The violent shaking of the Dead Man's Chamber created an eerie atmosphere atop the blood-stained rubbles of the quartz roof as it felt as if the air itself began to shake.
"What the hell is that?" Rennet questioned with a shaky voice. Even his usual fearlessness had crumbled, and before anyone could answer, everyone's attention was now on the ginormous sphere of material in the sky that began to shake. Sprays of dust slowly fell as cracks appeared on the sphere. The structure cracked as rubble fell from it before crashing into the quartz roof below.
Opposite to the Marked Mercenaries, Malikar was looking up at the same sight. A sweat bead ran down his cheek as his expression darkened. *Well, shit,* he thought.
Maddeline's eyes widened as she gently cradled Kran's dying form before looking at Albert with hesitation in her eyes. "Did you undo your technique?" she asked with hope, only for Albert to shake his head and continue peering at the phenomenon.
"No, I cannot disable it willingly… but, how can its stability crumble? Dead Man's Chamber is designed by me to circulate the commands from my Passion Mark well, by using the energy of a Marked One… this isn't possible!" Albert replied with shocked aggression in his tone which made Kiera flinch.
"Wait! Maybe Clara put the bitch down?" Seracore said as he clenched his fists, probably praying in his mind that it was true, only for Kran's strained voice to cut through the roof: "Look carefully."
"What are ye talking about?" Rennet asked, but as soon as his eyes saw it, his expression changed into a scowl.
Up there, from the sphere of the Dead Man's Chamber, a dozen red-tinted transparent chains began phasing out and wailing in the air like the tentacles of a giant octopus. In the next moment, a pained scream of a woman straining herself erupted as more cracks appeared on the breaking structure. The force was so great that Albert nearly lost his footing as the surroundings broke in a shockwave, sending Jetore's unconscious body off the roof.
"Jetore!" Albert yelled, but his voice was muffled by the vibrations as the Dead Man's Chamber crumbled. His eyes widened at what he sensed—a horrifying amount of the same energy Albert's Passion Mark possessed was erupting from the collapsing sphere. This energy was something that Albert always instinctively manipulated and shaped when bringing his architectural designs to life, though he had never thought of it as such. Jetore had also used this energy when shaping it into his explosions, the same energy that he had carefully manipulated to flow to the exterior of Seracore's spherical shield in the battle against the Clortisax below in the fortress which was likely destroyed by now.
That very same terrifying otherworldly force was now expelling from the shattering chamber in vast quantities, bringing a sense of dread and overwhelming fear to all. Kiera hid behind Seracore who threw up his large physical dark-gold shield, her nails digging into the fabric of his suit as she clung, suppressing the urge to cry. Even Seracore was shaking. Maddeline was staring at the force with a horrified look, her eyes widened. In her arms, the wounded Kran looked on with a solemn look.
"The battle is not over," he said with a dreadful tone.
In an instant, more and more Chains of Subjugation permeated out of the floating sphere and thrashed violently through the air. One of them twisted like a hungry snake as it shot toward Kiera and Seracore.
"Shelter!" Seracore shouted as his Passion Mark glowed. A small field of blue haze emitted from his shield and grew before protecting them both. The Chain of Subjugation crashed into the shield before falling back.
"W-what the hell are those chains?" Maddeline said in a shaky voice, instinctively holding Kran closer.
"The Chains of Subjugation… they're born from Laticia's other ability, the one formed through her Second Tier. If either of those red-tinted chains touch you, her ability takes place. You'll become her slave and lose your will. The only way to avoid them is to either dodge or make use of Seracore's power. Those blasted things can phase through any matter as long as it's not made of the weird energy of Passion Marks," Albert answered, though his expression tightened.
Kran's eyes narrowed at the mention of energy, but Rennet shakily stood, clenching his fists shakily as he shook. *Damn it all… I ain't dyin' like this! I still gotta beat your ass, FELIX!* he thought before glaring up, his Passion Mark activating as flames sparked restlessly in his hands.
Albert's eyes widened in an instant however. "Rennet! Dodge!" he shouted, but it was too late. In an instant, suddenly a Chain of Subjugation seemingly pierced Rennet through his shoulder as a scarlet aura encompassed him.
Rennet's eyes widened as the light disappeared. Then, his veins bulged, saliva dripped from his mouth as he screamed in pain, clutching at his head as he thrashed, the chain dangling before vanishing. It felt as if his very being was being chained, his soul claimed as he shouted, his eyes opening in horror.
Then, suddenly Rennet found himself in a memory he buried years ago. He stirred, barely conscious yet conscious enough to understand—he was no longer on the quartz roof under threat of the vile red-tinted chains… he wasn't even in his normal state.
*What the hell is this..? I feel so..* His thoughts were interrupted as he looked down at his two hands. They felt frail and small. That was when his blood ran cold with realisation.
