Pulling his chains until his arms were dislocated, Bols tried to free himself by any means, including tearing off his limbs and crawling to the exit. For him, no matter how much pain he might feel, he would do what he could to make sure his family was okay.

Wild Hunt seemed far too dangerous for him to stay here when these criminals could kill his wife or daughter at any moment.

"I have to protect them! I'm not going to abandon them!

Suddenly, he stopped fidgeting when the door to his cell opened. Seeing Natsu enter, with Happy on his shoulder, the man roared.

"What do you want from me?"

"Huh?" said the magician. "You seem angrier than usual."

"Of course I am." Bols growled. "You're stopping me from seeing my family when there are killers in town."

Gritting his teeth, he declared.

"You want me to join the revolutionary army, don't you? In that case, can you see if my family is okay?"

" Huh ? "

"If you protect my family, I will fight by your side." The man promised. "You have my word! But I beg you…"

Bowing to Natsu, he implored him, slamming his face into the ground.

"Save my family."

Seeing him do this, Natsu then approached him and crouched down before taking his arm. Lifting it, he brought it closer to Happy, who quickly put a key in the handcuffs surrounding his wrists. A click was immediately heard, while Bols watched, in bewilderment, as the chain fell to the ground. The duo had just freed his arm.

" Que … ? "

"Your teigu is in the hallway." Happy assured him.

"And there's a horse outside." Natsu added. "The others are in the middle of a strategy meeting! So take advantage of it to escape silently and reach the capital! It's south of the base."

"What…?" the masked man wondered. "Why are you doing this? We are enemies."

"If someone is willing to risk their life for the sake of their family, then I forbid myself from stopping them." Natsu told him. "However, there are conditions! First, you must not come into contact with any other Jaeger! Second, if possible, try to make sure that no one recognizes you! Third, do not tell anyone the way to get here! And fourth, come back here, with your family."

" Que … ? "

"Najenda will be furious to hear that you were released," Happy said. "Nevertheless, she has a big heart! She will send your family to another base where they can be safe."

"And in exchange, we'll ask you to help us fight against the empire, is that okay?" Natsu asked.

Realizing that they truly let him go, Bols' mask grew moist, as he sobbed.

"Thank you!" he cried, bowing again. "I don't know how to thank you."

"Forget it! Just hurry up and leave before anyone notices you're missing."

"Okay," Bols said, quickly getting up. "Thanks again!"

Coming out of his cell, Bols grabbed Rubicante as he passed, before running towards the exit. Seeing him leave, Happy couldn't be a little anxious at the idea that their gesture was ultimately a bad idea.

"Do you think it's really a good idea to let him go? What will we do if he decides to betray our trust?"

"Don't worry! Even if he decides to stay in town, I know he'll never tell us where we are! And besides, to me, he's a guy who keeps his word! Plus, he has no reason to leave his family in a town where murderers are! Let's just hope he can leave without Lubbock spotting him."

Taking advantage of the fact that the meeting had just ended, Leone began to jog through the corridors of the base, all the while affirming.

"I need to become stronger."

Then placing her hand on the place where Esdeath had managed to pierce her stomach, the young woman affirmed.

"I was completely useless during this fight! All I did was take hits! I need to toughen up! Yes, I want to become even stronger."

Taking her animal form, she roared.

"I'm going to become someone even stronger than Natsu! Let's go for some intense training."

But at that moment, her sense of smell caught a suspicious odor.

" But… that smell. "

Turning her face towards a window, she then saw Bols settle on a horse before setting it off at a gallop towards the capital.

" That … ? Bols … ? "

Running immediately, she entered the meeting room, where the others were still.

"We have a problem! Bols has escaped."

"WHAT?" Most people in the room wondered.

"Where is he?" Najenda wanted to know.

"He just left on the back of a horse and seems to be heading towards the capital."

"Grrr! In that case, everyone get ready! If he just left, we can still catch up with him! We have to stop him before he alerts the rest of his team! If the Jaegers know the location of our hideout, we'll have to move again."

"Yes!" said the others, immediately getting busy.

Remaining, meanwhile, hidden in the corridor leading to the room, Natsu and Happy could hear the young woman's orders.

