**On the roof of the collapsing Auction Hall**
A ginormous sphere of different grey-white and black materials convulsed and rotated, levitating above the quartz roof which was destroyed from the battle. To the far end of the collapsing quartz roof, Kiera gently wrapped a bandage around Rennet's wounded leg which was already healing as he twisted his shoulder before spitting and looking up, his eyes focused on the looming sphere that Albert called the Dead Man's Chamber.
"Oi! The hell are you doin' with my sister?!" Seracore yelled with irritation, causing Rennet to snap forward. The mighty shield wielder was standing in front of him. Seracore was breathing heavily from exhaustion and had multiple scratches on his armor, however, his injuries seemed minor or even non-existent compared to the others. Albert's coat was ripped and he had multiple scratches and bruises. Jetore was laying unconscious after taking Laticia's boot to his stomach. It was a grave time for them all.
"Huh? The hell are you talkin' about?" Rennet asked in a rude tone.
Kiera stood up and shook before shaking her head as she stepped between Rennet and Seracore just as Seracore closed in on the arsonist.
"Move, sis! I'ma teach this runt a lesson! Not only did he nearly kill us off with his recklessness in the fortress, but he even risked you with that stupid stunt, exploding through the roof!" Seracore vented as he stepped forward, his broad and tall frame causing a menacing shadow to loom above Rennet.
However, Rennet remained unphased as he spoke with a mocking smirk: "At least I hit the red-haired chick. Your ass couldn't get a single attack off on her, so don't come at me like that, you WEAKLING!!"
Kiera flinched from Rennet's taunt on her half-brother as she sighed and shook her head, lifting her headphones to cover her ears. It seemed that she'd finally decided that it wasn't worth it to reason with the two of those meatheads.
On the other side of the collapsing blood-stained broken roof, Albert stood, clutching his right hand with his left. His minor wounds were already vanishing slowly as he carefully stepped over the decapitated head of one of the poor unfortunate slaves Laticia had slaughtered in rage during her battle with Clara and Malikar.
*This is sick… how can a… a human do something like this?* he thought, momentarily looking down at the bloodied corpses littering the broken quartz roof with a solemn expression, his silver-white hair flowing in the wind that blew south now.
"That neat trick of yours better work, 'cause trapping two hot-blooded murderous ladies in a singular place is otherwise a death warrant, ya know that kid?" came Malikar's voice.
Albert turned his head to see Malikar sitting on a chunk of cracked quartz, his knee wrapped in cloth he'd torn from his own clothing, although blood still leaked from it. Malikar exhaled smoke, still holding his lit cigarette as he watched silently.
Albert blinked for a moment before his eyes narrowed. *He's with the government, isn't he? Why isn't he trying to kill us? With what capabilities we've seen from him, he should have an easy time disposing of us without Lady Clara here. That knee injury couldn't have stunted him so badly?* he thought.
Noticing his gaze, Malikar gave a lazy smile before asking in an even tone: "What? Scared? Don't worry, kid. I've got no intention of killin' you."
The claim seemed to put Albert at ease for a moment as he sighed and looked back at the outside barrier of the Dead Man's Chamber. Albert seemed to linger for a moment, his eyes focused on the creation of his own technique before he exhaled and answered: "That much I'd already guessed. Judging by what you were capable of earlier, you could probably kill all of us in mere minutes if you wanted to, especially in our current state."
Malikar's eye twitched for a moment. *Smart kid,* he thought before replying: "Don't forget I'm just as if not more busted up than you kids." With that, he pointed to the open fresh wound on his knee out.
"Oi! Architect! How much longer will that stupid structure exist for?!" came Seracore's angered voice as he walked to Albert's side on the collapsing roof, his armor cracked and damaged from the strain of the battle.
The question seemed to have weighed on everyone's minds at this point, even Kiera and Rennet looked up.
"I… do not know. Dead Man's Chamber isn't something I can control. Even if it uses the energy from my Passion Mark to stabilize and build itself, its duration could last seconds, minutes, maybe even forever for all I know…" Albert answered with awkward honesty.
Seracore grit his teeth in anger. "So you're sayin' you have no control of it?! Do you even know who you trapped in there with Laticia? Lady Clara ain't just any disposable shield, you got that?! If we lose her 'cause of you, then I'll kill you myself, rookie!" he yelled.
