The cannons vanished instantly.
Kenneth calmly returned to the Hound Hunters’ ranks. The expressions around the platform shifted—subtle, but unmistakable.
Saka smiled broadly. “Well? What do you all think now?”
No one answered.
Valentino’s defeat had been far too fast.
“…Unbelievable,” Isos finally said, eyes narrowed. “A hunter group that only ‘temporarily’ entered the City of Sin… and any one of them can crush one of its leaders.”
His gaze sharpened on Saka. “To command power like this so casually… you deserve recognition, Commander Saka.”
The implication was clear.
A force this strong didn’t just wander into the City of Sin by accident.
Kenneth and the others felt the weight of the commanders’ stares. Sergio, especially, grew tense—and couldn’t help glancing at Axel.
Axel stood quietly, expression calm, neither stepping forward nor showing the slightest unease.
Saka laughed openly. “Isos, don’t bother playing games in front of me.”
“Everyone has secrets,” he continued lightly. “I have mine. The Hound Hunters have theirs.”
His eyes locked onto Isos.
“And you, Isos… don’t pretend you don’t have any of your own.”
“These details don’t matter,” Saka said coldly. “What matters is who has the biggest fist. Who has the power. And who can actually lead us through this fucking calamity.”
He swept his gaze across the platform.
“That person is me—Saka. And the Vicious Hounds will follow my orders. They’ll become the sharpest blade in our escape.”
His eyes locked onto Isos.
“If you want to seize control, then show me your strength. Stop hiding behind words.”
Isos’s expression flickered. The other commanders who had been entertaining half-baked thoughts immediately abandoned them.
At that moment, Axel spoke up, smiling faintly.
“The Wilderness Incident forced us to flee. We’re only seeking shelter. We won’t interfere with the internal affairs of the City of Sin.”
The words landed harder than expected.
What the leaders heard wasn’t politeness—it was reassurance.
This group wasn’t here to rule the City of Sin. They weren’t here to meddle. They would participate in the breakout, then leave.
That single point erased their final hesitation.
“Isos,” Caroline said coolly, “do you have anything else to add?”
Isos’s face darkened, but after a long pause, he finally sat back.
“No further objections.”
“In that case,” Saka said evenly, “we’ll begin strategic planning.”
Valentino’s face had gone paper-white.
No one even bothered looking at him anymore.
Stupid—because his subordinates had defected without him knowing.
Weak—because he’d been humiliated and crushed by those same subordinates.
At that moment, Valentino only wanted to strangle Caden with his own hands.
After the meeting broke up, the commanders scattered to prepare.
That went smoother than I expected… Axel thought as he stepped out of the hall.
Then Sergio grabbed his arm and pulled him aside.
“Who the hell is that Saka?”
Axel frowned slightly. “He’s dangerous. Well-hidden. We need to stay alert.”
“That’s not what I mean,” Sergio said sharply. “His strength, his strategy—that’s obvious. But everything went too smoothly. And the way he approached us earlier? Something’s off.”
Axel’s brow twitched.
He couldn’t tell the truth. Lilith’s identity was far too sensitive.
Seeing Axel’s composed silence, Sergio let out a low chuckle.
“I’ve already figured it out.”
Axel’s heart skipped—but his face didn’t change.
“Figured out what?”
“That Saka is a captain from the Whisper Syndicate who infiltrated the City of Sin. Am I right?”
Axel nearly choked.
He forced himself to relax and let out a genuine laugh.
“You really do see through everything.”
“You flatter me,” Sergio said, then turned serious. “I’m worried these people won’t go all out. If they hesitate, breaking through the mutated beast encirclement will be hell.”
Their objective had been achieved—but Sergio wasn’t naïve. He wasn’t about to trust these people with his back.
“Relax,” Axel said calmly. “We only need to watch the Awakened above Level Five.”
“When the battle starts, we’ll coordinate their deployment. We won’t corner them—but we’ll make sure they’re under control.”
Sergio nodded. He understood immediately.
Control the strongest, and the rest would fall in line.
“We might need to push harder than planned,” Axel added.
Sergio paused. “You mean—”
Axel leaned closer and whispered.
Sergio’s eyes widened, then he sighed helplessly.
“I forgot about that. But… yeah. You’re right.”
......
Not long after, an announcement echoed throughout the City of Sin.
First: All Level Five and Level Six Awakened leaders had agreed to form the Sin Legion in three days. Commander Saka would serve as its temporary supreme commander, leading a full-scale breakout and evacuation.
Second: In accordance with Lord Morris’s principle of free will, the Sin Legion would not force any citizen to evacuate—but would protect all who chose to leave with them.
To be honest, the leaders had fiercely debated this point.
A mass evacuation was dangerous. Too many people meant too much noise—too many targets.
But Saka shut it down with one sentence.
“These people aren’t just a burden,” he said. “They’re resources. Without them, how do you think we’ll establish ourselves in Krythos? How do we build power?”
That struck home. “If things get truly dangerous, abandoning them is—”
“And how do you plan to move everyone?”
That was the real issue.
The gates of the City of Sin were narrow—built from older but stable materials. Unlike Krythos, they weren’t designed for mass evacuation. Moving the population quickly would be extremely difficult.
Split the force and move people in batches? That weakened the operation.
Hold everyone at the gates? That invited disaster—no defensive formation, no buffer.
Lilith fell silent, thinking.
Then Sergio spoke.
“We can make it work.”
“Oh?” Adler asked bluntly. “Then how do you plan to solve it?”
“We leave the city first,” Sergio said calmly. “Draw the mutated beasts’ attention and pull them away from the walls. While we’re doing that, you take the chance to escort all the residents out and set up your defensive formation. Once that’s done, we circle back.”
The plan couldn’t be simpler.
Which was exactly why the other commanders exchanged uneasy looks.
Simple didn’t mean easy. In fact, it sounded borderline insane.
But that wasn’t even their biggest concern.
“Luring the beasts away is one thing,” Isos said slowly. “But what if you bring them back with you?”
Caroline’s gaze also settled on Sergio and Axel.
“Of course we have our methods,” Axel replied smoothly. He had no intention of explaining. Instead, he offered something more practical. “Set a deadline. If we don’t return by then, you leave the City of Sin without worrying about us. Fair?”
The commanders glanced at one another.
Finally, Caroline nodded. “Saka, we’ll go with this plan. We’ll decide the exact timing later.”
.....
“So?” Lilith—still wearing Saka’s face—found Axel after the meeting. “Satisfied? I followed your plan to the letter.”
The idea of evacuating the civilians to preserve the city’s long-term strength had been Axel’s suggestion from the start. His real objective was simple: get as many people out alive as possible.
“I’m not a good person,” Axel said evenly, “but I don’t want to be the bad guy unless I have no other choice.”
“Naive,” Lilith said flatly.
“Maybe.” Axel shrugged.
Lilith studied him for a moment, then smiled faintly. “Still… I don’t like men who are too mature either.”
Her expression then grew serious. “But take my advice—leave yourself an escape route.”
“The people of the City of Sin have a much lower moral bottom line than you think.”
“Is that so?” Axel smiled back. “Then I hope they don’t force my hand.”
Seeing that sharp, almost predatory smile, Lilith suddenly felt that maybe… just maybe… her worries were unnecessary.
.....
“Isos,” Valentino said coldly, “why aren’t you handling your own affairs?”
“You want to swallow your anger earlier, didn't you?” Isos asked with a smile.
“And what if I didn’t?” Valentino sneered. “You offering to help me kill them?”
“The chance to kill them is right in front of you,” Isos said quietly. “Do you want it?”
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