KENSHI
The scene before us was catastrophic. The chaos couldn't suffice to describe what was happening right now. This was mass genocide.
Peace and concord had definitely left this place and were replaced with discord and disorder. Loud and reverberating rumbles roared through the floor as people dropped with their bodies due to either exhaustion, misstep, or worse, death.
A cacophony of deafening screams ricocheted off the walls of this hall, and they varied in cause—from pain to fear. Their faces were distorted as panic and horror painted over them.
Along with them were the corrupted humans, moving erratically, resembling the undead. Their once porcelain or brown skin was now tainted black, and several spiky protrusions were evident as well, invading their bodies.
Their hair shed off like trees in autumn. Their eyes resembled the starless void of space in the sky at night. Their mouths twitched and moved irregularly, and their teeth, once white, were now black. Each tooth looked as if it had been filed to be pointy and sharp.
Normally, a corrupted being would inherit the abilities the previous body had. This was common among wild beasts who possessed innate extraordinary abilities.
I wouldn't be surprised if the same thing happened with human corruption. But it depended on whether that human was a commoner or an awakened one. Among the two, the latter would probably be more difficult to deal with because of their magical abilities. The Dark Orb Wielders were its perfect example.
"Mister Kenshi!" Kana broke me out of the trance. When I looked at her, she wore the same expression as I did. And not just her, but Shino as well... and also Tanshiro?
"Do you know about any of this, Tanshiro?" I asked the boy, who was as terrified as we were.
Tanshiro shook his head. "All I know is that Father was studying something, but I didn't know it would be something like this. I never dared to ask about it because he doesn't like it when I poke my nose into his research."
I could feel Tanshiro's honesty, so I didn't bother probing more into him. Even if he knew about it, he was still a victim like the rest of us inside this place.
"What should we do now, Kenshi? I know escaping would be the best option, but my guilt will haunt me if I leave these people to suffer and die."
"Don't worry, Shino, because I thought of the same as well. Our first priority is to evacuate all of the uncorrupted and get them out of here. Only then can we fight the Dark Order without worrying about accidentally hurting a civilian," I instructed. "Tanshiro, is there an emergency exit nearby?"
"There is, but I don't think they'll be usable. All of the entrances and exits of this building have been locked and blocked with magic. One of my awakened bodyguards tried using magic to blast them open, but it failed. It seems like they don't want anyone to leave this building."
"They're planning to corrupt everyone in here, and when all of us are corrupted, they'll open the door to release us," I speculated.
"If that happens, no one is safe in Aste City," Shino added, and her words made me remember something crucial.
"Uncle Avidius," I mumbled and walked toward the edge of the veranda as a vantage point to look for him. The three helped with looking as well until Kana spotted him along with the other uncorrupted. He was protecting them, his broad body acting as a wall. "Tanshiro, take Kana with you to the exit, and Kana, give everything you've got to blast open an opening."
Tanshiro was confused about my last statement, but Kana nodded. The two left without hesitation, while Shino and I focused our attention on Uncle Avidius's location.
"I'll go help Uncle Avidius. You help the others and instruct them to find the exit where Kana and Tanshiro will be," I ordered, and Shino agreed without a doubt.
I initially didn't plan on letting Shino know that I had a second awakening as a mage. But the circumstance called for it, and I didn't care anymore if someone saw me. The safety of these people—and the people outside—was far more important than my identity getting exposed.
So I didn't waste any more time when I noticed two corrupted humans slowly making their way toward Uncle Avidius. I unsheathed my sword and jumped over the railings of the platform we were on. The height wasn't that high, and I managed to land safely on the ground floor.
At the same time my left hand made contact with the carpeted floor, a light blue magic circle appeared beneath it, conjuring a trail of cold frost toward my targets. It slithered across the floor like a snake, and when it reached the location of the corrupted humans, it erupted into a wall of thick, cold, and sharp ice, impaling the enemies with ease.
I immediately approached Uncle Avidius's group, and he was glad when he saw me.
"Thank goodness you're fine, Kenshi," Uncle Avidius greeted.
"That's my line," I jested, even though it wasn't the right time for jokes. But knowing Uncle Avidius, he wouldn't mind laughing in this situation, although others might see it as a bit rude and inappropriate.
But Uncle Avidius didn't retort to my joke—a sign that he was shaken up so badly by the occurrences that he'd lost a bit of himself.
