Darkness.
The air trembled with distant screams and desperate cries.
"Help!"
"I'm burning!"
"Somebody—please!"
"Las, wake up!"
"LAS!!!"
"Damn it banana boy, snap out of it!"
Las's eyes flickered open. Above him stood Eli, her face streaked with dirt and fear.
Blood ran down from Las's head, blurring his vision. Dazed and disoriented, he muttered:
Las: "What… what's happening?"
Eli, trembling, her body caked in mud and ash, struggled to pull him free from the rubble. Her voice cracked with terror:
Eli: "We have to find Sifu and Grov—right now!"
Las lifted his head slightly… and the world revealed itself.
The city was an inferno. Buildings lay in ruins, charred and blackened. Corpses littered the streets. The mighty wall had collapsed, its shattered remains crushing countless creatures beneath, leaving behind a river of blood winding through the debris.
All around, survivors clawed desperately at the rubble, screaming, straining to free their loved ones buried alive beneath the ruins.
Eli wrenched Las free from the rubble.
Las, stunned, blinked up at her.
Las: "What happened? The city?"
Eli: "I don't know—but we have to find my parents, Sifu and Grov. Now."
The animals' screams echoed everywhere like death-cries; the scene around them was pure hell—fire, smoke, chaos.
Suddenly, the howls of the Black Wolves tore through the air.
The Marshal, staring at Icarus's lifeless body, raised his hand. His gaze—sickly and green—swept over the ruined Rock City as his voice dropped to a savage, deep command:
Marshal: "Find me the papyrus at any cost—and slaughter anyone you find!"
The Black Wolves and the Bloody Fists answered with bestial screams, surging forward into the city. Their footfalls came in a thousand-strong thunder, accompanied by howls and shouts that shook the streets.
From a distance, Eli saw them charging violently toward Rock City.
She screamed, calling to everyone near the wall:
"Run—get to safety, now!"
Las, with thousands of animals at his heels, ran inward toward the burning city
The Black Wolves stormed into the city like a tsunami of destruction. Every creature in their path was cut down without mercy.
They burst into homes, their voices filled with cruelty.
Black Wolf Soldier: "Tell me where the papyrus is, animal!"
Rabbit: "I… I don't understand what you're talking about—"
—the crack of a gunshot.
The rabbit collapsed to the floor, his skull shattered, blood pooling beneath his lifeless body.
The Black Wolf soldier stepped out of the burning house, its walls already swallowed by flames.
Meanwhile, Las and Eli sprinted through the city streets toward the clinic. Corpses littered the ground in every direction, the smell of ash and blood heavy in the air.
Suddenly, before them stood one of the Bloodied Fists. In his monstrous grip, he clutched the head of a deer, lifting it high into the air. With terrifying ease, his fingers crushed down—the skull cracked like glass, blood raining as the creature went limp.
Las froze, horrified, paralyzed by the sight.
Eli yanked at his arm, screaming:
Eli: "Move, you stupid monkey!"
Las and Eli sprinted through the burning city, their steps echoing amidst the ruin.
They pushed onward toward the clinic—until Eli froze, her eyes hollow and empty.
The place where the clinic once stood was now nothing but a void of ash and smoke. At its shattered doorway lay two charred skeletons, their forms twisted in death.
Eli: "Mom… Dad?"
From a distance, two of the Bloodied Fists caught sight of them.
One of them roared, his voice savage and guttural:
Bloodied Fist: "Blood… meat!"
With thunderous steps, they charged, their strides shaking the ground like a quake.
Las seized Eli's hand, his voice trembling but firm:
Las: "Run! Run fast—there's nothing you can do!"
A Black Wolf stood atop the roof of a burning house, his shotgun blazing. Bullets ripped through the air, slicing past Las and Eli as they ran for their lives.
Behind them, five more Black Wolves gave chase, their weapons firing wildly, the thunder of gunfire echoing through the ruined streets.
Las shouted at Eli, his voice sharp with desperation:
Las: "Over there—quick!"
They dashed toward the wreckage of a half-collapsed, burning house and slipped inside.
Las: "Hurry—into the closet!"
Las and Eli shoved themselves into the dark wooden closet, their breaths sharp and their hearts pounding as they curled up, hidden among the ruins, while the chaos of the hunt closed in from all sides.
The house around them looked as if a grenade had gone off inside—shattered windows, crumbling walls, ashes and smoke thick in the air.
Suddenly, the wall of the kitchen collapsed inward, crumbling as though struck by a colossal fist. From the debris and swirling smoke came the sound of heavy footsteps.
Through the haze, a dark figure appeared—its sickly green eyes glowing.
The Marshal.
He stepped inside, silent for a few dreadful seconds. The only sounds were the distant cries of animals, the howls of Black Wolves, and the endless thunder of gunfire.
The air stirred, carrying the sway of his crimson cape.
Las and Eli sat frozen in the closet. Eli's tearful eyes turned to Las, trembling.
Las raised a finger to his lips and made a quick gesture: don't speak.
The Marshal took a step forward, raising his nose to the air. He inhaled deeply, savoring the scent.
Then—his glowing green gaze snapped toward the closet. A twisted grin spread across his face.
With a sudden burst of speed, he rushed forward, tearing the door open. His demonic eyes widened as he looked down at Las and Eli, looming like a shadow with burning green eyes.
His gaze locked onto the papyrus. His hand twitched, ready to seize it. Las and Eli ducked their heads, clutching each other as they braced for the end.
And then—the sound of a staff striking the ground.
The Marshal turned his head.
He stood silent, that sick smile curling his lips.
Sifu: "Leave my children alone."
The Marshal drew his jagged, bloodstained blade from its sheath, its steel glinting as the rising smoke reflected across its edge and onto Sifu's aged but unyielding body.
Marshal: "Don't worry… it'll be quick."
He flicked the blade, droplets of blood scattering into the air and the floor of burning house