Albert paused at the reaction. He'd already expected Seracore to lash out, but the hesitance in his tone made it almost… emotional? Seracore seemed to linger before spitting and turning his head to walk back to Kiera and the injured Rennet. Jetore was, of course, still unconscious on the side, his body laying on a broken pile of quartz rubble.
Albert merely closed his eyes. "I understand," he said.
**Outside on the ground, out of the Auction Hall**
The shattered trees and craters of the hilly forest that surrounded the now destroyed auction hall made for a grim scenery thanks to Malikar and Luca's battle that had caused it. The grass was stained red with a horrifying sight of corpses of the guests of Laticia that the Marked Mercenary support unit had slaughtered mercilessly. Currently, the sound of gunshots filled the air as the soldiers of the military were locked in battle against the several tens of Marked Mercenary support units, wearing either black or white clad shrouds.
"Cease this," came a low, heavy yet beautiful voice as the officer leading the assault on the government's side lifted his hand, causing his men to stop firing.
On the other side, the white and black clad soldiers of the Marked Mercenary support unit had seemingly halted too. It seemed this figure's presence alone was enough to cause the two groups to stop their assault on each other.
A man stepped through the bloodied grass. He was wearing a black armored shroud that a professional assassin would, and in contrast, a white cape flowing on his back and wrapping part of his body like a cloak.
"Sir Luca!" one of the black-clad executioners of the Marked Mercenaries gawked.
The elderly officer, a man with blond facial hair, wrinkles, and a white military suit with three red stars on the arm wrap, narrowed his eyes. "No way. You couldn't have stopped Malikar," he said.
Luca stepped forward, causing the crowd to move. He had seemingly sheathed his saber blade by now, but there was now a striking difference: his mask had been seemingly completely torn off, revealing a face of a youthful man, seemingly nineteen to early twenties. He had a beautiful smooth face but hardened eyes of resolve, joined by lush dark blue hair that extended in two different thick strands, each flowing down beside each of his two eyes.
"You're right. I didn't. It seems I misjudged that bastard's abilities," he admitted with a smirk.
Before anyone could reply, his piercing gaze shattered the air. "Stand back. We will not attack you as long as you do the same. There is no need for further bloodshed," he said.
The elderly military officer grimaced before replying: "And why would I be obligated to trust a man with such a shady background? Especially one that's now apparently become the leader of the Marked Mercenaries' clean-up crew?"
Luca smirked darkly, ignoring the obvious mocking insult. "I admire your courage, but don't confuse it for stupidity. I'm not saying this just for the wellbeing of both of our groups… but because I believe we have a bigger issue coming soon," he said before turning his head toward the collapsing structure of the Auction Hall and raising his head.
The elderly military officer followed his gaze. He could see the numerous cracks along the walls of the auction hall, as well as collapsed rubble from pillars. The ginormous roof itself seemed to be unstabilized from his perspective, but his eyes widened as did the soldiers'—they all saw a massive sphere of numerous materials rotating above the quartz roof in the air.
**On the destroyed quartz roof**
The red stains and shredded corpses of numerous innocent slaves still lingered through the quartz rubble, which forced Albert to grimace. Kiera too seemed to be scared, looking away. The same could not be said for Seracore, who stood and kept his eyes on the Dead Man's Chamber. It was to be expected—he was a Marked Mercenary after all, maybe a lower rank but still one of them. He was likely far more desensitized to such a horrific sight than even Albert.
Suddenly, a feminine grunt broke the silence as all of them turned to see Maddeline climbing up through a gap in the collapsed rubble. Her pinkish-violet hair was ripped, as were parts of her outfit, but what made the others flinch was the fact that she was carrying Kran, who was still in a less than ideal state. However, his wound seemed to be stabilized now.
"...Thank you," he uttered.
"Shut up, idiot," Maddeline replied with a solemn and hesitant voice. Albert could see hints of tears in her eyes.
"What the hell, Maddy? Why did you bring Kran up here? It's dangerous!" Seracore said.
However, Maddeline didn't reply right away, as if she hadn't heard him. Her fists curled as her eyes were watered, something that caused Seracore's expression to soften.
Kran coughed before speaking, grabbing even Rennet's attention: "It was my own choice… Laticia is a mistake of mine from my past, so I will see this raid through to its end," he said.
The words made Seracore go quiet. Malikar's eyes lingered on the injured Kran before he exhaled more smoke, lifting up his cigarette before looking off to the side. Maddeline seemed to linger for a moment before looking at Kran.
