Dimensional Descent

Joseph and Damian looked back after hearing the clicking of the gears. They had put their all into running and avoiding the A and Dark Prisoners around them, but hearing such a loud commotion, they couldn't help themselves.

When they saw the sudden appearance of the Dark Cloud Prison guards, and in such a large number at that, they felt as though their legs couldn't carry them fast enough.

There was just half a kilometer between them and the city gates. To well trained men like them, even before the Metamorphosis, this was a matter of a two or three minute run at most. Yet, these few minutes felt like the longest they had experienced in their lifetimes.

Escobar scanned the situation emotionlessly. It was as though he couldn't see the archers aiming their bows toward him.

His gaze landed on each and every one of the guards that had fallen, the billowing of his mustache becoming deeper with each passing moment. Even with the long cycles of his breath, it felt as though the wind around the Warden was kicking up, responding to his will in large swaths.

"Mow them down." He commanded coldly.

At that moment, the clicking of guns sounded.

City Lord Hargrove's pupils constricted. 'That's impossible.'

Heavy military boots stepped forward before they each kneeled, pressing their rifles to their shoulders. And then, the bullets rained.

As quickly as the guards had fallen, the prisoners fell even faster. How could the fire rate of archers match the pace of semi-automatic weaponry?

"Shit!"

Damian growled, his feet stamping against the ground.

A surge of earth followed his command, peeling concrete jetting into the air to cover his back.

normal gunpowder based

the final remaining distance to the city, anxiousness clear in their

"Dammit! Open the gate!"

gritted teeth, but the doors of the city remained firmly closed. By now, the crowd beneath the city gates was growing and there were already more than a hundred that had made it this far while several thousand more were crossing the final distance. But, those of Hargrove City didn't seem to hear what

despair. Could this really be a ploy

any sense.

on the gates just like all the others, unable to think for himself. He was

scene from above

their situation now," He said coldly, "Lower the

as many would have

too easy, they wouldn't be appreciated. Very easily, a great boon could become bland, a lifesaving grace could be expected, and

of people, Hargrove needed them to understand who held the power and

platforms descending, the group of prisoners that had been wailing below suddenly began to cheer. They didn't even consider the fact their lives

was exactly as Hargrove expected.

commanded coldly. "Shields at the ready.

back. His aging body seemed even more agile than the

thousands of prisoners that had escaped to successfully climb upon those platforms before they crossed the remaining distance. From a cursory calculation, there was only enough space for a hundred people at a time and

Duke Owen wasn't foolish enough to use these platforms to try and climb the city wall, that would be asking for death. However,

Lord Hargrove might have wanted to teach the prisoners a pre-emptive lesson with his actions, but he seemed to have not considered the fact that it would be impossible to use

such actions

tightest security on Earth with the exception of the Royal Palace. It could be said that in order to become a guard

group of men and women that followed Governor Duke Owen now

However....

without the slightest idea on how to siege a