Chapter 3 : Prison Meeting (Part 3)

Footsteps…

There were footsteps.

A lot of footsteps.

As if an army was rushing through the halls.

Then came the sound of metal clashing—swords meeting swords, shields blocking strikes, and battle cries echoing through the stone walls.

"What the hell is going on…?" I mumbled groggily, still half-asleep.

As I forced my eyes open, I was not expecting to see what lay before me—a full-blown battle right outside my prison cell.

On one side were the prison guards, struggling to hold their ground. On the other side were figures dressed in sleek, black assassin outfits, their faces hidden behind eerie white masks. There was no mistake—they were the Rebel Assassination Squad.

Then, my eyes fell on Hilbert.

He was on the ground in his cell, panting heavily. Deep slashes ran across both of his forearms, blood dripping onto the cold stone floor. But—right beside him—two assassins lay dead, their necks twisted at unnatural angles.

"Hey! You okay?" I called out.

Hilbert weakly turned his head towards me, a tired smirk forming on his lips.

"Sort of…" he muttered. "These guys thought killing me would be easy." He nudged one of the corpses with his foot. "Even with my powers restrained by these damn chains… I still have enough brute strength to snap necks and bend iron bars—to some extent!"

I let out a slow breath.

Something wasn't right. Why was the Assassination Squad here? Who were they trying to eliminate?

Only one name came to mind—Hilbert.

If I remembered the game's plot correctly, Hilbert was supposed to die in this prison, but not like this. The rebels were meant to poison him a week after they assassinated the Queen.

But this? This was too soon.

What changed?

I didn't have time to think. I quickly opened my bag, grabbed a roll of bandages, and tossed it to Hilbert.

"Catch this!"

He caught it with ease.

"Quickly cover your wounds, or you'll bleed out!"

Without hesitation, Hilbert started wrapping the bandages around his forearms.

Meanwhile, I reached behind my back and pulled out my gun—a Desert Eagle .357 Magnum.

Fully loaded.

I also had two extra magazines tucked into the inside pockets of my hoodie jumper.

Yeah, I always carried a gun—especially when heading into mountainous areas. You never know when a bear might decide to maul you to death. Plus, my hoodie jumper was three times my size, making it perfect for hiding weapons without anyone noticing the bulge.

And right now?

That little precaution was about to save my life.

"What's that in your hand?" Hilbert asked, his eyes fixed on the gun.

"American magic..." I muttered.

Before he could question me further, an assassin suddenly appeared in front of my cell.

A dagger in his hand.

With just one slash—

CLANG!

The iron bars of my cell were sliced clean through like butter.

"Damn—" I barely had time to react.

But before he could take another step—

BANG!

I pulled the trigger.

The gun roared, and the assassin's body jerked back as the bullet tore through his chest.

Right in the heart.

He dropped—dead—before he even realized what happened.

Everyone stopped and looked at the scene.

"What are you guys waiting for? Kill the rebels!" I shouted.

The soldiers snapped out of their shock, and everything resumed. Swords clashed, metal rang, and the chaos continued.

I turned to Hilbert.

"Hilbert, raise your arms."

He didn't question it and lifted them high. I aimed carefully and fired.

The gunshot echoed through the prison, and the chains binding his wrists shattered.

"I hope you can handle the rest yourself?" I said, firing another shot at an assassin who was charging toward me.

Hilbert quickly tore the remaining chains off his legs, cracking his neck and knuckles before grabbing the iron bars of his cell and ripping them apart like they were made of paper.

"Thanks, man," he said, nodding at me before grabbing two of the broken bars and driving them straight through the chests of two approaching assassins. Then, he bellowed out, his voice echoing through the prison.

"Soldiers! I may not be a general anymore, but that doesn't mean you bastards can slack off like this! Kill the enemies! Rip their intestines from their anuses and hang them with it!"

And with that, he charged forward, tearing through the assassins like a wild beast. He didn't need weapons—his bare hands were enough. One by one, he crushed their skulls, snapped their necks, and ripped them apart limb by limb. It was absolute carnage.

"Phew… that's savage," I muttered, quickly running to Hilbert with my gun in hand.

"Well, it's what these lowlifes deserve!" Hilbert said, wiping the blood off his hands.

"Now what?" I asked, both of us turning to look at the soldiers.

One of the guards stepped forward, pointing his sword at us. "Sir Hilbert, while we appreciate your assistance—and that of your companion—we must ask you both to return to your prison cells."

"Sorry, but I'm not really a fan of getting locked up again," I said, raising my gun toward them. "What about you?"

"I think we both can agree on that…" Hilbert said, cracking his knuckles.

Immediately, every soldier in the room pointed their weapons at us.

Suddenly, a loud sound echoed through the prison.

"This sound… it's the alarm bell! That means the queen is in danger!" Hilbert shouted.

"The only way that could happen is if the rebels changed their plans and decided to attack today instead," I said, gripping my gun.

"But how could they know we were onto them?" Hilbert asked.

"It's possible that one of the soldiers who came with Emilia was a rebel in disguise," I replied.

"Damn it!" Hilbert cursed before turning to the soldiers. "The situation is dire! The queen needs our help—all of us. We can settle the matter of this prison later!"

The soldiers exchanged glances before nodding in agreement.

"Let's go, then," I said, already making a run for it.

To be honest, I really don't care if the queen lives or dies. I only decided to join in to create my own escape route.

Once I get my chance, I'll just run away.