Lustrous chains clanked around as Laticia stood at the center of the auction stage, staring daggers into Kran. Her face was twisted in a hybrid of hate and amusement. Kran stood opposite her in his neat tuxedo suit, holding a large office handbag in his left hand. His black, slick hair with white streaks seemed to stand out as he pushed his glasses up, obscuring his sorrowful eyes that could barely resist crying.
"It's a pity… how you turned out. In this world, evil is everywhere—so many people who exploit others, believe in ludicrous ideologies that shape their understanding… or are bathed in blood from their birth. If anything, a part of me had hoped you were able to transcend these and follow the light, but I see it didn't work in my favor. What I feel now is shame and regret, looking at the unsightly young woman before me," Kran said, his voice slightly emotional despite his efforts to silence sentimentality and focus on the mission.
Laticia's smile faded as if the words had reawakened a cursed memory in her mind. "Well, you only have yourself to blame, don't you, Kran? You failed. But I guess I should be grateful—it allowed me to understand something people refuse. Power is everything. Dominance over others is either a birthright or attained. As for me, I deserve to rule people… have them as slaves! It's simply part of the cycle of life; the strong and powerful have every right to do whatever they wish with the weak and pitiful," she claimed, her smile sending a chill down Kran's spine.
In an instant, Laticia launched a spiraling long chain from her hands. It twisted through the air like a serpent on an ambush, homing in on Kran. He pushed up his glasses, as if to hide his eyes, and leapt into the air with no wasted movement, dodging the chains as they smashed and destroyed part of the flooring.
*Those chains are like whips, and they pack so much damage despite looking so brittle and small,* Kran thought as he landed back down, touching a table.
"Oh, what's the matter? Too hesitant to fight back? So pathetic for a Crimson Stain—HAHAHA!!" Laticia mocked, her face twisting into a demonic smirk as she whipped the brown table Kran had landed on with her wrist-attached chains, destroying it with terrifying force.
Kran jumped to the other side of the auction hall, landing beside one of the stage curtains as he took a deep breath. His gaze became dark and calculating.
"Very well, then. I'll be putting a stop to you right here and now… Prepare yourself, you wretch," he said, reaching into his office handbag and pulling out a pistol, loaded and shining with a beautiful lustrous pattern, pointed toward Laticia.
"It's a shame," he said—the last words before he pulled the trigger.
Laticia, however, smiled maniacally as if it were hilarious. She raised her hand instantly, and two of the "slaves" that were on display—two men in their middle ages—leapt into view. Their eyes were soulless, as if they longed for death. They stood between the bullet and Laticia as a shield. Kran's eyes peered at them with disdain as one of the men fell to his knees, taking the bullet.
"You see that?! I can have my minions do all the work for me! These two were once besties who got themselves into debt with various people for their outlandish lifestyle. They came to me asking for help, so I did—by making them useful! Their wills are now mine to control!" Laticia exclaimed as if praising herself, earning only a look of disgust from Kran.
"Your depravity goes even deeper. Looks like I'll have to take this seriously, then. Brace yourself, you witch!" Kran declared, jumping up near the chandelier and reaching into his handbag.
Laticia smirked at him with a grin; it was obvious to her what was coming. "So, then, what will you pull out this time? I know all about your little passion mark—the Mark of the Thief, is it not? In its base form, you're granted two abilities…. One of them lets you steal any object from a person or thing at high speed… and the… other… allows you to turn any container you hold into a gateway into a pocket dimension where you can store and keep anything, taking them out when needed. Your very power is a stain… a stain from your past as a criminal. You were a famous thief a few years ago, hunted by the government for your theft of countless artifacts and precious jewels. You stashed them in that pocket dimension inside your little handbag. They called you… Space Stealer Kran!! Isn't that right?!" Laticia exclaimed, twisting her head with a mocking smile as she pulled back her chain whips in preparation to fight back.
Kran didn't respond to the claims; they both knew how true it was. He peered down at Laticia from over his glasses and opened his handbag fully. In an instant, a medium-sized white car, intended for roadside travel, manifested from the bag and hurtled down toward Laticia, who was shocked by the move—before she licked her lips.
Laticia smiled with intent as she flipped through the air, dodging the falling vehicle as it smashed into the auction stage. Its windows and windshield shattered from the impact as it bent, and the stage broke in two.
"Huh… heh… I was expecting anything but a whole ass car? Now that's hilarious. I guess it doesn't matter how big the object is; you can still absorb it into that limitless bag of yours. Fascinating," she said, landing back on the floor beside the stage.
Kran stood tall on top of the shattered car, looking down at Laticia. His dark black tuxedo provided a contrast to the golden stage below him. He reached into his handbag once more; a glowing blue mark displaying the symbol of a heart grasped by a hand rested on his palms.
"For the sake of justice, as my duty as a Marked Mercenary, and to erase my mistake and failure from the past, I will be disposing of you," he declared, his eyes focused.
