The deafening boom erupted like a deep, menacing thunderclap, sending rolling shock waves surging outward like a raging tide.
Along with that terrifying roar, the ground began to shake violently.
In that brief instant, everyone's gaze turned toward the windows.
The once peaceful world outside was now flooded with blinding firelight.
The Gold-Exhausting Den that Epstein had so painstakingly built was reduced to rubble amid one explosion after another.
"Bombs!! He's going to blow us all up!!"
That utterly terrified cry struck like a bolt from the blue, shattering the seemingly peaceful room.
The voice brimmed with boundless fear and despair, instantly destroying the calm and order that Arlecchino's arrival had barely restored.
In an instant, the crowd erupted into utter chaos like a powder keg set alight.
Those who had obediently stayed put, whether threatened by Gravik's rebels or cowed by Arlecchino's presence, now lost all composure, their faces filled with terror and panic.
Screams rang out one after another, each piercing cry cutting like a blade through the almost suffocating tension.
Women shrieked at the top of their lungs, their voices thick with tears, while men shouted hoarsely in fear. The voices tangled together, making the scene even more chaotic and deafening.
Only one thought remained in their terrified minds: escape this horrible place and get away from the bombs that could take their lives at any moment.
No one cared about the guns in the rebels' hands anymore. They began shoving one another, utterly disregarding those around them as everyone desperately surged toward the door.
Gravik watched coldly. The other rebels showed no reaction either, as though the moment he had pressed the button, they had already known the fate awaiting everyone present.
"Open the door!"
A fat man, his face flushed red, used his bulk to