Henry headed toward Room Seven to see Mildo.
He opened the door quietly and stepped in, his eyes catching a familiar scene after the fight: Mildo, head bandaged, lying on the floor, with Armenda and Logan nearby, watching him anxiously.
Everyone froze for a moment, lifting their eyes to Henry, whose sudden entry brought a brief silence to the room.
Mildo sat up, lifting his head to look at Henry with nearly lifeless eyes, speaking coldly:
"What do you want now?"
A playful glint shone in Henry's eyes as he said,
"I want you."
Everyone exchanged surprised looks, unsure how to interpret those words.
Henry took a slow step toward Mildo, his hand moving lightly in the air, each motion calculated to provoke tension.
Mildo narrowed his eyes, puzzled:
"What do you mean? I don't understand."
Henry ignored the question, speaking quietly and coldly:
"Come with me."
Mildo stood, looking at him with indifference:
"Where are we going?"
Henry smiled mysteriously and said confidently:
"Follow me."
They left Room Seven, walking through narrow corridors until they reached a room that smelled strongly of gunpowder.
Henry pointed to a neatly stacked pile of weapons and said quietly:
"Go ahead… pick one."
Mildo's eyes widened at the pile, his voice cold:
"You want me to take a gun?"
Henry smiled confidently, adding,
"I don't think this is the first time you've seen weapons like these. Your father had even more than this."
Mildo eyed him skeptically, then quietly stepped toward the pile and picked up a pistol with a silver grip.
Henry studied Mildo's choice with sharp eyes, curious:
"Why did you pick this one? Why not the smaller one?"
Mildo answered calmly, his voice devoid of hesitation:
"It fires faster."
Henry smiled silently, thinking to himself:
"As I thought… he has some experience with guns."
Henry spoke softly, a faint smile on his lips:
"Good. Now, come."
They headed together to a wide shooting range, where white targets were carefully lined up several meters away.
Mildo stood, gripping the pistol tightly, his eyes fixed on the targets.
A light tension ran through his body, but he took a steady breath and focused all his senses, waiting for Henry's signal.
Henry raised his hand, pointing to the targets:
"Shoot."
Mildo held the gun firmly, stepped forward, eyes locked on the white targets.
The gun shifted in his grip for a moment, then he squeezed the trigger.
The first bullet pierced the target with precision, sending a small paper piece flying.
The second and third bullets followed, each hitting the center.
Henry raised his hand slowly, standing firm, his voice commanding:
"Enough. I've seen enough."
Mildo immediately stopped shooting, lifting his head to look at Henry with sharp eyes, his voice calm but cutting:
"I don't know what you're trying to achieve with this, but I won't be part of your plans."
Henry's narrow smile was tinged with anger, his voice calm but harsh:
"Go back to your room, and don't even think about going anywhere else."
Mildo exhaled quietly, responding coldly:
"That's what I'll do."
He turned without another word, leaving the range, his steps steady and head high despite the exhaustion left by the training.
Days passed since Mildo became part of them. One evening, Enzo rushed in, his voice raised:
"Get up, idiots! Mr. Dante wants you!"
Mildo stood coldly, followed silently by the others.
They all headed toward Mr. Dante's room, greeted by the usual heavy scent of cigarettes.
Mildo paused for a moment, inhaling the smoke, thinking:
"That addict… does he never rest until he fills the room with smoke?"
Mr. Dante sat in his chair, cigarette in hand, smoke curling around his head like mist.
He motioned with his hand, his voice calm but firm:
"You're going on a mission with Enzo."
He then turned slowly toward Mildo, eyes heavy on his face, speaking sharply:
"Let's see if you'll come back alive."
Mildo lifted his head steadily, voice cold and sharp:
"I'll come back alive… because I still have to kill you."
Armenda and Logan quickly glanced at him, trying to silence his words before matters escalated.
Enzo stepped forward aggressively, grabbing Mildo by the hair and pulling:
"How dare you threaten my master?"
Suddenly, Mr. Dante slammed the table hard, causing Enzo to release Mildo and step back.
