Chapter 520 - Freedom (1/2)

”ARCHERS!”

City Lord Hargrove's voice boomed once more. In one moment, there was no one but this singular, seemingly frail, City Lord to be found on the city's walls. But, in the next moment, two rows of over a hundred archers appeared, each with the light of an expert in their eyes.

It became clear very quickly that Hargrove had no intention charging into the prison. Why would he undertake such a thankless task?

No, his goal was simple. Any guards or Wardens that escaped this prison would find an arrow between the eye. As for the prisoners, they would be welcomed with open arms.

The prisoners of Earth provided two opportunities. Not only would they give a large influx of talented individuals, but they would also be able to gain the same number in Fifth Generational persons. This killed two birds with just a single stone.

The only large clearing one could find on Dark Cloud Province was in this very place. About a kilometer around the hexagonal prison was nothing but flat concrete. With the appearance of Hargrove City, this concrete was now filled with spiderweb-like cracks, but it served its purpose to perfection.

Without any place to hide, how could the guards of Dark Cloud Prison possibly protect themselves against the assault of 100 elite archers?

At that moment, a head peaked out from behind the rubble. Dust and soot covered this person's face, making it difficult to tell if they were male or female at first glance. It seemed that whoever this person was, they had chosen to shave their head bald.

When this prisoner saw the rows of archers in the distance, they panicked and ducked back down. However, they soon calmed.

If Leonel had been there, he would be shocked to realize that he recognized this person. It was none other than the younger brother of the demoted Vice Commander of the Slayer Legion, Damian.

”There's a massive city that appeared out of nowhere.” Damian reported to the prisoners that had followed behind him. ”They have a hundred archers all primed and ready.”

Among them, there were a few who had attacked on that day, including his elder brother, Joseph.

One would think that as members of the most notorious group of rebels, they would have been thrown into a much deeper part of Dark Cloud Prison. But, their allocations showed just how much disregard The Empire had for their efforts as a whole.

Despite having once been a Vice Commander of the Slayer Legion, Joseph, even as the highest rated prisoner among them, was still a mere C-grade Prisoner, just like the rest of them.

In truth, such treatment had hurt more than anything else. They would rather have been treated like the lowliest of scum, been underfed, beaten and abused… But what they actually got was a cushy cell, three meals a day, and a psychiatrist to vent to.

It felt as though they were children put on timeout rather than criminals who had risked their lives everyday for the sake of forging a better future for themselves.

This had been an insult worse than anything they had ever experienced before and that sort of treatment made their hatred of The Empire burn even more fervently… And along with that, their hatred of Leonel increased proportionally.

When Damian's whispers reached their ears, the prisoners panicked somewhat.

The truth was that most of them weren't hardened criminals. Aside from those who were from the Slayer Legion, the rest had only committed petty crimes. Facing such a situation, many of them weren't sure how to react.

Knowing this, there was no wonder those of the Slayer Legion felt so insulted. They were placed in the same cells as men and women whose worst crime might have been trespassing onto the wrong property or shoplifting.