Surrounded by elite soldiers of the Azov Kingdom, Takeshi Ito found himself in a dire situation. He was between Gin, one of his classmates from Tokyo, Japan and a girl who was a native of the kingdom that was currently under attack by the Kingdom itself.

Just a mere few hours both Takeshi and Gin were involved in the surprise attack that decimated the army that was once protecting these very walls from the likes of them. And from what Takeshi had seen since he couldn't blame them for outright going against the Azov Kingdom's demands for unconditional surrender.

Takeshi saw first-hand what these soldiers did as soon as they breached the gates of the city. They massacred what little remained of the military left inside the walls, and the very soldiers he swore oath alongside exactly one year ago on this day turned from honoured soldiers to pure sadistic monsters in the space of a few minutes.

Without remorse or mercy, the Azov Kingdom soldiers started raping and pillaging their way through the city, and after they had raped the women and girls of this city many of them were butchered by these very soldiers he considered comrades not so long ago as some form of war trophy displaying or just a sickening obsession to commit acts of pure sadistic cruelty.

"Don't make this harder for yourself Takeshi"

Takeshi looked towards Gin an expression that showed just how repulsed he was at the sight of the once irritating bully from his class which had turned into the stuff nightmares and what Takeshi believed was only the stuff of fiction. After all, you couldn't blame him, he had just witnessed Gin laughing maniacally as a group of soldiers assaulted a young girl before bashing her skull in with the butt of their musket rifle.

"Have you lost your fucking mind Gin?" At this point, Takeshi was right to feel threatened more so now than ever before. He knew Gin was slightly unstable by how he acted back in high school, but he never would have dreamed that Gin would go as far as thinking that assaulting a young girl then killing her was morally right let alone sane.

"Ohoho, I am totally fucking sane!" The thrill on Gin's face was plain as daylight for Takeshi to see.

"You see, back in our old world we were nothing..." Gin had started to stroll left to right as if he was on a stage performing Shakespeare piece "...me the bully robbing people out of their lunch money, and you no more than the sad little shit that you have always been!"

Gin let a short singular laugh, "Then again, you didn't end up much better after being transported here." He was loving this so much that it almost looked like he had bottled up this twisted personality of his for some time waiting to unleash it in its full glory.

Takeshi didn't respond to what Gin was saying he was too busy moving his eyes looking at the surrounding soldiers who were just dying for a chance to get their hands on some fresh produce to play with.

"And you know something Takeshi..." Gin turned to face Takeshi standing proudly whilst doing so with a big grin on his face "...I love it, the power coursing through me and being able to do whatever the fuck I want! It's exhilarating! It gets me all tingly!"

Angered by Gin's reaction Takeshi looked at him with a look that if it could kill anyone he directed it at it would most certainly deliver a fatal blow. "When the others from our class hear about this..."

Takeshi was cut mid-sentence by Gin laughing hysterically, "Oh no they won't, well, at least the ones that act all high and mighty, and you'll be surprised how many are willing to toss aside their pride for a bit of the action, a bit of that power" Gin emphasizing on the last few words.

Hearing those very words jarred Takeshi for a split moment. It made him wonder just how many of their classmates had the same mindset as Gin, how many of them were willing to toss away their basic humanity just to a luxurious life out of the prying eyes of those back home that would villainess them for their actions. He was so lost in thought that he was completely taken by surprise when he felt a tight grip around his right arm. When he turned to see the girl standing slightly behind him using Takeshi as a shield it was then that he realized that this was the very first time he was seeing her.

Her bleach white long hair reflected the burning flames in the city perfectly, the blood-red in her eyes were like small rubies piercing through the darkness. And if he had to guess she wasn't much older than the girl that he saw earlier killed like a wild animal by these group of soldiers surrounding them currently.

"Takeshi just had her over and I'll forget that this ever happened and we can start a new, we can try being friends this time around there's no need to fall out over something soo trivial" Gin looked at Takeshi gesturing him to hand over the girl with a devious smile on his face. 

He didn't know what to do, but it had Takeshi feel sick to his stomach hearing Gin referring to everything happening around them as trivial. Takeshi looked around and figured he could take out one or two of the soldiers, but Gin starting there fully decked out in his battle attire of metal-plated armour minus the helmet knew full well that he didn't stand chance in hell, after all, Gin was assigned the Hero Disciple class when they were summoned to this world.