Dante's piercing eyes fixed on Mildo as he said coldly:
"Go now. We don't want to be late."
Enzo smiled tensely, then shoved Mildo outside, voice rigid:
"As you command, sir."
Mildo stumbled slightly but regained his balance. Their steps led them to the mission, the air thick with tension and anticipation.
They left the building and boarded a vehicle toward their next mission.
Each held their weapon, the atmosphere tense and fraught.
Mildo looked at his pistol, voice cold as he asked Armenda and Logan:
"Are we going to fight with these guns?"
"Yes…" Logan's voice was hoarse, heavy with sorrow.
Mildo lowered his gaze to the weapon in his hands, fingers tracing the grip slowly.
I knew it… Room Seven was nothing more than a den for hired killers, he thought coldly.
Silence dominated the ride, only the clattering wheels over rocks breaking the quiet.
When they stopped at the foot of the mountain, Enzo jumped down first, voice sharp with arrogance:
"Move, idiots!"
One by one, they followed him, forced along.
They navigated the rugged slopes until reaching a high spot overlooking a small valley. On the valley's edge stood a secluded wooden cabin, faint smoke rising.
Enzo raised a finger, his face a mix of dominance and wicked amusement:
"See that bald guy there? And the men with him?"
He let out a short laugh, then added coldly:
"They are our target."
Mildo's chest tightened as he watched the men by the cabin, laughing and drinking as if the world belonged to them.
Enzo's commanding voice echoed from behind:
"Take your positions, quickly!"
Armenda gently reached for Mildo's wrist, whispering:
"Come on… we don't want to anger him now."
Mildo exchanged a brief glance with her, then released his hand lightly without comment.
They moved carefully, spreading around the cabin, each taking cover among rocks and trees, surrounding the place like ghosts waiting to strike.
Logan breathed rapidly, Armenda gripped her gun nervously, while Mildo remained silent, his sharp eyes observing every movement.
Suddenly, Enzo raised his rifle without hesitation, shouting arrogantly:
"Now, let's see who dares survive!"
He pulled the trigger.
The first bullet shattered the cabin window, hitting one man's head. Panic erupted inside as men scrambled for cover and weapons.
"It's the enemy!" Enzo shouted sharply.
A hail of bullets followed, the cabin shaking with the men's screams.
Mildo froze for a moment, hand trembling, staring at his gun.
"What should I do… father?" he whispered hoarsely.
Armenda's shot was faster, striking one man's head and sending him to the ground.
Logan fired steadily, each shot hitting its mark.
Mildo watched nervously, heart hammering. He finally raised his gun slowly, eyes glinting with sorrow, whispering:
"Sorry…"
He squeezed the trigger.
His bullet hit a man's shoulder, making him fall screaming. Mildo froze further, as if the echo of the shot resonated only in his ears.
His hand shook as he tried to aim again, breaths ragged, chest tight.
"Sorry… sorry…" he kept murmuring between shots.
Enzo squinted, trying to line up on the bald man amid the chaos, a greedy smile spreading across his face. He pulled the trigger.
The bullet struck the target's forehead directly, body collapsing.
Enzo laughed loudly:
"Finally… I've colored your shiny skull!"
Panic erupted inside the cabin, cries rising:
"Our master is down! He's dead!"
At that moment, a surviving guard aimed at the hill where the group was positioned.
He fired.
The explosion roared, the mountain shaking beneath them. Rocks began to crumble, and the ground beneath Armenda suddenly collapsed.
Her eyes widened in terror as she felt herself losing balance.
"What…?!" she screamed, voice muffled, before falling down the slope, hand stretched out in the air, futile.
Logan's scream pierced the chaos:
"Armenda!"
Before he could finish, a bullet struck him directly in the chest, sinking into his heart. He froze, blood spilling from his mouth.
He fell to his knees, eyes fixed on the void where Armenda had vanished.
Mildo froze, eyes trembling, heart pounding violently as if the world had collapsed around him.
He quickly turned toward the source of the shot, eyes ablaze with anger and shock.
He screamed, a furious cry mingled with pain and madness:
"AAAHHH!"