Rennet was a small child. He looked up in shock, his eyes widening in disorientative shock as the memory made itself known. In front of him was a modern black home, set ablaze. The burning house collapsed as the wooden roof charred and shattered. The sound of sirens could be heard shattering the air. Rennet looked to the side, twitching at his own reflection on a shard of glass from the window. He didn't see his usual reflection—no, he looked young, a child with orange hair, scarlet eyes, and a terrifying cruel grin plastered on his face. No matter how he tried or what he felt, he couldn't speak or change his expression. Only the evil smile remained.
Tears flowed from his eyes as he clutched his head. *Make it stop! Make it stop!!! MAKE IT STOP!!* he screamed in his mind. Then more noises from this awful memory of his past could be heard. A woman screaming and crying, multiple pained voices of people running, and then in front of him, a silhouette of a man he hardly recognised now, uttering one word aggressively: "Monster! Monster! GO DIE!"
The young Rennet shook in fear despite his creepy grin, his eyes twitching as tears flowed. *No, it's not! I didn't—* His thoughts couldn't even finish in the strange corporeal realm where his memory intersected.
Suddenly a woman appeared in front of him. Her hair was the same golden orange as Rennet's. She looked at him with a dead face, a single tear escaping her eyelids. The woman wore a faint white dress which was now ripped; her revealing skin was scarred with numerous burn marks as she stared at Rennet with hatred.
"You little shit… what did I do to get a demon for a son? Was this funny? Do you even understand what you did?!" the woman spat, her voice full of raw emotion and venom.
Rennet shook. *No, please! I didn't— it wasn't me!* he thought. But then suddenly, Laticia's dark and depraved feminine voice shattered his ears.
"Oh, but you did… it's all your fault. You'll make it up to me now. Become mine!"
Rennet fell back. The woman before him was gone, her face replaced with that of Laticia who stared at him with a psychotic smile and licked her lips. "You're mine. Always were. Just like all people, you were born to be my slave! Was it fun? The memory that haunts you? It's mine now… just like you!" the red-haired witch spat.
Rennet cried out and screamed, grabbing his head and thrashing. "No! NO! GET OUT! THIS MY… my…." His cries died down.
**The rooftop of the Auction Hall**
"Rennet!" Albert shouted, though his voice was met with an agonizing scream from Rennet who thrashed around and shook. Suddenly, the strange energy accumulated around Rennet's neck and formed a strange red-tinted metal collar with a short chain hanging out. Rennet's arms fell limp as he stood still before slowly looking up. His eyes were darkened and dead as if lifeless.
The horrifying sight caused Maddeline to flinch. Kran's expression tightened as he shook. Kiera stepped back and looked away, shaking. Even the mighty Seracore looked shocked.
"He's been… enslaved," Albert said.
Kran's eyes narrowed as he spoke hesitantly. "Do not despair. Laticia's ability can be broken if that collar around his neck is removed," Kran said weakly.
The claim seemed to calm Albert down as his eyes narrowed in focus. He stepped forward, but before he could act, the floating sphere of the Dead Man's Chamber shattered completely and split open as the terrifying silhouette of a woman with long scarlet hair and dozens of chains protruding from her body appeared in the smoke. The rubble crashed down, tearing and destroying more parts of the roof, knocking Albert off his feet as he struggled.
"The Dead Man's Chamber was destroyed?!" Albert questioned in shocked frustration.
Numerous more Chains of Subjugation shot out. Albert twisted his body and flipped in the air to avoid one just barely. Seracore created another blueish shield in a panic, sheltering himself, Kiera, Kran, and Maddeline as the red-tinted chains crashed into his shield.
However, the onslaught wasn't finished. More and more Chains of Subjugation shot out from the smoke, thrashing and extending like a family of serpents in the sky. They shot through and out of the rooftop, racing away as the network of chains moved like a net around the infrastructure of the destroyed auction hall.
**On the hills surrounding the entrance to the auction hall**
It had only taken a mere point from an officer for everyone to fall into disarray. The Chains of Subjugation bent and slimed through the ranks of the Marked Mercenary support units, followed by screams as the black and white clad figures were enslaved, collars appearing on each one as they stilled. The military soldiers and authorities tried to escape. One man ran, but the chains were relentless in their pursuit as a sea of terrifying screams filled the battlefield.
In an instant, both sides were snared and enslaved under Laticia's will. The eyes of each newfound victim became hollow and still, awaiting orders.
Only one man survived outside. Luca stood still, his white cape flowing with small blood stains as he looked up. Another Chain of Subjugation shot toward him. His eyes tightened, but strangely, they phased through him instead of infecting him under Laticia's Passion Mark.
Luca indifferently walked forward with an exhausted expression. *Please… end this,* he thought.
