District 1, Eastern Side

6:20:11 PM

“Madam, we barely slow them down from the last checkpoint. However, we don’t know what’s their next move yet.” one of the villagers stated during her five-minute reports in Ylla’s temporary office.

She held her hands tightly under her chin. Although she looked calm, inside her mind she’s more frustrated and paled.

I wonder what Chief Zamor would do in this crisis. I need to hold them off until the plan of our village chief would succeed.

“Madam, we should ask for other rounds of ammunition from the District 2. We need more in order to replenish the needs of our supplies. The enemies have a lot of advanced weapons but we can still hold them off.”

She sighed and stretched her closed hands over the table. She gave up in her request.

“I don’t think we can ask for more. Our fellow comrades on the other side need more supplies than us. We’re still lucky since the enemies decided to postpone their advance. We can still set a barricade in our place and wait for our friends in the second district to manufacture the equipment and supplies we need.” Ylla explained. “Even we give our best, they will win eventually.”

“But Madam, we don’t have enough raw materials to manufacture more. The place where our raw materials located is now occupied by the enemies. There’s nothing we can do about it.” another bizarre report struck in her ears.

“Aaaah! Damn it, this can’t be happening.” her right hand hammered the table, astonishing the staff members. “What in the world just happened? Why’re the enemies so good that we can’t even do anything against them? This is so frustrating!”

Someone knocked on the door and quickly opened it with an urgent report.

“What it —”

“— Sir Rafel Uno has been hospitalized!”

“Huh?” Her eyes opened wide and almost startled everyone from her voice. Her chair had fallen down as she ran towards the messenger. She dragged his face near her.

“Are you really sure ‘bout that report?”

“Y, Yes, Ma’am.”

Ylla lost her balanced but thanks for her staff behind her, she got caught before she fell.

“Madam, are you alright?”

“Madam, please, do you want some drinks? Water, right? Hey, bring us some water here.”

Ylla patted the shoulder of the person on her right side. “No need. I can still... ca- stand up.”

Village Hall Court Room

Five minutes earlier

Chief Zamor was still sitting in his chair and stayed together with Richarde from the whole time. Looking at the dead bodies of the elders, Richarde was astonished at how this man still keep his facade.

“So it appears, you won’t back down, huh,” Richarde said, pointing his gun in front of Chief Zamor.

“I knew all along that you’re a spy Richarde. Although you killed those men of mine, I’m still not going to sign the papers that your boss wants.” Chief’s determination made Richarde put his left palm in his eyes. He slightly gave him a crescent moon smiled.

“Anyways, I still doubt you’re going to show off some fundamental skills in this situation but some point is, I feel disappointed in your reaction. If you already know all along that I’m working to the Godfather, then there’s no point of explaining everything, right?” Richarde stepped forward near to the Chief.

“Well, well, you almost blow your cover anyway. What’s the point of not spouting your true identity? Since the last battle five years ago, you’re just a dumb kid who I got adopted since I know you’re going to be useful in the future.”

“Ho, ho, ho~. Seriously, you already did know that part. Five years ago, I was ordered to pretend an orphan who got survived from the clash of the Archnemesis and our family. Since our plan failed to occupy this island, our leader ordered the best spies to take advantage of how unlawful this place.”

Chief Zamor kept listening to his explanation while looking for the right opportunity to compromise him.

“Although we killed the family head and its rightful heirs for the next generation, we still failed to kill the last one. But now, another opportunity uprise today. I will take advantage of the beauty of this war. Right now, that paper is the only option you can take.”

Richarde was right. If Chief Zamor didn’t like to ask for reinforcement from the Archnemesis since he was guilty of fraud and responsible of spreading lies to destroy the reputation of the Archnemesis in their own territory due to the contract he signed. He couldn’t afford to risk the life of the last heir of the family he truly respected.

He regretted of signing the contract with Verdugo family that includes the sharing of information of the cure for the illness of her wife. In order to save her wife’s life, he did that for the last resort. Although the pain had lessened, the effects of the drugs took effect in a failure. It didn’t cure her illness but it made it worse than before, resulting in her early death. The death of her wife triggered him to void the contract, but the Verdugo remained in the District 5 and warned him, if he still insisted to void it, they would destroy the village in an instant.

“You want to void it, then you live us no choice but…. ”He drew his gun and shot down the two men behind him.

“Mr. Dante, what have you’ve done?” his eyes and legs trembled in fear as he witnessed the death of his comrades. “This is absurd.”

But his argument took no effect as he knew the man in front of him won’t be yield.

“Do you want to see your family? Listen well, next time you void it and crossed the line. You’re village will … boom… like that.”

“Nonsense. The Archnemesis won’t let his place to get destroyed nor occupied by your family!”

“Oooh, but you signed it up, right?”

“What?”

“You already signed the contract without reading the content, am I right? Lol, the villagers of our family rival were too stupid. Don’t you even know that according to the contract that once you sign it, one of your districts will be occupied by our men and we will play as a thug as our disguise? Don’t tell me, you didn’t read it….?” His intimidating eyes made the Chief kneeled down when he realized his mistake.

“This can’t be… What have I’ve done? Noooo…. “

“Ha ha ha hahahahaha…. Foolish leader. Hahahhahaha”

But that was long ago, the past was past. There’s nothing he could change. But the present was still in the process. Thanks for the Richarde’s early revealing of his true identity, his mindset had opened.

“So now, what would you do then? Sign it or not… You don’t have any other choice.”

“Even you killed me, there’s nothing you can do. This place will remain independent. Even I got tortured, intimidated and killed, there’s nothing will going to change. I will never sign that paper anyway. Over to my dead body.”

“N, No, you!” Richarde put his gun in his forehead. “Do you have any idea how much patience have cost just to make you still alive? Don’t you remember that you have kids? Do you wanna leave them alone by themselves without a father?”

Chief Zamor stood up, making Richarde step back by three steps away from him while showing his serious facade.

“No matter what happens, I know that the Archnemesis last heir won’t let that to happen. My daughter and twins won't live in this cruel world under the wrongful ruler.”

“What? Are you fucking kidding me? Don't you know about the information we gathered? That boy is a coward and always send his men to antagonize and loot his own territory. Why do you have so much faith on that kid? He's a useless Don.”

Chief Zamor giggled and covered his mouth as he heard about it.

"W, What's so funny?"

“You won’t understand what I’m going to explain anyway but that boy….. He’s already here from the very beginning.”

“What? I, I don't understand.”

Suddenly, Chief Zamor tackled Richarde and made him unable to recover. He tried to pull the trigger but he gave him a big punch straight in the face.

“Guaaah.”

“Only fools would be fooled in that biased intel. If you really want to fool the enemies, you need to fool yourself. Never underestimate the village of the Archnemesis family and their family. That young boy is our last hope. The one who is destined to unify the whole Italia. The reunification era has begun.”