Chapter 358: Sanctum claims Hollomgad.

Tobias didn’t even get to finish his step. A silver hunting knife flew through the air like a bolt of lightning and planted itself deep into the side of his neck.

Tobias’s eyes went wide. He reached up, touching the hilt of the blade sticking out of his throat. He opened his mouth to speak, but only thick, red blood gushed out.

A shot rang out suddenly, hitting his chest. Another followed, leaving a big hole in his head. He wobbled for a second, then crashed onto the floor, dead.

Julia lowered her right hand, which held a gun that had been used to take Tobias’s life. As usual, she did not feel an ounce of guilt for what she had done. All she knew was that she had executed someone that was not loyal to the Divine maiden anymore. There was only one punishment for disloyalty: death.

Nina’s legs shook. The death of the captor she had resented for years had come as a surprise. She thought he would be arrested and taken to the capital. He would be killed in the worst way, or maybe even imprisoned. Perhaps, even sent to the frontline.

Death from a bullet was such a quick death for him. One that he did not deserve.

"Kill the rest," Julia ordered casually, without even looking up.

In less than two minutes, the imperial hall turned into a slaughterhouse. Tobias’s loyal men were wiped out before they could even draw their weapons. Their half-life beasts that were present met the same fate. And it was the same outside, the sound of bullets and screams of pain could be heard through the open windows.

With the room cleared of threats, Julia motioned with two fingers for Nina to come closer. "Step forward, you."

Nina swallowed hard and stepped over a pool of fresh blood, stopping a few feet from the throne."It’s Specter, Mistress. Nina Specter."

"Why did Zyra come to Hollomgad, you?" Julia asked, leaning forward, her eyes locked onto Nina like a hawk. The disrespect in her voice made it clear that she had no plans of learning or remembering Nina’s name after today.

Nina’s mind raced. She knew she couldn’t lie about this part. If she made up a story, anyone would blab the truth later, and she would end up as dead meat next to Tobias.

"She_ she came to town with a man," Nina answered carefully, trying to keep her voice steady. "They were looking for some people. I don’t know who because Tobias did not allow me close when they were talking."

Nina kept her face straight, hoping that Julia did not see through her. She actually knew about the secret footage Tobias had stored in their private quarters, but she had zero intention of sharing that major detail. All the people who knew about it were currently lying dead on the floor anyway.

Nina wasn’t stupid. She didn’t know why the almighty Sanctum wanted Zyra dead so badly, but in her mind, it was simple: if the Sanctum wanted someone dead, it was because they were terrified of them. If Zyra survived the Sanctum’s hunt, she would become the hunter. Nina did not want to become prey, in the game of revenge.

If the Soul maidens wanted to fight, it was their battles.

Besides, maybe that footage would save her someday or earn her a fortune, if she survived today.

Julia tapped her chin slowly as she processed the information. Zyra was with a man, and they were looking for people...Lucian said Zyra was looking for the Soul Maidens when she went to Twigs blue crossing, Julia thought to herself. It has to be them. She’s building an army of Soul maidens.

Satisfied with the answer, Julia nodded slowly and stood up from the chair. She raised the mega phone and spoke through it loudly so everyone in the town that had survived the massacre could hear through the open windows. "As of today, Hollomgad is official Sanctum territory. Clean up this mess and raise the flag."

She didn’t waste another second. Leaving behind a company of guards to enforce the new laws, Julia marched out of the blood-stained hall, taking Candy with her. They were moving on to the next town on the list. "Taking over the wild lands continue, next we go to Regal hill."

In the quiet, bloody hall, Nina stood alone among the corpses, breathing heavily. She looked at Tobias’s lifeless body resting in a pool of his own blood.

She swallowed hard, her heart pounding against her ribs. Nina didn’t know if she had just saved herself or sold her soul to a bigger devil. But as she wiped a speck of blood off her cheek, she let out a quiet, relieved sigh.

At least now, she would never have to sleep with that disgusting pig again just to keep her son alive. Her nightmare was over.

****

Three days had passed since the tournament started, and life at the hidden valley remained ridiculously peaceful.

Nobody here had the slightest clue about the bloodbaths and massacres happening in the rest of the wild lands. The valley residents didn’t care about anything. They were far too busy living, training and screaming their lungs out for whatever fighter they had bet their energy stones on, cheering until their voices sounded like broken radios.

While the betting junkies ruined their vocal cords, Zyra spent most of her time at the factories, helping out and keeping her mind busy. Hunter, on the other hand, was stationed over at Rosewater. Construction of the new living quarters was officially wrapped up, so he spent his days helping the residents get settled in and learning the new laws.

And then there was Achilles. He had dragged his dramatic self back to the valley, proudly declaring he wouldn’t leave until Elliot stopped sending spies to watch him like a hawk 24/7.

This had started after Alvin’s mysterious death at the hospital. Even though the official medical autopsy clearly stated that he died from a sudden brain aneurysm, Elliot refused to buy it.

He had immediately pointed a finger at Achilles, loudly accusing him of secret assassination. The idiot even got the police involved. Luckily, Arrow had not left any evidence. For now, Achilles was always monitoring workers in the factory, eyeing them as if they were thieves, looking to loot his wealth.

It was another bright, breezy morning at the valley. Most of the residents were either lazily chilling around the shelter or slurping down warm soup and porridge for breakfast.

Zyra walked into the dining hall, grabbing a plate of hot duck egg pastries. She glanced across the long wooden table and noticed Achilles sitting there, staring blankly at a piece of bread. He was unusually, suspiciously quiet.

Zyra took a bite of a slice of duck egg cake and raised her brows. "What’s wrong, Achilles? Are you sweating because you’re terrified Elliot’s gonna track you all the way to our valley?"

Achilles slammed his half-eaten bun back onto his plate, looking offended. "Don’t even joke about that! He is stalking me when he is not in the arena. If that crazy bastard shows his face in front of me again, I won’t think twice before slicing his neck open!"