**Outside the Auction Hall**
Luca dashed back in a flash to evade the swarm of blades of Malikar's *Gladius qui Serpit* that barely missed him. He held his blade at a right angle before slashing the air, creating an arc of air pressure that slashed through the ground, cutting it in a chunk as it sliced a tree. Malikar reacted by twisting in mid-air, his lit cigarette being slashed by a hair and falling from his mouth before he pointed the hilt of his blade toward Luca. The swarm of small blades of the *Gladius qui Serpit* reacted and charged in that direction.
By this point, the area was destroyed—multiple craters, large slashes on the ground, several destroyed trees. The damage caused by Malikar and Luca's fight only doubled as minutes stretched to hours, with neither of them giving up the fight.
Behind them, a treacherous cloud of smoke could be seen as the piercing sound of gunfire echoed. The Marked Mercenaries' support unit was locked in battle with the military platoons of Cryohara that had joined Malikar.
"Don't let these bastards bring us down!" a man yelled. He wore a military white suit with the symbol of the Cryoharan flag. The men behind him opened fire, succeeding in shooting a few melee units of the support unit.
The place had been stained with the blood of both sides. Despite strong resistance, the soldiers of the military seemed to have the advantage in numbers as the melee and ranged support units of the Marked Mercenaries were pushed back, their black or white robes stained with either the blood of an enemy or their own.
Near the entrance to the auction hall, a loud clanking sound rang as Luca twisted his arms and swung swiftly, creating a pressured arc that parried a few of the dozen small blades from the *Gladius qui Serpit*—an act that caused Malikar's left eye to twitch with both annoyance and impress alike.
"Your stallin' is startin' to piss me off!" he declared before flashing forward, causing Luca to bring down his saber in a slash. Malikar bent down and flipped his body before delivering a kick to Luca's stomach.
The force from the impact of the kick landing caused Luca's eyes to widen as he coughed out saliva through his breaking mask. His blue hair strands danced in the wind as his body arched back and flew a distance before crashing into the wood-cement wall of the auction hall.
"Sir Luca!" one of the black-clad support soldiers let out before being shot by a stray bullet.
"I'd suggest focusing on yourselves if I were you," Malikar said before walking forward, the swarm of small blades looking like a million white disks as they circled behind him.
Luca struggled to his feet, part of his white cloak shredded as he stabbed his saber into the ground and used it as support, glaring at Malikar as he caught his breath.
"Wanna get out of the way now? Or want me to make ya?" Malikar said with a smirk as he walked forward.
Luca pointed his blade forward. "Try me," he answered before Malikar dashed toward him, the swarm of blades circling for Luca to shred him apart.
**Down in the lower levels of Laticia's underground fortress, under the Auction Hall**
Albert, Seracore, and Kiera ran quickly as another part of the wall collapsed behind them, blocking off more entrances and exits as they ran through a luxury casino with a waterfall.
"DAMNIT! Everything's falling apart! If we don't make it out, I'm killin' you, Architect!" Seracore shouted.
Kiera, who ran behind them, blinked at that and reached for her headset, as if to turn up whatever she was listening to.
"You talk as if you and Jetore weren't at fault for the destruction that caused the fortress's foundations to crumble," Albert retorted, his expression narrowed with a lack of patience that only irritated Seracore more.
"That was because of that stupid shitty bomber! Don't lump me in with one of you!!!" Seracore answered back aggressively.
"I will do whatever I wish. If you have a problem, then make me stop," Albert added with a smug smirk, challenging Seracore's authority as his senior.
The comment ground the wrong way against Seracore's ego, as it implied to him that he was being underestimated. As a result, he shouted back, clutching his large shield. "Do you wanna DIE!!!"
However, before Albert could coldly dismiss him or challenge his ego with his own, Kiera gasped and pointed forward, causing Albert and Seracore to abruptly slow their pace and stop as their expressions changed. They became shocked at what they saw.
The staircase entrance to the mid-level had collapsed, with broken bits of the wall lying everywhere in rubble as the sound of a golden pillar collapsing could be heard.
"FUCK! That was our only way!!" Seracore vented.
Kiera turned momentarily to see more of the wall caving in on itself, swallowing and crushing the corpses of the assailants they had defeated. Her eyes glistened with a tinge of guilt for a moment before turning to face Seracore and Albert.
Seracore whipped around, ready to punish Albert who had suggested the route in the first place, but was caught off guard as Albert's Passion Mark glowed golden. The symbol of a compass on his cheek radiated with gold as he pressed his hands forward, interlocking his middle fingers and shifting the other fingers around, inserting, locking, and adjusting as his hands blew through a series of hand signs together.
