— KONRAD —
As agreed, Konrad, his sister Larissa, and Wilhelm were sitting in his vehicle, hidden in the shadows near the great fortress.
Gray clouds were already drifting across the land, casting a grim mood over everything. The fact that innocent people were being executed darkened the atmosphere even further.
"This is…" Wilhelm complained after a long silence. "This is just insane!"
He searched for Konrad's gaze, demanding an explanation for all of this. "This is completely ridiculous! This… Akumu… I don't even know who he is, but calling himself Death is just childish and stupid! And his plan to simply crash the execution is utterly idiotic! Arthur Damm is there! Do you even know who that is?"
He took a quick breath and didn't give Konrad a chance to respond.
"He's a general! General of the Fire Blades! He's strong! He's powerful! And Akumu wants to run straight into his arms? I seriously doubt he could even stand a chance against him! General Fireblade has superior combat skills and is unbeatable in his field!"
Konrad let him continue grumbling.
Everything Wilhelm said about Arthur Damm, he already knew—and even more.
Arthur had started as a simple soldier at the age of eighteen and was already promoted to general by thirty, holding that position for five years.
There were even rumors that he once fought two hundred men alone in a training camp and defeated them all, though even Konrad found that story exaggerated.
"Anyway," Wilhelm finally concluded, "where is this 'Death'? Didn't he say he'd be here exactly at 6:00 p.m.? He told us himself to stay in the shadows and wait until a certain time. And now? He's five minutes late! He's probably already been killed!"
Konrad sighed audibly, leaned against the door, and looked outside. The off-road vehicle they were sitting in was made by the company Lilith, a corporation that used energy cores as engines in their vehicles.
This allowed them to run indefinitely, required no fuel, and made them extremely durable. The vehicle had six seats, no roof, and a long loading platform in the back.
"We should just get out of here," Wilhelm remarked nervously. "We've been waiting forever! And even if his plan actually works—how is he supposed to show up here? Through some mysterious portal or what?"
Wilhelm laughed at his own words—when suddenly, behind them on the loading platform, a dark wall appeared. As it vanished, Akumu stood there together with Kubato, Marcel, Konrad's mother, and the slave.
Wilhelm noticed them in the rearview mirror and fell completely silent.
"You made it," Konrad greeted the group with relief.
Larissa, who had been secretly crying, jumped joyfully into her mother's arms. "Mom!" she sobbed.
It was a relief to see that everyone was unharmed. Seeing Kubato safe and clinging to Akumu's leg made Konrad's heart feel lighter.
"We're saved!" Marcel exclaimed, hugging and kissing his wife and daughter.
"That really was a rescue at the very last second," Margarita confirmed through tears of joy.
Akumu's belt buckles clicked with every movement. His clothing of tight leather straps clung firmly to his body.
All eyes now turned to the dark-clad man, unfamiliar to Konrad's parents. "Thank you so much!"
Suddenly, sirens began to wail. The streets grew loud.
Moments ago, people had been going about their daily business without a care.
Now fear and uncertainty were written across their faces.
"We have to go!" Akumu said firmly, clapping Wilhelm on the shoulder and commanding, "Drive!"
"Onto the streets? In broad daylight?"
Wilhelm objected hesitantly.
"I'll take care of our pursuers!"
Wilhelm reluctantly obeyed Akumu and started the off-road vehicle. The energy stone activated, bringing the engine to life with a deep hum. He drove off.
Marcel, Margarita, and the cat slave quickly took the remaining seats, while Akumu stayed on the loading platform.
Wilhelm accelerated abruptly.