Before he reached the place he feared, Kagayama strolled around, sharp-eyed and cautious, scanning the surroundings with every step.
The skepticism arched inside his mind, and the person nearby became a potential enemy, making him more paranoid.
His grip on the bag tightened, while the other hand reached the curve of his clothes to keep and prevent the crossbow from falling apart.
Like before, he only needs to take the right turns, walk forward, and turn left at the next crossroads to reach the destination. Unfortunately, there are dangerous zones at the center, and it becomes a cursed place for Kagayama.
Still, he walked with a little more confidence this time, as the crossbow he carried felt like a savior, a silent guardian that could protect him from danger.
He realized the street was increasingly quiet as he stepped closer to his destination. The number of pedestrians nearby was about twenty, though it was a high number; this was lower than yesterday.
The hustle and bustle of the street is just a thought, like the hopes after the empire's fall.
With awareness, Kagayama arrived at the first crossroads, and finally saw many people passing by.
They walk normally, mind their own business, without thinking about anything else. It reminds him of busy roads in Tokyo.
The scene seemed pretty normal, until he saw the small number of people who came in and out from the right turn, the same way Kagayama used to get in the slave market.
With caution, he walked to the crossroad, took a few glances, and walked further on his path.
There are not many people in there, just him, a few pedestrians, and some locals who seem to carry their trash outside before getting into their houses again in a hurry.
As he reached the halfway point of the street, he saw a group of people forming, watching something in front of them.
Not far from there, several horse carriages stopped in a queue, waiting for their turn.
Behind him, a horse carriage, full of logistics, turns around and takes the other way—to avoid something.
Kagayama walked even further, sweeping the pedestrian in front of him, while holding his belongings even tightly, like he knew something had happened in there.
The conversation between the people is too loud, too crowded, too noisy, and his still bandaged right ear makes it even harder to get some information.
He couldn't fully understand what they were talking about, what they were seeing, but Kagayama could feel the fear and empathy inside them.
Their breath was heavy, and their eyes seemed to blink in horror as they tried to avoid the scene in front of them.
After he passed the maze of humans, Kagayama stood, merely very front of them, watching the scene carefully.
The fire inside him lit up again, the hands he had clenched, and his face looked like the other people around, but Kagayama had an extra feeling of hatred inside him, more than the other.
His eyes pointed directly at the thug in front of him, who pulled the young woman's hair roughly.
The young woman's gaze is full of fear, sadness, and despair.
She locked her eyes in a direction, frozen like a corpse.
Kagayama followed the direction she was looking for and found a man's body lying on the street.
He didn't move at all, and the fresh blood flowed from his head like a river. His wounds are so bad that his head seems almost cracked open.
Kagayama loosened his breath for a second as the wave of nausea washed over him after seeing the body. His trembling eyes move from it slowly, back at the thugs, and see one of them holding a piece of wood, still covered in blood.
A wave of anger struck him again, much stronger this time, as he predicted what had happened to them, to the helpless person in front of him.
His teeth ground without any permission, the sound of it echoed inside his head like a windblown tree.
The smell of sweat became stronger as it fell through his body, covering each part of him, to cool down Kagayama, which was starting to burn.
One of the thugs was watching the crowd with a sadistic, arrogant face. He pulled the young woman's hair towards his leg while shouting.
"From now on, this place will be our territory."
He paused, seeing the terrified face in front of him, and enjoying each one of them, before continuing.
"Anyone who dares to fight will end up like him, and her fiancé."
The crowd seemed to obey them, scared of the consequences, and even chose to remain silent while the thugs humiliated the young woman and killed someone she loved the most.
Kagayama switches his gaze to the other direction and sees other horrible things.
A horse-drawn carriage was blocked by them, and they took money from it by force.
The guard tries to calm the situation, but is eventually driven out by the thug.
A woman seems to get dragged to a narrow alley by several people with faces full of forbidden desires.
He pointed his gaze back towards the thug in front of him, still in anger as he saw the thug's grip on her hair tighten, the same as Kagayama's grip on the cloth.
The thug was very satisfied with the reaction of helpless people; his arrogance grew even more, making him shout again.
"Give our gang all of your young female children, or we will take them by force like this one."
