Chapter 147: Second Phase & 7th Star
The bomb obliterated the Iron Brotherhood’s survivors, its violet-black explosion shaking the Blightroot estate’s courtyard. The ground caved into a smoldering crater, charred limbs and molten armor fragments scattered, and no trace of the enemy left.
The battle was over, and the 7th Division emerged victorious, but at a cost—ten members dead, their bodies bloodied, skulls crushed, or guts spilled across the cobblestones. The air reeked of iron and charred flesh, the estate’s marble stained with crimson pools.
Some division members stared at Baines, their eyes a mix of awe and unease. If it wasn’t obvious before, it was now. Baines was the strongest in their division.
Rakel Voss, his golden hair matted with sweat, barked orders. "Heal the injured! Gather the dead! Third chair, take twenty and sweep the estate for stragglers. Meet us in the hall in an hour." He turned and nodded at Baines. "Good job."
Baines sheathed his sword, silent, and his eyes unreadable.
A voice rang out, "7th Division of the Red Sun!" Gilbert Blight led his clan in a deep bow, their extravagant robes quivering. "Please, let us treat you." Servants and guards rushed to aid the wounded, their gilded uniforms stark against the carnage.
"If you will please follow me to discuss," Gilbert said to Rakel and Baines; however, Baines walked away, ignoring the stares, heading to the quarters assigned for recovery.
"Alright." Rakel nodded and followed Gilbert.
Baines went to the quarters they had sectioned off for them to stay. The division would rest before returning to the Red Sun’s castle.
That night, the Blightroot Clan had a solemn mood. They had just survived a terrorist attack with almost no deaths in their ranks. It made them realize just how weak they were. There was also the fact that these were the people they had insulted upon their arrival.
The family used the night to make some important decisions, and in the morning, they hosted a banquet in their grand hall, chandeliers glittering, tables laden with delicacies.
This banquet was to soothe the minds of their traumatized kin and honor the success of the division’s work. The 7th division also saw it as a time for a short reward for their work. Laughter and music filled the air, a fragile veneer over the blood-soaked day.