Chapter 19: Ember City Massacre - Part 1 

Katsu stood by the window, staring in horror at the blood-soaked streets below. The city was on fire. Rankers, hundreds—no, thousands of them—moved like a swarm, cutting down civilians as if they were nothing more than pests. Screams of terror and agony echoed through the air, blending with the unsettling laughter of their tormentors.

Katsu's breath grew unsteady. His stomach twisted. He staggered backward.

Then, he vomited.

His body trembled as the realization hit him—he had never seen someone die before, let alone be brutally massacred. This wasn't like sparring with Simon, fighting Reznor, or even struggling to survive in the Mystic Ocean. This was slaughter.

Simon crouched beside him, patting his back with a sigh.

"Breathe, kid. It's ugly, but it's reality."

Katsu wiped his mouth, his mind a chaotic storm. "How… why…?"

Akiko, who had been watching the massacre with an eerily calm expression, finally spoke. "It's started."

Before Katsu could even ask what she meant, a faint beeping sound filled the air.

Simon's eyes widened. "Shit—"

BOOM!

The Inn exploded.

Flames consumed the room as the force of the blast launched them in different directions. Katsu barely had time to register what was happening before the world around him shattered. More explosions ignited across the district—every building was getting bombed.

Through the smoke and fire, Simon twisted in mid-air, grabbing Akiko and throwing her onto his shoulder like a sack of rice. With expert footwork, he landed on the ground, dodging flaming debris as more buildings collapsed around him.

"Dammit," Simon muttered, scanning the area. Katsu was missing.

Another explosion erupted behind him. The flames roared toward them.

THUD.

Something massive landed behind them, shaking the ground.

Simon turned his head slightly, already knowing who it was.

A towering figure stood amidst the destruction. 7'9, built like a fortress, dressed in traditional Japanese attire—if not for his gleaming metallic limbs and glowing red eyes, he could have passed for a human.

Bethalamoew. Rank M-3.

He didn't say a word. He simply punched.

Simon blocked it with one arm.

BOOM!

The sheer force of the impact sent Simon flying through Ember City like a cannonball, crashing into the western district.

Akiko leapt from Simon's shoulder at the last second, flipping in the air before gracefully landing on a pile of rubble. She dusted off her maid outfit, unfazed.

Her small hands folded behind her back. "I guess I'll wait here."

⸻

Katsu groaned, pushing himself up from the rubble. His head ached, his body screamed, but nothing could compare to the horror in front of him.

The eastern district, once filled with homes and families, was now a graveyard.

Blood soaked the dirt roads.

Bodies—men, women, children—were scattered like broken dolls. The Rankers who had invaded the city weren't just killing; they were torturing civilians, playing with them like toys before finishing them off.

A man begged for his life—a Ranker slowly peeled the skin off his arm with a dagger, grinning the entire time.

A woman ran for her life, but a Ranker grabbed her by the hair, slamming her head into the ground repeatedly until her skull cracked.

A child—no older than seven—screamed for his mother, only for a laughing Ranker to impale him with a spear like it was a joke.

Katsu's vision blurred.

His stomach twisted again—he wanted to vomit, but he had nothing left.

This… this can't be real.

His fists clenched so hard that his nails dug into his skin. This wasn't a battle. This wasn't a mission. This was hell.

His body moved before he could think.

A Ranker grabbed a woman by the throat, lifting her into the air, grinning. "Scream for me—"

CRACK!

Katsu punched him so hard, the man flew into a building, collapsing it in an instant.

The woman gasped, falling to the ground. Katsu reached out to help her—

But she screamed and scrambled away from him, terror in her eyes.

Katsu froze.

More civilians saw him—and they ran too.

They weren't looking at him like a hero. They were looking at him like… a monster.

As they fled, Rankers chased them down, butchered them, violated them, laughed at their suffering.

Katsu stood there, his body trembling, his mind breaking.

Is this what it means to be a Ranker?

A laugh snapped him out of it.

The Ranker he had punched into the rubble stood up, cracking his neck.

His smirk widened, blood dripping from his mouth. "Oi, kid… why the hell did you do that?!!"

Then, he charged at Katsu.

To be continued…..