"Why is Mr. Tamada doing this?"
"I don't know, Uncle, and neither does his son," I said honestly. "We should get you to safety. Kana and Tanshiro are making an exit as we speak. Go find them and bring them with you."
"How about you?"
"What else would I do?"
I could see from Uncle Avidius's eyes that he didn't want to leave me behind. But I knew he knew that I was capable of defending myself. And he also knew that I wouldn't just let these evil people get away without receiving a proper beating.
"Just be careful, Kenshi," Uncle Avidius urged, and I nodded in response.
"Argh!" a woman screamed, alerting me. Three corrupted humans decided to lunge in our direction, and a few cult members joined as well.
I immediately placed myself in front of the group and readied myself to fight.
"I won't let anything bad happen to Uncle Avidius. This is my redemption," I whispered to myself, and swiftly covered myself with Vigor.
With them on high alert, the corrupted beings were able to deflect and counter my attacks. This proved my theory that even corrupted commoners could be dangerous if engaged recklessly.
I swung my sword here and there while throwing magic at the same time, until all of them were lifeless. But it wasn't over yet, because the cult members started attacking as well.
Unlike the corrupted humans, ordinary Dark Order members were a lesser threat. With the one I was fighting now, it felt like I was up against a random bandit who decided to ambush us on the road.
After dealing with them, I signaled Uncle Avidius to leave. The air started to smell metallic as the stench of blood began to spread and diffuse.
I continued defeating other corrupted humans and cult members, and before I even knew it, all of the uncorrupted people were no longer visible. Either they became corrupted, evacuated, or, in the worst-case scenario, died.
"Kenshi!" Shino came running with her staff in her hand. "I have evacuated all of the survivors to where Kana and Tanshiro are. Sadly, they're still doing their best to make an exit."
A slow, loud clap echoed throughout the hall, and when we turned our heads to see it, we discovered that it was Akihiko.
"What an amazing performance. A mage and a swordsman who is also a mage. Interesting! Very interesting! Never in my lifetime would I see a reawakened. This is itching me to know what the corruption would look like on you!"
"Why are you doing this, Father?!" asked a boy's voice.
"Tanshiro!" Shino yelled.
"Ah! My son!" Akihiko greeted. "Did you see what Father just did? Aren't you proud of him?"
"This isn't you, Father. The father I know would never harm others for his personal gain. You taught me that! Though I failed, I know you wouldn't do it if you were me. So, why, Father?"
"My son, sometimes you have to go against your principles just to reach your ultimate goal. When I started as a researcher and became a servant of wisdom, I was so drawn into it that I ceased to care about anything around me anymore—other than my research.
"Me joining the film industry was never a change of heart nor a pastime hobby. It was already a part of my plan. Even you, my dear son, are just a part of the equation."
"Wha—What do you mean?"
"I only have one son, and it's this! The fruit of my hard work!"
"So, after all this time, you never really saw me as your son? But what about all those happy memories we shared together? We were genuinely happy at those times. Are you saying that all of those were just pretend?"
"Correction—you were happy. I was just simply... playing along. After all, manipulating emotions is what I'm good at, and it would be a shame if I couldn't fool my own son."
Tanshiro fell silent, and for a brief moment, a memory flashed before me—showing the time when Father told me to leave the house and never come back. I was so devastated then and speechless, just like Tanshiro now.
"My job here is done. As for you two, Wilmer and Crista will entertain you," Akihiko mentioned.
"Finally! My time to shine!" the male member of the Dark Order, named Wilmer, celebrated.
Along with him was a woman who was, without a doubt, a member as well. "How about the boy, boss?"
Akihiko glanced at Tanshiro with his disinterested and heartless look. "Kill him or anything. I don't care. He was never my son in the first place anyway."
"Copy that, boss."
Akihiko started walking away while the man named Wilmer walked toward Tanshiro, who was still in shock and couldn't move.
"Let's save Tanshiro first and then go chase after Akihiko," I told Shino, who nodded.
We were about to move when several dagger-like projectiles struck the ground in front of us, stopping us from our agenda. The projectiles were made of solidified pure energy, emanating darkness and evilness.
"Ah~ Ah~ Ah~ Stay right there," teased the woman named Crista, who wore a devious smile.
"You should too," a girl's voice responded, and in an instant, a destructive explosion hit the woman's location.