While Calamity was away dealing with some of his own matters, Kallay's descendant managed, with some difficulty, to locate the Just Wrath of one of the subgroups searching the city for information. But the moment he saw them, he was certain. Those people had been his father's closest subordinates, the ones always entrusted with the most complicated and important missions back when he was alive.
"I can't believe it… is that really the boss's kid? You're alive… what a relief. We thought he had killed you when we saw your body fly out of the vehicle."
"Thank you very much, Ruthy. It's good to see all of you too." the Descendant replied.
"You came here to help us with the mission?" one of the mercenaries asked.
"That's one of the reasons I came… but Ruthy, I also came because I want to ask all of you to fight by my side so we can avenge my father." the Descendant said.
"What did you say…?" Ruthy asked, staring seriously at the descendant of her former boss and friend. "Is this some kind of joke?"
"I know that if you stand with me… if someone as important as you within our organization speaks to the others, they'll listen to you. They'll follow your strength…" the Descendant continued.
"Kid… shut your mouth…" Ruthy muttered, her voice low, her head hanging as though chained to the floor.
"…If all of us unite, we'll finally be able to avenge my father's unjust death and…" the Descendant kept speaking.
Ruthy stormed toward Kallay's descendant while he was still talking. The moment she reached him, she grabbed his clothes, nearly lifting the child off the ground.
"I told you to shut that stupid mouth of yours." Ruthy snapped.
"But Ruthy, listen to me…" the Descendant pleaded.
"Strength? Revenge? And what exactly do you know about any of that, huh? I can feel it clearly through your soul now, yes, you've become stronger… but so what? It still means nothing. You're still weak, immature, insignificant. When it comes to strength, you're less than crumbs beneath crumbs. And what about us? Did you even think about that before opening your mouth? How many of us would your revenge require? Fifty people? A hundred? How many lives would need to be thrown away just so maybe… just maybe… we could reach a level close to your father's? How many people are you willing to sacrifice just to end up sharing the exact same fate as him?"
Ruthy spoke with furious rage, but buried beneath it was a grief so heavy she could only express it through anger.
She released Kallay's descendant, causing him to fall hard onto the ground.
"But we'd still outnumber them… if we fight, we might have a chance." the Descendant argued.
"A chance? Numbers? What do numbers mean against something that can crush you like an insect?" Ruthy replied coldly. "The answer is nothing."
"You can see and feel things as clearly as I can now, can't you? Do you know I was there… standing behind those doors while your father fought? All I could do was wait for the outcome. And I felt it… that thing's power… its hunger. Everything could've ended in a single second… and it was still just toying with my friend until the very last moment."
"So I know that even if we gathered our strongest people, we still wouldn't win. And the worst part is knowing that thing could kill us whenever it wants… but for some twisted, psychotic reason, it simply hasn't done it yet. So shut your mouth. Revenge isn't something people achieve in this world just because they want it badly enough."
After finishing, Ruthy handed the supplies over to her friend's descendant before leaving alongside the members of her subgroup.
Kallay's descendant remained there on the floor, completely lost, unsure of what to do or how he was even supposed to react after hearing all of that.
"He knew… that's why Calamity let me try… he wanted this… he wanted to play with me… I really am just a pathetic human…" the Descendant thought.
At that moment, a hand rested on his shoulder while he still lay on the ground.
"Don't be upset by Ruthy's harsh words. She's just worried about you."
"I… appreciate your kindness, Skay." the Descendant answered while slowly standing back up.
"I truly understand what she meant… but maybe it's better if I stay with another subgroup for now."
After saying that, the Descendant ran off, his body covered by his White Stage Just Wrath.
A short distance away from where Skay stood:
"Don't you think you were a little too harsh? Not that I'm questioning your decisions… but that child is the last memory you have left of your friend in this world."
"That's exactly why they needed to hear all of it. And honestly… it's better that it came from me, someone who practically watched that child grow up in this rotten world." Ruthy replied.
The moment the second ray of sunlight touched the morning sky, Calamity had already returned to the mercenaries' base. He woke everyone up as if announcing the beginning of the next great war that would shake the world.
Once all the residents gathered inside a large hall, Calamity appeared before them with his head held high and the overwhelming superiority of what he truly was. A creature. An angel. One of God's descendants.
"You there, human existence… answer me without moving. Is everyone here?" Calamity asked a random person standing in the crowd to his left.
"Yes, sir. Every resident is present. From newborns to the elderly."
"Smart. And all of them received some form of training as part of the mercenary organization?"
"Y-yes, sir. Everyone here has some level of training… except for the newborns, of course."
