"Hey there, Blake." Jerome smiled "I know this is terrible, you can hold my hand?"
Blake weakly shook his head and Jerome gave a cold nod to the healers.
Jerome told, "We can't have the healers fully patch you up unless we understand what's actually happening in your body. Healing is like a biological skip button moving from injured to recovered."
Jerome continued talking about random things to keep Blake conscious. Him with the rest of the people looked at the mirror as woman in a wedding gown came out. She looked at the mirror she came out of with disgust lanced with fear and destroyed it under her heels.
"Finally, I'm free." She exhaled and looked around
She didn't have aura but the sheer madness in her teal eyes bad them shiver in dread. A soft smile spread out on her face looking through everyone searching for someone.
"Where is he?" She said in a choking tone and tears formed
Her expression twisted in sorrow and rage while rain started to fall. Before she could do anything else, her head snapped upwards. The Bride hopped out of the vine dome as though running away from something.
A collective sigh of relief left everyone's lungs. But the worse was yet to come when the air shifted and ten strong oppressive aura squeezed themselves into the city. Some unlucky people crashed down in a red puddle and individuals appeared on the roof tops of some high rising building.
Everyone recognized them but why were these together?
"Gabriel, tell us honestly. Do you have some sort of irredeemable grudge with us that can't be solved with money?" a man frowned with a snort
It was a man known in the western countries, Founder and CEO of Lucky Inc. His grey eyes looked at the Pioneer with undisguised anger.
Gabriel smiled, "You've all been progressing your territories and I was being left behind, I need to survive as well."
"SO YOU DRAGGED US DOWN TOO, YOU MANIAC!!" Julia roared
Even Stephan was enraged by whatever Gabriel had done.
"The Silve brats were locked up for most of it and you don't see them petitioning at my office looking pitiful." Maverick scoffed
Gabriel spoke, "Because they overtook me as well."
Everyone turned heir gaze to the quiet teens. Vladimir was pouring healing potion on Valentine's back while his brother chugged potions as well with empty bottles littered around.
"You never really knew your limits." they laughed
Valentine scowled, "Careful, I might do something we'll regret!"
"Aren't cute?" a woman teased blowing a ring of smoke from her cigar
Vladimir sighed, "Leave him alone, Cassandra. He tried stopping Gabriel from freeing the The Bride."
A girl beside a woman commented, "Who knew they'd catch up? We'll need to keep an eye on you more."
Valentine looked around, smelt the scent of sorrow and clicked his tongue, "She ran but she you're problem now Gab."
Gabriel looked surprised by the statement and the others nodded in agreement.
"What do you mean by this? We must capture the Bride!" He ordered
Maverick frowned, "We're all the same King class, you can't boss us around."
"Look at at me! Really look!" Valentine coughed "I'm not catching even a mouse in this state!"
He was right. Valentine's face was pale, his veins were building outward and eyes were bloodshot. Certain patches of his skin were green in order to try an absorb sunlight to aid with healing up his severe internal injures whereas his reserves that were strained need time to rest.
Vladimir nodded, "We're calling out."
The girl spoke, "Sadly making the first mirror to trap the Bride had eaten up all our special alloy and metals. We're out."
All of them gave valid reason why they couldn't go after the Bride. Although they all knew that Gabriel wanted them to exhaust their resources in the process, the damn snake.
"I'll expose you." Gabriel warned
They smiled, "Do it."
A notorious lion beast man, the fifth most wanted villain Francis spoke, "Are we ready to pay the penalty for allowing The Weeping Bride, the fifth calamity lose?"
They nodded.
"We'll give up the second Skull Island." Vladimir frowned
Maverick looked impressed that they had it and spoke, "I'll give the Copper Mountains."
"The potion to Euphonia X with the manufacturing site in Starside City." Stephan said through gritted teeth
Everyone started pulling out maps and making calls while the others spoke of what they will give for penalty. Everyone was on the each because for some reason they felt that this was the beginning of something even worse than the descent of rifts.
Finally only Gabriel was left and they looked at him waiting for his next words.
"We're giving away very nice places, so cough it out." Francis growled
Gabriel spoke, "The Violet Crystal mines with its mountains."
Ten orbs appeared and within those respective places that they mentioned several rifts tore out and monsters were released destroying everything.
"I've contained the Starside area, are you willing to do a team attack? I'll supply potions and the like for your expedition as well." Stephan asked
Vladimir nodded, "We'll do that then. Let's go try and salvage something or we'll be penalized fi we fail this trail as well."
"Lesia McVon." Cassandra spoke biting her cigar
They turned toward her and the woman felt their contempt for her that they weren't hiding. As though she were the source of all their problem that have ever happened or will happen in their lives.
"I didn't do anything." she told looking up at them with her head held high
Julia answered, "Sometime ignorance is also a crime."
"We didn't care about you until today." Maverick informed " Everyone needs an anchor of some kind, me with a desire to be rich and help those who were in similar to me, Julia and her love for seeing the results of experiments and the Silve brats with family. His is the love he has and he did all of this because of it."
Lesia looked the condition of Valentine as well as the city. The people looked at her, some people were lost and others wished they had followed them. It was the greatest disaster in a long time and they say she caused it?
"I'm not responsible for Gabriel's heart or actions." she informed
Maverick nodded, "You're right and I apologize if I made seems so. We can be slightly irrational. I will never judge my fellow equals but his actions deserve consequences."
Lesia felt their gaze turn into a divide of indifference and interest. She knew what King Class were but studies had claimed that such classes were impossible. Although people in high places knew that they existed and when one was identified they usually disappeared into the research labs.
She thought, "So there were more than we thought that we hiding away."
"Yes. We work together, attack one another in our faces and scheme maliciously behind each others backs without any problems with our basic sort of friendship. One million for anyone who accepts a hit of Gabriel." Stephan spoke breaking her out of her thought
The girl continued, " Fifty million for anyone who manages to minor wound with proof."
" One billion to anyone who manages a severe wound with proof." Francis said
Maverick spoke, "Fifty billion if they injury him with a life threatening wound and provide proof."
"Hundred and fifty billion if they end him." they ended together
Julia smiled, "And all is forgiven."
"Thank you, happy cooperation." Gabriel smiled and received their agreements
The world was in turmoil as ten location were driven to mayhem with the sudden rifts pouring out every manner of monster they couldn't even imagine of. They opened teleportation rifts and were about to leave.
"Do you regret it?" Lesia asked her husband holding back tears in the wreckage of the once beloved neutral city
Gabriel answered, "No, I did what I had to so we can survive."
Lesia was silent and walked away with her guild members they had to rush to save as many citizens as they could.
"As long as you happy with your choices." Lesia's voice echoed back