章 24: The Echoes Of Defeat
"It's over."
Hao stared down at Diana with his sword pressed softly against her neck. A thin, shallow cut marked her skin, blood trickling down her neck and staining her once pristine clothes. He looked victorious, his face a combination of triumph and exhaustion, while she appeared defeated, her body battered and bruised. Diana's eyes burned with disappointment and rage as she struggled to hold back tears of humiliation.
"Finish me already!" she begged Hao, her tone cracking under the weight of her defeat.
"Hmm…" Hao hesitated, his grip on Vibe Edge loosening ever so slightly. A flicker of doubt crossed his mind as he gazed down at her, their expressions locked in a silent standoff.
Whoosh!
"Huh?" Diana's breath hitched as she noticed Hao withdrawing his sword from her neck, the cold steel leaving a chilling sensation on her skin. Her eyes widened in confusion and disbelief at his unexpected mercy.
"Why?" she whispered.
Hao paused for a moment, then spoke quietly, "Because I'm not a monster and besides, I kinda like you."
"You like me…?" This was interpreted as an insult through Diana's brain processing unit. She genuinely thought that Hao was belittling her mettle. "Do you dare to repeat that?" Her eyes were sharp as the sword she wielded.
As they conversed, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the factory. Hao expanded his range of sensing down from his vantage point on the conveyor belt, noticing a group of workers pointing up at them while speaking with enforcers. The Optimum Security Division had arrived, clad in their distinct black and red uniforms. They quickly made their way towards the scene of the battle, intent on apprehending the key suspects.
Seeing the imminent threat, Hao made a hasty escape, he darted through the crumbling factory and narrowly evaded the enforcers' pursuit.
Outside, in the open yard of the Blade Engineering Guild, Ciara was running with a couple of her friends to seek shelter from the rain when she coincidentally spotted Hao between the thin droplets fleeing the compound at high speed, his face was pale and panic-stricken. She furrowed her brow, wondering what had transpired for him to be acting so strange, she would soon become aware of the reason later.
"Are you okay, miss?" Back in the wasted factory, one of the OSD enforcers called out to Diana as they arrived at her side. The question only fuelled her frustration and anger as she barked back:
"Don't touch me! I don't need your help!"
"Wow!" The enforcer recoiled, taken aback by her cold response.
Later, with the help of the OSD Diana regrouped with Colgate, who was being assisted by medics. They met in the guild's infirmary. Colgate's severed arm had been wrapped in bandages, but he still required more advanced medical care. He wore a pained expression, his face pale from the blood loss and the shock of his injury.
The guild compound was in a slight uproar, with some of its members moving to and fro briskly, some attending to spread the lit propaganda, while others tried to assess the damage and determine what had occurred. Hushed conversations and worried murmurs were passed around the student body as disbelief grew even vaguer.
In the infirmary while they were given a bit of privacy to interact, Diana and Colgate locked eyes, they exchanged a mutual understanding of their shared failure. Despite their best efforts, Hao had escaped again and Judgment Day was still in his possession. The consequences of their battle would soon reach the ears of the Imperial Storehouse's Chief Curator. The weight of their defeat settled heavily upon them, fuelling their resolve to make things right, no matter the cost.
***
Pitter-Patter! Pitter-Patter!
Hao was currently walking through the impoverished Wranglers district while the rain was pouring down around him, as memories of the intense battle at the Blade Engineering Guild weighed on his mind. He recalled how he had met a talkative chick named Lanor, searched the archives for information that could help him unsheathe Judgment Day, and encountered the formidable Imperial Hounds. The fight had ended with him victorious, but it had been a hollow victory. His face was devoid of joy as he drew his hoodie further over his head to avoid drawing attention to himself.
The squalid district bustled with activity despite the heavy rain. Dirty street vendors shouted to entice customers of similar condition, their wares protected by threadbare umbrellas riddled with holes. These makeshift shelters did little to prevent the rain from soaking the vendors, their merchandise, and the passers-by huddling beneath them. The scent of damp, stale air mixed with the smell of desperation, creating an oppressive atmosphere that only added to Hao's melancholy.
As Hao trudged through the district, he observed the harsh reality of the people living there. Their faces were etched with lines of worry and exhaustion, their clothes ragged and patched together. The struggle for survival was evident in their every movement, Hao couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for their plight.
"Hmm…?"
His sight fell upon an elderly man sitting on the sidewalk. The man was a living example of a life of hardship, his face a map of wrinkles that told the story of countless struggles. His garments, once colourful and vibrant, were now torn and faded, mere shadows of their former glory. The man's gnarled toes protruded from his worn-out shoes, the nails long and yellowed. His teeth, visible between cracked and chapped lips, were stained and rotting. The rain did little to cleanse the filth that clung to him, instead plastering his thinning hair to his scalp and turning the dirt on his skin into rivulets of grime.
Ignoring the foul odour emanating from the man, Hao approached him and pressed a handful of Blade Tokens into his gnarled hand. As he turned to leave, he noticed the jealous stares of nearby onlookers. It occurred to Hao that perhaps his act of charity, well-intentioned as it was, could bring harm to the elderly man. In this district, the tokens were valuable enough that some might kill for them. But Hao had no time to dwell on the potential consequences of his actions, his heart heavy with the weight of his recent trials.
With each step, Hao's feet sank into the mud that pooled on the ground, the relentless rain turning the once-solid earth into a treacherous mire. The dampness permeated every inch of him, mirroring his own turbulent emotions. He berated himself for his decision to steal Judgment Day and pondered the ramifications of his actions. The Optimum Security Division would undoubtedly have his information by now and would be hunting for him. And with the S-Catalogue he had accidentally taken from the guild's archive, he could be banned from the very institution he had turned to for guidance.
Hao wandered further into the district until he came across a food vendor's stall. The vendor, a portly man with a greasy apron, greeted him with a toothy smile. A small electronic screen on the counter beside the kitchen blared a news broadcast, covering the disturbance that had erupted at the Blade Engineering Guild. Though Hao's name and face were absent from the report due to confidentiality reasons, the people who knew him would be aware of his involvement.
Meanwhile, in a different part of the city, Mentos watched the same news report on his large screen, concern for his friend evident on his face. He knew Hao's actions would have consequences, thus he feared for his friend's safety. "I warned you something bad like this might happen. You better not lead any trouble back to my doorsteps." Mentos clenched his fists, worrying if he would get caught up in Hao's problems.
Back in the Wranglers district, Hao's heart sank further as he watched the news report. The weight of his decisions pressed him harder, there would be no easy way out. But he also realized that he couldn't afford to wallow in despair; he had to keep moving forward.
Determined to find a way to set things right, Hao left the food vendor's stall and continued through the rain-soaked streets. He guessed he would eventually have to face both the OSD and the Imperial Hounds. The echoes of defeat may have been haunting him, but he would have to rise above them and find a path to redemption.
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