**Minutes ago, when Albert cast the Dead Man's Chamber**
On the broken floor of the auction hall, Kran's breathing had slowly started stabilising, though his face remained pale. Another thud could be heard as more cracks on the ceiling appeared, joined by some dust that fell. Maddeline was leaning over him, her hands pressed to his chest, her Mark of the Doctor glowing its brightest green as the vibrant energy flowed. The bleeding had stopped, but the wound was still severe on Kran's side. His Marked regeneration was so slow and weak now that it would require a microscope to see his shredded intestines reforming.
"Dammit! Damnit!" Maddeline emotionally hissed as she began sweating from the strain.
Kran watched her attempt to save his life before slowly raising his hand and catching hers. "That's enough… don't waste more energy on me… please, you've done enough already," he weakly said.
Maddeline hesitated before speaking in a tone that sounded like she was on the verge of tears: "Why?! Why should I? Damn you, Kran! You and your stupid ego! Why would you do this to yourself? We could've brought another Crimson Stain on this raid! Maybe Ariez or even Issho! Why did you challenge her knowing you weren't in the right mind? Or that your capabilities as a Marked One had diminished?" she cried.
"...Each of us has our own problems… mine was that I spat on the concept of unity… and tried to do things alone. I felt that this was my burden alone… how arrogant of me," Kran answered weakly before coughing and then looking up to speak: "You've always been so kind despite your cheeky personality, always worried about healing people, to treat their wounds, even for someone like me with such a worthless background," he said.
Maddeline's expression contorted in anger. "Shut up! You don't get to say that… you don't understand! You're not just a Crimson Stain! You're not just an elite, that's not why… it's because you've sacrificed so much for us, that's why I want to save you!" she shouted, causing Kran's eyes to widen.
"...When I was y-young, I've always been a snarky kid, always defiant of the rules in this oppressive world, as long as I got to treat people's injuries. It started from my father—he was a frail weakling and loser… but he believed in me and my dream. So I became a medical student. I wanted to be a doctor, to save people's lives… and then Vesterious… a-appeared. I was on the run. The people that I thought I could rely on… turned their backs on me because I was a Marked One. Then… you appeared and said I could still pursue my dream by helping the Marked Mercenaries create a better world… I believe it… and I still do! SO DON'T FUCKING ACT LIKE I CAN'T DO MY JOB! I'll heal you! Treat your injuries! Everything!" she vented and cried out, tears flowing down her cheek.
For a while, Kran just stared at her with a shocked expression before offering a smile. "I see… then will you please follow your patient's final request? I beg of you… take me to the roof. I'm still… Erenor Kran… Space Stealer Kran of the Crimson Stains, a high-rank Marked Mercenary… *cough* and I will see this mission to its end… so please," he said.
Something about Kran's voice was filled with gratitude and sincerity—a major divergence from his usual cold and calculating persona. Maddeline's eyes widened. She was about to refuse but stopped herself, shaking before letting out a deep exhale. "...Fine," she said.
**Present time, on the quartz roof**
Maddeline looked at the spherical structure above as she carefully held Kran, letting his head gently rest on her lap. Kran strained to look at Albert in the eyes. Even Seracore had gone quiet. Kiera merely supported Rennet as they walked up to the group.
"I see… so this *Dead Man's Chamber* as you call it, it was your last hope was it? And Lady Clara willingly let you seal her into it with Laticia?" Kran asked, seemingly trying to make sense of what Albert had told him.
Albert was standing opposite, his blue eyes looking down at the dying Crimson Stain in a ruined tuxedo suit with solemnity. "Yes, sir," he responded.
Maddeline's eyes widened at the revelation before settling. "What's done is done. Don't beat yourself up about it," she said, something that visibly annoyed Seracore.
"Maddy! The hell?! He sealed Clara into that mess with the red-haired bitch! How could you—" he started, but Maddeline's sudden stern voice interrupted.
"It was her choice! Pull your head in, jerk! I'm tired of idiots already!" she yelled.
Seracore paused, his expression changing to surprise at the unusual sternness in Maddeline's voice.
Meanwhile, Rennet looked below at the collapsing rubble before speaking. "So uh, where's the goggle freak?"
The question hung in the air for a while as it caught Albert's attention. In the heat of everything that had transpired, he'd forgotten about Riko. But before anyone could reply to Rennet, suddenly, the Dead Man's Chamber started shaking and cracking open.