"My lord! My lords! I didn't do this!" Number Five shouted as he ran forward. He was truly afraid—afraid of ending up like Number Four, eliminated without being able to say a single word.
Moreover, unlike Number Four, Number Five's strength was among the highest present. Although he was no match for Marcus or Tony, at least he was not completely without the ability to resist, even though he knew that the more he resisted, the worse the outcome might be.
Number Five's voice instantly brought everyone present back to reality.
The real spectacle had just begun!
Marcus opened his eyes wide, staring fixedly at the two energy spheres on the ground and at Number Five, who had run out from the group to explain himself.
However, Tony moved slightly, placing his body between Marcus and the gaze directed at Number Five.
Could it be... that before Number Four killed Number Two, Number Two and Number Five had attacked Number Six together?
That idea did not only pass through Marcus's mind; everyone present thought the same.
The atmosphere changed immediately. Before, Number Four's attack on Number Two had left Marcus's side clearly at a moral disadvantage, forcing them to watch as Tony dealt with Number Four without him being able to utter a single word. But that desperate look, as if he wanted to say something, had been etched into everyone's memory.
Now, compared with Number Five's anxious attitude as he ran out to defend himself, the contrast was overwhelming.
Why?
Why did their people have the right to explain themselves when they made a mistake, while Marcus's men did not even have the chance to speak?
Was it just because the leaders of the two sides were not the same person?
Without realizing it, Marcus's subordinates began to feel even more oppressed, and deep inside some of them a dangerous thought arose: being a subordinate of Marcus was not worth it.
Although Tony's temperament was unstable and he sometimes fell into madness, he treated his men very well. As long as they did not commit serious mistakes, he protected them without reservation. Moreover, when he lost control, he even attacked his own people, which made Marcus act with extreme caution, giving Tony's subordinates a sense of impunity.
Number Five was the best proof of this. Although he was nervous, at least he had the right to speak, and at that moment he was mainly explaining himself to Tony, not to Marcus.
Marcus shifted his gaze from Number Five and fixed it on Tony, speaking with disbelief and a tone filled with anger: "Tony, did you know from the beginning whose energies those two belonged to, and you still took advantage of your madness to move first and act ahead of me?"
Not only Cain perceived the change in the atmosphere; Marcus felt it clearly as well.
His situation had become extremely awkward. Before, to calm Tony, he had had to hand over Number Four, which had already crushed his people's morale. And now, with the possible cause of Number Six's death on the table, if he failed to obtain justice for him, he would make it clear that he was not worthy of being followed.
But to do justice for Number Six, he would have to punish Number Five. With Tony's temperament, that was unthinkable without provoking a direct confrontation between the two, possibly a decisive battle, and it was not even guaranteed that winning would resolve the matter.
Thus, his position became even more embarrassing. In any case, he would end up having to fight Tony, which would make Number Four's death meaningless.
If he had known it would all end like this, Marcus would have fought Tony directly from the start. At least he would have protected Number Four and might even have gained a wave of loyalty.
Tony also understood perfectly where the situation was heading. That was why, upon returning, he had first disabled Number Four so he could not speak, then unleashed his fury, and finally produced the evidence, forcing Marcus to hand him over. With the facts already established, no matter how strong Marcus was, he could not reverse the situation.
"No wonder someone who was on the verge of madness could reason with me... you set a trap for me," Marcus said coldly.
That Tony had mental problems did not mean he could not think. As a powerful psychic, when his mind was clear, his reasoning surpassed that of anyone present.
Now Marcus was the one truly cornered.
If he did not punish Number Five, his subordinates would never be as loyal to him as before. It was not a matter of power or benefits; even if they showed respect, their true intentions would depend on what they thought deep inside.
But if he punished Number Five, he would have to confront Tony. And regardless of whether he had the ability to defeat him or not, either choice would be a heavy blow to the current mission.
Moreover, from that moment on, the two sides were already openly at odds.
"Before, you also couldn't determine with a single energy sphere whether Number Four was really the murderer. How can you now claim that Number Five is guilty just because of this energy? On the other hand, those Poké Balls were real evidence. Number Four's crime was unquestionable, and he had to die!" Tony retorted without yielding an inch. In any case, Marcus did not have the moral high ground.
Although Tony had used some tricks to prevent Number Four from defending himself, it was undeniable that Number Four was the murderer.
"You...!" Marcus was left speechless, trapped in an extremely awkward situation.
Deep down, he regretted it. Not that he had failed to save Number Four, but that he had sought shortcuts and delegated everything to Tony, allowing him to take the initiative. If he had had the chance, he might have dealt with Number Five first and avoided being put in such an exposed position.
Meanwhile, Cain silently observed the development of events. Although some details had deviated slightly from his original plan, the final result almost completely matched what he had foreseen, even more favorably.
No matter what, Number Four had to die. And whether Number Five lived or not, the conflict had already intensified. From that day on, the pressure of the Sacred Church on Cain and his group would be greatly reduced; with good planning, it could be cut by at least half.
That would further expand Cain's room to maneuver.
(End of chapter)