The chamber reeked of blood and despair. Prisoners whimpered in their broken cages, some clutching at the bars, others too far gone to even raise their heads. The ruined machine at the center crackled faintly, sparks dying out, the stench of burnt iron lingering in the humid air.
Nash stood in Hina's porcelain body, fists clenched tight, glaring at the man who had just entered. The red scarf across his face made his presence colder, his eyes sharp and unshaken. His steps echoed with measured calm as though the cries around them meant nothing.
The man's tone sharpened. "If your not going to act first then I advice to spare me your outrage. Power comes from sacrifice. Always has. You think soldiers don't bleed to fuel kingdoms? You think nobles didn't build palaces on the corpses of their peasants? We simply made it more... efficient."
"You're just dressing up cruelty as logic," Nash growled.
The man's eyes narrowed. "And you are standing in our way." He stepped closer, the shadows of the chamber thickening around him. His body pulsed with unnatural light, red lines crawling across his arms, shimmering under his skin. His shoulders broadened, his frame flexing unnaturally. When he lifted his hands, his veins glowed like molten iron.
Nash tensed. "So you're another transcender."
The man chuckled faintly. "Correct. My name is Brakar, one of the upcoming top transcenders of the Red Arms. Smoke's failure only means I must show you what true talent looks like."
The prisoners whimpered louder, some crying out faintly as Brakar's aura thickened. The chains rattled as though reacting to his presence.
Nash lifted Hina's fists. "Talent? You'll be coughing blood by the time I'm done with you."
Brakar's eyes flashed. "Big words from a puppet."
Brakar moved first. His body blurred, his feet cracking stone with every step. Nash barely had time to raise Hina's arms before Brakar's glowing fist slammed forward. The impact rang out like a cannon blast, sending shockwaves through the chamber.
Hina's body slid back across the floor, gouging deep lines into the blood-soaked stone. The prisoners screamed as dust and fragments rained down.
Nash steadied himself. "So you're a brawler type."
Brakar's lips curved beneath the scarf. "Not just brawler. My bound relic is from a Pyrestone Ogre. I carry the weight of mountains in my fists and you will die to my fist."
He charged again, fist arcing like a hammer. Nash ducked, porcelain legs bending low, then lashed out with a sweeping kick. The strike smashed Brakar's side, sending him tumbling into the wall. The stone cracked like brittle glass, chunks falling onto caged prisoners.
But Brakar stood as though the hit were nothing. His veins flared brighter, smoke rising from his skin. "Good strength but not enough."
He slammed his palms into the ground. The stone floor split apart, cracks racing outward like spiderwebs. Fire burst from the fractures, heat surging through the room. Prisoners shrieked as flames licked at their cages.
"Shit!" Nash hissed, leaping forward. He brought Hina's porcelain fist down like a hammer, aiming for Brakar's head.
The man blocked with crossed arms. The impact blew a crater into the floor beneath him, flames scattering outward. Brakar gritted his teeth, his arms trembling under the sheer force, but instead of retreating, he grabbed Nash's wrist and pulled him in. His other fist slammed into Hina's gut like a piston.
The chamber shook. The ground cracked deeper. Nash staggered, porcelain body rattling from the blow.
"That all you got?" Nash snarled, forcing Hina's head forward. Her porcelain forehead slammed into Brakar's nose. The crunch echoed. Blood sprayed across the scarf.
Brakar snarled, stumbling back, but his grin returned. "You fight like an animal. I like that."
"Good. You'll die like one too."
They collided again. Fist against fist, each impact shattering stone, ripping chunks of wall away. The chamber became a battlefield, cages shaking violently with every strike.
Nash's blows were relentless, every punch heavy and sharp. Brakar answered with brute force, his fists glowing hotter with every strike. At one point, he slammed Nash against the wall hard enough that the entire section collapsed, opening into another hidden corridor.
Prisoners screamed as debris rained down. Nash twisted, forcing Hina's porcelain elbow into Brakar's jaw. The blow rang out like thunder. Brakar spat blood, his scarf torn away, revealing jagged scars carved across his mouth.
"You're strong, puppet," Brakar admitted, wiping his mouth. "But I'll definitely fucking beat you to pulp."
Nash smirked darkly. "Try me."
Brakar roared, his fists igniting in molten flame. He swung wildly, each punch tearing chunks of stone and scattering fire like shrapnel. Nash darted through, Hina's porcelain body moving faster than his opponent expected. He smashed Brakar's ribs, then his shoulder, then a spinning kick into his chest.
Brakar staggered, coughing blood. But his grin only widened. "This is what I do for a living."
"You live for the torturing of people to death." Nash snarled.
Brakar's grin faded, eyes hardening. "They are tools, people have always been tools. Do not put your emotions on them and why the fuck do you care so much about them."
Nash roared, surging forward. "They're people!"
His fists blurred. Left. Right. Uppercut. Each strike cracked bone, splintered teeth, drew more blood. Brakar blocked, countered, struck back, but Nash refused to relent. The porcelain body was indestructible, while Brakar's flesh, no matter how strong, began to buckle.
The chamber crumbled around them. One wall collapsed completely, cages spilling forward. Prisoners crawled out, terrified, dragging themselves away from the brawl.
Brakar, bleeding and battered, forced himself upright. His body glowed brighter, his skin splitting in places to reveal molten veins. "Enough. You cannot fucking kill me. I am a ogre incarnate!"
He slammed his fists together. A blast of flame surged outward, scorching everything in its path.
Nash braced, porcelain cracking faintly but holding. He dove through the fire, fists first. His punch smashed Brakar's chest, shattering ribs. Before Brakar could recover, Nash seized his head and drove it into the stone floor with a deafening crash.
Brakar twitched, blood pooling. His molten glow flickered weakly. "Impossible… I am… stronger…"
Nash leaned down, voice cold. "You were never strong. Just fucking cruel."
He smashed Hina's porcelain fist down one last time. Brakar's skull cracked. His body went limp. The red glow of his veins dimmed, fading into silence.
Nash stood over the corpse, porcelain chest heaving though there were no lungs. He looked around the chamber, now ruined. Half the cages lay shattered, their prisoners dragging themselves free. Others sobbed in corners, too weak to move.
Nash clenched his fists. "I can't just leave them."
He tore open the remaining cages, one by one, freeing every broken body. Some collapsed the moment they were freed, others whispered thanks through bloodied lips. A few reached out, touching Hina's porcelain arms as though clinging to a savior.
Nash forced his voice steady. "Hold on. You're safe now. I'll stay until help comes."
He looked at the ruined stairwell, then back at the prisoners. "The authorities have to find this place. With how much noise these two gang are making, the authority should be already informed..."
He sat in the center of the chamber, surrounded by freed captives, the corpses of Smoke and Brakar lying as grim reminders of what had been done here. The stench of blood lingered, but so did the silence of relief.
For the first time since entering the mansion, Nash allowed himself to breathe, even if only inside the indestructible shell.
"This world's sick," he muttered quietly. "But I'll tear out every rot like them."
The prisoners clung to their cages, sobbing. Nash stared at the dark stairwell above, waiting for whoever came next.