"Natsu! What do we do?"

"Let's follow Bols." His friend told him. "We'll follow him and warn him of the danger! He must surely know a detour to take to get to the capital without crossing paths with the others! But we'll have to reach him at full speed! I'm counting on you, Happy."

"Aye!" His Exceed said, before the duo opened a window, in order to leave the base.

Sprinting without stopping, Wendy and Seryu made their way back to the city church. And as they got closer to the building, they realized that the smoke was indeed coming from the place they had just left.

"What happened? We only left twenty minutes ago."

"What do I know? Let's just run and help Father Mory put out the flames."

However, finally arriving in front of the building, the two girls immediately stopped. Then, Wendy put her hands in front of her mouth, while her complexion became paler. Next to her, Seryu remained frozen for a few moments before finally falling to her knees.

" Tell … Tell me this is a nightmare."

In front of the two girls, the church was indeed going up in smoke. However, that wasn't the worst part. Far from it.

Lying on the ground, the bodies of the children of the church were inert. Some were bathed in pools of blood, while others had been completely undressed and had traces of blows all over their bodies. And then, right in front of the burning building, crucified on a wooden cross, the body of Mory was there, while his body presented a good twenty wounds made with a sword.

" Father Mory ! "

Weakly lifting his head, the man could see his disfigured face, showing that he had been beaten. Trying to speak, all he did was spit blood.

"Father Mory!" Wendy was horrified, running immediately towards him.

Frozen, meanwhile, Seryu could only tremble, as her brain was completely disconnecting.

"What…? What…? What…?"

" Onee … san ! "

Lowering her gaze, Seryu could see Natachy's body, right next to her. The poor child, completely naked, with bruises all over her body, as well as a torn off arm, from which blood was still flowing. But the worst thing, for Seryu, was to see that her body had traces showing that she had just been raped.

"Na… Natachy?" She muttered, crouching down.

Immediately taking the little girl's body in her arms, Seryu cried out.

"Don't worry! Wendy is here! We'll fix you! I swear we'll fix you."

"Onee-san…" The child suddenly stopped her.

Smiling at him then, Natachy whispered.

"Thank you for being such a kind big sister."

Grimacing in pain, the girl spat out a stream of blood, which splashed Seryu's face before letting her head fall to the side. Still holding the child's body, Seryu remained observing her, with a devastated look. Then, suddenly a black aura began to manifest around her.

" Justice … Justice … Justice … Justice … JUSTICE ! "

Placing her hands on Mory's chest, Wendy began to heal him, while the old man sobbed.

"Children...! I couldn't protect the children."

"Stop talking." Wendy ordered him. "Let me heal you."

"They killed them all! One of those monsters even raped several of them! I… I couldn't do anything."

Bursting into tears, he roared.

"Why is the empire so rotten? A secret police? My ass! Wild Hunt… I'm gonna… I'm gonna make them pay for their crime."

"Wild Hunt?" Wendy wondered. "Are they the ones who did this?"

"AHHHHHHHHHH!"

Then letting out a huge scream, Seryu began to smash her face against the ground, immediately splitting her forehead open.

"Children...! Caruma...!"

Gritting her teeth, she let her gaze darken as she affirmed.

"I'm gonna kill them! I'm gonna kill them!"

Seized by a violent migraine, she screamed in pain as the voices in her head reappeared.

"Ahhhh! Leave me alone! I'm going to... I'm going to kill you all."

Then she got up and walked towards the city screaming.

"I will destroy this city and kill all the evil in it."

Knowing full well that she was serious, Wendy immediately belted her.

"Seryu, stop, right now."

"Let go of me! I'll kill them all."

" Calmes-toi, damn it. "

"No way! They're gonna pay! All of them! They're gonna pay! I WILL KILL THEM!"

Then, suddenly, a hand rested on her head. Still injured but able to move forward thanks to Wendy's care, Mory had placed a hand on Seryu's head, all the while imploring her.

"Seryu! Please don't become horrible! The people of this town didn't do anything."

Turning her face towards him, Seryu then saw him crying, while affirming.

