KASARINLAN : saga of pinoy superheroes

Chapter 34: The Vengeance of Hustisya

The night was silent, yet the facility on the outskirts of Plaridel loomed like a cold, dark prison—a tomb for those trapped within. Its walls, made of unyielding concrete, were cracked and reeked of sweat and fear. Inside, over a hundred Filipinos—men, women, and even children—sat on the filthy floor of each cell. Their hands were bound with ropes that tightened with every movement.

These people of Plaridel had been arrested on false accusations, branded as accomplices of Hustisya in her fight against the Spanish colonizers. There was no evidence, no justice—only the wrath of the colonialists had brought them here. The children wept, their voices faint but heavy with fear, clinging to their parents.

"Mama, I'm scared," a child whimpered. The mother, equally terrified, could only offer a tight embrace, her heart racing in their shared dread.

All they could do was stroke their children's heads with forced smiles, hiding their own terror, while the fathers sat in silence, their eyes burning with anger but powerless to act. Why is this happening to us? they thought.

Outside the facility, over fifty Spanish police stood guard, their rifles at the ready, their faces smug with the arrogance of their authority. The facility's dim lights cast just enough glow to reveal the wretched state of the captives.

That night, beneath a full moon casting a pale light, a figure landed on the building's roof. Hustisya, the sugo of the oppressed Filipinos held within, stood tall, her red cape swaying in the chilly night breeze. Her eyes blazed with determination, like twin stars piercing the darkness, fueled by rage and purpose. She knew the danger of her mission, but the cries of the captives in her heart drowned out any fear.

Using her sugo powers, she vanished into the air, gliding through the shadows like a phantom. Silently, she slipped through the roof, her movements swift and soundless. In an instant, she perched on a massive steel beam above the third floor. From there, she spotted five patrolling police guards, their rifles slung over their shoulders, oblivious to the peril closing in.

Hustisya knew she had to act quickly. Time was her enemy, and every second could bring more pain to the captives. She launched her attack, using her power to remain invisible. She approached the first guard silently, one hand swiftly covering his mouth while the other gripped his neck, rendering him unconscious. He crumpled to the floor without a sound, and she moved to the next.

Within seconds, four more guards fell, their bodies gently laid in the shadows by Hustisya. Her heart pounded, but her mind was clear. She peered into the cells, and the sight weighed heavily on her chest—bound families, crying children, elders struggling to breathe in their agony. She swiftly took a key from a guard's pocket and unlocked the cells, one by one.

"Hurry," she whispered to the captives, her voice low but commanding. "Help each other get out. I'll handle the Spanish." The captives nodded, their eyes filled with hope despite lingering fear. They worked together, supporting the elderly and children as they fled toward the facility's unguarded fire exit.

Meanwhile, Hustisya glided through the floor again, a wraith slipping through the darkness. She landed on the second floor, and the sound of her descent startled three guards. Their eyes widened as they recognized her, and one shouted, "It's Hustisya!"

The first guard reached for his rifle, but before he could grasp it, Hustisya used her power. With a flick of her hand, she yanked the rifle away, sending it crashing against the wall with a loud clang. The guard froze in shock, and before he could react, Hustisya charged. Her fist slammed into his stomach, forcing him to his knees. A swift strike to the back of his neck knocked him out, and he collapsed.

The second guard rushed forward, swinging a baton at Hustisya's head. She dodged effortlessly, her body flowing like air to the side. She grabbed his arm, twisting it and throwing him off balance. A powerful kick to his back sent him sprawling, and before he could rise, she gripped his neck, rendering him unconscious.

The third guard was bolder, drawing his pistol and firing. But Hustisya was faster—she vanished in an instant, and the bullet struck only the wall. Reappearing behind him, she seized his wrist and snapped it with a sharp tug. He screamed in pain, but she silenced him by covering his mouth and twisting his neck, putting him to sleep like the others.

