Chapter 15: A harsh State of Affairs

"We interrupt you this program for breaking news!!" A news reporter was shown to be reporting the scene in front of a local shopping mall as the building was surrounded by the police force.

"This just in, an explosion recently occurred here at Twilight City located in the New Moon District on a local shopping mall nearby. Police are currently surrounding the building in hopes of negotiating with the terrorist on this unfortunate matter."

Just as declared by the news reporter, a fire is shown to be intact somewhere in the building, caused by the explosion as a hole was seen, most likely where the terrorist caused their first mayhem and entered the mall.

"Live in Twilight City is Stellar News, Lavender Blossoms here. Just about twenty minutes ago, a huge explosion was heard for all the citizens to hear." An orange-haired woman with a women's formal suit and skirt reported. "We are also going to get a statement from the head of the Twilight Police Department (T.P.D.) himself, Police Colonel William Rogers."

On cue, the camera shifted its view to a slightly wrinkled man in his 50's. He is a man with neat gray hair and is wearing a black bulletproof vest with a shoulder loop that shows three crescent moons as proof of his position. He is also wearing blue cargo pants and black combat boots.

The reporter Lavender positioned her microphone against William's mouth. "So tell us Colonel Rogers sir. What is the current situation that we are facing right this instance?"

William cleared his throat, addressing the people. "I am not going to lie. What we face is indeed worrisome. We tried contacting the terrorists but unfortunately, we received no answers from them. Our enemies are rather quiet, and is proving to be harder since we don't even know their demands."

"AND DEMANDS YOU SHALL GET!!"

The voice, amplified by a megaphone was heard from above. Changing the camera view, a violet long-haired man wearing a white cloak suit and long pants was seen at the very top, on the rooftop of the shopping mall. He is also wearing black dress shoes and is shown to be holding a brown cane on his right hand.

"GREETINGS GOOD CITIZENS OF TWILIGHT!!!" The criminal in white said in a happy go lucky tone. The camera then zoomed in at the culprit's face, showing the smug look on his undeniably handsome face.

The crowd below gasped at the criminal, their expression shows that they are indeed familiar with him.

"Isn't that?"

"Yeah, that's one of Twilight's infamous wanted crime lords, said to be one of the three rulers of the Underworld!!"

"The Underworld? Isn't that where crime and anarchy are extremely rampant and even with the combined might of the military and police, they still have trouble maintaining law and order over that wretched place."

"You are right, and that man over there, he is no other than..."

The Mad Jester of the Underworld, wanted throughout all of the Kingdom for his notorious crimes. Theft, murder, kidnapping, smuggling, bribery; those are just the tip of the iceberg of the questionable acts that he has committed in the entirety of Twilight. As befitted with his ill-reputed title, the criminal ensures that every crime he commits ends in a phenomenal grand finale. Never before have they witness a master criminal who laughs in the midst while performing such heinous acts. He is also a true escape artist, both the police and military always fail to capture, as they grit in frustration while the Mad Gentleman cackles in sheer sick pleasure.

The infamous head of the Phantom Coffin, his smile that defines danger for his unfortunate victims.

His name is-

"Reginald Cruz. I should have known you were behind all of this madness!!" William said as he also took a megaphone of his own to have equal communication with the Mad Jester.

"Why hello there William old chum!!! So delighted to see our paths crossed again!!!" The Mad Jester, named Reginald grinned playfully at the Police head.

William's expression turns sour. "What is is that you want time Cruz?!"

Reginald pouted indignantly. "Aw, that hurts right in the calories!! Why are you not calling me by my given name Willie boy? I thought we are best buds?! Didn't I tell you the last time to call me Reginald, Reggie, Reg, Reggie boy, or ole buddy R.C. Heck, even a bestie would suffice!!

An angry look was all he received from the head of the T.P.D., showing that he has no time for this utter bullshit that Reginald has been telling him.

