†††
ZELAIDE took the time to recover during the short hike through the now quiet forest. In what felt like minutes, he stood before the tallest rock mountain.
The footing was bad, but still climbable. He would be defenseless while climbing. Getting sniped in the back would knock him right off. But he didn’t hesitate to do what needed to be done. His superior physical strength got him halfway up the mountainside in no time.
CRUNCH!
He stomped on the hidden cameras made to look like rocks.
Nobody has shot me down yet. Out of shooters already?
Midway up the mountain, Zelaide noticed a deep crack running through the rocky surface. It extended artificially in a straight line and seemed like something capable of opening and closing. Some sort of room was located within.
This is it.
From the looks of it, it couldn’t have been too spacious inside. As Zelaide contemplated how to infiltrate, the answer came from the other side. A part of the rock face extended out and began to protrude into the air as if it were a balcony.
Now what?
Zelaide cautiously watched from where he clung to the mountain side. The balcony jutted out of the bare rock wall thirty feet before stopping.
Two machine guns were equipped to the balcony railing. Probably there for Haydn to take part in whatever sick scenarios he wrote up from the safety of his high tower. They were small caliber guns, but taking a few hits would still kill a person or adventurous Muta. Knowing Haydn, he purposely chose low caliber machine guns that would lengthen the time he had to torture a person to death. There were even chairs set up on the balcony for him to sit back and enjoy watching the people suffering in agony below.
Zelaide slowly climbed around the rocks until he came down just over the balcony. From where he clung to the mountain, he had a perfect view of the balcony and the entire dome.
“Yumi! Euphemia!”
His voice bounced off the rocks and throughout the expansive interior landscape. By the time the echoing stopped, he sensed someone move within the mountain.
“Oh, you were up there? Come on down. Your precious lady is right here.”
Some of the rocks were actually speakers. He heard Haydn’s voice all around him.
Zelaide dropped onto the balcony. Just as he expected, there was a control room with dozens of monitors and machines installed in the back part of the balcony. In all likelihood, Haydn adjusted the dome environment and edited videos there. A luxurious sofa and loveseat set took up the center of the room. This was his viewing spot.
But Zelaide had eyes for only one thing.
“Yumi…”
He stared at the petite figure curled in a ball at the stout man’s feet. Euphemia—his beloved mate.
“Yumi!”
Zelaide froze midrun—the man had the sharp conical tip of his thin, long rapier pressed precisely against Euphemia’s neck. The man cracked a self-satisfied smile when he saw he had effectively sealed Zelaide’s movement.
“Will you quit calling the treasure I finally obtained by that classless nickname? I won’t ask you a second time. Your kind may be lacking brains, but you should at least be able to get that through your thick skull.”
“Get away from Yumi,” Zelaide roared like a ferocious beast. Even the big shot businessman cringed.
“……”
“Move.”
“……”
Haydn scrunched up his face, almost as if bracing himself to face a monster, and he purposely flexed his legs to show he wasn’t moving from that spot.
Infuriated from being made into a fool, Zelaide yelled, “Now! Or I’ll tear you apart!”
“…Trying to threaten me? I won’t falter. For I am Ziggurat Haydn, and I fight on the side of justice! I know you have come to kidnap this pitiful young lady. But I won’t let a cowardly Beast Blood’s violence go unchecked! Shoot me if you must! Shoot me! I will fight you to the bitter end to save her!”
Haydn sounded like he was reading off a badly written script.
“Come at me, Beast Blood! This old man will fight you!”
“Shut the hell up! What’re you goin’ on and on ’bout?”
Zelaide realized something was amiss with the sudden, uncharacteristic change in Haydn. There was something more hinging on this poorly orchestrated hero act. Zelaide shoved back his anger and fell silent, no longer taking the bait. Haydn continued shouting a stream of sappy one-liners on his own until he grew tired of it and faced Zelaide with an exaggerated wave of hands.
“Cut! How was that?” Haydn signaled his editor hiding somewhere and smirked. In an instant, the sham hero façade vanished and the twisted gentleman returned.
“…Give me Yumi. You’re finished,” Zelaide said, keeping his voice calmer than before.
“Finished? What gave you that idea?”
“You manufactured Nightz and spread ’em around the cities in order to dispose of Mayor Saionji. The evidence is blatant. Night Blooms are growing in this dome you own as well. And you kidnapped the mayor’s sister on top of all that. What other proof is needed to finish you?”
“Nightz? Oh, you mean the Night Blooms growing here? Aren’t they beautiful? By controlling the light, temperature, and moisture, I can make them stay in bloom all year long. Gazing upon flowers is another one of my hobbies. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying flowers. The seeds and narcotics outside were all seized from criminal organizations as evidence by my detectives. I should be highly praised for the successful recovery of a dangerous narcotic. As for this young lady, she is only here because she agreed to partake in one of my movies.”
Haydn fondly lowered his gaze. Euphemia’s eyelids were stark white and firmly closed. She didn’t have a jacket on, but she was clothed. Her hair had come undone from a bun and hung messily around her face. The specs she always wore were missing.
“That’s some shitty chop logic given the way things look,” Zelaide countered, then turned his full attention on his mate. “…Yumi! Wake up! It’s me! Zelaide!”
Euphemia’s shoulders twitched on the floor. An agonized sigh escaped her lips.
“Yumi! You bastard! You injected her with Nightz!” Zelaide gritted his teeth against the fragrance wafting from her body. “Perverted psycho!”
“Me? I wouldn’t know. She had a lot to drink. Perhaps it was the alcohol? Speaking of which, she flew into a drunken rage earlier. I had to teach her manners.” Haydn slapped Euphemia’s butt with the side of his rapier.
“The hell did you do?” Zelaide hissed through clenched teeth, aware cameras were still on him.
A lewd smile warped Haydn’s face. “It was wonderful… She suffered and experienced pleasure.”
The rapier’s tip ripped Euphemia’s cuff. Dark-red fingerprints left a deep mark on her wrist.
A roaring howl ripped from the depths of Zelaide’s throat. The rumbling roar echoed through the dome, shaking the very air. Haydn clapped in appreciation.
“Ooh… Is that a Beast Blood’s war cry? Perfect for television. I wonder how well the top quality microphones picked it up. Will speakers even be able to replay it the same way?”
“Move.”
“……”
The Beast Blood’s roar made the hair on the back of Haydn’s neck stand up. But he didn’t move. Nor did he remove his rapier from the unconscious woman.
Zelaide took one step forward. Then another. And then he lunged!
“ARGHHH!”
He was repelled by an invisible wall into the balcony railing. Burnt silver hairs scattered into the artificial wind. His forearm burned from contact with the invisible shield.
“Shame on you. Did you think I would provoke a savage like you without ample protection? Anti-beast defenses are always on.” Haydn snickered on the other side of the invisible wall.
“This is the best seat in the house to view the various events held in this dome. On occasion, there’s a brute like you who charges in without thinking or a stray bullet. A man has to protect himself. A word to the wise, don’t think you can get through the shield with your fighting spirit or that worthless little tool you’ve got. As you can see, the other shield you interacted with was a civilian model, this one is Guardian grade. Quite illegal for the common masses to own, but I, of course, am an exception. You will turn into a charred piece of meat if you try to force your way through this one. Not that I would mind seeing that happen too. But you know, the longer this goes, the more entertaining it gets.”
“Go to hell! Yumi, wake up!” Zelaide shouted as he rose to his feet clutching his burnt arm. Euphemia’s fingertips twitched.