The click of the door as it unlocked was mesmerizing, and the only thing that had topped it was the sound of it opening. The bars were pretty rusted, and the latches weren’t oiled in what seems like ages, so obviously it had creaked as we slowly pushed them open. The sound reverberated throughout the halls, and it caught the attention of a lot of the other inmates. It seems they had caught on to the fact that we had gotten a hold of the keys, so they wanted in on the action.

“Free us as well!” They pleaded, “Please, I got a bone to pick with that one guard!”

“Hey now everyone, don’t get your panties in a twist!” Issei chuckled, “We’ll free all of you, so make sure to wreak as much havoc on this place we’ve all grown so attached to as you possibly can!”

“Aye aye!” They cheered.

As the hallway kept filling up with the inmates we had freed so far, you could tell there was something big that was going to happen. No one knew for sure what that big thing was, but just seeing everyone so elated after finally being given an opportunity to strike made for a pretty good sight. Let’s hope it’s a good omen, although I’m not one to be superstitious.

“Ah, so it’s you guys causing all the ruckus.” Lee beckoned us to approach him, “Should’ve known, seeing as I saw that girl storming off from the direction of your cell.”

“Ojii-san! Bryce-kun!” Issei opened the gates for them, “Come on, we got the keys, so we should use the opportunity to take the place by storm.”

“Yeah, let’s…!” Lee hopped out of the cell, but the shadowy figure cooped up in the back still remained.

“How ‘bout you just stay put?” Bryce glared us down, “Think things through first, this isn’t a good idea.”

“What? You can’t be serious!” I shot back, “You of all people should know that now is the time to strike!”

“For a smarty pants, you sure are being hasty.” He smirked, “Listen to me and get everyone back in their cells before any of the guards come. Just trust me on this one, kid.”

His sudden annoying standoffish words made me a bit agitated, so without thinking I got in the cell and forcefully dragged him out. I don’t understand, this situation won’t come again another time, so why would he waste it like this? Could it be that he’s worried about the Food Chain again? Ugh, knowing Bryce, what else could it be?

“Grr…! Just come out here and look!” I pointed to the filled hallway, “Look at all the people here! They’re all innocent people who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, just like you and I! In case you forgot, the Food Chain doesn’t exist in the real world, so once we get out, you’re free to live life your own way, without focusing on the people above you!”

“Right, Bry.” Lee patted him on the shoulder, “Believe in Meil. If anyone can get us out of here, it’s gotta be him. He’s proven countless times before that as long as we follow his and Issei’s example, good things are sure to come!”

“Mn…” He mulled it over for a bit before sighing, “Eh, looks like you’re all too fired up for me to have a say in this, so who am I to stop ya’?”

“Really?” I opened my eyes wide, “You’re really on our side!?”

“What other choice do I have?” He shrugged with a smirk, “If everyone but me runs away, then I’ll just be the only one left they have to punish, right? Go on then, leader, don’t make me regret giving in!”

Awesome! He’s finally using his head to think for once! And even though everyone’s assembled here now, we still shouldn’t just go in blind. We need a proper strategy, and I think I have just the idea!

“Alright everyone, listen here!” I clapped my hands loudly to get everyone’s attention, “Issei and I will lead the forefront, since he’s the only one here with a proper gun for a weapon. For now, you guys will follow along, taking any and all weapons from the guards we take out. Do not, under any circumstances, run off on your own without the aid of a gun! You got all that?”

“Aye!” They raised their fists, “For the revolution!”

Heh, I like this atmosphere! Everyone’s so hyped, and those guards and Silvia don’t even know what’s happening, it’s the perfect getaway plan! Now, without further ado, let’s get this plan started!

Running out of the hallway, we had immediately encountered our first enemy. The guard who usually oversees this part of the prison where the cells are. He’s slacking off and sleeping, just like he usually does, so this one should be easy pickings.

“Alright, here I go…” Issei pointed his gun at the man, but I stopped him.

“Hold on a bit! That’s gonna make one hell of a bang! It’ll alert the others if you shoot right now!”

“Then what do you suppose we do then?”

“Don’t worry, just leave it to me!” I winked as my vision Greyed out.

Going Solipsistic for just a moment, I quickly slowed down time as I made my way behind the guard. Grabbing a protruding pipe along the way, I had immediately splattered his brains all over the walls next to us. The others stared on at me as I looted the holstered gun from his pockets and tossed it to one of the inmates.

“That’s one. Now let’s keep going with this energy! Strike while the iron’s hot!”

“URAAAAAAAH!” They cheered in unison as we made our way to the cafeteria.

