The entire small town had plunged into a purgatory of blood and fire!
Masquerade!
The meaning behind these two words weighed a thousand pounds.
There was no distinction between soldiers and civilians, men and women, the elderly and the weak, not even between humans and animals!
The stench of blood grew heavier in the air, and a cacophony of manic laughter, screams of agony, and piercing cries together composed a scene akin to purgatory.
The flames were extinguished by the conquerors, yet the thick smoke, pressed low by the blood-laden wind, drifted and tumbled through the streets and alleys like smog. Demons with money-rat tails became active within this rolling haze!