- Inside the Lair -

Archon, arms cuffed behind his back and subdued by four strong men, was forced to his feet and weakly walked behind the tall figure of Heartbeat.

Because this dungeon beneath the mansion was so dark, all he could see was a silhouette. There were occasional torches on the walls, but they were sparse and barely provided any real light. The stench was horrible from all the prisoners and corpses, but that was the least of Archon's concerns.

"You… what are you doing, with a place like this…"

"Whenever my men disobey me, I send them down here for a little… discipline," Heartbeat said nonchalantly, the footsteps and the cries of help from the prisoners nearly drowning out his voice.

"… Monster," Archon spat, utterly disgusted by this entire scene.

"Perhaps. But that is the difference between an A-Class Squadron and a D-Class one, I suppose."

"If this is what it takes to become a A-Class… I would rather remain D."

"Well, either way. Trash will remain trash, after all." Heartbeat chuckled softly. "You will be dying soon anyway. That fake honor of yours… is no longer necessary."

Soon, they stopped before a shut door at the end of the long and dirty hallway. The other cells all had prison bars, but this one had solid walls for maximum security just in case since the woman contained inside had the Shapeshifter Angelica.

"… Open it."

One of the four guards holding Archon stepped forward and prepared to unlock it using a key, but suddenly, a cry of despair rang out to their right.

"P-PLEASE, LET ME OUT… my father, he's on his dying breath… I want to see him one last time… please, Patriarch…"

Heartbeat tilted his head up, closed his eyes, and exhaled deeply.

"… Kill him."

"H-Huh?! Wait, Patriar- I'M SORR-"

"NO-!" Archon cried out, but it was too late.

The guard who had originally been working on the keys emotionlessly pulled the club on his back out and smashed it into the prisoner's skull, killing him instantly. However, there was a brief moment of hesitation from the guard — just far too short for anyone to notice.

The man limply dropped to the ground as the guard nonchalantly shook his club clean, splattering blood everywhere. The action drove fear into the other prisoners' hearts, making them submit to Heartbeat without a single thought of rebellion.

"No… why… WHY?!" Archon demanded in shock and anger.

"He should have reflected his wrongdoings in his cell, rather than worry about his father. Once in this Squadron, we are his only family."

"RAGH!" Archon clenched his fists tightly and tried to break free, wanting to sink a punch into this psychopath's ugly face, but he couldn't overpower the three remaining guards chaining him down. "LET… GO OF ME!"

"Relax, Archon… this is just the appetizer."

The doors to the chamber ahead slid open, revealing a lone woman chained up against the wall, clothes battered and dirty. Her long blonde hair, once silky and beautiful, now hung disheveled and messy. Archon's eyes widened at the sight.

"Melvia…?"

Slowly, the woman raised her head, and the two's eyes met.

"Bakris!"

"Melvia!" Archon cried and tugged at the three guards chaining him down, but once again was unable to break free.

That is, until Heartbeat gave them the signal to let the poor man go. A playful smile tugged at his lips as he watched his prey's hands be uncuffed, as if this was all part of the plan.

Archon immediately tore free from the resistance and stumbled towards his lover, who held tears in her eyes as she shook her head in disbelief.

"Bakris… why… why are you here…"

"I couldn't just leave you…" Archon said hesitantly, pulling Melvia into an embrace. "I tried to forget, like you told me to… I really did. But in the end, I was unable to fulfill that wish of yours."

"You idiot… truly…"

"Idiot indeed," Heartbeat interjected, ruining the two's reunion. "Archon, you are not stupid... most of the time. I have a feeling you half-knew I was never planning on giving your beloved lover back to you in the first place, yet you still came into my obvious trap. What for? These few final moments I'm granting you out of pity?"

Archon clenched his fists tightly, slowly standing up and turning around to face him.

"Fight me like a man, Heartbeat. One on one. If I win, you let Melvia and I walk out of here unharmed. If I lose… you can do whatever you want to me."

