Hell

The next day.

The entire Border Town was gripped by a tense, hair-trigger atmosphere. Townspeople who had been standing around chatting in small groups just yesterday were now looking at one another with extreme suspicion, and in some cases, a palpable sense of murderous intent began to permeate the air.

"It was you, wasn't it? You killed the Howood family yesterday. I know you've always had it in for them."

"Go to hell! I think you're the one who killed the Russ family. You tried to steal from them last month and got beaten for it; you've been holding a grudge ever since, haven't you? You just used the chaos to wipe them out and loot their property."

"Hmph, a thief crying 'thief.' You know exactly what you did."

"Don't you dare falsely accuse me!"

"It was you. Everyone knows it. I'm not accusing you falsely at all."

"..."

Eventually, the arguments escalated into brawls between families. This situation was not isolated to the Border Town near Terminal Gray; like a chain reaction, every single border town in the Goa Kingdom had fallen into the same state within a single night.

Every small town had one or two families who became victims, and rumors of the Revolutionary Army's extreme brutality spread unknowingly throughout this isolated society until everyone knew of them.

The news that nobles were selling spots in Central Street also became common knowledge. Any family with some savings chose to enter Central Street at the first opportunity. Their success made other townspeople who lacked such savings green with envy.

The threat to life can drive people to madness.

By the second day, all the border towns had gone insane. Smoke and fire ignited amidst this frenzied atmosphere as ordinary, honest townspeople picked up shovels, pickaxes, and other farm tools to begin their violent feuds...

Countless houses were set ablaze, and no one knows how many young children, left unattended after their parents' deaths, were burned alive in the sea of flames. The frail, elderly, and disabled were often the first to be beaten to death.

The reason was simple: they had their life savings, possessed no ability to resist, and were the easiest targets to rob with the least amount of danger.

The hoarse cries of children and the dying screams of the elderly shrouded every border town. At night, the horizon was lit with fire, countless unspeakable acts occurred in every corner, and the streets were filled with townspeople whose eyes were bloodshot, their blood unknowingly soaking the ground of the towns.

"How could something like this happen!"

In the council chamber of High City, the nobles summoned overnight looked panicked. King Rosshude, sitting at the head of the table, wore an incredibly gloomy expression. He scanned the nobles with cold, icy eyes and said in a chilling voice, "Who among you sold residency spots for Central Street?"

The many nobles looked at one another, but no one spoke.

Ever since they learned about Earl El selling Central Street residency status yesterday, the greedy nobles had acted as if they had made a pact, frantically spreading the information. Every gate of Central Street had been staffed by the nobles' men; whenever townspeople arrived wanting to buy a spot, scenes of them being snatched up would ensue.

It could be said that in the face of such massive, illicit profits, every noble had participated. After all, in their minds, the Revolutionary Army outside the high walls was nothing to fear. If they didn't take this opportunity to rake in a fortune, it would be impossible to find such a lucrative chance to squeeze money once those revolutionaries were wiped out. Thus, every noble had joined in.

They had never considered the consequences, yet these nobles, who looked down on the residents of the border towns from the bottom of their hearts, still felt not a shred of regret.

"It's just a riot caused by border town residents fearing the Revolutionary Army. As long as we dispatch the Kingdom Army to wipe out that group of revolutionaries, everything will be fine."

"Indeed, once those revolutionaries are destroyed, those lowly townspeople will naturally quiet down."

"Exactly, Your Highness, send the troops to wipe out that Revolutionary Army now!"

"Those townspeople are only acting this way because they are too afraid of the revolutionaries."

"..."

Slap—

With a strike against the table, General Aude rose to his feet, instantly silencing the council chamber.

"Wipe them out?" General Aude glared at the nobles, his face looking incredibly ugly. "How are we supposed to wipe them out? Because of the riots in the border towns, my brother's ten-thousand-man army is now struggling just to march, and food supplies are running dry. How are they supposed to go and wipe out the Revolutionary Army?"

"The crazed border town mobs have even started hostilities against our own forces, and throughout this day, I don't know how many townspeople have been stopped while trying to force their way into Central Street. How can we advance when we can't even secure our own rear? And you talk of annihilation? If it weren't for you greedy bastards, my brother would have already led his men to annihilate that Revolutionary Army yesterday."

"General Aude, do you have a way to resolve the current situation?" Rosshude asked.

A look of contemplation flashed across General Aude's face before he bowed and said, "Things have reached this point. This humble one suggests opening the passage between Central Street and the border towns to allow those townspeople to enter and be pacified, and only then should we discuss the matter of annihilating the Revolutionary Army."

"No, that is absolutely out of the question!"

"Indeed, what if members of the Revolutionary Army sneak in?"

"This would put all of us in danger!"

"..."

Before Rosshude could speak, the many nobles hurriedly voiced their objections.

Bang—

Just then, the doors to the council chamber were suddenly pushed open, and a man stumbled toward the council table and fell straight to his knees.

"Your Majesty, it... it... is not good!"

"Audacious! The council chamber is not a place for you to barge into." A middle-aged noble standing nearby stepped forward and kicked the messenger, cursing angrily.

The messenger, already exhausted from running for so long, was sent sliding across the floor by the kick, yet his expression grew even more urgent. "The Revolutionary Army has launched a surprise attack. General Vincent... has been killed in action. The ten-thousand-man army has been almost entirely wiped out, and the border town residents have collectively defected and joined the ranks of the Revolutionary Army..."

"What!"

General Aude's expression changed drastically. He stepped forward, grabbed the messenger by the shoulders, and shouted, "Impossible! How could Vincent be killed? How could a mere group of 1,000 revolutionaries inflict such heavy casualties on our army?"

Two hours ago—

In a small town near the edge of Terminal Gray.

"Is this the result you wanted, Bai Ina!!!" Hijikata Yoshitoyo looked at the hellish scene surrounding them, his expression furious as he turned to roar at Bai Ina.

Bai Ina gazed at the harrowing sight of corpses and blood pooling in the streets of the small town, his expression remaining completely unchanged. Ignoring the enraged Hijikata, he turned directly to the messenger behind him and issued an order: "Order our personnel to clear the corpses, spread the news throughout the Border Towns that the noble private army disguised themselves as the Revolutionary Army, and call for the surrender of the remaining townspeople in each town."

"Yes!"

Roosevelt responded hurriedly upon hearing this. The look in his eyes as he gazed at Bai Ina was filled with terror; he was a subordinate of Zongcilang and a former bandit who had eventually been recruited by Zongcilang to become one of his confidants. Thus, he knew that the culprit behind these Border Towns turning into such a hellscape... was the ten-year-old child standing right before his eyes.

He had once considered himself a man capable of every evil, a villain in the truest sense, but after witnessing the transformation of these Border Towns, he realized that compared to this white-haired devil of a brat, he was truly far too kind.