He began to strip her clothes, leaving her shoulder exposed to the air. A sadistic smile full of desire formed on his face as he tried to take the remaining clothes from her body.
Kagayama felt a wave of wrath. He fails to keep his composure as it will break down any longer.
The girl's tears, the woman's scream, the sounds of coins taken from the horse carriage, and the face of the helpless guard became an urgent alarm for him.
He knew it was hard to change the condition, and he was too afraid of the consequences he might get, especially if he had to confront them directly.
But his heart screams for justice, screams for the sake of the people, for his own. For his wrath, his tainted pride, and his satisfaction.
It felt like a sharp razor blade was slicing his chest, sharp and relentless. The weight on his head brings great pressure as it demands Kagayama for a choice.
Would he do it? Would he kill or set them free?
He knows, this time he holds a fragment of the power. Unlike yesterday, when he was helpless and couldn't do anything.
This was too complicated, making his mind blank, and the tension between him with the crossbow was unbearable.
The time felt slower around him, followed by his breath and heartbeat.
He could feel something take control within, destroy the point he had made a long time ago, and seek revenge, the things he wanted and was also scared of.
At the peak of anger. He could feel the hissing sounds coming from his mouth, and his vision trembled unconditionally.
Finally, he gave it up.
His left hand released the bag and let it fall to the ground.
Then he reached the crossbow inside his clothes. He pulled it out, carefully opened the fabric, withdrew the launch mechanism, placed an arrow on it, and aimed.
At this time, his mind is blank, he couldn't even think clearly—filled with spontaneous rage he couldn't control.
The pedestrians around him were completely obvious. Their faces focused on the thugs, without knowing it was the last time they would see them alive.
The thug was caught off guard as he kept busy with the young woman in his hands. He didn't predict that someone would attack him, but even if he knew it right now, it was too late.
An arrow dashed in thin air, and the friction caused by it was slightly heard around there. It was quick, and after half a second, the arrow penetrated deeply inside its target.
His still-shocked mind could barely feel the pain for a short time before he lost consciousness and drifted to eternal sleep.
The other thug watched it in horror as his friend's body collapsed on the ground.
His body moved on its own, quickly turned from his place, and tried to run away, but like his friend, he was too late.
An arrow precisely breaks through his back. The weight of it overwhelmed him, made his body fall forward, and his face collided with the street.
The crowd panicked and ran in all directions, accidentally hiding Kagayama between them.
A young man with fresh wounds on his cheek, watching them from afar.
Though it was a horrible scene, he could sense a fire ignite within him as the body of the thug was visible, and the young woman escaped.
Swept the water on his still-wet wounds with his hands, and suddenly his face frowned in anger, while gazing at one of the thugs near him.
His trembling hands take a wooden plank nearby, hold it tightly, and run towards the thug.
As he stands beside him, he slams his weapon at his face, until the thug falls to the ground.
He continued to beat him, slaughtering him without any hesitation.
A man came from inside his house, knife in hand, to get some revenge. He approached the thug who dragged a woman to an alley, and fought him.
His move is fast, but the enemy he had has a wooden stick that could easily make a wound on his body. But the spirit inside him is stronger as he bears all of the pain, takes the thug's hand, pulls him closer, and stabs him right in the stomach several times.
The group of thugs who had been chilling, knowing they had control before, was shocked by the sudden change. Some of them ran away, but mostly were rushed towards to help their friends and fight back.
From the opposite direction, the locals gathered, bringing stones, sticks, and whatever they thought could be used as weapons.
They threw the stone at the thugs and then rushed towards them. As their group met in the center, an act of assault began.
The sound of screams, groans, sounds of objects colliding with each other, and the sound of a body that falls into the street becomes clearer.
The smell of flesh and blood roams around widely as more people lose their battle, with their lives.
Finally, the guard who had been absent all of this time, formed from the slave market, charged towards them while pointing their polearm to calm the situation.
But it was too late, the war had already begun, the casualties had already fallen, the hatred had already formed, and lives were already taken.
Still, they managed to make both of the groups retreat to their side.
Both of the groups carried the one who wouldn't manage it safely. But not for all, because some of them still attack their opponent and ignore the guards.
The crowd grew even more, watching the disaster curiously.
They came from the other place, far away from there, because the news spread like a wildfire among them.