"Always the negotiator, I see," Heartbeat laughed in amusement. "But unfortunately, I'm more of a… strategist. There is no reason for me to accept your deal whatsoever. Guards — put him down again."

He had let Archon go for a moment just so he had an excuse to watch him get beaten up again — how cruel.

"Don't hurt him!" Melvia yelled out, pulling at the four anti-Angelica shackles chaining her to the wall.

Archon gritted his teeth and got into a fighting position, even though his entire body was screaming with pain from the long and agonizing torture session from earlier. The four elite guards, equipped with tough armor and the best weapons, slowly advanced on him, completely dauntless.

One of them cleaved forward with his longsword, but Archon used his surprisingly fast movements to duck under and perform a sweeping kick, knocking the guard to the ground. Despite the injuries, Archon was still far stronger and faster than the average person.

With no time to waste, he quickly turned to the next guard, who slashed down at him from behind. Archon grabbed the soldier's arms and pushed him back before he could swing, sinking a front kick into his stomach and sending him crashing into the wall for good measure.

The third guard met him directly to his front, but just as Archon was about to charge towards his enemy, the fourth guard kicked him right in his blindspot. He was sent sprawling onto the floor and coughing blood.

"G-Gah… hah…"

"Bakris!" Melvia cried, but there was nothing she could do apart from watch in suffering.

The guard put more pressure on his foot, causing Archon to roar in pain with zero chance of escape from this situation.

"NGH-!"

By now, the three other soldiers had recovered. They quickly placed cuffed Archon's arms and forced him to kneel in front of their patriarch.

Heartbeat laughed, bending down and pulling a grenade out of his pocket. Then, he lifted it up in front of the defeated man's eyes.

"It's about time for the main course to begin, don't you think?"

"No… NO- AGH!"

Archon tried to lash out at Heartbeat, but the four guards kept him pinned firmly to the ground, as much as he thrashed and resisted.

Heartbeat walked over to Melvia, who wore a dark expression of hate on her face as she glared at him.

"Now then… let's play a little game, shall we, madam?" Heartbeat said with a wry smile, holding up the frag grenade in his hands.

"I will leave this grenade in your hands. You can choose to either hold it yourself, or throw it to Archon here. You will have one minute to make your choice… but if either of you move from your spot, I will detonate the grenade immediately."

"You sick bastard…" Melvia spat with venom,

But Heartbeat just ignored her remark and laughed.

"Let the game beg-"

"Patriarch! The usual supplies are here, and they need your signature to confirm," a voice suddenly interrupted, freezing Heartbeat's movements.

Slowly and crankily, like a well-oiled robot, he stood up and turned around to see who ruined his fun.

"… Can't you see I'm busy?"

"I-I apologize, sir…" the poor soldier immediately cowered away, dropping his tone. "It's just… they're from the guild, maybe it's best we don't keep them waiting…"

Heartbeat closed his eyes and breathed in deeply just like before, as if that was his way to avoid his anger from overflowing.

"… They can wait a minute, no?"

"That… they seemed pretty urgent since they had other Squadrons to deliver to as well… it would spell trouble for us if they got caught in traffic and another A-Class Squadron's supplies ended up late because of it…"

Heartbeat fell silent, clenching his fists tightly. The one thing he hated most… was being controlled by others. He wanted to rebel against the guild a long time ago, just never found the perfect opportunity. The Phantom Slayer Corps provided him with great resources — as much as he hated having someone above him, the benefits were undeniable.

"… Boss," one of the four guards suddenly spoke up, voice deep and coarse. It was the same one who had bashed the prisoner earlier. "There is plenty of time. Why not let these two talk for a bit longer? That way, it will feel even more painful for them when they inevitably die."

Heartbeat thought about this proposal for a second, then chuckled.

"Hm… you have a point, soldier. Very well." He turned back to Archon and Melvia briefly and smiled, twirling the grenade in his hand. "Enjoy the short extension of your miserable lives, pests. I will be back very soon to personally witness your amusing deaths. Until then... have a good talk."