In Ivisa South District, as night gradually fell, the army began to disperse the crowds gathered on the streets.
It was estimated that in another two days, these people would have no choice but to compromise with the factories again due to a lack of food.
By then, offering just a small compensation plan and some negligible "benefits" would be enough to quell the riot.
The soldiers' orders were to suppress the people of Ibiza and prevent the riot from spreading to other areas until the nobles could negotiate a solution.
The suppression over the past few days had been very effective, keeping the riots firmly contained within Ivisa District.
As for the public opinion in the newspapers outside, it had been completely taken over by the military.
Until now, people outside still didn't know how extreme the riots inside had become, believing them to be just ordinary strikes and demonstrations.
If no other accidents occurred, Ibiza might remain blockaded until things returned to normal.
But tonight, an accident occurred.
The army was escorting the last batch of Factory Owners and Foremens who hadn't been evacuated yet from Iviza West District, struggling to move through the surrounding Ibizans.
Perhaps fearing the guns in their hands, the surrounding Ibizans, wearing masks, only stood at a distance on both sides of the road, cursing the Factory Owners protected in the middle.
Occasionally, stones and rotten vegetable leaves were thrown, landing near them. Though they were in a sorry state, at least their lives were preserved.
Almost all the people in this group had been hiding in some house, only daring to come out and call for help once the army arrived.
Over the past few days, they had witnessed "trial" after "trial" on the streets outside through the cracks in their windows. They were bloody and frenzied.
They couldn't understand how the commoners, who usually showed no reaction no matter how they were insulted or bullied, had suddenly rioted collectively.
Who gave them the courage?
For the past few days, they had lived in Fear, constantly praying that they wouldn't be discovered.
Fortunately, the army had finally arrived.
"Damn lowlifes... Once the riot is quelled, I'm definitely going to deal with those little bastards who threw things..." A short, middle-aged man with a goatee, surrounded by the crowd, looked at the people around him with resentment.
Vindictive as he was, he had already begun calculating how to make trouble for them when the time came.
"Endure, Joseph, endure," a companion beside him whispered a reminder. "Wait until we're safely out before saying anything. We'll be out of Ivisa District soon... Oh! Damn it!"
Just as the companion beside Joseph opened his mouth, he was hit by a rotten vegetable leaf, nearly swallowing it.
After spitting out the leaf, he couldn't stop gagging. The rotten, sour stench was truly hard for him to bear.
At this moment, on a rooftop, two figures were quietly watching the scene below.
One of them seemed to be applying something to the other's face.
"Mentor, it's almost finished," a slightly delicate female voice said respectfully.
"Mhm," the tall woman nodded, tightening the gloves on her hands.
These two figures were none other than Fina and Syl.
Syl had spent the entire day preparing for tonight's appearance.
Finally, using the excuse of researching their entry method, Syl had managed to draw out all of Fina's abilities.
After some simple experiments, Syl finally selected an entry method.
And Fina would serve as an assistant, helping Syl complete this grand entrance.
Below, the air was filled with the noise of the crowd: curses, shouts, dispersal orders, and warning shots.
Although it was curfew, the people of Ibiza had somehow learned that the last batch of Factory Owners was leaving, and they flooded the streets regardless of the curfew.
Fortunately, they could only vent their emotions by cursing from a distance.
Angry as they were, they knew clearly that rushing forward recklessly would likely result in death.
After all, before them were nearly fifty fully armed soldiers.
Just as the dozen or so Factory Owners and Foremens were about to leave the street under military escort...
A figure suddenly appeared in the air, descending slowly.
Initially, no one noticed the figure, but the people of Ivisa District were the first to see it.
Because their attention was focused on that group.
However, the group was still guarding the surroundings, completely unaware of what had appeared above them.
It wasn't until they noticed the surrounding noise had vanished and everyone was looking at the sky that they realized something had happened.
The figure in mid-air had its head bowed, moving mechanically as if it were a puppet.
She was seen slowly raising her right shoulder, and along with it, her right arm and palm were lifted as if pulled by strings like a marionette.
On the deathly silent street, the figure spoke slowly, her voice raspy:
"Have you... seen my knife?"
"Oh... so it's here..."
As she spoke, she simply turned her hand, and an ordinary table knife appeared in it.
The moment he saw the table knife, combined with the green hair visible even in the firelight of the night, the leading soldier immediately noticed something was wrong.
"Fire... fire immediately! She's the Joker!"
"Bang!"
"Bang—"
First came a chaotic wave of exclamations, followed by a continuous barrage of gunfire.
Countless bullets tore through the air and pierced the figure's body, spraying blood everywhere.
They didn't stop until they had completed two full rounds of firing. All the soldiers held their guns, their hands trembling uncontrollably.
The figure in mid-air, like a puppet whose strings had been shot through, hung upside down. Her Joker makeup was revealed as her body swayed in the air, her hair hanging completely down.
"Is... is she dead, Captain?"
"She should be... right?"
Logically, no matter who it was, it was unlikely they would survive such an intense volley of fire.
But most people here didn't know how terrifying a Transcendent could be.
A minute passed. Some sobbing began to emerge from the surrounding Ibizan crowd, and the panicked Factory Owners also felt relieved.
Just then, the upside-down figure spread her arms.
"She's still alive! She's still alive!"
In the group of Factory Owners, a man pointed at the sky and let out a terrified cry.
Just then, the Joker hanging upside down in the air spread her arms like a cross, and several sharp knives appeared in her hands at some unknown moment.
The sharp knives glinted with a terrifying cold light, each carrying a horrifying aura that made it impossible to look at them.
A flash flickered.
The scene was captured in a photograph by Fina, who had found a good angle on the street.
The marching crowd held their hands high toward the terrifying figure hanging upside down in the air, looking like believers worshipping a descended god. Meanwhile, the escorting guards had abandoned their equipment; some soldiers had slumped to the ground with weak legs, their pants even appearing slightly wet.
The Factory Owners and Foremens in the middle of the group, like prisoners facing judgment, cried and knelt toward the figure in the sky.
"It's so shocking... Mentor..." An excited smile had appeared on Fina's face at some point. Looking at the photo frozen in the camera, she murmured, "I will turn it into a famous painting, Mentor! One that will make all madness submit..."
"A world-famous painting..."