"Excellent. Then let it be known that from now on, every single one of you will undergo my training day and night for some time. And when that time ends… those who fail to show results that are at least satisfactory to me… I will tear apart, crush, grind down… and then eat."
Calamity spoke with a calm smile spread across his face.
"Of course, I won't force anyone. If someone here doesn't wish to participate, please raise your hand before leaving."
Despite their hesitation, five people eventually raised their hands within the crowd. Two of them were mothers, and one was pregnant.
Calamity noticed the raised hands and deliberately walked through the crowd, hunting down each person one by one.
The first person had their head sliced off by the tip of his fingers alone.
The second had his hand driven through their chest before their heart was crushed.
The third had their stomach ripped open and their intestines dragged out onto the floor.
As for the pregnant woman, he ripped the eight month old baby and placenta from her womb before kicking her head clean off her body. Then he tossed the baby onto its mother's corpse, and its muffled cries could still be heard beneath the placenta.
The last person who had raised their hand was simply cut in half by a strike so precise that their body only separated after a twitching spasm moved it.
Everything happened so quickly that the surrounding people only understood what had happened once the floor began turning red with spreading blood.
"Hey, kid… did both you and your mother raise your hands, or was it only her?" Calamity asked.
The child stared at their mother's mutilated corpse with an empty, traumatized gaze so hollow they could not even cry. Blood covered both the child and Calamity.
"You'd better answer quickly, little human. Unfortunately, my patience is very short."
"I-it… w-was only m-my m-mother…" the child stuttered.
"Then survive for her sake, boy." Calamity replied.
Standing there beside the child while stepping over the divided remains of the boy's mother, Calamity shouted for everyone to hear:
"Does anyone else here wish to leave this world?"
He waited for an answer while blood dripped from his fingers. The child beside him remained frozen in such profound shock it seemed their brain had shut down entirely.
No one else dared raise their hands.
"Excellent. The hundred of you will be treated very well so that you may serve me properly."
The days passed with the mercenary organization's residents enduring brutal and relentless training with almost no time to rest. Calamity began spending more time underground training them than overseeing the still ongoing mission in the city of Valerium.
In Valerium, the mission had turned into something resembling a treasure hunt, piecing together fragments of information to determine where the Order would stop within the city. Some soldiers talked a little. Others barely gave anything useful. Some even seemed to offer valuable clues, though certainty never came easily.
That continued until the final two days, when Kirden's soldiers were nearly finished preparing the facilities that would receive the vehicles.
When the day of the Order's arrival finally came, Calamity was conducting his last training session with the mercenary residents before returning to carry out the mission, just as he had promised those already infiltrated within the city.
"Sir… s-should we come as well?" a mercenary asked.
"You will not be necessary for this moment. That was never the purpose of your training."
"If an insignificant being like m-me may ask… what exactly was the purpose of this training, my lord?"
"Don't rush, human. Something great is still about to happen. And when that moment arrives… you'll understand."
The instant he finished speaking, Calamity sprinted directly toward Valerium.
After two hours of running at a constant speed, Calamity returned to Valerium and reunited with a small group of six people. All of them were his servants.
"Now that I'm here, begin updating me."
"For the last seven days we've been tracking clues and information about where the Order would stop. After analyzing everything, we discovered the exact location. It matches one of the sites we predicted." a mercenary reported.
"I hope you didn't waste all that time on only that."
"No, sir. We also surveyed the surrounding area. We identified key positions for an efficient invasion using the nearby buildings. We even have enough equipment for a small aerial assault. The only real issue is the underground routes… there don't seem to be many options there."
"Excellent. I want a full scale assault surrounding the entire area where the resupply will happen tonight. Hide yourselves inside the buildings and stay alert for my signal. I also want the aerial assault launched no more than one minute after the ground attack begins. For now, focus on the underground tunnels nearby. We may use them as escape routes."
"As you wish, sir."
"Inform everyone that they are authorized to prepare and wear their suits. And tell them to use their voice modulators. Is my suit still inside the vehicle?"
"No one even thought about touching your suit, boss."
"Very good. Go prepare everything."
The mercenaries vanished like smoke the moment Calamity finished giving his final orders.
Once alone, he approached the vehicles used to transport them there and opened the rear door of one, retrieving a black briefcase containing his mercenary suit.
Folded neatly inside was a lightweight tactical armor suit made of black fabric with modular plates protecting vital areas while maintaining mobility. The suit's materials and joints were designed to eliminate any sound caused by friction.
After dressing himself, Calamity put on the voice modulator mask. First came the rear section that covered the back of his head and ears. Then he attached the front section, covering part of his nose, his entire mouth, and a portion of his jaw. Finally, he pulled his hooded cloak over everything, completely hiding his face.
