The Danger of Blood Hounds: Ki Enhancing Drugs (KEDS) and Landseer Time (2/2)

Lyon POV:

"Call me Cirris."

The brown-haired man stretched out his hand, and I shook it. Everyone relaxed more once they became aware of just who I was, everyone apart from Gia.

"Take everyone back to District 4? What's your plan?"

She seemed noticeably annoyed, and I wondered if it was because I called X, Copycat. I couldn't dwell on it now since the Blood Hounds were still increasing in the area.

"We'll follow the path that I cleared on my way here. I'll deal with the Blood Hounds no matter where they come from. All you need to do is follow Holder and run."

Gia leaned back against the wall and looked at me. Her lips curved upwards as her eyes shimmered.

"You plan on taking on all of these Blood Hounds alone?"

"That's right."

Her smile widened. I observed her gaze shift to the children in the room and the corners of her mouth gradually fell.

"No. I can't let the kids get hurt. Furthermore, he's a Blood Hound too."

She pointed at Holder as he cowered behind me, afraid of all the eyes staring at him. Gia was more cautious than I expected.

Usually, people with that look in their eyes only cared about the thrill and fun of battle, yet she suppressed her desires in order to save precious lives.

"Holder."

He shuffled to the side slightly and fanned out his fingers. A bright green light washed over everyone in the room.

"A healer...!"

Cirris looked at Gia, who remained silent. A lot of her smaller wounds had healed thanks to Holder.

"He was a Blood Hound, but not anymore."

I put his hand down, and the green light vanished.

"Also, one of you in this room can make people turn invisible for a certain amount of time."

Gia's eyebrows twitched slightly. It wasn't a secret; I had literally seen people appear before me—it was an obvious deduction.

I turned my attention to the girl sitting at the front of the table. She had yet to say a word, and I was curious about her identity.

"What's District 4 like?"

She looked at me with intense eyes, and I instinctively knew that this was the breaking point. If 'gift' meant a person, then someone in this room was worth a lot in the eyes of the higher-ups.

"District 4 is one big family. We work together, we laugh together and we support one anothe—"

"You're lying."

She furrowed her eyebrows and glared at me.

"You're here to try and use me, aren't you? You think you're some saviour charging in here with an ex-Blood Hound? You talk about protecting all of us here, but it's all just empty words. Power, that's all you care about. That's all everyone cares about in this place."

I stared at her silently and scratched my cheek.

"But I don't even know who you are..."

She went bright red and looked away quickly. A few of the children giggled at her reaction, only intensifying her apparent embarrassment.

It was quite a speech, but it was directed at the wrong person. However, thanks to her distrust, I was able to identify who the 'gift' Copycat mentioned was.

"People here call her the Amplifier, but her real name is Isabelle."

"Gia!"

Gia waved her hand dismissively at Cirris and looked me in the eyes. I pondered over what she meant by Amplifier. Did Isabelle have an ability that boosted other abilities? Or was it just a boost in Ki?

"If your district is truly like that, then I'll go along with your plan. My ability can turn us invisible, but the time duration won't be very long due to the amount of people. You can't rely on it to get us out of here undetected."

"I don't plan on getting us out of here undetected. Save your ability for when the situation looks dire."

Her eyebrows drew closer together, and her eyes narrowed.

"I'm telling you this now. If a single one of these kids get hurt, I will deal with you myself."

I watched her fighting spirit burn while she glared at me. My lips curved upwards, and I stretched out my hand towards her.

"That's a deal then."

She smiled in return and shook my hand. Isabelle avoided eye contact with me, still embarrassed about what had happened earlier.

"After taking out so many Blood Hounds, the real threats will no doubt show up. When that happens, use your ability and run without looking back.

Your destination is the border between the South of District 3 and the North of District 4. I have people stationed there who'll take you to a secure location."

Cirris and Gia looked at each other briefly. Whether Isabelle's ability could prolong the use of Gia's was unknown, but if that was the case, then there's a good chance no Blood Hounds will get in the way once we break out of the inner section of District 3.