"Wow, so much anger, you could chill down a bit Willie boy. Don't want those wrinkles growing wouldn't you!!! hahaha!!!"

"Cut the bullshit Cruz, and tell us what you are up to!!" William's patience was no more.

"Killjoy, you're no fun." Reginald frown, then after some time, went back to all smiles again. "Very well, what we want is rather simple really. Fulfill our request, then we could all forget that this ever happens and leave!!! Simple right? In fact, I'll also leave complimentary cupcakes for all of you twats around here."

"Simple?" William is irritated. "Who are you fooling Cruz? You are anything but simple."

"Oh but this time, it is really simple!! What we desire, what we yearn today..."

"Is no other than-"

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Fuck."

The f-word indeed rang true for Rin Grayson, still disguised as the blue-haired beauty of Rosemary Academy, Rina Mayfield.

Two armed men took over the cafe, their faces masked in a rib-knit three-hole balaclava with some sort of a coffin printed as a design. They also wear black tactical vests, black shirt, and black combat boots. Both of them are equipped with a standard AR-57 semi-automatic rifle, a Browning Hi Power Classic 9 mm handgun holstered on their side and a standard military combat knife.

Rin assumed a serious look on his face, his eyes rolling in a subtle motion as he analyzed his every surrounding, an opening, something that might get them out of this situation, hopefully unscathed.

'Damn it, this sure sucks. I could have charged and disabled those terrorists if it not for the people surrounding me.' Rin thought as he looks to be worried, especially with his two friends/classmates beside him.

Meiko seemed to be trembling with fear. Of course, such reaction is understandable for a normal teenage girl experiencing a hostile takeover.

Keana to her credit seems to be doing quite well. Although the fear is still present as evident by her troubled expression, she seemed to be in control, her breathing in a paced manner, trying her utmost best to remain calm in the situation.

"Alright you babies!!! You know the drill. Get us what we want and no one gets hurt. Try something funny and a bullet on the head is all you get, understood!?" One of the men announced as the people nodded in fear. Then he turned to his partner "Now that things have settled, I want you to go to the cash register and empty the thing. I for one am going to rid the people of their personal valuables."

"Uh partner are you sure about that? Reginald told us to focus on our primary goal." The other terrorist questioned, uncertainty in his voice.

Rin was listening to the conversation, trying to decipher its meaning. 'Primary goal? This might mean that money is not exactly their motive in this act.'

"Oh it's fine sheesh." Terrorist no. 1 answered in annoyance. "What's the harm of taking a few treasures and valuables along the way right? Besides, there are a lot of us occupying in this very building, so who in their right mind would challenge us?"

Terrorist no. 2 nodded. "I suppose you are right partner."

The two terrorists began their act, one of them approaching the cash register and threatening the cashier to put out the money.

The other approached each and every one the victims, pointing a gun on their faces and forcing them to surrender every valuable that they own.

"Ho... you sure are pretty miss. Damn what a hot body!!!" Terrorist no. 1 ceased his actions when he approaches Rin's group, especially eyeing Keana with a sick, perverted look.

"N-no..." Keana's eyes widen, her calm demeanor slowly shattering apart as the terrorist approached his hands inappropriately.

"Please stop this." Meiko begged the man, but he was not having any of it, the orange-haired girl's pleas falling to deaf ears.

"Hey partner look what I found!!!" Terrorist no. 1 said as he grips Keana's face rudely, the former filled with lust. "It seems you will be a fine cum dumpster for me and my men tonight!!!"

"Maybe later partner. And do we even got the time for that?" Terrorist no. 2 replied, his gun pointing at the cashier who is currently emptying the register.

Rin could only grit his teeth, trying his hardest to contain the rage that is threatening to erupt and bashed that bastard's skull to pieces.

'Keep calm Rin, focus. That trash of a human being is going to defile Keana if I don't do something about it, but recklessly acting might compromise the safety of the other people here.'