"I'm the only one to blame! I've always criticized the state of the empire and that must be why these guys came! So please, if you want to take your anger out on someone, take it out on me! Don't go into town and tear everything down and endanger the lives of innocent people! Seryu, that's not justice! And that's not what will bring the children back to life."

Stopping expressing only rage on her face, Seryu then saw him fall to his knees, while starting to mope.

"It's all my fault! If I hadn't said anything, … the kids would still be alive! I'm… I really am the king of morons."

Seeing him continue to cry, Seryu fell next to him, before hugging him.

"Father Mory... you have always been a real uncle to me! And a real father to all the children! None of this is your fault."

Sobbing in turn, she finally asked.

"What should I do now? I'm lost! I don't know what to do anymore! My mind tells me to avenge the children! My heart tells me to kill these monsters! My brain tells me to slaughter them! My justice tells me to make them disappear."

Then turning to Wendy, she questioned her.

"Wendy…what should I do?"

Just glancing at the bodies of the children in the church, Wendy affirmed.

"Let's go see Wild Hunt."

Then, suddenly, the wind enveloped her body, as she let her hair change color.

"Seryu, I hate to do this but... there is no way we are going to let these crimes go unpunished! Caruma... Niks... the children... the poor people of this city... we are going to avenge them all."

Then reaching out to her, she questioned her.

"Seryu, are you coming with me?"

Suddenly jumping on the child's shoulder, Koro pointed to the camp he had just chosen, under the astonished gaze of his mistress.

" Wendy ? Koro ? "

Then clenching her fist, she affirmed.

"Yes! That seems more than normal to me! This time, I'm sure I won't be attacking innocent people! For once, in my life, I'm going to fight the real evil of this city! Let's get rid of Wild Hunt."

Then she ran, rushing towards the city to find the trace of the miscreants. Getting ready to follow her, Wendy felt Mory grab her arm, while crying out.

"Wendy! That bastard Syura is the leader of Wild Hunt as well as the son of the Prime Minister! Going after him is tantamount to betraying the entire empire."

"I already know! That's not going to stop me from settling the score with him."

"No, that's not it! Just..., after this battle, take Seryu with you! Leave as soon as possible and join Night Raid."

" Night Raid … ? But Seryu ... ? "

"She's not the same anymore." Mory assured him. "I know she won't want to fight them anymore! On the contrary, I'm completely certain, she'll help you fight the empire."

"And... And you? Who will protect you?"

"Don't worry! I'm an adult! And someone has to give these kids the burial they deserve! Now go Wendy! Go and don't look back! Don't worry, we'll see each other again when you win the war."

Hesitantly, Wendy watched him display a confident smile on his face, before finally making up her mind.

"Father Mory... thank you for everything! We will win, I promise you."

Then she left, leaving the old man behind. The latter, having hidden a big wound he had on his back, continued to smile, despite feeling his strength diminishing.

"Wendy...! I'm sure...you're an angel from heaven! Save what's left of this city."

Collapsing, he then fell unconscious, all the while wondering what would await him in the afterlife.

Gritting his teeth in rage, Wave looked at a group of people, hanging by their feet, on a public execution stage.

"What happened here?" The boy roared, seeing that they had been beaten to death.

"The students of the Imperial Fist." Run recognized them. "They were known for their power! Few people could have put them in this state."

"They met Wild Hunt." Kurome understood.

"Why?" Wave wanted to know. "Why do they do this?"

"For them, this is the best way to get Night Raid to come to them." Run explained to him. "They completely underestimate them and think they can easily win against them, in a head-on battle! These crimes are just bait."

"They're doing this to attract... Night Raid? The... the bastards."

"Right now, Wild Hunt is mostly going after groups of people to get as many kills done as possible." Kurome remarked. "Especially if they contain children and young women."

"But now that they've made themselves known, no one dares to go out into town anymore!" Run remarked. "Where are they going to go now?"

Thinking about this question, Wave suddenly widened his gaze, while roaring.

"Damn it! I know where they're going."

" What ? "

"There's a place in town! A place where a woman and a child go."

Looking at his two companions, he affirmed.

"Bols' family! They always go to his grave at this time."