The bodies of Bhayangkara Knights were scattered along the main road of Kertarimba Village. Some still bled fresh blood onto the dirt road, while others were covered by thin poisonous mist that had yet to fade away.
Standing amidst the aftermath were the two victors of the battle, is Sancaka and Alfa. Now, they were glaring at each other in irritation.
"If I had realized it even a little later, I would've been poisoned by your gas!" Sancaka shouted. His right hand still gripped the gunblade tightly.
"But you weren't poisoned!" Alfa shot back.
"That's not the point!"
"Then what exactly is your problem?" Alfa demanded.
Sancaka pointed toward the lingering poisonous fog.
"That! Look at that! You're the one who suddenly threw poison gas everywhere!"
Alfa crossed her arms.
"That's called strategy."
"No, that's called recklessness."
"It's not reckless. It's efficient!"
"It's stupid."
"I'm not stupid!"
"You threw poison everywhere!"
"Because I was fighting!"
"If you're going to fight with poison, at least give a warning first. I almost died because I was standing too close."
"You didn't warn anyone before attacking at the market either."
"You were the one who suddenly showed up in the middle of everything."
"And you punched me in the face!" Alfa shouted while pointing at the gas mask still hanging around her neck.
"My face still hurts!"
Sancaka fell silent for several seconds before letting out a long sigh.
"I don't want to argue anymore. Who exactly are you?"
Alfa blinked.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I mean, why did you suddenly show up?" Sancaka asked. "Why attack the Bhayangkara Knights? And why are you constantly seeking attention?"
A vein immediately appeared on Alfa's forehead.
"What?! I am NOT seeking attention!"
"It certainly looks that way."
"I came here to fight! To kill people who pretending to be the good guys!"
"It didn't look like that."
"Hey! I was completely serious about everything I did back there!"
"All I saw was someone introducing herself in the middle of a battlefield."
"I was building an aura!"
"Too bad it failed."
"It did NOT fail!"
"It definitely failed."
Alfa pointed at herself dramatically.
"You should know this. I'm one of the Chosen Individuals!"
Sancaka narrowed his eyes.
"Oh? And what your proof?"
"I have an Order Card given to me by a Seraphis."
With an annoyed expression, Alfa opened her shoulder bag and reached inside to pull out the card Matelo had given her. But before the card could emerge, Someone suddenly grabbed both of their hands. Sancaka and Alfa turned at the same time.
Daiva stood between them with a bright smile on her face. Her left hand held Sancaka hand, while her right hand held Alfa. Then she brought their hands together. Both Sancaka and Alfa froze.
Daiva happily swung their joined hands back and forth as if they were playing a game.
"Heh..."
The little girl giggled.
"L-l-l... f-fri..."
Her words came out broken and incomplete. Alfa blinked.
"Is she trying to say something?"
"I don't know." Sancaka replied. "She has trouble with speaking."
Daiva continued swinging their hands.
"F-fri... fri..."
Then she pointed at both of them and smiled. Neither Sancaka nor Alfa understood what she was trying to do. The situation felt incredibly awkward. Alfa quickly pulled her hand away.
"Anyway, I'm not seeking attention. And I really am one of the Chosen Individuals."
"And your introduction at the market was terrible."
"It was not terrible."
"It was."
"I hate you."
"I don't like you either."
Daiva giggled again after hearing them argue. For a brief moment, the atmosphere felt strangely peaceful. But it didn't last long. From behind them came angry shouting.
"They're murderers!"
"Monsters!"
Sancaka and Alfa turned around. Dozens of Kertarimba villagers had gathered together. Many of the people who had witnessed the battle earlier were still present. Some carried farming hoes. Others held wooden clubs. Some simply carried stones.
All of them stared at Sancaka and Alfa with hatred.
"They killed the Bhayangkara Knights!"
"Murderers!"
"Criminals!"
"Destroyers!"
An elderly man stepped forward from the crowd.
"Have you lost your minds?! You killed our protectors!"
Sancaka looked at them expressionlessly. Then he spoke quietly.
"Protectors? You call them protectors?"
His voice grew colder.
"You fools. The corpses lying there aren't protectors. They're invaders. The Dharma chosen by the Sky Gods are nothing but corrupt tyrants."
The villagers immediately erupted in protest.
"Don't slander the Dharma!"
"They protect the world!"
"You're just a murderer!"
Sancaka clenched his fist.
"My village was attacked by Dharma and Bhayangkara Knights. They burned it to the ground."
His voice became darker. "They murdered my family."
"Lies!"
"Don't believe him!"
Then a stone flew through the air.
CRACK.
It struck Sancaka forehead.
The entire area fell silent.
Slowly, Sancaka turned toward the young man who had thrown it.
The boy looked terrified.
A thin line of blood trickled down Sancaka temple.
"Get out of our village, murderer!"
"If they won't leave, kill them!"
Something changed in Sancaka face.
A smile slowly appeared.
But it wasn't a friendly smile.
The sight alone sent chills down Alfa spine.
Sancaka lowered his head.
"So that's how you think."
His voice became eerily calm.
"I told you what they did. I told you how cruel they are."
The gunblade materialized in his hand.
Alfa immediately sensed something was wrong.
Then Sancaka began to laugh.
Softly at first.
Then louder.
"Hahahahaha..."
His laughter echoed throughout the village road.
Daiva stared at him in confusion.
Meanwhile, the villagers instinctively stepped backward.
Sancaka eyes no longer looked human.
They resembled the eyes of a predator.
"You know..."
His smile widened.
"I don't think any of you deserve to be saved."
Then he vanished.
The first scream echoed through the village.
"AAAAAAAGH!"
Blood sprayed into the air.
A second scream followed.
Then a third.
Then a fourth.
And many more after that.
People scattered in every direction, abandoning one another in desperate attempts to survive.
But Sancaka moved far faster.
His gunblade swung again and again.
More bodies fell.
The village streets transformed into rivers of blood.
Alfa stood frozen for several seconds.
Then she turned toward Daiva.
The little girl was still staring at the massacre.
Her eyes were wide.
Her body trembled slightly.
Without saying another word, Alfa picked her up.
"Don't look."
Daiva still tried to turn her head.
But Alfa gently held it against her shoulder.
"You don't need to see what's behind us."
Behind them, the screams continued.
And Sancaka's laughter echoed throughout Kertarimba Village.
Alfa quickened her pace, carrying Daiva away from the village, for now.