"Hmm~ Something quite extraordinary seems to be happening outside. Should the Minos intervene, Warden?" In the interrogation room of the Level 4 Jailer Chief, the disturbance on the bridge outside was being transmitted through a Visual Den Den Mushi.
"You idiot! What kind of question is that?! Get out there immediately and stop those lunatics... gurgle... wow... oh, that's good~. I'll tell you after I'm done in the bathroom."
"Click!" The Den Den Mushi was hung up.
The woman sitting in the chair stretched languidly, running her tongue across her upper lip, the image incredibly alluring.
Snap~ Snap~ Snap~
The whip in her hand lashed out sporadically, accompanied by a whooshing sound, striking the floor with crisp cracks.
Long, thick bangs covered the woman's eyes. Only the slight upturn of her lips and the occasional lick of her tongue revealed her good mood, anticipating the exquisite pleasure of hearing the prisoners' screams and moans.
"Hmm~ Minos, go. Let me hear the prisoners' beautiful moans, hmm~"
In another corner of the room, three massive figures stood up. Their feet thudded heavily on the floor as they walked out of the room, one by one.
...
"Ahahaha! Die!"
"Squelch!"
"Aaargh!"
On the wide bridge, the battle continued. Wilder, leading the numerous prisoners, fought as they advanced.
Blood and howls intertwined, a symphony of blood and fire.
"Nyehehehe..." Wilder chuckled, casually lifting a jailer who had broken through to him. He squeezed, then flung the jailer away with a flick of his wrist.
"Boom!" The jailer's body slammed into the bridge, sending splinters of wood flying.
"Hah... My body is still too weak, after all." Wilder muttered to himself, his face somewhat pale, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
That wide-area attack he'd used on the bridge earlier had been too strenuous. It had drained too much of his stamina.
Moreover, the environment of the Blazing Hell was extremely disadvantageous to him. All of this... if it weren't for his plan, Wilder would never have gone to such lengths to do these dangerous things.
"Hey, Vice! You still holding up?" After calming his breathing and continuing his forward push, Wilder glanced at Vice, who had been sticking close by.
"Yahahahaha! This is nothing!" Vice punched a jailer away and turned to Wilder, flashing a wide, toothy grin. Though he considered his smile brilliant, the scar that ran across his entire face and down to the corner of his mouth made it look rather ferocious.
"Is that so?" Wilder's lips, however, curled into a curve, his expression turning serious.
"What's wrong?" Vice, seeing Wilder suddenly stop, scratched his head and stopped as well.
The prisoners behind them gradually came to a halt. Everyone's gaze was fixed forward, their expressions turning grim.
Three massive figures had appeared on the bridge ahead at some point, simply standing there, casting a shadow like a dark cloud over everyone's hearts.
More and more prisoners arrived, and the moment they saw the three figures ahead, their steps involuntarily slowed, until they stopped completely.
Many were filled with terror, their mouths unconsciously opening, wanting to say something.
"It's... it's the Minos!"
It was a prisoner's trembling voice that finally broke the momentary silence.
"Ah, it is... but so what? Everyone just needs to keep charging forward. There are so many of us, after all."
Wilder, of course, wouldn't stand idly by and let such a demoralizing situation occur. He spoke immediately, his voice calm, but to everyone's ears, it was like a soothing balm.
Instantly, everyone's eyes widened, their expressions turning even fiercer, the aura of hardened criminals around them rising several notches.
"That's right, even if it's the Minos... with so many of us, there's nothing to fear!"
"Exactly!"
"If we just keep charging forward, we can definitely escape, right!"
Lacking confidence, mutual encouragement seemed to be an innate human instinct, attempting to overcome difficulties by uniting everyone's spirit. Wilder saw this as both feasible and not. Feasible if he was willing to shoulder the burden, but not... like now, when his plan was to incite chaos and then slip away.
He listened to the shouts of the prisoners around him, their inspiring words failing to stir even the slightest ripple in Wilder's heart.
He wasn't gloating. It wasn't his intention to drag everyone into his scheme. If he could, he sincerely hoped these guys would escape, even just one of them.
If that happened...
"If that happened... at least, the heavy feeling in my heart would lessen, wouldn't it?" Wilder lowered his head, his murmur almost inaudible.
When he raised his head again, his face was adorned with a grim, exaggerated smile.
"Alright, everyone... It's time to risk it all. If you're scared, you can still sneak back now while your faces haven't been seen." Wilder's words elicited a wave of laughter from the prisoners.
"Hahaha! Wouldn't that make me lose face?"
"Besides, has our face really not been seen? Going back is a death sentence, right? Hahaha!"
"Don't try to fool me, if we die, we die!"
"Wilder-sama, are you joking? To tell us jokes at a time like this, it's truly... truly... Is this all to encourage us?! I know! I won't let Wilder-sama's efforts go to waste! I... I... sob...!"
Some of the more eccentric prisoners were quite endearing in certain situations. At least, Wilder found the blubbering man beside him quite adorable.
Regardless, with no way to retreat, the only option was to advance.
Wilder's smile changed slightly. "Everyone! Let's go!"
The prisoners raised their arms in a shout, taking strides towards the three monsters.
"Hiss..." The faces of the three Jailer Beasts gradually became clearer as they drew closer. One of them exhaled a breath from its nose. It held a round-headed mace with spiked studs, taller than itself. It shifted slightly, stepping forward, raising the mace above its head, twisting its body to the right and leaning back slightly, assuming an attack posture.
"Hiss..."
Maintaining this posture, the Jailer Beast exhaled another breath, its eyes fixed on the approaching army of prisoners, its body unmoving.
As they got closer, everyone finally saw the Jailer Beast's appearance clearly.
A tall, slender figure, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, its massive body covered in striped fur except for its abdomen and waist. Its powerful muscles were like forged steel, and a ferocious, beastly aura slammed into the prisoners.
"Minotaurus Zebra!"