Apocalypse: Building And Hoarding My Way Through.
Chapter 164: You’re Free Then.

Chapter 164: You’re Free Then.

Kato turned his gaze to him, his smirk widening. "Step forward and find out." His eyes gleamed with a wicked light. "You could use yourself as an experiment. What do you think, Victor?"

The room tensed further, a silent war playing out between their gazes.

Victor’s expression darkened, his eyes blazing with fury. For a brief moment, it seemed like he would lunge at Kato, but then, as if regaining control, he remained still. His fingers curled into tight fists at his sides, betraying the effort it took to restrain himself.

"The guards aren’t going to harm us. Neither is Kato. If they’re going to attack anyone, it’ll be the other organization leaders. This place will soon become a bloodbath," Scarlett said through the mind link to Garvin.

Garvin swallowed hard but stayed silent, his body tense with anticipation.

Kato’s gaze slid back toward Scarlett, a slow, knowing smirk spreading across his lips. "Do you really want to watch your lover die?" His voice dripped with amusement, his knife still held at Garvin’s neck. "Let me guess, you’ve already found Hope and Jaden and hidden them away. But you brought Garvin with you. I must say, that was your biggest mistake. You just led him straight into danger."

Scarlett met his gaze without a flicker of hesitation. "I’ve already given you my answer, Kato. I said you could kill him. Go ahead." A sly smile played on her lips, her voice taunting. "One thing you should know, though today is your last day. Just like every other organization leader in this room."

Kato’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, but he didn’t hesitate. With a swift motion, he sliced Garvin’s arm with his knife only for the unexpected to happen. Instead of Garvin’s skin breaking, the wound appeared on Kato’s own arm.

A sharp gasp escaped him as he staggered back, staring at his bleeding arm in shock. Disbelief flickered across his face, his mind racing to process what had just happened.

Scarlett chuckled darkly. "You’ve confirmed what you wanted to know, haven’t you?" Her laughter rang through the room, cold and mocking. "You can’t kill him."

Kato’s breath came in short, shallow bursts. He clutched his wounded arm, his voice shaking as he stammered, "You... you can’t be serious. You..." His eyes widened further as realization dawned. "You already slept with him?"

Scarlett’s smirk deepened, her amusement only growing. "Oh, I’m completely serious," she murmured, tilting her head slightly. "Garvin and I share a special bond now. Whatever harm you try to inflict on him or on me will only reflect back on you."

She took a slow step forward, her presence suffocating, her eyes gleaming with something dangerous. "He’s no longer just an ordinary human."

Kato’s face contorted in a mixture of rage and fear. With a roar, he lunged at Scarlett, his knife flashing in the dim light. But she was ready.

The moment he came within reach, she raised her hand, and a surge of raw energy blasted him backward. Kato crashed into the far wall with a sickening thud, his body slumping to the ground in a dazed heap.

The guards, realizing their leader was in trouble, moved to intervene but Scarlett was faster. With deadly precision, she struck them down one by one, her movements swift and merciless.

The other organization leaders stood frozen in place, fear etching their features. They didn’t dare move, knowing full well that Kato had already warned them, any action would lead to their death.

From the far side of the room, Victor finally rose from his seat. His piercing gaze settled on Scarlett, unreadable yet intense.

"So," he murmured, his voice smooth but edged with something darker. "I finally get to meet you. But it’s unfortunate that our meeting had to be under these circumstances."

Scarlett’s lips curled into a smirk, her crimson eyes gleaming with amusement. "And finally, I get to meet the real you, Victor." Her voice dripped with sarcasm as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I must say, you’ve got quite a few tricks up your sleeve. It’s... intriguing, if you ask me."

Victor remained silent, his sharp gaze studying her carefully, as if weighing his next move.

Before he could respond, another organization leader suddenly stepped forward, his expression tense. "Just let me go, okay?" His voice carried a desperate edge. "I don’t care about these power struggles anymore. Do whatever you want with Kato. I knew something was off the moment he told us about this wedding especially when he insisted our guards stay outside. But I agreed, thinking there was no way he could take down every organization leader at once." He scoffed and shook his head.