The street became lively again, although it was for an unpleasant reason.
Between all of them, Kagayama stood motionless, seeing the amazing work he had made, in fear.
Not because he couldn't take enough revenge, but because the results were bigger and terrifying than he expected, even in the darkest place within him.
The crossbow in his trembling hands creaked and clattered, the sound of strained wood and scraping parts betraying his fear.
His breath hitches again, the gaze he had was like a person without any soul, silent, empty, pointing at the massacre ahead.
One of the guards spotted him and focused on his weapon rather than Kagayama's face.
Piqued by curiosity, he walked closer to see the curve on it properly.
Eyes widened in realization, when he finally caught a glance at the ornaments, the symbol he was familiar with. He quickly withdrew the sword and walked towards Kagayama.
The gloomy eyes he had captured the guard's movement, sent a multiple alarm inside him, and forced Kagayama to regain control over his own body, in panic.
Faster and closer, the guard makes his steps towards Kagayama. Each of them was full of determination, and sometimes a hint of anger, but after seeing his target couldn't escape because of the crowd, a smirk appeared on his face.
When their gap closed to just ten steps, a figure in a black robe approached silently behind the guard.
A few seconds later, the guard's body collapsed onto the ground, a small wound on his nape the only sign of what had happened.
But before he could take a single breath, a fist slammed his face.
It was rough, but he recovered fastly.
Although his face is invisible, the determination and fighting spirit burning within him.
He gets into a fierce fight with the guard.
His movement is fast and magnificent, yet it was not enough.
A spear landed on his forearms, carving a brutal wound.
Yet his fighting spirit doesn't faint easily. He grabbed the spear's handle, pinned it in place, while taking his right hand off from it.
Amusement written on the guard's face as he struggled to pull the spear back.
Knowing the condition was unstable, Kagayama hid the crossbow and took his full-of-bread bag. He moves slowly around the people, coinciding with each other, to reach a safer place.
But the battle is still going on.
The figure turned his gaze towards Kagayama quickly, and continued to the battle.
Spear in his hand moves forward as the guard pushes it.
He quickly released it, evaded the tip of it, white his other hand withdrew a dagger.
The guards choose to attack rather than evade it. He moved the spear and targeted the belly, but the dagger stabbed his waist first, making him lose control, move the almighty weapon in another direction, and got the leg.
His fresh blood came out like a waterfall, but fortunately his legs weren't cutted.
Sadly, the wounds left him immobilized, and vulnerable.
It hurt.
Though he stood still—prepared for the next attack before then getting knocked down to the ground by a precise kick on his head.
It makes his body collapse to the ground and immediately lose consciousness.
On the other side, Kagayama arrived beside the store, the place where he could take a break, he felt a pang of safety.
He could see the conflict become even worse from afar. The guards began to attack other people with their weapons, the same as the thugs and the people.
The casualties increased rapidly.
The blood was flying in the air as the violence grew even more.
The sounds of chaos become harder and clearer.
Kagayama felt a guilt that filled his mind because he was the first one to attack, the first one to kill, and also become one of the survivors.
He grabs his head tightly, two arms holding it like a watermelon, and squeezes the hair roughly.
"What have I done?"
The pressure made his body feel heavy, until he squatted down to the ground, seeing the crowd with despair and regret.
Then, Kagayama looked at the bag beside him, still filled with bread he wanted to share with the elf.
He doesn't know what to do now, the way to the slave market is too dangerous, even if he searches the other way, the event is close to the shop, since it is placed on the edge of the market.
Fear hit like a storm when he thought about the elves, because the conflict was so close to them.
When he got into a dilemma, an old man suddenly came closer, took a piece of bread.
His clothes were shabby, with some stitches everywhere.
He seems not to even know that Kagayama owns the bread, and continues to eat it in secret, as if he were stealing, even though it was true. But the hunger inside him won the game as his hands reached for more.
At that moment of quiet, the conflict grew even bigger. It made the pedestrian run over from there, in panic.
Kagayama stands up and walks away from the bag.
After that, he turned his head, seeing more and more people taking the bread, while the disaster was about to come.
It sent him a sense of relief, though it wasn't enough to wash his mind completely.
He heads up to a place he will be safe.