Veilbreaker! Oops I Bleed Again
Chapter 52: Out

Chapter 52: Out

As they stepped inside, the stench hit them instantly.

A thick, foul odor of blood, sweat, and filth filled the air.

The hallway stretched ahead, leading to a heavy iron door wrapped in thick chains with a massive rusted padlock.

Draven lifted Morphos and smashed the lock in one strike.

"CRACK!"

The chains rattled and fell to the ground.

Quickly, they threw the door open.

And as it creaked, they froze.

They saw a vast room of cages.

The room beyond was massive.

Lining the stone walls were rows upon rows of metal cages.

And all were packed with people.

Thin. Malnourished.

Their clothes were torn, and their bodies were weak.

Some huddled in corners, trembling.

Others curled up, too exhausted to move.

Bella gasped.

"A-all of them are Verdants?"

Deka observed the bodies, and he noticed that they have green tags on their wrists.

He lowered his head as guilt burned in his chest.

"Let’s free them."

"Of course," Draven replied as he stepped toward the cages.

Every prisoner shrank away.

Some cowered in the corners, trembling.

They refused to meet his gaze.

Draven understood. They weren’t just afraid of him.

They were afraid of everything.

They knew what this place was.

They knew what happened to those who were taken.

Draven understands their fear, even though he didn’t experience it.

As a human being, he knows.

He had seen it himself.

The frozen corpses.

The missing hearts, the empty skulls...

For these Verdants, death wasn’t the worst fate.

’This’ was.

"Tch..."

Draven shook his head, shaking off the images in the laboratory.

He raised his Morphos. And one by one, he shattered the locks.

Deka followed behind, pushing the doors open.

To their surprise, even with their cages open, not a single person was stepping out.

"Do it, Bella." Draven commanded.

Belle exhaled.

She knew what to do.

She closed her eyes, and a soft aura surrounded her.

She breathed in deeply.

[Serene Essence!]

A calm, soothing fragrance filled the air.

It’s a scent that eased emotional pain, softened fear, and gave warmth.

The Verdants flinched as they inhaled the scent.

But afterward, the tension in their bodies began to loosen.

Their shaking from fear slowed down, and their breathing steadied.

A young girl stepped forward first. His tiny, frail hands clutched the bars.

He stared at Bella.

Then at Draven.

"A-Are we... free?"

His voice was hoarse and weak.

Bella smiled and nodded.

Slowly, one by one, they stood up.

Then they stepped out of their cages.

Their faces slowly brightened like freed prisoners seeing sunlight for the first time.

Draven watched them carefully.

He was right when he had Belle use her ability.

Even if the cages were open, their minds were still trapped.

They needed a push.

They needed a reminder that they were still alive.

Draven stepped forward. His voice was sharp, commanding.

"Everyone! We’re getting out of here. This hellish place is not your grave. Now move."

The prisoners’ eyes widened. A glimmer of hope appeared in their faces.

They glanced at each other.

Then for the first time in a long time...

They smiled.

A woman bravely stepped forward.

Her clothes were torn, her body weak, but her eyes filled with concern.

She pointed to a dark hallway.

"There are more prisoners there."

Draven nodded and walked towards the hallway.

As he approached, his eyes landed on three more cages.

These cages were different. Each cage had a sign above it.

To the left → "Crimson"

To the right → "Azure"

And farther right → "Terra"

Inside each cage, he saw:

2 Crimson prisoners,

3 Azure prisoners,

And 8 Terra prisoners.

Draven’s eyes narrowed.

"So even their own kind is being experimented on."

A low chuckle escaped him.

A man with short brown hair locked in the Azure cage stepped forward.

His face was desperate.

"Please, we’re begging you! We didn’t do anything! Why are you doing this to us?!"

Draven grinned. "Relax. We’re here to break you out."

The prisoners frozen in shock. Then their faces lit up with relief.

They stood up immediately.

Draven raised his Morphos and then...

"CRACK!"

He smashed the chains, breaking the locks one by one.

The prisoners immediately rushed out.

The brown-haired Azure man stared at Draven in awe.

"You’re strong! How the hell can you break those chains?! Are you a Luminous I.D.?"

Draven didn’t answer.

He turned away, walking forward.

"No time for questions. We move. Now."

Draven led them out of the prison chamber.

The moment the Crimson, Azure, and Terra prisoners stepped outside, they were greeted by the sight of weak, starving Verdants.

The brown-haired Azure man sneered.

"What the hell are Verdants doing here?"

His face twisted in disgust.

"Shit, they smell like garbage."

Draven turned to him, his expression unreadable.

"I’m planning to release them too."

The Azure man scoffed.

"Why? They’ll only slow us down."

Some of those with other I.D.s nodded in agreement.

Bella’s eyes darkened with rage.

She stormed forward, but Deka grabbed her wrist.

"Let Sir Draven handle it."

Bella nodded and calmed herself.

She and Deka watched.

Draven crossed his arms.

His voice was calm. Too calm.

"Tell me... what do you suggest we do with them?"

The brown-haired Azure smirked.

"We take some of them with us. If we get caught, we use them as shields."

Most of those with other I.D.s grinned.

"That’s a great idea."

"Yeah, let’s do that!"

Draven chuckled.

"I agree."

The prisoners cheered at his approval.

A few of them even laughed, enjoying their ’brilliant’ idea.

Then Draven’s eyes sharpened.

"So, tell me... Who here agrees with this genius idea?"

Nearly everyone raised their hands.

Except one.

A man with sharp eyes and spiky red hair stood still, arms crossed.

He looked like he was in his mid-twenties and has a Crimson I.D.

Draven pointed at him.

"You. Why didn’t you raise your hand?"

The red-haired man exhaled, annoyed.

"I just feel bad for them. That’s all."

His voice was gruff, irritated, but honest.

The other IDs glared at him. The brown-haired Azure even spat at his feet.

"You’re an idiot. Maybe we should leave you here with them. Wouldn’t want to catch your bad luck, garbage-lover."

The redhaired man scoffed.

"Whatever. They’re still human."

He turned away.

"I’ll escape on my own."

Draven smirked.

"Looking at you, I thought you’d be the biggest arrogant bastard here. Turns out, it’s the opposite."

"Huh?" The other IDs started glancing at each other, confused.

Draven then turned to Deka. His voice was low, commanding.

"Deka. Seal them."

Deka’s face lit up with a proud smile. "Sure!"

He raised his hand.

[Barrier Prison!]

A thick, unbreakable blue barrier rose, trapping all the prisoners inside.

"Hey! What the hell?!"

"Release us!"

They slammed their fists against the barrier, but it was useless.

Draven nodded to Bella.

Bella grinned. She then walked forward, placing her hand on the barrier.

Deka understood immediately.

He created a small opening in the barrier and let Bella’s soft mist slip inside.

[Alluring Scent!]

The air inside the barrier turned thick.

The prisoners inhaled; their pupils dilated, and their bodies trembled.

Drool dripped from their lips.

The brown-haired Azure’s face twitched.

His voice was shaky, desperate.

"W-What the hell is happening?!"

The other prisoners stared at Belle.

They looked at her as if she were a goddess.

They were completely under her control.

Belle turned to Draven, her eyes gleaming mischievously.

"Should I make them kill each other?"

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