And if Takeshi's memory served him well enough, Gin was on par with Daisuke the one that was assigned the Hero class upon being summoned along with them. Unlike those two Takeshi didn't get anything, he was left with a blank class which meant, in comparison, he was nothing more than a peasant in this world's hierarchy and because of that, he was ridiculed for it by the inhabitants of this world and his classmates.

Takeshi tried to think of anything that could get them out of this situation, but his mind came up blank. He gritted his teeth trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill out and down his cheeks. Takeshi looked at Gin one last time before making a decision or to be more precise the only option he had without getting himself killed, the latter knowing full well how things were going to turn out from the very beginning.

Reluctantly Takeshi reached out with his free hand grabbing the girls wrist pulling her in front of him, and that's when he saw the look on her face. The fear in her expression was tenfold and he knew just by seeing that look in her eyes she would rather die than be handed over to the likes of Gin and his lackeys.

It was at that very moment, that something snapped inside of Takeshi and without thinking he shoved her over the edge of the towering stone walls. For a split moment, the girl didn't know what was happening until it was too late as she went crashing down towards the tidal river that ran along the edge of the city. Both Takeshi and Gin heard nothing from the girl not a single word or scream. The only thing that they heard over the commotion and chaos of the city surrounding them was a faint splash.

As Takeshi turned to face Gin he was suddenly surprised when the latter spartan kicked him in the chest with such force that Takeshi went flying into the low-hanging wall which in turn bent his chest plate armour inwards against his spine.

Coughing Takeshi saw splatters of blood land on himself when he went to wipe his mouth he saw a large patch of blood on the sleeve of his cotton uniform under the pieces of his metal armour.

"You've done it now! Say goodbye arsehole!" Gin raised his two-handed battleaxe as if to split Takeshi's head open like a watermelon when he eventually came down with it.

However, Takeshi had other plans if anything he wasn't going to let Gin of all people kill him in this world. He made a promise to himself after being summoned here that no matter what he was going to do he made a vow to live and make it back home.

Screaming in pain from the kick that Gin just did to him. Takeshi reached behind him pulling a musket pistol out from its holster. He aimed it directly at Gin's head the look on Takeshi's face showing his intent to kill him no matter what.

As for Gin, he paused for a split second, a look that had a mixture of dread and anger also seemed to fuel his intent to swing his battleaxe even faster in order to deliver the finishing blow sooner.

Takeshi pulled the trigger while screaming out with a battle cry, but when nothing happened that slither of hope that he had just mere seconds ago instantly vanished as he prepared himself for an untimely end.

Damn it! looked to be the only thought running through Takeshi's mind. However, as if on cue the pistol ignited but instead of firing the metal pellet out of the barrel as intended, it instead exploded burning scorch the tips of Takeshi's fingers and sending bits of metal shrapnel from the barrel of the pistol flying into Gin's face.

"You bastard! My eyes!" Gin screamed in a fit of rage as he fell to his knees blood pouring between the gaps of his fingers as his hands covered his eyes tightly.

Pumped full of adrenaline Takeshi pulled himself up and as he did the soldiers lunged at him their swords in a striking motion. Deflecting one he shoved them into the rest of the group knocking them all over. Seeing the opening that he wanted, Takeshi with all his might made a dash for it along the wall hoping to use the route to reach the gate so he could escape.

As he sprinted towards the city gate the sound of metal clanging against stone could be heard not too far behind him. Takeshi didn't need to look behind him to know that the Azov Kingdom soldiers were hot on heels. Over the sound of the ringing metal, Takeshi could suddenly hear Gin bellowing out at the top of his voice far in the distance.

"Don't stand there! Kill him!" And as if on cue to his commands Takeshi was met with the sound of musket volley fire as he heard whizzing and the pinging off surfaces as metal pellets were fired directly at him from riflemen stationed around various overwatch positions within the city.