He raised his pistol without hesitation and pulled the trigger.
The bullet pierced the man's skull, dropping him to the ground.
Mildo panted violently, chest heaving, fingers shaking from the shock.
He ran to Logan, finding him barely breathing, body trembling in pain.
"Logan… Logan, stay with me!" Mildo called out anxiously.
Logan opened his eyes with difficulty, grasping Mildo's face, blood smearing Mildo's cheeks.
"Sorry… I can't hold on any longer," he whispered, filled with regret.
His eyes turned toward where Armenda had fallen, a mix of grief and despair crossing his face:
"I wanted a simple outing… to have ice cream with her… but even that wish is not ours."
"Logan…" Mildo whispered hoarsely, tears streaming down his face.
Logan closed his eyes, hand falling lifelessly, his body gone.
Mildo screamed, torn apart:
"Nooo!"
Everything around him stopped for a moment, his scream echoing through the mountains and the air.
Enzo finished off the remaining men, then slowly approached Mildo:
"Oh… so he's dead," he said mockingly, grabbing Mildo's hand mercilessly.
"Come on, let's go."
Mildo turned toward him, eyes burning with rage, chest aflame.
He lunged at Enzo, trying to strike, but Enzo grabbed his hand violently, tossing it aside.
"Do you realize what you're doing? Attacking someone above you!" Enzo said coldly, voice stone-like.
Mildo shouted in blazing fury:
"Let me! I'll kill you! I will!"
Enzo smiled coldly, drew his pistol, and shot Mildo in the foot.
Mildo screamed, heat spreading through his foot.
Enzo laughed coldly:
"Good. Let pain teach you some sense."
Mildo laughed, choked with pain, eyes gleaming with anger and hatred, struggling to control himself.
Enzo began walking away while Mildo collapsed to the ground, foot throbbing, shock still controlling him.
Enzo glanced back, slowly exhaling as if enjoying the scene, then pulled out a small electric device.
He pressed it mercilessly, sending an electric shock through Mildo's body, causing violent tremors to run through his limbs, muscles shaking uncontrollably.
Enzo smiled coldly, voice dripping with threat:
"If you don't follow me now, I'll make you feel this pain over and over."
Mildo's body shook from the electric shocks, every muscle tense. He closed his eyes, gathered his breath, and forced himself to stand.
He stepped forward unsteadily toward Enzo, each step bleeding from his foot.
Enzo paused, watching with a cold smile, as if enjoying Mildo's endurance despite the pain, and then they continued toward their headquarters, tension and suppressed anger thick in the air.
They reached the headquarters, steps heavy with silence, the air thick with blood and gunpowder clinging to their clothes, reflecting what they had just endured.
Henry sat on a chair, legs crossed, faint smile on his lips. He raised his eyes coldly, voice calm yet piercing:
"Are they dead… Logan and Armenda?"
Enzo stepped forward without hesitation, voice rigid and emotionless:
"They were weak. Naturally, they died."
Henry's eyes narrowed sharply at Enzo, piercing through his pride, every strand of defiance rising.
He leaned forward slightly, voice cold but brimming with suppressed anger:
"I don't think they were weak. You are! You didn't protect your team, didn't understand the weight of the mission. You are the weak one, Enzo!"
Enzo's face stiffened, hand trembling on his weapon, shouting in mixed anger:
"How dare you?!"
Then a deep, sharp voice echoed through the hall:
"Both of you, stop."
Heavy silence filled the room. Everyone turned to the source: Mr. Dante, entering slowly, cigarette dangling from his fingers, stone-like features unmoving.
Enzo stepped back, clenching his teeth, while Henry lowered his gaze slightly, respect overpowering even his pride.
Dante approached slowly, stopping between them, his sharp gaze cutting through Enzo like a sword, then turned to Henry, calmer but with authority.
Dante's cold eyes moved to Mildo, exhausted, injured foot, pale from pain.
He raised a hand, tone merciless:
"Tend to his wounds immediately."
Then he added coldly:
"After you bandage him, clean the entire hall. No rest until it's done. That's how the weak learn to be strong."