Within seconds, the second floor was silent again. Hustisya took a deep breath, her heart racing, but her resolve unshaken. She slipped through the floor once more, a shadow in the dark, and landed on the ground floor—where over thirty Spanish police surrounded her.

The ground floor was vast, filled with crates and rifles ready for any uprising. The thirty guards quickly took aim at Hustisya, their faces a mix of anger and fear, their voices dripping with arrogance. "Hustisya! Surrender now!" an officer shouted, his rifle trained on her head.

But Hustisya smiled, her tone icy and defiant. "Surrender? You're the ones who should surrender," she said, her voice echoing through the room. In a flash, she used her power, wrenching the rifles from the guards' hands. They flew across the room, crashing into walls and the floor. The guards gasped, and before they could react, Hustisya charged.

The first group of five guards rushed her, wielding batons and knives. Hustisya spun, her body gliding between their attacks like a breeze. She dodged the first guard's swing and kicked him in the stomach, sending him crashing down. She grabbed the second guard's arm, twisting and hurling him into two others approaching. With a swift motion, she snapped the third guard's neck to knock him out, while her fist smashed into the fourth's face, breaking his nose. The fifth guard's baton missed her, and she yanked it from his grip, throwing him out a window.

The second group of ten guards was more cautious, forming a circle around her. But Hustisya remained unfazed. In an instant, she vanished, reappearing behind one guard and snapping his neck to render him unconscious. She moved to the next, her movements a dance of shadows—unpredictable, unstoppable. One by one, the guards fell—some kicked in the knees, others choked out, and a few thrown across the room by her power. Their screams echoed, but none could escape her wrath.

The remaining fifteen guards tried to flee, but Hustisya was faster. With a wave of her hand, she controlled the facility's doors, slamming them shut and trapping the guards inside. "No one leaves," she said, her voice like ice. She charged again, her fists and kicks striking like lightning, swift and merciless. The guards collapsed, some pleading, but her heart burned with rage for the abused Filipinos of Plaridel. Within minutes, the ground floor was silent, littered with unconscious guards.

The battle at the facility ended that night, and the Filipinos escaped to freedom, embracing one another as shouts of joy filled the air. Hustisya stayed behind, ensuring no one was left. Her heart was heavy, but her determination was stronger than ever.

"This has to end," she whispered to herself.

Hours after the battle, in the mayor's office in Plaridel, rage blazed like a wildfire. The mayor, a corpulent Spaniard with haughty eyes, was livid upon hearing of his men's defeat and the captives' escape. His fist slammed onto his desk, shattering a glass of wine. "How did this happen?!" he roared, his voice echoing through the room. "Hustisya! Find her! Don't stop until she's caught!"

The police before him stood silent, heads bowed in fear. But before the mayor could speak again, noises erupted outside the office—shouts, footsteps, and the sound of breaking objects. The mayor froze, his anger giving way to unease. "What's that?" he asked, but before his men could answer, the door burst open, and a panicked guard rushed in.

"Mayor! An enemy has breached city hall!" the guard shouted, his face pale with terror.

"Who?!" the mayor demanded, his voice thick with shock. But before the guard could answer, an unseen force yanked him, hurling his body through a window, shattering glass as he fell from the third floor.

The room erupted in gasps, screams filling the office. In an instant, the door slammed shut and locked, as if controlled by an invisible force. "What's happening? Move and find out what's going on!" the mayor shouted.

Suddenly, the lights went out, plunging the room into darkness. The mayor trembled, overwhelmed by the surreal chaos. Moments later, screams from his men mingled with the crashing of furniture—desks, chairs, and bodies slamming against walls. His heart raced, but he could see nothing in the pitch black. "Who are you?! Protect me!" he shouted, but his men didn't respond.

A voice cut through the darkness. "Good evening, Mayor," Hustisya said, her tone cold yet mocking. The mayor froze, his skin paling. "Who are you?!" he demanded, but the response was a chilling laugh that echoed through the room.

The lights flickered on, revealing Hustisya seated on his desk, her presence like a fierce tiger poised to strike. Her eyes burned with fury, and her smile was a dagger ready to pierce. The mayor stumbled back in shock, tripping and falling to his knees, his hands trembling.