As night approached, everyone was already positioned and waiting.
The few assigned to the aerial assault wore slightly different suits that resembled wings. They stood atop the tallest buildings in the city nearest to the planned attack zone.
Calamity's own suit contained one small distinction: two white stripes marking him as the leader.
"Is everyone in position and fully prepared?" Calamity asked.
"Everyone is ready, sir. We're only waiting for your signal once the Order arrives." Ruthy answered.
The mercenaries remained hidden throughout the buildings surrounding the marked zone, blending into the shadows so completely that even silence itself seemed afraid to disturb the moment.
"Where is Kallay's child?" Calamity asked.
"I'm behind you, to your left… slightly above, on top of an old cabinet." the Descendant answered.
Calamity moved toward him so quickly his footsteps barely seemed to touch the ground. Once close enough, he gestured for the Descendant to come down.
"Hurry. Remove all of that gear and dress like an ordinary human."
"But you were the one who told us to wear the suits."
"I have other plans for you."
The Descendant obeyed until everything matched Calamity's vision for that night.
They continued waiting for the Order's arrival, which ended up being delayed by an hour compared to the information they had gathered.
The vehicles finally parked within the resupply zone exactly as predicted. They appeared to be waiting for security protocols before opening their doors so the students could step out to hydrate or help unload cargo if necessary.
"The moment I give the signal, we begin. Kallay's descendant, you'll wait for the confusion to spread, then blend in with the students and infiltrate the Order as one of them. You bear the mark, so everything will be fine."
"And now the most important part. Once you've successfully infiltrated the Order, I'll send you a signal… and you'll open the doors for me."
"But what if I can't get inside?" the Descendant asked.
"Then that's fine too. I'll simply burn every last piece of your father's memory until nothing remains but ashes. So perhaps it would be wise for you to succeed."
"Attention! Put on your masks." Calamity ordered.
The mercenaries quickly equipped their masks and waited for the signal.
Calamity waited until the resupply operation began.
The moment the third crate entered one of the vehicles, the attack on the Order began.
They burst through the windows of the surrounding buildings like ants fleeing a destroyed colony, swarming Kirden's soldiers and the Order from every direction. Each of them carried some form of blade. Swords, knives, hidden blades emerging from their suits with a single movement.
Calamity fought while clearly restraining himself, since the objective was not to massacre everyone there.
As time passed, the one minute mark arrived, and the aerial assault team launched their attack with surgical precision.
Their unexpected aerial strike, combined with deadly maneuvers before even touching the ground, successfully killed several students and soldiers alike, both Kirden's and the Order's.
Even amid chaos, blood, and screams, Kallay's descendant managed to infiltrate the vehicles moments before Neale entered one nearby.
That was when Calamity leapt toward Neale, ready to kill him.
As the knife in Calamity's hand began carving into Neale's skin, Calamity's own body started changing. Veins bulged violently beneath his suit, his golden eyes glowing intensely. It looked as though something inside him was burning him alive from within.
"So you're the boy!? I've been looking for you!" Calamity roared with a cold smile visible even through his eyes, his voice distorted into the growl of a beast by the modulator mask while panicked screams echoed in the background.
That was when Leonardo Krivak appeared, smashing his fist directly into Calamity's mask and face while he was still midair attacking Neale. At the same instant, Neale was hurled forcefully into the vehicle by another soldier.
Calamity flew backward and crashed into one of the surrounding buildings, debris collapsing over him.
Even buried beneath the rubble, Leonardo's shout announcing their retreat could still be heard clearly.
"That was… c-close… out of respect… I'll let this slide… and watch you flee… but don't think you killed me… h-humans…" Calamity growled through his distorted voice, his eyes dimming beneath the rubble as he recovered from the damage.
Some time later, when silence finally settled over the battlefield, Calamity emerged from the debris.
"Is it over…? C-can I finally come out…?" he muttered through the still active modulator while casually throwing massive chunks of stone aside.
Once he removed his mask, strange burn marks could be seen around his mouth, healing at an unnaturally slow pace.
"I hate pretending to be weak… Looks like those pathetic mercenaries barely managed to kill any of Kirden's soldiers. Useless dead weight. But whatever… they were never going to be useful anyway. No point continuing this little game of pretending to lead an organization… especially after you saw the boy. Shame he's going to die."
As he spoke, Calamity removed the mercenary uniform from his body, revealing broad, bare shoulders and a back covered in scars left by some enormous clawed beast, along with burns spreading across much of his skin.
At that moment, the only visible part of his face was his smile, exposing sharp canine teeth while he murdered a wounded Kirden soldier unlucky enough to still be alive in front of him.
That man became the first and only person to ever see Calamity's face.