Chapter 28 War Declaration
Eric and Anna sat opposite each other in my living room, swallowed by the heavy silence that had settled ever since the last phone call I received. They were waiting for me to speak, watching me, reading me, trying to guess how bad the situation truly was. It irritated me slightly, not because of them, but because of the chaos spiraling around us like a tornado I couldn’t immediately stop.
Anna, however, didn’t look fazed in the slightest. If anything, she had this strange gleam in her eyes, an almost eager sparkle that didn’t match the tension in the room. Damn. For a split second, I wondered if she was a bit of a psychopath. Most normal people would at least flinch after hearing about a potential turf war. But Anna? She looked like she had just been told we were going grocery shopping.
People out there assumed Mafias and cartels enjoyed this kind of thing—bloodshed, conflict, the thrill of killing. But that was far from the truth. Sure, we were capable of cruelty, and yes, we had done things that could stain entire soul generations, but that didn’t mean we liked losing people. Every turf war costs manpower, costs resources, costs loyalty. Everyone bleeds in the end, no matter how big or mighty the group is. The group with the biggest loss simply becomes prey for the next shark.
The rise of the group called Blackjack was a huge part of the problem. They were the ones selling those highly sophisticated weapons in the underworld. Even weak quirk users who wouldn’t stand a chance against our fighters suddenly had the firepower to face off and cause real damage. It tilted the playing field in ways none of us predicted.
And before anyone asked, yes, we tried to get our hands on the weapons too. But the damn things were rigged. We finally figured out the creator had some kind of failsafe or override system. He could disable the weapons remotely, making them nothing but fancy scrap metal. So, using them wasn’t just risky, it was basically suicide.
My phone buzzed relentlessly, vibrating aggressively against the table beside me. Every time I answered, I heard bad news. More attacks. More disruptions. More losses. My temples pulsed.
I immediately tried calling Rudy, my right-hand man and the Blade clan’s strongest fighter. But the call didn’t go through. Again. And again. And again. Every ring that ended in silence only added fuel to my frustration.
Finally, after a long moment of hesitation, I dialed Diana.
At least she picked.
Her voice was sharp and clipped. “What now?”
“I need your location,” I said, rubbing my forehead. “I’m getting too many reports at once. What’s happening over there?”
“I’m taking care of a situation,” she replied. I could hear roaring flames and collapsing rubble in the background, confirming she wasn’t exaggerating. “Some idiots tried attacking one of our major turfs. I’m burning them back to hell.”
Typical Diana, aggressive, fiery, prideful. And despite how much she hated the fact that a quirkless ‘ape’ like me was her leader, she was loyal to the clan. That was what mattered. She protected our territory with frightening dedication. I respected her for that. Even if she never stopped complaining about my lack of powers.
“Hold it down,” I told her. “I’ll issue orders soon.”
“You better,” she snapped before hanging up.
When the call ended, the silence in the room thickened again.
Eric leaned forward, clasping his hands anxiously. “So… boss. What are you going to do?”
I inhaled deeply, resisting the urge to rub the tension out of my neck. “I’ll declare war.”
His eyes widened slightly, and even Anna’s brows lifted a little.
“Everyone has been waiting for my order,” I continued. “They’re restless, confused, and scared. If I don’t act now, morale will fall.”
Eric nodded slowly. “Yeah, but we still haven’t—”
“I need to contact Rudy first,” I interrupted.
Because no matter how awkward things were between us after last night, no matter how flushed and breathless everything became—I needed him strategically. He was the Blade clan’s strongest for a reason, and the one person the others listened to without question.
I dialed him again, praying the call would go through this time.
It rang once…
twice…
three times—
Then he picked.
I froze at the sound of his ragged breathing. It wasn’t just tired, it was strained. Like he had been fighting. Or running.
“R-Rudy?” I said.
He cleared his throat through the receiver. “I’m… taking care of something. What’s going on?”
The conversation was awkward. So awkward that even Anna glanced at me with raised brows.
I swallowed. “We’re under attack. Multiple turfs. Multiple fronts. I need you to declare war.”
The line went quiet for a moment.
Then Rudy spoke, his voice steady and deep.
“Alright. How do you want it announced?”
“In the traditional way,” I replied. “Make it loud. Make it dramatic. I want every single group that raised a hand against us to understand the Blade clan is officially retaliating. Light up our symbol on all territory walls. Send the call to arms. And order all our fighters to fight back without restraint.”
Rudy exhaled heavily. “So it’s official.”
“It is.”
“I heard you,” he murmured. “I’ll handle it.”
Before I could say anything else, he hung up.
I lowered the phone and placed it on the table. My heartbeat felt uncomfortably uneven. Eric watched me cautiously, and Anna’s calm smirk returned like she was enjoying this entire development.
“There,” I said finally.
Eric let out a slow exhale. “Then everything is about to get messy.”