Okumura Syndicate Ending 2

Chapter 184: Fall From Grace

Among the remains of the battle with Lin, tension remained, Rou was gripping to the last of his morals, and barely anyone could read him. "Rou, how could you be so cruel?", Demitris called out. Rou scowled at him, "You know more than anyone that it isn't cruelty, it's the chimes of justice finally sounding. Lin is dead, and I am free!", he emphasised, assuming his partner of all people would know such a thing. His expression lacked remorse, yet lacked pride at the same time.

"I must say, I was surprised by the amount of chaos you showed out there, Rou...", remarked Shiva. Rou ushered him away, "It's far from chaos, it was a structured collaborative attack...", he insisted. "I'm guessing this is the end then, Rou. Are you finally going to be happy?", asked Sulena. "I'm afraid not.", he answered. "For some reason I'm still dissatisfied, like there's someone else I need to freeze from the inside...". The rest of the group knew exactly who that was, "You mean Vox?", asked Demitris.

Suddenly, the was a shudder on Rou's neck, "Aghhh!", he screamed, gripping onto his collar. Demitris watched in horror as his lover was struck by a wave of pain. "Rou! Are you going to be okay?", he asked immediately, offering himself for a hug. "No...", said Rou. "I probably never will be. As this pain courses through me, it makes it impossible to think, and then there's a booming in my head, telling me to stop. All this because I decided to rebel against Vox!".

Once again, the man was incapacitated by the collar. His scream was so loud, it resonated down the halls, so much so, that it alerted the oncoming group to come running. Out from the hallway came Aster, Fleur, Viper and Craaq. "It's about time you slow pokes arrived!", Shiva commented. Aster took a breath before asking his query, "We heard a scream, are all of you alright?". Demitris felt a relieved sigh come to his lips, "Aster, thank goodness you're here. It's Rou, he's in a lot of pain...".

Aster analysed his superior, checking over his body. Once he got to his neck, Rou clutched his collar tightly, "Oh Rou...how could you have fallen from grace?", he remarked. "The traitor, it...it's...", the man tried to speak, but the fear of being hurt by collar again outweighed his drive. Aster gave him an honest look, "I know who the traitor is, and I promise we'll fight him together. As long as I'm alive, all of us can help you change, because I'll make them. Isn't that right?"

Demitris and Fleur stepped forward, "Rou, I wasn't sure at first, but you're our ally and we won't abandon you to whatever hell is waiting, just don't try to defy us...", Fleur advised, harsh but genuine at the same time. Aster smiled at her, and then back at Rou, "See, they're going to help you.", he reassured. Demitris nodded before kneeling down and hugging Rou's tense chest, "I'll offer my love and my warmth, anything you need, Rou. This relief can be at any time...".

As Fleur and Aster helped Rou stand up, Demitris held onto him, making sure everything is okay. However, the rest of the group still seemed reluctant, "Are you sure you're not going to lash out at people?", asked Viper. Rou's face screwed up again, and Aster, Fleur and Demitris glared at her with daggers in their eyes. "I...I...", Rou had exhausted himself of the ability to speak, his head freezing over and tightening like compressed ice. But before anyone could retaliate, the mansion began to shake.

"What the hell?!", Aster exclaimed loudly. "That sounds like...the whole damn building", stated Viper. They looked around the corridors, wondering whether the building was going to collapse on them at any moment, when suddenly the walls began shaking. The group looked at each other with panic, knowing full well what that meant. "Come on!", shouted Demitris, leading the group while holding on tightly to Rou's hand. They raced to the staircase, where everyone was rushing, but the steps were already halfway broken and slippery. "We can't do this, we're going to die!", yelled Craaq, but someone unexpected ran ahead to save their souls.

With no other options, Rou formed an ice wall down to the ground floor, dodging all of the falling debris. As each rebel slid down, they only assumed the worst. Fleur in particular felt a tear fall down her face, "It's over, isn't it?", she thought, but she was put at ease by Aster being right beside her. "We'll make it, trust me...", he said sincerely. She too held onto his hand as she made her descent. Melancholy and shaken, the group approached the door. It was locked shut, and Aster had no choice but to kick it down violently, revealing the outside.

There was another shockwave, knocking everyone off their feet, and the sound of glass shattering filled the air as shards fell everywhere, creating a cascade down the stairs. The group looked around nervously and prepared themselves for an onslaught, but to their surprise, the person flying out of their home turning to rubble was an ally. "Catoria!", Demitris called out, rushing to help her. But as soon as she landed, she collapsed on the floor.

"Edward's still in there...", she murmured, tying to sit herself up. "Is he going to be okay?", Fleur asked immediately. "I...I think so...", answered the succubus. She gripped the wound on her chest tightly, "We should be asking if you're okay, Catoria.", Viper asked. Catoria nodded, "Nothing a few potions won't fix, but the oncoming threat is far worse than what I faced...", she informed. Aster nodded in confirmation, "You've done well to hold it off, we'll take it from here.", he said, looking ominously into one of the top floor windows .

Suddenly the window broke, and a storm begun to brew, the winds blowing wildly across the land as the rain lashed down hard upon them all. "Sir Edward!", yelled Fleur, majorly concerned and willing to run back in and save the kindly boss, but Aster, Rou and Demitris pulled her back. "We can't go back in there, even if we did manage to get through", explained Craaq. Soon it became clear why, as a third shockwave rocked the syndicate, the man of the hour glared through the highest window of the mansion, Vox was ready.