Aggravation

With hardly any people living there, Harventona Castle was largely empty. It had lengthy, spacious corridors. Golden frames surrounded the windows. Shiny white marble used as the flooring material. The pillars were of rich midnight blue tint, while the external walls were white. All of the rooms were wide, and arches led into them.

A large staircase leading to the top or bottom floors was located at the far end of the passageway. They were on their way to see Garuda, whom they had earlier captured, when Bow and his two partners arrived. They were crossing the wide indoor balcony that protruded from the room's sides and above the stairway.

"What the hell are you thinking, Bow? Visiting our commander now is suicidal. You should've never shot him with that arrow of yours. We are considered as enemies." Said Trap.

"I was thinking the approach that worked the best for me. I have not committed a crime; remember, we are allowed to apprehend people, even if it's the commander of the 'Sun Soldiers'. His job was to contribute as much as possible to capture Yumiko without harming any innocent people."

"In the contract that we signed to become the 'Sun Soldiers' there's a rule which explains that killing an innocent citizen, without allowance from Master Muro, is prohibited. Apprehending him was the right option."

After arriving at the staircase and descending it, they discovered Empress Oriyana and her sidekicks wandering through the hallways. She walked up to them and halted them in their tracks.

She appeared to have maintained an unpleasant expression to the eye. Her focus was on the "Sun Soldiers." She raised her head after a little period of observation and asked them about the status of the assignment they had been given earlier.

"I assume you have yet to locate that girl that disturbed my bathing. I don't understand what is taking you this long. Perhaps you should explain yourself, soldiers."

"The woman you've asked us to seek has been captured in the act of confronting Chief Garuda. Due to his failure it eliminating her, we've interfered and annihilated her. She should not be a bother to you anymore, Empress." Explained Bow.

Kizu failed to detect any lies in Bow's assertion. He maintained a motionless posture while keeping his arm crossed and a bored expression on his face. He yawned since hearing the speech had made him exhausted.

Her initial assumption that their claim was false was disproved by the seriousness with which they expressed it. When she ran out of complaints about being disturbed, she sighed and responded.

"I understand. I suppose there's no denying that. You've done an excellent job. I am thankful for your cooperation. Chief Garuda's been waiting for you impatiently, Bow. He seems not to be pleased by the fact he's stuck behind a jail cell. You should visit him as soon as possible."

"Of course, Empress. To your concern, we've already been on our way to visit him. I hope your day will not be disturbed by another individual. Thank you for entrusting us with this mission."

Oriyana passed by the three soldiers together with Rika and Tinna; she didn't stop them from moving forward. Afterward the three of them hurriedly proceeded toward the underground jail cell when they were left alone in the passageway.

Garuda, who was trapped behind the jail, had been shouting loudly in the hopes that someone would walk inside. He had no idea how to remain composed. He only experienced anger and hatred.

The cellar's underground door was unlocked. The three soldiers could be seen walking toward the front of the closed cage as they descended the staircase. He slammed his arms into the cell and forcefully gripped it.

"Bow! You will regret the choices you've made! What the hell were you trying to do when shooting me, you rubbish! The instant I get out of here, I'll crush your dumb skull straight out from your head into fragments!"

"I have only done what needed to be done. Your recklessness caused many lives of citizens to die. If my memory serves me correct the contract you've signed to become the 'Sun Soldier' included a rule that described killing an innocent person without allowance, is prohibited."

"Given your destruction to the island's population, my only task was to apprehend you and put you behind bars."

"Screw the rules! Those useless people were defending my ignorant daughter so much that I had no other option but to kill them! Master Muro cannot continue the test without her blood! You had your chance to strike her, but you failed and instead shot me!"

"I had no intention of shooting Yumiko. A shot like that would have killed her, and that is not what our task was. We were to take her in alive, without minor injuries. Her blood samples must not be messed to any means necessary. If you were to continue your selfish massacre, there would have been a chance to harm her."

All of Bow's intelligence was accurate. It was flawless and kept everyone silent. Even though he was incensed by the incident, Garuda was aware that if he moved forward, Yumiko's body might have been wounded.

His hold on the cell grew more firm. His arms trembled, but he released them and backed off. He whirled around and slammed the bed with his bottom. Until he unexpectedly snapped, his eyes were firmly fixed on Bow's.

His eyes erupted in a scarlet explosion of blazing rage. His expression became wider before he started to laugh. The soldiers looked at it, and Kizu and Trap were soon concerned.

The bed creaked as the enormous Garuda body straightened. He tensed his muscles harder so that his veins would stand out from beneath the skin.

"Well damn. Isn't that unfortunate? The soldier who I'd been praising my whole life turns out to be just another one of those foolish idiots, who tend to obey the rules to their desired normalcy."

"You really did disappoint me, Bow. I've tried so hard to believe that you'd be that one soldier who'd obey me, instead of Muro. Your title as the soldier is merely a fraction of someone's importance, unlike mine."

"If you can't complete one mission, then I'll do it myself."

Garuda emitted a powerful force between his knuckles that radiated across the depths. Like a hurricane attempting to scale building walls, finding a breakable point by progressively looping around.

Sparks of electricity that had been created from the energy were unleashed by its pure might. He immediately threw his arm around his back while drawing the air with it.

Garuda drove his strong fist against the brick behind him, like a wrecking ball crashing into a wall. When it hit, the wall collapsed into a heap of debris. It made the air in the room start to swirl up. It pierced the bodies of the soldiers and shot right passed the cell.

All that remained of the wall was a pile of bricks. Its catastrophic impact blasted against the castle's exterior. It was observed by city people from a distance. They let out a loud shriek. It released a strong tremor, which caused the dust and rocks to fly ahead.

The power caused the clothing and hair of the soldiers to wave, forcing them to hide their vision with an arm. Once finished, the wind and dust dissipated. The warriors were able to glance forward and open their eyes once more. They witnessed Garuda demolish the wall despite having his power restrained by bands around his wrists.

"Understand this, Bow. No matter what you try, you will never be able to keep me imprisoned. Once I capture the girl, I'll make certain to repay you back for what you've done to me. I *WILL* crush you and break your face so that your dumb 'Forbidden Technique' perishes with it."

Bow stood stoically, unmoved by the events playing out in front of him or the words Garuda spoke out. Garuda leaped out of the castle's gaping wall as Bow watched him enter the street. His weight caused the ground to fracture as his feet slammed into it.

People were terrified as they stared at him and questioned what was going on. They simply moved aside so he could cross the street. His sole objective at the time was to seize Yumiko, using force if necessary.

Trap and Kizu were unsure of what to do next, waiting, as they watched Bow for orders that he never gave. His entire face was devoted to getting ready for a fight he might have to engage in in the future.

He didn't move a muscle as he stood there before abruptly turning around and ascending the steps to the upper floor.

Garuda and Bow both perceived enmity in one another, like long-awaited adversaries.

Even if it meant killing his own daughter, Garuda would willingly dismember her body. He had no more mercy, he was ready; ready to deliver her blood back to Muro.

To be continued...