"Why are you here?!" he asked, his voice quaking with fear.

Hustisya laughed, her laughter cold and scornful. "Why am I here? Didn't you order your men to hunt me down? So, I came to check on you," she said, her voice like ice shattering the mayor's resolve.

Realizing he was outmatched, the mayor scrambled to his feet and reached for the pistol in his desk, but before he could grab it, Hustisya's power yanked it away, hurling it out the window. The sound of shattering glass echoed, and the mayor froze, his eyes wide with shock and terror.

"No one can help you now, Mayor," Hustisya said, her voice dripping with triumph. She controlled a rifle from the scattered weapons on the floor, and it floated into her hand. "How would you like your punishment to begin?" she asked, twirling the rifle in her fingers.

The mayor trembled, his eyes fixed on the weapon. "You can't hurt me!" he shouted, but his voice was desperate. "I'm the mayor of Plaridel! You'll answer for this! The Spanish law rules here!"

But before he could say more, Hustisya smashed the rifle into his face, knocking him down and drawing blood from his nose. "I don't care about Spanish law!" she roared, her anger blazing through the room. The mayor cursed her, spitting that she, an "Indio," had no right to harm him and was nothing but trash.

Her fury ignited at his insult to Filipinos, and she struck his face again. Grabbing his collar, she snarled, "I'm not an Indio! I'm a Filipino!" She blamed Spaniards like him for degrading Filipinos, treating them as garbage, and abusing them in their own land. "So many Filipinos suffer because of people like you, and that's what I can't forgive!"

She dragged the mayor and hurled him aside, crashing into a cabinet that shattered. Her voice rose as she vented her rage about the lack of justice in Plaridel.

"The Spanish have no right to rule Plaridel! This town belongs to Filipinos!" she shouted, kicking him in the stomach. She condemned the unjust treatment of Filipinos and laws that oppressed the poor.

She struck him again, saying countless fathers were jailed on fabricated charges for crimes they didn't commit. Another punch, as she raged that mothers and women were violated by demonic Spaniards. One final blow, as she cried that children were orphaned by selfish Spaniards who cared nothing for human lives.

"Please, no more, stop this," the mayor begged.

She punched him repeatedly, her anger an unstoppable storm. Finally, she flung him toward the window. The mayor could no longer resist, his face bloodied, his body weak.

Hustisya approached, her eyes blazing with fury. "What more can you do, Mayor? You can't undo what's been taken from Filipinos. The only thing left is true justice," she said, her voice cold and merciless.

She grabbed his throat and dragged him out the window. In an instant, she floated into the air, holding the mayor. She soared high, Plaridel sprawling beneath the moonlit sky.

"Please, what are you planning? Have mercy, don't kill me," he pleaded, weeping.

But Hustisya's rage only grew. "So many of my people begged, but you didn't listen!" she shouted. "You abused us, exploited us, stripped us of our rights, and killed us without mercy in our own land!"

She vowed before him that she wouldn't stop while a single Spaniard remained in Plaridel. "I'll take back Plaridel and end the evil of these demonic Spaniards!" she roared, her body enveloped in a dark aura, like flames raging in the wind. Her eyes glowed with fury and resolve.

"I'll bring justice to Plaridel, starting with you!"

Without emotion, she released the mayor, and his body plummeted from nearly a hundred meters, falling like a discarded toy. He crashed to the ground, bloodied and lifeless.

Moments later, Hustisya descended, appearing beside the mayor's corpse. Her face was blank, devoid of emotion, as the dark aura continued to swirl around her. Suddenly, a faint energy, like smoke, rose from the mayor's body and entered hers. Her eyes flared again, and before his corpse, she swore: "All who are guilty will pay. Nothing will stop me."

Hustisya vanished like the wind, leaving the scene. The night ended with her mission accomplished, but she knew this was the beginning of a far tougher phase in her fight.

End.