"Hey you are pretty cute too." Terrorist no. 1 also laid his degenerate eyes on... Rin.

'Fuck I'm going to puke... but I catch a sight of opportunity here!!'

"M-me?" Rin pretended to flinch in horror, trying to act as desirable as possible, his mannerisms attempting to look tempting in the eyes of the Terrorist.

And it seems that it is working.

"Yes!!! It seems that you are also lucky, being an honor to also be my woman."

It took every ounce of willpower for Rin not to throw up.

"If, if only you are to release my friend here and maybe we can work something out." Rin... Rina fake pleaded, doing his best to sound seductive, emphasizing his feminine features in the hopes of the scum in front of him to take the bait.

"Damn it, I can't hold it anymore!!!" The Terrorist shouted in obscene excitement, releasing Keana in an instant and gripping Rin's arm as the former held him in the air. "Hey partner, I'm going to do a quickie around the back!!! Guard this place will ya?"

"R-Rina what are you doing?!" Keana shouted, horrified at what was about to happen to her friend.

Rin merely looked at Keana and offered a smile of assurance as she was taken away.

Terrorist no. 2 could only shake his head with a sigh as he eyed his partner with the blue-haired beauty entering the back of the cashier.

Meiko and Keana could only stare in shock and terror, their thoughts in disarray at their friend Rina who is going to get violated against her will by a masked low life criminal scum.

Keana though was especially was in distraught, perturbed by the fact that Rina, a friend that she only knows for one week saved her from being raped but the cost of her very being herself.

The other people of the cafe eyed at the scene, feeling only pity for the young girl that is about to experience something very traumatic.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"No, it can't be..."

William Rogers thought that he is hearing things as Reginald eyed the former with an amused smirk.

Even the crowd below was perplexed by what the Mad Jester had announced.

"Oh don't be a fool Willie boy!! I know that you are anything but that. I know you heard me loud and clear. I have the most reliable sources after all and they told me that she is in this very building that I'm currently standing!!!" Reginald answered.

"But that's impossible!!! She is well guarded and even the most fearsome of criminals won't even dare to approach her, especially with her special unit of well-trained bodyguards. You are an idiot for even attempting such a thing!!!" William told the Mad Jester, his eyes in a state of disbelief.

"Hahaha, but she too is human after all. The one that we want, something." Reginald paused. "No... someone. The priced treasure of Twilight, loved by the people, most especially the Queen herself."

"What we want..."

All eyes widen

"is the Crowned Princess herself."

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The stench of sickeningly dry, sweet metallic odor was flowing freely in the air.

A sight of a gruesome scene witnessed as numerous dead and bloodied bodies piled up around the vicinity in a brutal and gory fashion.

Inside at another clothing store in the very same mall, a terrorist, the same ones dressed like the others who invaded the mall was seen clinging to hopelessness... to life.

The same man, the last one alive was crawling to get away.

To get away from that... monster.

A monster in a cute girl's skin.

Mania Crimstar eyed the pathetic figure with a sadistic look, licking the blood at the combat knife that she got from a dead terrorist.

"Please, have mercy." The man could only do beg for his life as he faced the redhead girl.

"Funny." Mania giggled. "I recall earlier you and your men saying that you are going to fuck me like the whore I am."

Without warning, blood violently spurts out of the man's throat as Mania impaled the knife right into his neck and even twisting it to inflict additional pain as blood splatter on her pretty face.

"Ah, the taste of blood and fear never gets old~" The redhead beauty moaned in pleasure.

She then eyed the exit, her thoughts on what her next course of action will be.

The girl shortly after strips of her current attire, revealing her hourglass figure barely covered with red enticing lingerie as she rids off the blood-stained clothing. She then changed into the red sheath dress that she has bought a few moments ago during her encounter with a cute orange-haired girl.

'Fufufu, so many blood to be spilled. Perhaps I can find something interesting along the way~'