The Rise Of The Shadow Within.

A faint light covered the surroundings, and unfortunately, the sewer pipes had burst, making the place resemble the inside of a filthy toilet. Streams of liquid covered the ground, forming a web, some of them even connecting at various points.

At a gate where the nasty liquid didn't seem to be flowing stood two masked individuals.

One of the silhouettes was a girl with long, light brown hair arranged in a waterfall braid. She wore a ragged inmate overall, indicating that she had come from a fierce battle. Two katanas were clutched in her hands, demonstrating her caution about her next move.

Next to her stood a handsome man, with a face that was rare to see beneath the heavens. He wore a clean dhoti, showing his love for his country. He held twin rifles in his hands and was ready to take action.

"Rajah, are you sure you saw the prison guards running into this block?" the girl asked, though she could already sense that danger lay ahead.

Rajah nodded in assurance of the words he had told Layla. As the person who had slipped out of the F Block before everyone else to avoid fighting, Rajah had seen the prison guards retreating in an organized manner while he hid himself in the library.

Nonetheless, he could only tell Layla this, as both Encender and Meron had an aura that terrified him, and it didn't help that the latter was missing.

"Get ready."

Hearing Encender's words, he asked in a flustered tone, "Get ready for what?"

Clang—!

He didn't receive an answer, but his leader blocked a bullet he hadn't even seen fired. He was sure there were no snipers, but nothing was in front of him except rusty old cells devoid of any furniture.

In his daze, Encender blocked another sword with a clang and retorted, "Focus! Stop acting like a fool and do something productive!"

The young girl did not typically exhibit aggressive behavior by raising her voice unnecessarily, yet she harbored doubts about her ability to ensure the safety of Rajah in the event of a confrontation with the unidentified individuals lurking within the designated X Block area.

With every clang produced by her swords, sparks flew into the air, and when a different sound was made, blood sprayed across the area.

'We are fighting invisible beings...' Rajah confirmed in his mind. He had finally grasped the situation before him.

That said, he had no idea how he would see his adversaries or sense them as Encender was doing. To make matters worse, he couldn't hide, fearing a surprise attack might come his way.

However, he soon understood that the prison guards would be confident, thinking there was nothing he could do against them since he couldn't see them.

Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!

Rajah relentlessly shot at the ceiling of the X Block, yet he couldn't even make a single dent, as the ceiling was made of bulletproof material.

Swish—!

The wind whistled behind him, and hot blood splattered onto the back of his head, drenching him.

Turning his head back, he was met with Encender's cold stare, as she had just finished slaying the man who had attempted to launch a surprise attack on Rajah's back.

Rajah could only look down in disappointment. He couldn't find the right words to explain his failure. However, he soon removed his glare from her as she sliced through the invisible beings, blood raining down in the process.

"Damn it!" Rajah cursed in desperation, "I have to do something."

Crushing ideas in his mind, he soon thought of something that would make him useful in the fierce battle.

...

On the second floor of the Galactic prison, Rajah and Encender were desperately trying to navigate the darkness, with various strange sounds echoing around them.

Tito awkwardly used his sword to block the spearman's relentless attacks, yet despite that, he managed to maintain the upper hand.

However, when the marksman fired his arrows, he faced a slight disadvantage.

"Wachikucha!" Tito exclaimed in jest, aiming his sword at the spearman's heart.

The prison guard moved back his weapon to block, but the golden-eyed man's action was only a feint, as Tito swiftly shifted his sword to target the spearman's neck.

Clang—!

The sword altered its trajectory, saving the spearman from death. Nonetheless, something far worse than death awaited him, as Tito executed a roundhouse kick that struck the side of his head with a loud thud.

Thud...

He fell to the hard floor, cracking his head and leaving behind a small pool of blood. Tito's leader tried to buy time for the battle suit to heal him by shooting a barrage of arrows at the golden-eyed man.

Gripping his sword with both hands, Tito blocked the arrows, listening to the sound of the wind as they whistled toward him. However, the inmate managed to force a few arrows into the spearman's neck, killing him for good.

Tears and snot covered the leader's masked face the moment he confirmed the death of his underling. "Why did you kill him?! He was already unable to fight! You should have at least spared him!"

The prison guard's voice was filled with revulsion and rage toward the inmate, who seemed to be enjoying himself.

Tito wasn't the type to kill people without reason. Although the spearman might have been incapacitated due to the head injury, he had to die for many specific reasons.

He was a weed, and Tito had to ensure all the roots were dug out. The spearman had attacked him first, so it was only natural for Tito to respond in the way he knew best.

Call it evil, but what about the inmates he had killed in the past? Who was going to seek justice for them?