of the prisoners who hadn't spent their time escaping but rather on other matters.
But, it was then that the first arrows were released. It was so swift that it didn't even make a single sound beneath the chorus of excited roars and insane laughter.
A guard who had just snapped the arm of a prisoner while twisting their limb back suddenly found a bloody hole between their brows.
The prisoner blinked with curiosity, crimson splattering all over his face. His tongue whipped out, tagging the corner of his lip.
He spit out the blood as soon as he tasted it, finding it not too pleasing. Then, without much thought, he snapped his arm back into place and continued running with everyone else, curiosity lighting his eyes. Despite the fact he had just seen a person die for the first time in his life, he didn't seem to feel any particularly special way about it.
It was a complete slaughter. Every guard that stepped into the clearing was instantly sniped. The precision of the Hargrove City archers seemed to be even beyond the elite snipers of Earth. They acted as though in tacit agreement, not wasting a single arrow.
Earth was very quickly finding out that there were some matters far more important than just talent. While the people of Earth were fighting to protect their home, the people of Terrain were fighting for their futures. Not just their own futures, but that of their families and loved ones. Losing… Was not an option.
Hundreds of prisoners made their way across the clearing, their confidence growing with each passing moment. The efficiency of the archers gave them this very confidence to the point where many began to smile. They finally saw an end to their nightmare.
Of course, those smiling individuals weren't among the madmen designated with A's and D's across their chests. There were no small number of C and B-grade Prisoners who lost their lives at their hands.
"City Lord, is it really alright to let things continue like this?"
Every City Lord had a right hand man. For City Lord White, it had been the secretary, Niya. For City Lord Hargrove, it was an elder man who seemed even older than the skinny, greying City Lord. This older man, dressed quite like a butler, was known as Salnas.
Hargrove continued to observe the situation, not answering immediately. In response, Salnas couldn't help but press again.
"There's clearly a reason why Earth decided to lock many of them away. Though they're clearly very powerful, they've all lost their minds. How can we expect to control them? They might end up being our downfall instead." Salnas finished, his tone somewhat somber.
Though he spoke these words, in order to ensure that his actions wouldn't dampen the morale of the men, he controlled his voice so that only the City Lord could hear him. After all, every small advantage they could grab a hold of was a plus. They couldn't allow Earth the slightest chink in their armor.
"Salnas, I think it's best you don't ask for answers to questions you aren't qualified to have."
The sudden indifferent voice caught Salnas off guard. He felt as though a blade was suddenly firmly pressed against his back, prepared to take his life at the slightest sign of impropriety.
Salnas gulped, his frail old body shivering.
"… Yes, Young Heir Anared. I apologize, I've stepped out of line."
Salnas struggled to speak through gritted teeth, the beating of his heart growing erratic. Even to now, he didn't dare to turn around to face Anared who had most definitely appeared behind him. He simply lowered his head, trying to stop the trembling of his body.
'When did this child grow so powerful?'
Salnas felt as though Anared could take his life whenever he pleased. But, logically, this young Heir who was nothing more than a little boy in Salnas' eyes should have still been several decades away from displaying such strength.
However, when Salnas thought of a certain possibility, his trembling only became worse.
Hargrove frowned slightly and swept a gaze back in Anared's direction. Something like reprimanding another's subordinate was definitely crossing a line of respect. It was even worse that Anared had actually been listening in on what should have been a private conversation.? In any other situation, this would have led to a battle of City Lords. But, even Hargrove seemed to feel some trepidation when facing Anared now.
Just when Hargrove made the choice to swallow his pride and was about to try to alleviate the tension with some words, the ground quaked.
'… Are they finally getting serious?'
Hargrove turned his frown toward Dark Cloud Prison. He knew well that Earth wouldn't leave this place unprotected. This prison was too much of a strategic point. In fact, even Terrain was aware of this or else Anared would have never been sent here.
The portions of the hexagonal prison that appeared above ground suddenly collapsed. No… They didn't collapse, rather, they sunk into the ground, being swallowed beneath the concrete.
Just after this happened, the hollow center that the prison once surrounded opened, separating like the jaws of a hidden beast.
A platform slowly raised. At first, it was impossible to see anything atop of it. But, very soon, the shadows of men and women became clear.
By the time the platform's gears grinded to a halt and appeared above ground, one could see a troop of over ten thousand warriors led by Lead Guard Garwin and Governor Duke Owen.