"Kill!" Among the crowd, the City Makers shouted, filled with hatred and rage. At the signal, thousands of them surged forward.
These were the vanguard. The rest, although aware, would act depending on the situation. If success seemed possible, they would join the attack; otherwise, they would remain under the barrier's control. Many had little ideology beyond the instinct to survive.
Rosen knew that once Sparks gained an advantage, the City Makers' anger would erupt instantly, driven by momentum.
"Slaughter the nobles!" A City Maker over four meters tall lunged for a soldier's weapon, aiming to increase his lethality.
But the soldier met his attack calmly, without surprise, confusing the City Maker. His punch was caught and he was kicked away.
He was a warrior of the Vanguard Corps.
"Brother Murphy!" The crowd behind quickly rallied, while ordinary residents were still stunned, unable to flee. The City Makers seemed to target only the nobles.
Seeing a man, normally many times stronger, felled by a single soldier shocked the City Makers. Even the lazy city guards had such strength? Their morale faltered.
"Do not retreat! Remember how these bastards treated us, and the friends and family we've lost! Do you still want to be lambs to the slaughter?" an elder shouted, filled with desperate rage.
"Kill!" The City Makers went berserk toward the city guards. Vick, startled, ordered them shot, but Alice stopped him.
Vick had never imagined the usually submissive City Makers could be this reckless, almost suicidal.
"Stop." Alice's cold gaze silenced him. If the clash escalated, more deaths would only trigger further bloodlust among the City Makers. With current forces, controlling the chaos would be impossible unless everyone was killed.
"But…" Vick hesitated, then obeyed.
Bang! Despite their courage, the City Makers fell one by one, prepared in advance and facing Lantis warriors.
"Enhancer, huh? Interesting—body enlarged? If that's all, no big deal," Rosen rose, his Haki covering his fists.
Xia watched Sparks calmly. Sparks, seeing her composed, sensed something was off. A masked figure appeared before him.
"Guard?" Could someone stop his Devil Fruit-enhanced strength? His power didn't just increase size—his defense, strength, and speed scaled with it. At ten times, he could punch through a small mountain.
"Die!" Sparks struck, the sound of air bursting loudly. Rosen was surprised—some City Makers were quite strong—but still insufficient.
"So fast… gone!" Sparks was startled. Rosen struck from behind, a Haki-infused punch sending the giant crashing from midair.
Boom!
Sparks hit the ground, shattering it, unable to rise immediately.
"Brother Sparks!" The City Makers froze. Their spiritual and martial leader was down. Even fools could see the power gap.
Rosen landed and pinned Sparks, preventing movement. "Quiet for now."
"Everyone, stop. I understand your anger, and I accept your actions. But if this continues, the outcome will be tragic," Xia's voice spread.
The City Makers hesitated, seeing city guards with firearms nearby. They were unarmed—an unsuccessful strike meant certain death.
The riot had begun, but stopping now still meant death. When the elder tried to rally them again, Xia spoke first: "Today, your actions will be forgiven. Cease all futile resistance."
Her words sowed doubt among the City Makers. Could it be true? Maybe they wouldn't die. Courage falters under uncertainty.
Rosen smiled. Xia had indeed grown significantly.
"Everyone, quiet." Her command silenced the crowd completely.
"Don't listen! Nobles will only bleed us dry. Today you fear sacrifice, tomorrow you will watch friends die. Kill them all! Ah!" Sparks roared and struggled, shaking Rosen's arm.
"I am the president of AKS Company. I know your suffering. You've labored 20 hours a day for meager pay, insufficient food, squalid housing, disease, losing friends, family, even yourself. That ends now," Xia declared, her voice loud and resolute.
The square fell silent.
"Is the life of City Makers really that miserable?" Some original residents had no understanding—only a few who rose from City Maker status knew. The rest saw only filth and poverty.
The City Makers watched Shia, Sparks quieted. What did she mean?
"Now, I could easily decide your fate, but I won't. Why? Because I said our tomorrow is for everyone. I hereby declare: all outer-city workers will have their workload halved, wages tripled, and may build their own homes!" Her words shattered the City Makers' last hope for rebellion.
For the lowest of the low, a single sliver of hope is enough to survive. They rebel only when pushed to the edge.
Even if Xia's words weren't entirely real, spoken hope alone would collapse their uprising.
"I sit here not for noble privilege, but for all of you. So that none of us lose life to oppression or fraud, so that everyone can live equally under the same sky, and one day, we can all be truly prosperous and happy!"
Her words were sincere, a call for change and equality under the new order.
(End of chapter)