Meanwhile, De Warden stood at the edge of the prison forest line, shirtless and towering. His body gleamed with sweat and blood, to which none of it was his own. The moonlight painted sharp lines across his beard jaw, and his obsidian eyes burned with a terrifying light.
He inhaled deeply, as though breathing in the peaceful world he hadn't tasted in years.
Freedom.
Peace.
Behind him, fifteen or so of his men emerged one after the other from the bush. Each was soaked in gore, breathing heavily, but no one dared collapse. Not until their leader gave the word.
He turned to them, voice low and rough. "Any injuries?"
"Minor," said Scar-face, dragging a bloody rod behind him. It was the same rod he killed numerous policemen and dogs with. "Shin took a bullet in the shoulder."
"I'm fine," the smallest one among them grunted, tying a makeshift bandage around his arm with his teeth.
De Warden nodded once. "When is Blade coming?"
"He should be—" Scar-face didn't get to finish before the sound of an engine traveled their way. "They're here."
As if on cue, black vans pulled to a stop in front of them. The first driver stepped out and bowed, "Welcome, boss!"
De Warden didn't waste a breath, he got into the first van and everyone else followed. Soon, the vans took off, heading in one direction.
"Head to Duskview town."
The driver raised a brow. "What's in Duskview? You will be safer in our territory."
However, De Warden didn't reply and the driver knew better than to speak further.
....
Meanwhile, 3:21 AM.
Duskview Town.
The old ring seller and his family were fast asleep in their rooms when a group of men barged into his home, dragging them from their beds to the living room.
"Where is the jade ring?" De Warden asked directly, not wasting any time. There was no time.
"W–what ring?" the old man stuttered.
Scar-face hissed, feeling irritated. He raised his hand, about to strike the old man, but De Warden raised a hand, stopping him before he could.
"You have a green Jade ring that hasn't been bought in years. Where is the ring?"
It was purely a coincidence.
In De Warden's past life, he'd just been released from prison and was making his way back to his territory when he was ambushed. With injuries, he escaped into Gerald antique square, precisely, this old man's store. Holding the man hostage, his blood gripped everywhere, accidentally dying the ring red.
And before he knew it, he was teleported into the Spatial Dimensional ring. With the help of an incomplete system, he learned about the coming apocalypse and stockpiled.
But due to shortage of time, De Warden didn't prepare enough. He failed to get the 99 rings to fuse and bond with the system, making the system incomplete and unreliable.
And for that reason, his system and space didn't sync properly, causing a misalignment between the system, space, and him, which resulted in his death.
Now that he had enough time and knowledge, he could get all the rings before apocalypse struck.
He would be very ready this time. He thought.
"Ah, t–that," the old man stuttered, cutting into De Warden's thoughts. "A young school girl bought the ring."
"W– What?" De Warden blinked.
Scar-face and the others' heads snapped towards De Warden. They may not know anything about the ring, but they knew it was extremely important to their boss.
"Speak clearly!" Shin snapped.
"A young school girl bought the ring," the old man repeated, trembling.
Silence fell in the living room.
The kind of silence that makes grown men sweat blood.
De Warden's head tilted slowly, dangerously. "Describe her."
The old man swallowed again. "S-she was small. Slim. Maybe seventeen or eighteen. She wore a school uniform. Her black hair was in a ponytail. She was polite and respectful. And she insisted on paying even when I offered it for free—"
"For free?" Scar-face interrupted with a harsh sneer. "You handed over the boss' ring for free?"
"No, no, I didn't!"
The old man panicked, quickly waving his hands. "She paid. No one's ever wanted that ring for the past twenty years. It didn't even glow until she touched it—"
That got De Warden's attention.
His obsidian eyes darkened. "It glowed?"
The old man nodded quickly. "Only for a second! When her blood touched it. I thought it was the sun's reflection."
De Warden's hands curled into fists at his sides. His veins pulsed under his skin, but he didn't explode. Yet.
Instead, he smiled, a smile that didn't bear his eyes. A smile that promised bloodbath.
"Boss," Scar-face said cautiously. He knew what was running through his boss' head and it sent a shiver down his spine. "Should we hunt her down now?"
De Warden raised his hand calmly, wiggling his finger in a careless manner. "I'll take care of her myself."
Scar-face frowned. "Then we wait?"
They couldn't stay in Mega City for long. The authorities would be after them in no time. Now was the only time they had to escape.
De Warden didn't answer immediately. He stepped forward, his tall frame looming over the old man like a specter. "Do you know her name? Address? Anything useful?"
The old man hesitated, then shook his head. "No. I didn't ask."
"School badge?"
"I didn't see it."
"Can you paint what she looks like?" The bald guy chimed in from the back.
"She was wearing a mask."
A low growl of frustration vibrated in De Warden's throat.
"She—she mentioned a grandfather," the old man added quickly, desperate to stay useful. "She said she was going to surprise him with the ring for his birthday."
"Is that so…" De Warden murmured.
A lie, of course. He recognized that kind of excuse. She's a clever girl, probably a reborn too. Otherwise, the ring would have still been there.
His eyes flashed with malice.
"Show me her payment invoice." His voice came out deadlier.
"S–she paid with cash."
That was the last straw.
De Warden's jaw clenched so much so his chest vibrated with a groan. He turned on his heel. "Torch the place."
The old man gasped. "W-wait—please! I told you everything I know!"
De Warden didn't look back. "Your information was useless."
Scar-face snapped his fingers. "Leave the kids and women outside and set the rest ablaze." The old man included. He didn't need to say it out loud. The men knew what to do.
The old man collapsed to his knees, weeping silently as his family was dragged out the back door, screaming and wailing.
Just then, his mind clicked. "Wait!"
"What now? Got something useful?" De Warden asked without stopping or looking back.
The old man shouted, his voice hoarse with desperation. "Her school uniform—it was a dark green and black striped skirt with gold trim along the edges. She wore a white shirt over the skirt with a black blazer!" he continued.
"Her backpack, her backpack was black and white. She wore a white nose mask with pink rose at the edge. Her eyes are gray and her brows are shaped in arches. She's not tall. She was wearing black low boots with peals attached to the zippers… on — on her right wrist was a knitted red good luck string."
De Warden stopped in his tracks. He turned slowly, expression unreadable. "Colors like that…" he didn't finish, but a smile tugged at the edge of his lips.
He waved and his men quickly fell in step behind him, sparing the old man and his family.
In their way to the packed vans, Scare-face asked. "You know the school?"
"St. Carwen's Academy." He replied.
He knew that because he graduated from that school.
Scar-face smirked. "Want me to send someone there? They'll pick her up and bring her to you in Maddadas tomorrow morning."
"No." De Warden's voice cut through the silence night. "She has invited me. It is rude to turn down invitation."