The three cultists took a few slow steps forward before their bodies suddenly disappeared into the air, as if they had dissolved into the wind itself and drifted away with the darkness.
But before vanishing, they had slaughtered more than half of the 6th Division in the most brutal way possible. Blood covered the entire base, bodies were scattered everywhere, and the screams that once filled the place had now turned into a terrifying silence.
They had also taken the dead bodies of the three cultists Chris had captured earlier.
The moment they disappeared, the violent wind around the base suddenly calmed down.
For a few seconds, everything became unnaturally quiet.
Then… heavy footsteps echoed from the distance.
Those footsteps belonged to Aurelios.
The massive creature slowly emerged from the darkness, and on his back were Chris, Ray, and Leo. They had finally reached the 6th Division base.
Chris quietly jumped down from Aurelios' back the moment they arrived.
The first thing his eyes landed on was the entrance gate.
It was wide open.
Chris gulped unconsciously as a strange feeling of fear crawled into his chest.
He slowly started walking forward, but with every single step he took, his heartbeat grew louder and louder inside his ears.
Thump…Thump…Thump…
As he finally reached the entrance, his eyes widened in horror.
The giant gate was covered in blood marks, as if countless bodies had been dragged through it by force.
Chris slowly stepped further inside.
Then his gaze suddenly froze.
Several severed heads had been lined up like decorations near the entrance wall. Their faces were twisted in terror, and some of their eyes were still open.
The sight made Chris' entire body tremble violently.
His breathing became heavier as fear slowly consumed him from the inside.
Still, he forced himself to keep moving forward.
The moment he stepped inside the 6th Division headquarters… his soul itself seemed to shake.
Everywhere he looked, there was only blood.
Broken weapons.
Destroyed walls.
Corpses lying across the floor.
And the cloaks…
The cloaks of the 6th Division.
His people.
His family.
Chris slowly staggered backward, unable to process the horrifying scene in front of him.
"...No…"
The word escaped his mouth weakly.
But no matter where he looked, all he could see were the dead bodies of his division members.
Then suddenly, a loud roar echoed through the destroyed base.
Aurelios.
Chris immediately ran toward the sound without hesitation.
He crossed the ruined hallway and finally reached a massive hall.
The moment he arrived there, his knees gave out instantly.
Standing in front of him were Leo, Ray, and Aurelios.
And lying in front of Aurelios… was his child.
Its body was covered in deep wounds and blood. Even though it was still alive, it could barely move.
The sight completely shattered Chris from the inside.
He collapsed onto his knees, not because of an injury… but because of the unbearable pain crushing his heart.
His trembling hands slowly moved in front of his face as tears began falling uncontrollably from his eyes.
"I… couldn't save them…"
His broken voice echoed weakly in the silent hall.
At that moment, Skye slowly walked up behind him and gently placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Chris…" she whispered softly.
Chris turned toward her, and Skye's expression instantly changed after seeing his face.
His eyes were completely red, overflowing with tears that refused to stop.
But he couldn't say a single word anymore.
Skye quietly walked toward Aurelios' injured child and began using healing magic. Soft blue light covered the creature's wounds, slowly healing its injuries, but even after the treatment, it still could not properly move.
Meanwhile, Chris remained sitting silently on the cold floor.
The regret inside him only continued growing stronger and stronger.
Every dead body around him brought back memories.
Training days.
Missions together.
Laughter.
Arguments.
Moments that now felt like they belonged to another world.
Then suddenly, Chris noticed something lying in the blood beside him.
A metallic badge.
He slowly picked it up with shaking hands.
The symbol of the 6th Division was engraved onto it.
And the moment he looked at it, a voice echoed inside his mind.
"A division is not just a group of soldiers… it is a family."
Captain Raizen's voice.
Chris' grip around the badge tightened.
He remembered the day he first joined the division, when he was weak and useless, and everyone looked down on him.
But these people had accepted him.
One member had taught him how to use a sword properly.
Another had taken punishment in his place.
And one of them had laughed while saying—
"One day, you'll become the strongest among all of us."
Chris slowly lowered his head as tears continued falling from his eyes.
But now… something inside him was beginning to change.
The pain inside his chest slowly transformed into rage.
Into hatred.
Into determination.
Chris slowly stood up.
His eyes were still filled with tears… but the weakness inside them was gone now.
Only anger remained.
Only darkness.
At that moment, Arya suddenly arrived and quickly spoke, "Some people are still alive. They hid themselves inside the library."
The moment Skye heard that, she immediately rushed toward the library without wasting another second.
Several surviving members were hiding inside, trembling in fear. The moment they saw Skye, they slowly came out from their hiding places.
But even while helping them, Skye's mind was still focused on Chris.
Because she knew something had broken inside him tonight.
Or maybe…
Something far more dangerous had just been born.
Chris slowly picked up his blood-covered sword from the ground.
"I won't remain weak anymore…"
His voice was low, cold, and filled with terrifying resolve.
Dark aura slowly began leaking out from his body.
The air around him suddenly became heavier.
Even the drops of blood on the floor began trembling slightly.
Ray and Leo silently watched him from the side.
They could both feel it clearly.
Something inside Chris was changing.
The boy who had once been crushed by guilt…
Was slowly turning into something far more terrifying.
Something that, one day…
Could make even monsters feel fear.