Laticia could barely stop herself from bursting out laughing at the obvious declaration. Her expression changed as she looked irritated and annoyed, staring death into Kran. Her mere presence was an essence of senseless cruelty as her chains whipped around, destroying some seats near the auction.
"You think you're so righteous, do you?! Well?!!!! You little bitch! I won't make you my slave, but I'm afraid after we're done, you'll be hoping I did, instead of what I'm about to do!" Laticia exclaimed as she dashed toward Kran with incredible speed, not wasting any movement as she attacked with her chains attached to her wrists like dual whips.
***Outside the Auction Hall***
A small group—the remnants of Laticia's honored guests who had come to bid for a prize—huddled together, absolute fear marking their faces.
"PLEASE!!! I BEG OF YOU!! At least spare me! You can have all the money you want! Name your price!! Twenty million deni?! Fifty million!!? How about—" One of the men, someone in his middle age, wasn't able to finish his plea. In an instant, he was cut down and slashed, his blood poisoning the ground below him as he fell with a slashed throat.
Another man from the huddled and terrified crowd cried in fear. "Damn that Laticia!! We were invited to try our hand at bidding for priceless items like usual; she's never done us wrong in business!! Yet she knew the Marked Mercenaries would show up and did nothing to warn us!!!!!" he shouted in lament as he backed off, seeing the others fall one by one to the support unit of the Marked Mercenaries. Some were dressed like white-clad soldiers wielding firearms; others were clad in black, wielding blades and moving with elegant speed. Both were tasked by Clara earlier to dispose of any of Laticia's clients who came to bid at the auction.
One of the black-clad men walked closer to the crowd, now backed into a corner. "You filth deserve to die for your illegal activities—trading in the underground markets, committing fraud and senseless killings, not to mention partaking in this inhumane auction, seeing other people as below you. Did you think the Marked Mercenaries would only focus on killing Laticia and her men and let you scum walk free?" he said, his voice stinging the hearts of the crowd in front.
The firing squad, clad in white, opened fire after the statement, obliterating the people in the crowd as they frantically tried to run, hide, and survive the massacre they had brought upon themselves.
"DAMN YOU LATICIA!!! YOU FUCKING TWO-FACED BITCH!!! I HOPE THEY DRAG YOU WITH US!!!" a man shouted before being shot in the head and falling lifeless.
***Back in the Auction Hall***
The whipping of chains slashed through the hall in a blazing frenzy, destroying parts of the auction hall. Kran blitzed around, dodging each blow.
"You said you were going to dispose of me, right?! Then try it! What's the matter, *Erenor* Kran?!" Laticia taunted as she flashed through the rubble of her own making, twisting and moving her hands fast in an attempt to hit Kran with her whip-like chains.
"That name is mine; don't call it out like it's nothing," Kran said, his voice low as he flipped through the air, dodging the chains.
*This won't do. I'm running out of energy. I need to get close to her to deliver a good blow, but she's keeping me at a distance thanks to her annoying chains. I need a distraction,* he thought as he kicked a piece of the broken wall in the direction of the whipping chains to shield from the blow.
Laticia was growing restless and annoyed of stalling. "Die, you son of a bitch!" she screamed as she dashed from wall to wall, slashing the stage apart with her damaging chains, all aimed toward Kran.
"How sloppy," Kran taunted.
As the chains came through, Kran made a difficult gamble. He jumped through the attack, flipping and twisting through the air to minimize damage as much as possible as he grazed parts of the jagged chains, cutting pieces of his clothing around his shoulders and knees and drawing blood.
"Take this as a parting gift," he said as he landed close to Laticia, having gone through her onslaught. He reached into his handbag and pulled out a grenade, detonating it immediately as he threw it at the roof, to Laticia's horror.
"YOU SON OF A—" Laticia was interrupted as an explosion occurred, destroying the roof and causing it to collapse as she screamed.
Kran stood before the collapsed roof of the auction hall he had caused, a saddened look on his face as he pushed his glasses up. "I'm sorry this had to be like this, Laticia. If I could go back and change my choice that day, I would," he said—an unusual sentiment from Kran, who usually appeared detached and uncaring.
As he turned to leave, suddenly a sense of dread washed over him, as if it wasn't over. One by one, many of the captive "items" cornered the room. They were innocent people, enslaved under Laticia's will—that much was true upon seeing their iron collars, composed of a strange essence, and their soulless eyes. They walked like mere zombies and mindless victims, cornering Kran.
"This… is just sick," he said, stepping back. One by one, he knocked each slave out, causing them to collapse.
Suddenly, chains burst out from underneath the collapsed floor as Laticia crawled out, bleeding from her forehead as she stared defiance and hatred into Kran.
"You bastard… I'll make you suffer!" she yelled as she stood on her feet, limping from the pain she felt. Her face twisted into a demented smile. "Do you get it? The power you can have over others?" she said, raising her arms. Three more slaves walked behind her, each with a simple weapon—knives, short pistols, or clubs. One of them was Emma, the girl Laticia had intended to sell.