***

Taking on each guard with progressively more ease than the last, we had basically all but completely gotten our side kitted out, whilst at the same time lowering the enemy force’s numbers noticeably. By the time we had made it to the courtyard, most everyone had a gun, but even those who didn’t weren’t underused, as they kept us safe from our flanks and the back. We stuck close to one another for most of the way here, but I’m afraid we’ll have to divide and conquer if we are to emerge victorious.

“Alright everyone!” Issei burst open the doors to the courtyard, “Let’s make some noise! Divide and conquer, leave no stone unturned, and by God burn the whole place down!”

With the loud roaring of the prisoners as they basically let loose, shooting and killing any guard they saw indiscriminately, it really did seem like hell came crashing down. But what can I say? In this scenario, we’re the demons and devils, so hell crashing down only spells good fortune for us.

“Okay guys,” I deviated from the gang, “You all go ahead and clear that side. I’ve got a good idea that requires me to go visit the shed.”

“Hey now.” Bryce grabbed me by the shoulder, “Come on, leader. Didn’t I tell you not to make me regret joining forces? First you don’t listen to my advice, and now you abandon ship?”

“I’m not abandoning anyone. If anything, I’m doing my part tenfold with this one act, so please allow me to continue going this way.”

“Tch…” He clicked his tongue, “Y’know, you could’ve just listened to my advice and waited before letting everyone loose.”

Hm? What does that mean? Uh, I don’t quite understand, so let’s at least hear him out before making any hasty comebacks. He’s a muscle-brained idiot, but it’s not like he doesn’t have the experience to make up for it.

“Still don’t get it?” He sighed, “You didn’t have to free everyone immediately. You could’ve just as easily hid the keys and told us all discreetly. We would’ve had more time to prepare.”

“Huh?”

“Think about it. The only reason we’ve made it this far is because we lucked out. If the first couple of guards weren’t asleep or slacking, we would’ve all just gotten shot without hesitation. While on the other hand, that bratty bitch that dropped the keys is probably too flustered to even remember the fact that she dropped it, and by the time she would have finally realized, it would have already been too late.”

“I…”

“If only you were more patient, you wouldn’t have to take this many risks. Just remember, leader, that role of yours comes with its share of responsibilities. Remember that any and all casualties we face tonight shall forever and ever rest on your shoulders.”

“…”

I couldn’t think of a proper retort. Everything he said was true, after all. Dammit, why didn’t he speak out about this sooner? If he did, I would’ve surely agreed with his idea and went back into the cell to wait however long was to be required before doing this. Maybe we could’ve gone during the start of the night, and not now, which is more akin to dawn if we go by the color of the sky. Dammit, I can’t just say something naïve like “But there will be no casualties” because obviously there will! Damn, gotta think…!

“Hey, Bry, let the kid go.” Lee tapped him on the shoulder, “Such a big guy, but you only pick on those smaller than you.”

“Haah?” Bryce glared him down, “Stay out of it, Lee. This little pipsqueak is gonna get us all killed, I’m just looking out for everyone.”

“Pipsqueak? The only pipsqueak I see is you, Bry.” Lee shrugged, “I’ve known you more than anyone else in this doggone place, so I know just how long you’ve been in here. You claim it’s been years since you’ve seen the outside world, and that low number on the back of your uniform only goes to show just how much time you’ve spent behind bars.”

“Psh, so what?”

“So let me ask you,” Lee continued, “How many times have you tried to break out? In your stories, you’d always pride yourself to have only wanted to escape once, and even then you didn’t even bring a single person with you as you brute forced your way through the prison. Instead of complaining about Meil’s efforts, how about you look in the mirror and review your own lack thereof.”

Standing in silence as he was getting relentlessly chewed out, Bryce could only quietly wait for Lee’s tirade to finish. He clicked his tongue once more, spit in my general direction, before taking Lee and Issei over to the side I had told them to go to.

“Don’t make me regret this, kid!” He said as he shoulder tackled the doors to the watchtower, “Haha! Now it’s time to let loose again! Full power Bryce style!”

“Heh, what’s with that?” I chuckled before turning around and making my way to the shed, “Well, as long as he understands. Now, I need to focus on clearing my side of the plan!”

Now, I hadn’t yet explained what “My side of the plan” is, so let me just go ahead and do that real quick. Basically, I want to go to the shed so that I can get all the gasoline in there. After that, my plan is to take it with me and spread it around the entire place before lighting it all on fire with Spark. Ugh, if Lune was here, I could have just asked him to Materialize a ton of fuel to burn, but since he’s not, I’m going to have to pull this off the hard way.

“Damn, I could’ve sworn there was more in here than this…!” I cursed the guards as I rummaged through the shed, “This much won’t be enough for the entire place…”

“Ahem.” A stuck up lady’s voice echoed throughout the room, “Seems you’ve caused quite the mayhem, but I’m afraid your plan was… too short-sighted.”