"Do you plan on sacrificing yourself?"

Isabelle had finally calmed down and rejoined the conversation.

"I plan on making a statement. The Ruler of the South needs to know that change is coming, and it's coming soon."

"...How bold!"

Gia's eyes lit up, and she got to her feet. Isabelle looked put out by my words while Cirris observed me quietly. The three of them weren't the easiest of people to convince, but things had worked out so far.

"I...Hate to say this but... It's approaching... Landseer Time."

Holder whispered quietly as I felt a cold chill descend upon the room. I had stopped keeping tabs on the number of Blood Hounds for awhile since they had exceeded the 300 range.

"Tch."

Gia clicked her tongue, and the room fell silent. I glanced at Holder as he began to explain.

"Landseer Time refers to when the drugs effect is multiplied within the body... It happens when the moon meets the dark sky... Our bodies will react and undergo another explosive change..."

"What?"

I looked at him in disbelief. Why on earth didn't he tell me that earlier? Wait, if everyone in this room knew that, then why didn't they agree to leave with me when I first asked?

My mind instantly became calm, and I looked at the situation from their point of view. The answer could be summed up in one word: trust.

Even if we had left earlier, we still would have entered the Landseer Time period. From their perspective, I could abandon them at any time and then they'd have to fight against potentially hundreds of deranged Blood Hounds.

"We're leaving now."

I headed towards the door when Isabelle grabbed my shoulder.

"Do you have a death wish or something? Landseer Time means the Blood Hounds are 2x to 4x stronger than the ones you faced on your way here! How can you put everyone at risk for your own selfish desires..."

I let out a small sigh as I placed my hand on top of hers.

"Just this once. Trust me."

I looked at Gia, Cirris, the children and finally Isabelle. I needed them to have a little faith. Without it, we'd be stuck in here planning for days.

"Lead the way, District 4's Leader."

Gia held a few children in her arms and nodded at me. Since I got her approval, everyone began to move and get ready. Isabelle bit her lip and moved her hand away. It was obvious she was upset about Gia's desicion, but she too began to ready the children around her.

'She respects Gia.'

I turned to Holder and tapped his shoulder lightly.

"We haven't known each other long, but I trust that you can handle this, right?"

"Y-yes... It's better to get out of here anyway... But what about Edith?"

"Leave that to me. You head straight to the border; that's your job. You're not a Blood Hound anymore, use those hands to save, not kill."

He nodded his head and psyched himself up while I planned on grabbing Edith after I finished up here.

It was time to leave this place.

***

The formation was simple. Holder was at the front, Gia in the middle with Isabelle and Cirris at the back. My position wasn't set, so I would freely move from above to deal with any Blood Hounds.

The first obstacle was Pine Street. A large number of Blood Hounds were patrolling the street in a daze, and the moment we stepped out—we'd be surrounded instantly.

We passed by the 6th floor, and the Blood Hound I had knocked out earlier was still slumped against the wall. A few more minutes passed, and we reached the entrance.

"I'll go first. When I give you the signal, run."

Everyone nodded their heads in unison while I could feel their determination. My lips formed a short smile as I opened the large door to the estate and left it slightly ajar. Their heads spun around the moment they heard my footsteps.

The black muzzles they wore had fused to their face, leaving black branching lines that spread out across their cheeks. They were more bulky than before, and their Ki had risen sharply.

The moment I took another step forward, their bodies bent forward and they lunged at me.

'Ghost.'

I watched their bloodshot eyes roll back into their heads as they fell all around me. I had to hit them more times than before, but it was still over in a couple of seconds. Their motionless bodies twitched on the floor while I glanced back at the entrance of Complex B.

Isabelle's mouth was wide open, and Cirris looked impressed.

"Let's move."

Gia, whose lips had curved upwards, took the lead and the tens of children followed after her. I dashed up a nearby estate and watched over them from above as we disappeared into the night.