Luckily for Takeshi, he knew that muskets weren't a hundred per cent accurate, but that didn't mean he could take them lightly all it took was one lucky shot for them to land and he was most likely done for. Knowing this he purposely made himself harder to shoot by weaving side to side while also trying to keep his pace so he didn't get caught up to by the pursuing soldiers behind him.

As Takeshi turned the corner along the path that bent around the outside one of the many watchtowers he was met with the sight of Azov Kingdom riflemen positioned in the formation of a line aiming directly at him that reminded him typically of how musket regiments back in his old world use to fight wars hundreds of years ago.

"Shit!" he shouted aloud cursing to himself. He desperately tried to rack his brain with some sort of plan, but with the riflemen in front, the others repositioning themselves to get a good sight-line on him and the foot soldiers edging ever closer behind him. He knew that he was running out of time, and quickly at that.

"Ready!"

Takeshi looked ahead of himself seeing the riflemen readying their muskets.

"Aim!"

They were now aiming at him. Takeshi peered over the wall hearing the crashing waves of the tidal river on the other side it was so dark he couldn't see the river itself which made him wonder just how far down it was, the thought making him feel dizzy. He was hesitant to do it, but he knew full well this was the only option left to him he mustered up as much courage as he could before readying himself. Without a second thought, he made a sprinting dash towards the edge of the wall.

"Fire!"

The barrage of musket fire whipped through the air like firecrackers towards Takeshi. As he planted the ball of his foot on top of the low-hanging wall that ran along the entirety of the city's stone walls he suddenly felt weak. To his gratitude, he had enough strength in his body to launch him far from the edge of the wall. All that remand was the hope that he had pushed himself far enough in order to land in the river without injuring himself.

However, once he lept off the wall it was as if all the strength in that one action drained every ounce of life from his body as it spun uncontrollably towards the river. A mere few seconds later his body, back first, smashed against the surface of the water and the sound of a sharp crack could be heard as his body went under the current.

The Azov Kingdom soldiers peering over the edge tried to see if Takeshi survived the fall, but due to how pitch-black it was. With the walls protecting the river from any source of light emanating from the burning buildings within the city it was literally the perfect place to hide.

The sound of grunting and heaving could be heard as Gin barged his way along the wall his right eye punctured with various bits of metal shrapnel as blood continued to pour down his face before hitting the stone beneath his feet. It was such a mess you would have trouble telling whether his eye was still intact. You could see the rage and bloodlust on his face, and you knew full well what he wanted to do more than anything right now. Shoving the soldiers aside he peered over the same spot that they were looking down at.

After a few seconds, he turned to the soldiers looking around still filled with rage and bloodlust that was ready to burst out at any moment.

"Get down there and make sure he's dead" the intensity behind each word that came out of Gin's mouth would send a shiver down your spine.

"But sir, there's no point..." before the soldier could finish what he was saying. Gin grabbed him by the throat choking him under his metal-plated gauntlet. With each passing second, it turned the soldiers' skin into a darker and darker shade of red as he was gradually losing oxygen.

"Don't. Question. Me." Gin paused for a moment before something suddenly dawned on him when he started to laugh "...after all, you might find the girl...even better you could make sport of her in front him that will be a sight to see" Gin relished in the thought of seeing Takeshi overcome with utter despair, but unfortunately, he didn't have the time to witness such an invigorating scene.

"Don't you worry, I'll be sure to give her my full attention"

Gin turned around to see a bulking man clad in metal armour across his entire body who stood taller than anyone here. Gin knew who it was behind that armour he was nicknamed the Raging Demon as he was especially known among the other soldiers in the Azov Kingdom to be rather brutal when enjoying his spoils of war, at least, when it came to women.

Seeing him made Gin sigh showing a hint of already being sick of this guy. Since meeting him he had trouble keeping the Raging Demon on a leash at the best of times, but he was thankful that the man shared his views on the current world regardless of each other's particular tastes in pleasure.

"Get it done, I've got business of my own to attend to" Gin letting go of the soldier from his vice-like grip dropped to the floor coughing profusely as he tried to catch his breath. 

The heavy breathing coming from Gin's mouth was evidence enough that if Takeshi was still alive he would make sure that he himself dealt the killing as payback for what Takeshi did to him, but not before torturing him. Just the thought of it made Gin grin with a sickening look in his eyes.