"And who would have thought he was actually getting married to the Queen of Monsters? Never imagined he could capture you, anyway." Another organization leader chimed in and heaved a frustrated sigh.

Scarlett let out a chuckle, shaking her head slightly. "Like I said earlier, all of you will meet your end here. There’s no escape. Her smirk widened, her stance unshaken.

One of the leaders, his face contorted with anger, took a bold step forward. "You can’t possibly mean that!" he shouted. In his blind rage, he lunged at Scarlett only for the ground beneath him to suddenly open up.

A strangled scream tore through the air as he plummeted into the liquid below.

The hall went eerily silent, everyone frozen in place.

Then came the sound.

A sickening sizzle. Flesh melting. A gurgling, inhuman cry of agony.

Scarlett’s eyes flickered toward the pit, and a dark realization settled over her. Acid.

Her smirk didn’t waver. If anything, it deepened. So he planned to make this hall a bloodbath after all.

Her gaze shifted to Kato, who stood off to the side, watching the scene unfold with a cold detachment. Well then, it wouldn’t hurt to give him a helping hand... all while watching him suffer too.

A sudden outburst erupted from the remaining leaders.

"You son of a bitch! The underground is filled with acid?!" One of them shouted, his voice laced with disbelief and rage.

"You planned to kill us all?!" another spat, his face pale with horror.

All their accusing eyes turned to Kato, who merely scoffed. His lips curled into a mocking smile as he lazily gestured around the room. "Don’t act so surprised. You can’t tell me you didn’t know something was off." His tone was calm, almost amused. "Besides, let’s not pretend we all weren’t planning on killing each other. If it weren’t for my so-called ’Queen of Monsters’ here, you all would’ve tried to take me out just to claim her for yourselves."

A low chuckle rumbled in his throat as he turned his gaze back to Scarlett. "You really caught me off guard, though. I’ll admit that. So? What are you waiting for? Kill us all."

"No! Just kill him!" one of the leaders interjected quickly, his body tense with panic. "He’s the one who captured you! I only came here for the wedding!"

"Exactly! Just free us!" another chimed in, his voice desperate. "You’re more powerful than all of us combined! We’re no match for you!"

Scarlett tilted her head slightly, watching them with cold amusement. "You want freedom?" she asked, her voice lilting with mockery.

Her crimson eyes glowed as she shifted her gaze toward Kato’s system which was controlling the acid-filled underground. She could now access each chosen member system, either the one on the right path or the ones on wrong path. Without lifting a single finger, she tore through its mechanisms with her power, rendering it useless.

"You’re free, then."

A stunned silence filled the hall.

One of the leaders blinked. "W-What?" he stammered, confusion etched onto his face.

Scarlett let out a soft laugh. "What’s wrong? Don’t you want freedom anymore?"

Garvin, who had been silently observing, finally stepped closer. His smirk mirrored Scarlett’s as he asked through their mind link, "What are you planning?"

Scarlett’s gaze flickered toward the organization leaders, who still stood frozen, their eyes wide with terror.

"They want freedom," she replied through the link, amusement lacing her voice. "So why don’t we let them enjoy that... right until the heavenly blast wipes them out in one go?"

A dark gleam flashed in Garvin’s eyes. "I like this," he murmured. "They’re all going to pay for the lives they’ve taken. For the deaths of Golden, Matthew, Maya... and so many others."

Scarlett’s smirk deepened.

"Let’s make it more fun, though," Garvin added.

Scarlett arched an eyebrow. "How?"

Garvin chuckled, reaching for her hand. "Let’s get out of here with these bastards first. Then I’ll show you."

His laughter echoed through their mind link as he pulled her forward, leading her toward the exit.

Scarlett turned her head slightly, flashing a bright smile at the cowering organization leaders. "Come on. You didn’t capture me after all, only Kato did. So why should I hurt you?"

Her grin widened. "Let’s leave Kato to suffer in his own acid while I ’free’ the rest of you."

The leaders hesitated for only a second before scrambling after them. The sight of Scarlett and Garvin walking across the floor without any further traps springing emboldened them.

Desperation took hold.

They followed closely, their only thought now being escape at all costs.