Sacrifice

"YOU!! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MERON!!"

Raiden let out a crazed laugh at the end of that frantic shout. Meron wasn't the first person he had killed, and she would definitely not be the last.

The world isn't such a safe place that one wouldn't expect people to die. Thousands of people die from road accidents daily, and over a hundred women terminate their pregnancies each day after the father refuses to take responsibility.

So, what about a single murder? Compared to the killings that happen in this world, such an action amounts to nothing more than how a pebble of dirt can't stain a person.

"Stop being so hilarious, little girl. The moment you tried to escape my prison, all of you were bound to die."

Listening to Raiden's cold words, spoken with a smile, Layla couldn't help but think about Tito. If he had decided to come to the first floor instead of the third, he would've shrugged the situation off and focused on what would benefit him.

However, Layla was different. She had a heart and intended to act like any person would if they lost one of their friends.

Bang–!

Rajah's bullet, which propelled itself toward the current Warden, pulled the young alien out of her thoughts as she confirmed the well-being of her two other friends.

Gripping her twin daggers, she had no choice but to charge at the red-skinned alien, who was moving his head to the side to dodge Rajah's bullet.

Her muscles cracked in a different way than before, making her appear like a blur as she became one with the wind. That being said, she still wasn't the fastest inmate in the prison.

Whoosh–!

Encender dashed at the Warden and performed a horizontal crescent slash that severed his head as before. However, thanks to him being lightning, he retained his life.

Nevertheless, the moment he sensed Layla's attack drawing closer, Raiden felt his instincts scream and a stinging pain in his scar.

In the blink of an eye, he had moved to stand behind the trio, only to step on one of the mini-explosions he had set earlier to defend himself against the prison guards.

Boom–!

Raiden couldn't help but flip through the air from the impact of this surprise attack. As a veteran, he quickly picked himself up the moment he made contact with the ground.

Layla shivered slightly as she noticed the malevolence in the Warden's eyes. He was supposed to be angry at Rajah for setting the explosives, but for some unknown reason, Layla found herself to be the target of his hatred.

Well... she didn't mind that at all, as she hated him back twofold. How dare he kill a kind person like Meron? It would have been a thousand times better if it had been Tito.

She didn't notice the sideways glance her leader was giving her. Encender couldn't tell how, but she had an inkling that Layla was the key to ending the monster before them.

Raiden was the type to turn himself into lightning to avoid attacks, but seeing him dodge would only mean that even if he was lightning, the attack would still injure him.

This was proven by his next assault on Layla. He transformed his palm into a sharp blade made of blue lightning. The sharp edges cracked apart the air.

Layla's eyes couldn't match his god-like speed, and he was sure he wouldn't waste time ending her like he did with Meron, but he had forgotten that someone among the trio had sensory abilities.

Clang–! Sparks flew into the air.

Encender took the opportunity to block the attack just as Raiden was about to thrust into her friend's heart. The Warden, seeing this, jumped a few feet back, not wanting any of the sparks to land on him.

"Damn it!" he cursed aloud, unable to stand people who seemed to have heaven favoring them in every situation. However, he couldn't keep his face contorted for long as he saw two bullets flying at him.

Raiden dodged, transforming his body into red lightning, knowing that Encender would take this chance to attack him. Yet, it was Layla who charged at him.

Compared to the young Tohil, the last Jett was more of a tortoise in terms of speed, so Raiden utilized this chance to stab Layla in her small neck.

The moment he started running, Encender did the same, and the two were rather equal in terms of speed, despite Raiden's ability to turn himself into lightning.

Layla stood in the middle of the hallway that separated the prison guards' dorms, her feet in a puddle of blood, and her silver-pink hair reflecting the lights from the ceiling.

She had no choice but to swing her daggers blindly as she felt a gust of wind from both her front and back.

Raiden could dodge the attack by stepping to the side, but he couldn't; Rajah shot bullets to his left, and Encender swung vertically to his right.

'Oh... so this is a little trap of theirs,' the red-skinned alien thought, smiling inwardly at the trio's pitiful attempt to end him. 'Too bad for them; it is a total failure.'

Raiden turned himself into chunks of lightning. Layla's daggers slashed the air, as did Encender's sword, while Rajah's bullets struck the elevator door.

Using the hallway's enormous width to his advantage, Raiden made the chunks of his body bounce back toward Encender's back. In a split second, his left hand transformed into a spear aimed to tear apart the young girl's heart.

Thack–!

Encender didn't have time to react as it all happened suddenly. The moment she turned back, she found droplets of blood raining onto the tiles in the prison.

"What the hell?!"