Chapter 520: Freedom
"ARCHERS!"
City Lord Hargrove's voice boomed once more. In one moment, there was no one but this singular, seemingly frail, City Lord to be found on the city's walls. But, in the next moment, two rows of over a hundred archers appeared, each with the light of an expert in their eyes.
It became clear very quickly that Hargrove had no intention charging into the prison. Why would he undertake such a thankless task?
No, his goal was simple. Any guards or Wardens that escaped this prison would find an arrow between the eye. As for the prisoners, they would be welcomed with open arms.
The prisoners of Earth provided two opportunities. Not only would they give a large influx of talented individuals, but they would also be able to gain the same number in Fifth Generational persons. This killed two birds with just a single stone.
The only large clearing one could find on Dark Cloud Province was in this very place. About a kilometer around the hexagonal prison was nothing but flat concrete. With the appearance of Hargrove City, this concrete was now filled with spiderweb-like cracks, but it served its purpose to perfection.
Without any place to hide, how could the guards of Dark Cloud Prison possibly protect themselves against the assault of 100 elite archers?
At that moment, a head peaked out from behind the rubble. Dust and soot covered this person's face, making it difficult to tell if they were male or female at first glance. It seemed that whoever this person was, they had chosen to shave their head bald.
When this prisoner saw the rows of archers in the distance, they panicked and ducked back down. However, they soon calmed.
If Leonel had been there, he would be shocked to realize that he recognized this person. It was none other than the younger brother of the demoted Vice Commander of the Slayer Legion, Damian.
"There's a massive city that appeared out of nowhere." Damian reported to the prisoners that had followed behind him. "They have a hundred archers all primed and ready."
Among them, there were a few who had attacked on that day, including his elder brother, Joseph.
One would think that as members of the most notorious group of rebels, they would have been thrown into a much deeper part of Dark Cloud Prison. But, their allocations showed just how much disregard The Empire had for their efforts as a whole.
Despite having once been a Vice Commander of the Slayer Legion, Joseph, even as the highest rated prisoner among them, was still a mere C-grade Prisoner, just like the rest of them.
In truth, such treatment had hurt more than anything else. They would rather have been treated like the lowliest of scum, been underfed, beaten and abused… But what they actually got was a cushy cell, three meals a day, and a psychiatrist to vent to.
It felt as though they were children put on timeout rather than criminals who had risked their lives everyday for the sake of forging a better future for themselves.
This had been an insult worse than anything they had ever experienced before and that sort of treatment made their hatred of The Empire burn even more fervently… And along with that, their hatred of Leonel increased proportionally.
When Damian's whispers reached their ears, the prisoners panicked somewhat.
The truth was that most of them weren't hardened criminals. Aside from those who were from the Slayer Legion, the rest had only committed petty crimes. Facing such a situation, many of them weren't sure how to react.
Knowing this, there was no wonder those of the Slayer Legion felt so insulted. They were placed in the same cells as men and women whose worst crime might have been trespassing onto the wrong property or shoplifting.
The only difference between them and the Slayer Legion members was that while they would get out, those of the Slayer Legion would be here for life…
Until now.
"This definitely isn't a decoy." Joseph spoke, his expressions much less cheery as compared to the past. "Even if The Empire wanted to con us, they wouldn't destroy the Prison to do so, and they definitely wouldn't dare to speak ill of Emperor Fawkes toward that end. It's more than likely that those archers are there to act as our cover."
"But should we really trust them and go? We have no idea who these people are, they haven't announced their affiliations." Damian said slowly.
The only reason Damian and Joseph had been so quick to attempt to escape despite understanding the iron fist that was The Empire was because they thought that maybe the Slayer Legion was finally taking large scale action.
The truth was that before Damian and Joseph chose to take a maddened attempt at conquering Royal Blue Fort, the Slayer Legion was prepping for something. As for what they were planning, the brothers couldn't be sure. But, they felt as though they would be left behind if they didn't take a massive leap forward.
Obviously, their attempt failed, but now they were hoping that this matter was related to the Slayer Legion. However, if it truly was, then why wouldn't they announce this?
From start to finish, Hargrove didn't mention their origins, something that made the brothers feel antsy about trusting such an unknown entity. No matter what, they weren't fools.
As the first prisoners to make it to this opening, they had obviously been on the highest floors. As such, the level of torture they had suffered in this prison could be considered to be null. They simply weren't as desparate as those A and Dark Prisoners. So, they were far more clear minded at this moment…
Joseph hesitated, finding his brothers words to be true. At this point, he no longer held the decisiveness he had in the past. The man bold enough to target a Fort of The Empire as a mere Vice Commander was no longer here.
Damian's gaze flashed with a hint of rage looking at the shell of a man his brother had become, but he didn't say anything else. At this point, maybe the elder brother he once knew would never come back.
At that moment, though, a resonating laughter shook the collapsed halls.
BANG!
A man shot up from a floor below, crashing through the walls and jetting out of the Prison.
"FREEDOM!"
His roar was so loud that even the concrete beneath his feet splintered even more.
The man's gaze locked onto the city in the distance.
"Take down The Empire? The Emperor's head on a pike? I'm not sure what this Empire is or who this Emperor is, but I'll take you up on your offer anyway!"
An uproarious laughter shook Dark Cloud Province.