Kran didn't answer. In an instant, he rushed through and blitzed past, seemingly flashing out of existence for a moment before reappearing.
"Steal," he said, naming the technique. He lifted his hand to reveal the collars of the three slaves that he had snatched; they fell unconscious.
"Hahaha, there—there's that annoying ability of yours. Stealing, huh? So you've figured out the way to break my control over my slaves? Well, it won't serve you well in the end!" Laticia shouted, arrogance laced in her voice as she swung her chains once more, destroying the ground.
*She's powerful and fast. I may lose if I'm not careful,* Kran thought, dodging the chains as he leapt above her, aiming for a critical hit.
Suddenly, Laticia smiled menacingly as her passion mark glowed a bright red. Strange chains manifested and formed from her back, piercing the air and racing toward Kran, who barely dodged.
"There's a difference between my chain whips I fight with and these chains you saw. I call them the Chains of Subjugation, and they're an extension of my already impressive ability. Getting hit by those will immediately enslave you under my will," Laticia boasted, watching Kran land back on his feet.
"Revealing your tricks to your enemy is an arrogant mistake, one that'll backfire badly," Kran said, smirking as sweat ran down his face.
The two engaged in a ferocious clash. Laticia swung her chains wildly, cutting down and destroying all in her presence, further damaging the collapsing auction hall as Kran sped through the chains, avoiding blow after blow, parrying the chains with a knife he had taken from his bag. The sound of his blade clashing against Laticia's chains created a thousand clanks in their twisted dance.
"What's the matter?! I thought you were a Crimson Stain now? A super elite of the Marked Mercenaries? Don't tell me that's all you've got?!" Laticia taunted as she dodged a close kick from Kran before making more distance by slashing with her chains.
"This is the end of the lie!" Kran yelled as he reached into his handbag, pulling out a series of saws, blades, and knives that fell in a deadly shower.
"Tck, what a pain," Laticia scoffed as she retracted part of her chains and parried the onslaught in a flurry of slashes.
*There's my opening! Now!* Kran thought, dashing beyond the seemingly distracted Laticia as he drew his blade, attempting to stab her in the back.
"Hm, I'm disappointed," Laticia remarked.
Suddenly, Kran felt a sharp object go through his stomach, shredding through him. It was one of Laticia's chains. He hadn't expected her to be so wary, and now he paid the price.
"Shit… this can't…" Kran stuttered, suspended in mid-air as the chain ripped through him, drawing blood.
Laticia smiled with excitement, like a child receiving a present on a birthday. "That was just pathetic. I guess that title is all for show," Laticia taunted as she forcibly pulled the chain, ripping through Kran. A splash of blood from the side of his stomach fell; the force of the chain being pulled from him sent him into a terrifying cartwheel before he fell to the ground in pain, groaning.
"Nghh… hehe… I suppose I deserved this," Kran said, struggling as he lay on the ground, an open wound in his torso and his strength drained.
Laticia walked over, her eyes staring daggers into him. "And just like that, I've gotten my revenge. I won't kill you now—no, I want you to suffer. You can bleed out and die slowly. Don't worry; I'll be sending all your comrades with you soon, especially that loudmouth kid with the tacky goggles on his head," she declared, her face twisted into a psychopathic smile.
"HAHAHAHA!!! This world… I don't care who struggles against me; I'll bind them in my chains, snare them, make them mine! For the pain I suffered in the past, I'll pay the world back tenfold! Now… I'm stronger! No one can hunt me! I'm the predator now! Don't you see, Kran?!" she yelled; it was clear her sanity was gone at this point.
Laticia's eyes peered down; for a moment, she felt dread until she smiled creepily again, stepping on Kran's glasses and shattering them as she began to walk away.
"The world is a stage, and it needs a star, after all. You filth, born below me, can only live on as my slaves…. Goodbye… you bastard. I hope you burn in hell," she said.
Kran coughed blood, his consciousness fading. *So… this is how it ends. A pity… All actions have consequences; I guess this is my atonement. How poetic,* he thought, laying in a pool of his own blood. He let out a soft chuckle. *What a worthless life I've led. I'm sorry… Laticia. I failed to save you from the depths of darkness… failed to live up to Master Yura's expectations… failed to keep my promise to Clara and survive this mission… I failed to…*
Suddenly, Kran's thoughts were interrupted by the image of Riko. He couldn't tell why, but it made him think back to moments ago, when Riko stood in front of the stage, declaring that he'd make Laticia pay. Kran hadn't thought much of him, but he couldn't deny that there was purity beneath the boy's darkness, which he had displayed during the selection. Kran didn't know why, but he began to think it was possible—possible that Riko, of all people, could defy the odds and twist the future everyone had given him.
"Go for it… you brat," he said, closing his eyes.