Apostol tended the gun wound of the young Britannian soldier and the rest of the special forces left as they headed deeper into the dungeon.

Just like how they have been since insertion, Rolan was on the lead while the special forces behind him kept their heads and guns on a swivel, scanning the surroundings with their trained eye and a fully loaded rifle.

A muzzle flashed from the end of the hallway, and Rolan jerked to the side, his back against the wall. Igor returned fire with a flick of a finger on the trigger but only hit the wall as the attacker hid back behind it.

“Are you alright sir?” Donovan asked, his rifle aimed at the end of the hallway with every intention to pull the trigger should the enemy make his appearance again,

“I’m fine,” Rolan pulled a grenade out of his armored vest. He shot a meaningful glance at Donovan.

Donovan replied with a slight nod and he pulled the trigger, keeping the enemy that was still hiding behind the wall to stay in that position.

Rolan threw the grenade and it rolled down on the floor, producing a clinking sound. Three seconds passed, and the special forces braced for the incoming explosion by turning their back against it and huddling together.

*Boom

An ear-deafening explosion reverberated in the hallway and shook the earth. The special forces recovered and crept toward the end of the hallway.

At the end of the hallway, Rolan peered and looked to the side. He saw a dismembered corpse of a Britannian soldier.

He looked at both sides, making sure that it was the only Britannian. Fortunately, it was.

“All clear,” Rolan informed.

“Two hallways huh?” Donovan commented. “What should we do boss? Should we split up?”

“That’s the only logical way to proceed,” Rolan replied. “The problem is, the deeper we go, the harder it is for us to reach one another on a radio. So, proceed with caution. I’ll take Ivan and Igor, you take the rest.”

“Copy that,” Donovan waved his hand in a beckoning call.

The four special forces huddled around Donovan and had a brief exchange. Rolan waited for about ten seconds before Igor and Ivan approached him.

“Okay, we don’t know what we are going to face in the catacombs. So I want you all to be careful. If possible, let’s return alive with good news.”

The special forces hurrahed at Rolan’s words.

“See you on the other side, boss,” Donovan said before walking into the other side of the hallway with Anton.

“Yeah…see you on the other side,” Rolan muttered under his breath before going to the opposite side.

***

Fifteen minutes later.

In Westminster Abbey, underground. Stanley wore a nervous expression as he continued hearing the incessant sound of gunfire above. There was an explosion that shook the whole catacombs a little, which made him even more anxious.

“There’s no doubt about it. It’s the Ruthenians. Only their country has the advanced capability of working on foreign soil.”

Stanley glanced at the frightened crowd of the royal family.

“How did they learn our location?!” Stanley raised his voice.

“It is possible that one of our men could have told them our position in exchange for sparing their lives,” the soldier replied.

“Those useless pricks!” Stanley growled. “Well, it seems that they are coming to get to the royal family huh? They’ll rescue them, we can’t let that happen.”

Stanley inserted another magazine into his pistol and cocked it.

“If the world finds out that they are still alive, then the war wouldn’t make any sense. We have to maintain the lie…that’s right. We have to maintain the lie,” Stanley’s face started to get dark as he approached one of the royals menacingly.

“King of Netherlands, William. Your people have killed thousands of Indonesians under your name. Raped and tortured women and children. What deplorable acts. Your country’s barbarism ends now. William, I, the instrument of Black Hand for its ideal world, sentences you to death.”

Stanley pulled the trigger, blowing the head of the King of the Netherlands.

The sins of their fathers are passed on to their children.

“Spare them!” Diana pleaded weakly. Having been contained for days without food or water, there was no energy left in her body.

“Shut up, you’ll have your turn. Just wait there.”

“No! No! Please don’t hurt my children!” the wife of now-deceased William begged, even kissing the soles of his shoes to show her contrition.

Stanley was disgusted at the sight. Scoffing at her futile attempt for mercy.

“You see, the people that your people killed did exactly just that to spare their families from unjust acts. But what did they do? They laughed it off, even doing this…” Stanley stomped his foot on the Queen of Netherland’s face. Her children howled.

“Mama!”

“Just…kill me! Don’t touch my children…” The Queen of the Netherlands looked up and gaze at him. Her face was covered with blood trickling from her forehead.

“No one will be spared. Every one of you will be sentenced to death. Your death is the end of tyranny. And once you are all gone, peace will return to this beautiful world. Free of oppression and slavery.”

The sound of the gunfire outside is starting to get noisier, indicating that the Ruthenians are arriving soon. He must enact his duties before they get to step into the hall.

Twenty Black Hand soldiers inside the hall. Ten of them proceeded to the exit to meet the Ruthenians, buying Stanley some time, while the rest stood guard.

And so, without hesitation, Stanley pulled the trigger.

“Mama!”

The children of the Queen of the Netherlands whimpered. However, something must have gone wrong.

They were expecting a bang but what they only heard was a clicking sound.

“What happened?” Kaiser Wilheim asked, curious at why the guns didn’t fire.

Stanley clicked his tongue, the pistol must have been jammed. He glanced around and saw the Kaiser grinning subtly.

Stanley clenched his teeth and fired at Wilheim instead.

*Bang

There was a bang now, and Kaiser Wilheim died.

“That’s what you fucking get for sneering at me, you old scum. Ah…shit, I would really love to make his death painfully slow because he’s one of the biggest bitch among you. Well, you can’t change the past, right?” Stanley said as he beckoned one of the soldiers to lend him their gun.

“Now, let’s pick up where we left off.”

Without wasting time, Stanley cocked the Lee–Enfield bolt-action, his finger on the trigger, slowly pulling the trigger—

Suddenly, Stanley’s head exploded and fell forward as the Ruthenian special forces assaulted the hall.

The one Black Hand soldier who lent Stanley his gun lunged towards Rolan with a knife. Rolan reeled backward, evading it, and kicked the soldier away, causing the soldier to fall to the ground.

Rolan fired ten bullets at the soldier, turning his body into a pulp.

Rolan looked around the hall and noticed a repulsive smell wafting inside. There are dead bodies everywhere, most of which are royals.

“Ah…you got here first huh?” Donovan remarked when he and Anton entered the hall. He scanned the surroundings and almost retched on the site. “What the fuck…”

“Yes, those are the royal families. Held by Black Hands. Some of them are dead, but there are still others who are alive…” Rolan trailed off when he saw Diana, reaching out a hand towards him.

“Go check that lady over there,” Rolan pointed at the Queen of Netherlands before heading over to Diana.

“Are you okay?” Rolan asked.

“How did you find us?” Diana asked weakly.

“We asked,” Rolan answered.

“The King of Netherlands, President of the Francois Republic, King and Queen of Spain, the Sardegnian monarchs, the Kaiser, and the Emperor of Austrean Empire are confirmed dead,” Anton informed the crew.

“Let’s take those who are still alive and contact Command Ops. They have to know this immediately,” Rolan said, as he picked Diana up.

“Copy that, Igor. Contact them now,” Donovan commanded.

“Yes sir.”