**On the roof of the Auction Hall**
As the smoke vanished, an imposing figure walked out. Her hair was of the colour of blood red and had seemingly grown very long and wild, now reaching down to her waist. Thick strands of it flowed like shriveled tentacles. The sound of metal scraping could be heard as a chain-whip, attached to an iron cuff on one of her wrists, echoed and dragged through the quartz rubble. Her red sweatshirt was shredded with multiple holes, her long black socks were too, as was the long black skirt she wore not too long ago.
However, her exposed skin parts glowed. The serious wounds that plagued her no longer existed, replaced by very visible blueish veins flickering through her body. Her lipstick was bright red as she smirked demonically, blood trickling down her mouth. There were two markings on her neck, depicting the symbol of a heart bound by chains. The second mark was larger and growing disoriented, now covering most of her neck and a good chunk of her back. Multiple red-tinted chains flowed out of her and swayed around like deadly legs of a predator.
"Laticia… Sendorlitch!" Albert spat as the woman approached them with a wicked smile, her eyes darting to Rennet, her newfound slave, for a moment.
"But how?! I thought Lady Clara was killing the bitch!" Seracore shouted.
Laticia's terrifying laughter roared through the roof, mixed with a feminine moan as she smiled. "Now isn't that rude. But if you really wanna know, why not ask Clara dear herself?" she said in a fake-sweet voice as she snapped her fingers.
Footsteps followed from the rubble as Clara stepped out. Her kimono which was folded to her waist to allow for combat was mostly ripped. She had many bloody wounds lacerating her body; parts of the bandages wrapped around her breasts were ripped too.
"Clara!" Maddeline's voice rang out, but to no avail. Kran's expression shifted as his eyes shook. "This cannot be…" he uttered.
When Clara's body shook before she looked up, a red-tinted metallic collar was on her neck. Her eyes shared the same deadness that Rennet's now did.
Albert stepped back before falling down. *Impossible! That chamber was designed to kill! How did she survive the killing traps in there while defeating Lady Clara at the same time?!* he questioned in his mind.
Laticia laughed coldly for a moment before smiling. "Oh! Kran! You're still alive? How nice of you to join us!! I was worried you'd die from your wound before the final auction…" she said mockingly, knowing no one had the will to retaliate.
"For the next item available for bidding… IT'S YOUR STUPID LIVES! AND I'LL PAY IT ALL IN BLOOD!! YOU BASTARDS!!!!!" Laticia screamed angrily, the force erupting from her as her expression twitched.
Kran closed his eyes, a deep regret crossing his being.
Albert flinched, struggling to get up. His legs were shaking after all. *What is this? Fear?... me?* he thought.
"ARCHITECT! GET OUT OF THERE!" Seracore shouted from behind his shield. But before Albert could react, suddenly Laticia dashed forward with blinding speed, shattering the quartz rubble beneath as she swung her wrist. The chain whip slashed through the air, aimed at Albert's throat.
"It starts with you!!" Laticia shouted in depraved joy mixed with rage.
However, in that moment, as the chain whip blitzed toward Albert to decapitate the silver-haired architect, suddenly a figure dashed forward with incredible speed causing sparks in the ground. His goggles shone as his right arm had morphed into a robotic gauntlet, catching the chain whip instantly. The force cracked the rubble he stood on as smoke and dust erupted with debris.
Laticia froze, her eyes widening.
"Is that—" Maddeline started, but her sentence was interrupted as another figure appeared, stepping past her and the dying Kran, looking at Laticia. The second figure had long flowing blond hair, a dark short cape-like cloak with pink flower designs, baggy greyish-purple cargo-style pants that sat low on her hips, and a sleeveless reddish-purple crop-top exposing her light stomach. The girl also lifted a strange weapon which appeared to be a long bow, though the frame was white and metallic. Its complicated texture of lines suggested advanced technology; its string was black.
"You Marked Mercenaries are pathetic, you know that? You let the damn witch get even stronger," Trish hissed.
Albert looked up through the smoke, his eyes widening. "Riko!" he said.
Riko stood in front, his boots planted as his cyborg-like gauntlet of an arm held the chain whip. He had a dark expression, his eyes narrowed as his blue eyes stared at Laticia who looked shocked.
Kran's eyes widened from behind. *So he did survive,* he thought.
Trish stepped forward, passing by Albert who was on the floor. His eyes darted towards her for a moment. *Who is she?* he thought, but his thoughts were interrupted as Riko smirked dangerously.
Laticia's expression turned into cold disapproval.
"Sorry I'm late, Al. Got distracted getting a new ally," he said casually before his eyes darted around, seeing the destroyed rooftop with blood everywhere and the shredded body parts of innocent slaves. His eyes then darted to Clara and Rennet, who were standing motionless on either side of Laticia.
"It's you… brat," Laticia spat.
Riko's expression darkened into a scary grin. "Hey, remember what I promised you? I'm gonna.. kill you!" he shouted as the Mark of the Engineer shone a bright blue.