Kiera could feel it—the energy from Albert's Passion Mark mixing with the environment and spreading. Suddenly, the rubble bent and changed shape, grinding together as they formed a distorted staircase leading to a hole that went up to the next level, likely made by one of Jetore's explosions from before.
"There, I've made a safe spiral staircase up. We need to hurry, though. This place won't stand for long," Albert said as the glow in his mark faded.
Without wasting time, Albert and Kiera ran forward and up the stairwell.
"H-Hey! Kiera!" Seracore protested before cursing and following anyway.
**On the mid-levels of the Fortress**
A sea of fire engulfed the already destroyed place as the pillars cracked under strain. Jetore stood, uncharacteristically away, as he clung to the wall, attempting to climb. "YOU DUMBASS!! I swear I'll blow you up when we're out!" he shouted.
Opposite him was the elevator Riko had taken—or at least what remained of it, as it was burning. The metal melted as smoke filled the room. The fire raged on; another blast destroyed part of the wall.
"ARGHAAAAA!" came Rennet's voice as the fire stretched. He blasted out in fuming rage, his skin had become a tint of red with burns and scratches. His Mark of the Arsonist glowed its brightest as raging inferno escaped his palms. "SHUT IT! I'LL BURN IT ALL!! DAMMIT!!!" Rennet raged as a wave of heat escaped him, shattering the wall as Jetore coughed.
The fire burned the wooden frames of the large room—a concerning sight for Albert and Kiera, followed by Seracore who had just arrived behind them, panting as he still carried his shield.
"What the hell?" Albert questioned, shielding himself from stray lit ashes with his own coat as the raging fire intensified.
Kiera covered her mouth and nose to avoid breathing in too much smoke. Meanwhile, Rennet's raging form still rushed through the inferno, shooting fire at anything he saw. "BURN! DIE! BITCHES!" Rennet shouted in his rage.
"Jetore! What happened?" Albert questioned as he saw Jetore trying to climb to safety.
"This bastard started fuming when I told him about the fight me and that shield freak had with the Clortisax!" Jetore answered as he dodged another flame.
"What? Why—" Albert wasn't even able to finish his reply as a stray fire blast shot toward him. He flinched, but suddenly, Seracore sprung into action, holding up his shield as the fire collided and dispersed.
"You damn rookies!" he complained.
"IT'S NOT FAIR! DAMNIT! I'm burning it all down! Fuck this place! I didn't get to fight anything or anyone strong!!" Rennet complained, his flames growing out of control.
His words made Albert, Kiera, and Seracore visibly cringe. "..What?" Albert simply said, the fire spreading more.
"I tried to tell you idiots! This bastard's salty he didn't get to fight anyone tough!" Jetore shouted before climbing up.
"OH YOU—" Seracore's heated scolding for Rennet was stopped by Albert's interruption: "We might as well capitalize off of his tantrum and rage. When he's like this, his fire's too strong and wild. That's how he beat Maddeline during the selection."
*Y-you're kidding. This manchild beat Maddy?* Seracore questioned in his mind, though there were no arguments.
Suddenly, parts of the breaking wall split and formed blocky platforms leading up, caused by Albert's ability as he shifted the architecture of the room to his will for them to escape through. His mark's golden glow mixed with the bright fire.
Quickly, they moved, using the blocks as stepping stones. Kiera and Jetore made it to the collapsing high levels, followed by Seracore.
"Thank you for the help in accelerating the destruction of this fortress, Rennet," Albert said mockingly.
"SHUT UP! DIE! *ARSON ARROW*!" Rennet yelled in a fit of rage, naming his technique before blasting himself up, the heat of the raging flames touching Albert's skin as he smirked.
"Kiera, now," he said.
"Hey! Where do you get off orderin'—" Seracore started, but Kiera softly interrupted. Her Mark of the Musician glowed purple as her fingers strung the harp strings of her instrument carefully. Jetore watched in confusion as the music played on Rennet point-blank.
Rennet seemed to slow down as his red skin returned to its original color. His raging flames calmed as he fell asleep, allowing Albert to carefully catch him, wincing a bit from how hot his skin was and from the red burns Rennet had sustained on himself in his rage.
Albert's eyebrows narrowed as he remembered back to a few days ago, during the selection, when he briefly heard from Mei and Felix about how Rennet's flames could vary based on his emotion, and how he had seen it in action when Rennet raged against Maddeline in their match.
*He's dangerous. But then why would we let a literal arsonist into the Marked Mercenaries? Why would Lady Carmalitta allow him in? Just what is he?* Albert thought before Seracore yelled out: "Hurry up!" as the flames rose higher, the foundation crumbling and breaking apart.
"Right," Albert answered before moving his legs.