Guardians of The Damned-Chapter 52: Both are slightly overwhelming

"One more thing. How can you still use your powers? Everything here's made of Lern—I can't even conjure smoke."

"I have my tricks," she said, smiling faintly.

"Then why don't you escape?" Calvin asked.

"It's safer here than out there," Clara answered, shaking her head.

Calvin let out a grunt in acknowledgment.

The door creaked open. Three guards entered.

"Visiting time is over. Hm? Who are you two?" One narrowed his eyes—clearly expecting visitors, but not us.

I turned slowly, a lightbulb flicking on in my head.

---

**Third-Person POV – Elsewhere in the city...**

On the other side of the city, Synth officers were clocking out. Some were at bars, others at home with family, or staring at the earth ceiling in quiet exhaustion. Then, their phones buzzed.

Each received the same message:

[You've been invited to a game! Please go to this address to participate.]

Naturally, they assumed it was spam—until their screens turned white. Light flashed. Their pupils dimmed. Phones clattered to the floor as they stood up in eerie silence and left for the address.

---

**Back to Sunny – Prison hallway**

Now wearing guard uniforms, Calvin and I turned to Clara.

"Where exactly is your sister?" I asked.

"She's on the deepest level of the prison—Sector 0. Only accessible through a restricted elevator. Only high-ranking officers can use it."

I nodded, then glanced at Calvin. "Can your powers work here?"

He nodded.

"Go wild."

A grin spread across Calvin's face. He stomped, and his mecha surged from his shadow, its golden eyes locking onto me.

I raised my middle finger. "Come, trash can."

Its eyes glowed brighter—clearly provoked—but it didn't attack me. Instead, it turned toward the door, as if seeing through it.

Something was coming.

My instincts flared. I grabbed Calvin and leapt aside just as the door exploded.

Dust and debris clouded the hall. With the Lern-sealed door destroyed, my power surged back. I dissolved into mist, grabbing Calvin and Clara, and warped them to safety.

Reforming, I scanned the blast zone.

Five Honors stood where the door once was. Red suits, black capes. Three men. Two women.

Lightning sparked yellow across the hall. The Honors sensed something—and scattered. Clanking echoed through the prison. Sparks flew. Blurs dashed from cell to cell at breakneck speed.

"They're onto us," I said. "We move—now."

"Where?" Calvin asked, eyes fixed on his mecha, now fending off ten S-rank Honors.

I took a drag from my puff and shaped it into a massive hammer.

"We're bringing her home."

I raised the hammer. "Alright, everyone—wakey, wakey!"

THUD. THUD.

Each cell we passed, I smashed the bars. Prisoners stared in shock before bolting to freedom. I tossed hammers of smoke to some of them. They caught on quickly—some helped free others, some broke down walls and floors. Total chaos.

Alarms blared. Red lights flickered.

---

**Third-Person POV – At the warehouse**

The Synth staff stood in rows—256 of them. Each wore a number on their chest. As their phones flashed again, the glaze over their eyes faded.

R𝑒ad lat𝒆st chapt𝒆rs at free𝑤ebnovel.com Only.

Confused, they glanced around.

"Mr. Leon?"

"Mrs. Hill?"

Leon, a balding man with a pot belly, scanned the crowd. These were his coworkers. All of them.

"What the hell's going on here?" he shouted. No answer.

Then, a voice crackled through the speakers:

[Attention. Thank you for participating in This Game. Answer truthfully, and you'll return to your families.]

Murmurs turned to outcries. Fear. Confusion. Rage.

"Get out here, you maniac!" Leon yelled.