Mildo raised his head despite the pain, eyes shining with anger and bitterness, voice dripping with fury and hatred:
"You… are no different from that bastard!"
He pointed tremblingly at Enzo, shouting fiercely:
"You… you are merciless monsters! You roam this earth devouring everything in your path like beasts who don't understand anything but killing!"
Henry looked at Mildo, astonished at his audacity, almost exceeding expectations.
Dante advanced slowly, coldly, throwing his cigarette to the ground, flames sparking.
Then, without hesitation, Dante punched Mildo, sending him crashing to the floor. He didn't stop there—kicked him repeatedly, each blow piercing his exhausted body, increasing pain and helplessness.
Dante shouted, cold anger and contempt mixed:
"Learn how to speak to your master! I don't care who your father is, who you are. In my land, there's no place for the likes of you!"
Mildo trembled with each strike, body writhing in pain, screaming.
Dante shoved him against the wall. The hanging flame above fell onto half of Mildo's face, heat and hell he had never felt before.
His whole body trembled from burning and shock, screaming, voice mixing with smoke and fire, pain paralyzing every movement.
Dante said coldly, voice stone-like:
"Take him to the dark room… no food, no water… until his mind returns to him."
Enzo smiled wickedly, eyes glinting with dark pleasure as he watched Mildo in agony:
"Your order, sir… leave him to me."
Henry stood lost in thought, cold eyes expressionless, then turned slowly and left the hall, leaving a heavy silence, as if everything around retreated from the brutality they had just witnessed.
Mildo, exhausted and unconscious, was dragged mercilessly, the silence and darkness wrapping the room, Dante's psychological cold lingering.
They reached the dark room, its heavy door closing with an echoing thud, leaving only Mildo's labored breathing and screaming body.
He sat on the cold floor, struggling to breathe, eyes half-closed from pain, the feeling of isolation weighing heavier than any wound.
Enzo entered quietly, a wicked smile on his face, voice filling the heavy silence like a lurking threat:
"Hello… hello."
Mildo lifted his head with difficulty, one eye open on Enzo, the other closed in pain, voice broken:
"What do you want now?"
Enzo laughed mockingly, leaning forward slightly:
"Don't be so mean to me. I came to have fun with you."
Mildo breathed painfully, voice a mix of pain and exhaustion:
"Leave…"
Enzo smiled more wickedly, stepping closer:
"Unfortunately, I won't leave. I brought some things to try on you."
Mildo shivered at the words, pain mixed with fear, yet his eyes did not lose their defiant glint, his endurance against Enzo's brutality his only weapon.
Enzo brought out a double-headed iron piece, one end glinting in the dim light, cold smile on his face. He approached quickly, grabbed Mildo's trembling hand, and mercilessly pulled off a fingernail.
Mildo screamed, voice echoing through the dark room, body shaking from shock and torment.
He shouted:
"I'll kill you, Enzo! I'll kill you!"
He screamed until he coughed, tears glistening in the darkness.
Enzo looked at the removed nail, eyes inspecting him with madness, voice trembling with rage:
"You humiliated me in front of my master! You dared to humiliate me in front of my master!"
He screamed, pulling his hair violently, as if releasing all his suppressed rage:
"He must be proud of me! Only proud of me!"
Enzo stepped closer, eyes gleaming with madness, cold smile:
"I'll show you what it means to challenge me!"
He kicked Mildo's head hard, starting from the burned area, slamming it against the wall violently.
Mildo shivered from shock, his left ear ringing continuously, the world spinning, and his body collapsed entirely to the floor.
He fell powerless, exhausted, eyes closed from pain and shock.
Darkness took over his awareness, the sound of the world gone, as if drowned in silence.
Enzo approached Mildo, kicking him mercilessly:
"I'm not done yet. Wake up! Come on, come on!"
But Mildo's body remained still, unresponsive, as if pain had no effect.
Enzo muttered coldly, forced to step back:
"What a weakling."
He then left the room, leaving Mildo on the floor, exhausted, silent, darkness surrounding him from all sides.