Chapter 256 - 256: Terrorist
"Please stay in your rooms and find a place to hide. We are currently under attack by the ESE."
"I repeat, this is not a drill. Please stay in your rooms and find a place…"
Van looked towards the direction where the voice was coming from, only to see a weird black box on the corner of the ceiling. The voice just continued her words over and over again without pause. And soon, it was replaced by the sound of a siren that almost threatened to deafen Van.
"..." Van quickly threw the wet towel he used earlier towards the black box, and to his surprise, he hit it almost dead center, completely splitting it in half. He only wanted to cover it since it was noisy, but it would seem he no longer knows his own strength… as well as his aim.
Should he actually just wait here until whatever this ESE thing is would be over?
"Pft," Van let out a slight chuckle as golden streaks of lightning emerged from his eyes. And without thinking about it any longer, he slammed his body through the door. The peaceful hallway that he once passed through was now filled with lights, flickering into a blue and red color as the sound of the siren once again penetrated Van's ears.
There didn't seem to be any people walking in the hallway as far as he could see. He then ran towards the room that Artemis and Charlotte went into, only to see the door already smashed through. Were they already checking what the commotion was all about?
...Then why didn't they call him? Van could not help but let out a small sigh as he was trying to figure out what to do, but before his thoughts could start, he realized that there was still someone inside the room-- Artemis.
The makeshift clothes made from leaves and branches were no longer to be seen. Instead, it was replaced by a full white gown, with a lace of golden pearls serving as its collar. The little gap from the pearls slightly exposed the skin of Artemis's bosom. Van wanted to look more, but he stopped as he remembered their current situation.
"...You're still here?" Van muttered.
"Yes," Artemis nodded, "The announcement said we should stay in our rooms. Unlike your aged companion, I value and respect the laws of the land in which I currently walk."
"Aged… When did miss Charlotte leave the room?"
"She already destroyed the door before the bars could even make contact with the floor."
"I see. Let's go, this place is currently under attack."
"I wish to remain here, Evans."
Van was about to leave the room, but his steps stopped as soon as he heard Artemis's words, "What do you mean? If Charlotte is fighting, this building will collapse soon. I know you can survive it since you're stronger than both of us combined, but still--"
"Don't be silly, Evans," Artemis waved her hand as she let out a soft chuckle, "It's not for that reason. Even if I want to advocate peace, as a god, I can not intervene too much. This seems to be a civil war, and it is not my place to do anything or choose a side."
"But you're not a god anymore, though," Van blinked a couple of times, "You said that whatever made you a god, I absorbed already."
"That…" Artemis could not help but place her hand on her chin, "I suppose that is true. But which side should we choose? This ESE seems to be a terrorist organization, but then again, we know too little about this country to judge."
"...Why do we need to choose sides?" Van raised an eyebrow, "The last time I chose a side was to survive; I chose the stronger side."
"And which one do you think is the stronger side?"
"Ours," Van let out a small smirk before turning around, "Now let's go see what all this fuss is about."
This time, it was Artemis's turn to blink a couple of times as she watched Van's back disappear into the hallway. But after a few seconds, she started heading towards the door, "...I suppose that is true as well," Artemis let out a small smile before following Van.
Van did not really use his speed as he waited for Artemis to run beside him. Although she was stronger than Charlotte physically and had some other tricks up her sleeves that Van still was not aware of, it would seem that she wasn't as fast.
The two continued to head in the direction they came from when they landed earlier, but even as they passed by several rooms already, they have not seen a single person running around. It would seem that the people are taking the announcement seriously and not leaving the rooms as it suggested.
Even with the deafening sirens, Van could still hear the thundering noises outside. It would seem that there really was a war happening-- and to think he thought he could relax even for just a day when he was showering earlier.
Finally, after a few more seconds, the two reached the outside of the building, only to see the skies already covered in smoke. Before they could even see the beauty of the country, they were seeing the demise of its city.
"Your aged companion is there."
"Where?"
Van quickly looked in the direction Artemis was pointing to, only to see a watchtower blocking his view. Van tried to see where Charlotte was, but it was to no avail. It wasn't until a flying hunk of what seemed to be metal showed itself. It was lifted by blades that were rotating at an incredible speed.
But before Van could even scan it in its entirety, it went into flames and exploded as Charlotte burst forth from it, landing in front of them.
"L… let go of me!"
And in her hand, was the collar of a man whose face was fully covered in a black hooded mask. The man then wildly waved the rifle hanging on his neck, pulling the trigger loosely towards Van and the others.
Van instinctively shielded Artemis, with the bullets bouncing off of his body-- even his eye.
Seeing this, the man could not help but click his tongue. But after a few seconds, he turned the rifle towards his face, "You fucking Holders should just rot and die!"
The man gritted his teeth and closed his eyes as he pulled the trigger. A thundering noise whistled into his ear, but the comforts of death never came for him. The man quickly opened his eyes, only to see a hand covering his rifle's nozzle.
"I am afraid we strangers have a few questions of our own," Charlotte said as she nonchalantly dropped the bullet and the man at the same time. She then grabbed the man's rifle before proceeding to crumple it in a ball.
The man only yelped from Charlotte's words, shouting things that she couldn't understand. Hearing this, Charlotte could not help but let out a sigh as she turned her attention towards Van.
"Can you translate what I just said to him?"
"...Sure."
Charlotte dragged the man back inside the building as they asked him a bunch of questions as to the country's current state. The man was confused at first, but as soon as he realized that the three were foreigners, he quickly explained the situation to them.
The man was part of a revolutionary militia called ESE, or the Equalist State of Egypt. They were a band of groups of ordinary people seeking peace, and as their name suggests, equality. According to them, the world is currently being run by the System Holders, and that the System Holders were deliberately not clearing all of the Portals so that they could continue their reign in the world.
Their country was a good example. Everyone who held a high position in their country was a System Holder, even their President. What made it worse was that they were all the sons and daughters of a single man, Salim Said, one of the strongest System Holders in the world.
The normal population were treated as 2nd class citizens; treated as farmers, maids, and labor workers. They were never presented the opportunity to be more; they know they deserved more, but the government was not willing to give it to them.
And so, the goal of their group was to make it known that the normal population could stand toe to toe with the System Holders, maybe even become their leaders.
"...Sounds like entitlement to me."
Surprisingly, Van was the first to react as he heard the man's story.
"Hm," Charlotte only let out a breath from Van's statement, not knowing whether to agree or not. Artemis, on the other hand, didn't have any reaction to the man's story.
"Entitlement!?" The man screamed, "What would you know!? You System Holders are all the same! If killing some of you is the only method we could be heard, then I would gladly give my life if it means killing one of you bastards!"
"Everyone could hear you already."
Suddenly, another voice reverberated in the air as a part of the wall crumbled, and from it, emerged Salim Said.
"I… it's you!" The man quickly backed away in fear as soon as he saw Salim.
"But the country no longer cares about your message," Salim slowly approached the man, with Van and the others not really trying to stop him, "Just with this unprovoked attack, you've killed people… ordinary people that you claim is your cause. What you are, young man…
...is a terrorist."