The Ashen Dominion Chapter 9 - Snitched Out

"GAAHHH?!!"

The bastard scread in pain.

Fwip—

His grip on the woman beneath him loosened instantly.

His hands shot up to clutch the back of his head, where blood was already trickling from the wound.

And seeing him do that—

BAM!!!

I drove the rock straight into his head again, targeting his nose this ti.

"GAAAARGH?!!!"

Blood sprayed out as he grabbed his face with his other hand, holding his shattered nose. His muffled screams echoed through the cell.

And following that—

BAM!!!

CRACK—

"GAAAAAAHHHH!!?"

I slamd the rock against his forehead, a sickening sound accompanying the impact.

Blood pooled instantly, running down his face. I probably cracked his skull open.

And with that last blow—

THUD!

The bastard collapsed on his back. The woman beneath him was freed, her breath ragged, her face frozen in shock.

And for a mont—

Fwoosh~

Silence gripped the entire cell.

"...?!"

"...!!!"

"Huh?!"

"W-Wha?!"

Murmurs and gasps rippled through the room after processing what just happened.

And the most shocked of all this—

"Huh?!"

"BIG BROTHER!!!"

We're the two bald lackeys of this bastard.

Their expressions twisted with horror as their focus shifted from the won beneath them to —the one who had just turned their so-called leader into a heap on the floor.

And seeing that—

"Now, hold them."

I muttered that.

"Huh?!"

Damian, still surprised by what I had just did, blinked at in confusion.

"...!"

But the mont he realized what I ant—

"GRAAAAAA!!!"

BAM!

He kicked off the ground and lunged forward with all his weight, tackling both baldies at once.

"Huh...?!"

And completely catching them off guard—

BLAM!!!

The impact sent the two lackeys sprawling onto the floor.

"GAH?!"

"UGH?!"

They groaned, struggling under Damian's body

But then—

"GET OFF US!!!"

BAM!

"Urgh!!"

One of them swung a fist into Damian's side, trying to shake him off.

Bam!

Then they continued doing that, weakening his hold on them.

Ignoring them—

Fwish—

I turned my gaze toward the woman I had spoken to earlier—the leader.

She was sitting on the dirty floor in front of .

"..."

Her eyes wide with shock as she looked up at .

I t her gaze.

"Gather your two mbers, then help him pin them down. He won't last long on his own."

And then I instructed that.

She didn't answer.

"Huh?"

She was still processing everything.

But I didn't have ti to wait.

Ti is ticking.

Fwish—

My attention returned to the bastard lying at my feet.

"Urgh..."

He groaned weakly, both hands pressed against his face, trying to stop the bleeding.

"Ugh...!"

His eyes fluttered open.

And the mont he saw —saw the rock in my bloodied hand—

"...!"

His expression twisted in rage.

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU, KID!!!"

He snarled through gritted teeth, his voice filled with desperation.

He was trying to intimidate .

But I knew the truth.

"No, you won't."

I muttered under my breath, just loud enough for him to hear.

"You're still dizzy. Your body's too weak to fight back."

I added.

And without hesitation—

THUD—

I dropped onto him, pinning his arms beneath my knees.

"Huh...?"

His breath hitched.

His wide, bloodshot eyes locked onto mine.

"..."

I stared back at him, my expression blank.

"Kill ?"

I whispered.

"Not if I kill you first."

I said.

And after that—

BAM!

I slamd the rock in my right hand into his face.

"GAAAAHHH!!!"

He let out an ear-deafening scream.

But not giving a fuck about that—

BAM!

I just slamd the rock into his face again.

BAM!

Again.

BAM!

And again.

The sound of stone eting flesh echoed through the silent cell.

The bastard's face was becoming unrecognizable.

BAM!

Another hit.

"...!"

Nobody moved.

Not the other slaves.

Not the baldies, who had stopped struggling against Damian.

Not the three won, who had frozen mid-action.

All eyes were on .

And knowing that—

'Good. Watch closely.'

I thought that to myself.

And then—

BAM!

I kept going.

BAM!

BAM!

BAM!

The bastard had long since stopped screaming.

His body twitched once.

Then went limp.

I didn't stop until—

BAM!

Silence.

His face was no longer a face. Just a bloodied, disfigured ss.

"Haaa... Haaaaa..."

My breath ca out heavy and ragged, my grip on the bloodied rock slowly loosening.

My entire body trembled from exhaustion.

Slowly, I looked down.

"..."

He wasn't moving.

Blood covered my hands. My clothes were soaked in it. The floor beneath him had beco a red pool.

'Is he dead...?'

The thought crossed my mind.

"..."

But then—I saw it.

A faint twitch in one of his fingers.

'Ah. Not yet.'

I blinked, then simply stared at him in silence for a few more seconds.

No more annoyance. No more adrenaline.

Just stillness.

Then—

"Haaaa..."

Tap— tap— tap—

I stood up and walked away, leaving him there in that puddle of blood.

My steps echoed softly against the concrete as I made my way back to the sa corner where I'd been sitting before all of this began.

"..."

"..."

"..."

The entire cell had gone deathly quiet. Not a single word, not a single breath out of place.

Everyone's eyes were locked on .

Shock. Fear. Disbelief.

"..."

"..."

Damian and the three won stood frozen where they were, still crouched near the two bald lackeys.

"..."

The two baldies, once full of arrogance, were now pale, pinned to the ground, their eyes locked on in sheer terror.

"I-Is that really a kid...?"

"I don't know... but I do know that I want nothing to do with him."

"Did he really just do that... with no hesitation?"

"Wait... Is that guy dead?"

I heard whisperings around .

"..."

I ignored them. Let them talk.

"Fuuu..."

I sighed and let my body relax against the wall, closing my eyes.

While they were gossiping about , while they gawked—

I was already resting, recovering my strength and stamina.

'That should be enough to keep people off my back for a while.'

I thought.

Tap— tap— tap—

I heard footsteps approaching .

"...?"

I opened my eyes to check who it was.

"Hmm?"

It was Damian.

He was walking toward , the three won trailing behind him in silence.

Tap—

They ca to a stop in front of .

"..."

I looked up at them.

'What now?'

I frowned.

Then—

"Hup!"

"..."

Pat—

They all sat down beside without a word.

"..."

I raised an eyebrow slightly.

Damian caught my look.

"What?"

He asked.

"..."

I didn't answer.

I just closed my eyes again.

"Whatever."

I muttered.

'He's a weird kid.'

I thought.

...

...

*****

Just a few monts later—

One of the guards outside noticed how unusually quiet our cell was.

Curious—or suspicious—he approached the bars to investigate.

And upon doing so—

"Wha...?!"

His eyes widened as he spotted the bloodied figure lying on the floor—motionless, face mangled beyond recognition.

The rock, still stained red, wasn't far from his body.

"Who did this?!"

His voice bood through the cell, demanding an answer as his gaze swept over everyone.

Silently, one by one—

"..."

"..."

"..."

Everyone turned their heads toward .

"...?"

The guard frowned, confused by the collective shift.

He pointed at .

"Him?"

"..."

I didn't speak. Just looked right back at him.

"Did you do this?"

He asked, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

And in response—

"Nah."

I said that casually, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

...

...

Of course, that lie didn't last long.

Every single person in the cell pointed at when questioned—none of them wanted to be the one to take the fall.

'Well... worth a try, at least.'

I sighed internally.