"Please don't hurt me. I surrender. I am just a Jani—"
"Shut the fuck up! We look like a fucking superhero to you? I don't care what you are."
Last remaining prisoner begged for mercy, apparently, he's the least menacing guy in bunch, even claimed multiple times he's a Janitor of some sort, trapped in this mess. However, for try telling the truth, got smacked in the head by Steinbach. Firmly annoyed with his presence. Even last prisoner himself knew he been surrounded by an Empire where military is full of violent and deranged cutthroats whom supposedly the great "heroes" of their country. If the Brittonian Imperial soldiers commit atrocious acts of murder, rape, and torture is the norm. The true dread comes in seeing the incredibly fucked up thing they do that makes them no different from the other monsters.
"Sobs. Please, must believe me. I am not one of them. Just a bystander. You have no reason hurting me."
"You are a mutant. That's all the reason we need to hurt you. Hey captain, how about we about mutilated his limbs before heading out, do the Confederacy some a favour by punishing these fucks. Hell. We can stich his lips then deliver him to the Chinese, saying he's the leader of the operation."
"Enough First-class Knight Lord Vannier. I saw a cybernet tower north of the Outpost, go with Kawazoe to check if it's working, if work then reboot its system. Get the Chinese military online sent transport."
"What!? I found that piece of shit! You killed all of them. He's mine! Only I get to kill him. You hear me, captain!"
"I don't care what you say, you don't here to fuck around some Tibetan Mutant, you here to obey me, get your ass motivated, then consider what my orders were. You hear me?"
Without vacillation, Hiden firmly dismissed all the Steinbach's depraved suggestions or threats at once, sensed his brutal, sadistic and impulsive tendencies as he gave death-glare, so menacing, would scare the scariest Fallen's monster.
Regardless Steinbach is a bloodthirsty, aggressive, paranoid lunatic who has no problem killing his victims with a chainsaw, literally dismembered a man with an axe, or shooting his own sister unprovoked, possibly killing her. Or beheaded his own comrade who eats his promotion and presents the disembodied head as a death threat to his family. He's not stupid or not that 'insane' to disobey Hiden's orders, certainly not when he's aware of his history: Not only Hiden good with strategies and planning, he's also cruel and merciless, he's fight against the Tibetan militants was proof enough.
Hiden capable of infusing cruelty and fear on his enemies. However, his cruelty is not for cruelty's sake. Hiden always weights the gains and losses of his decisions, choosing the optimal solutions for the Terrarium Knights as a whole, always good for the organisation and the Empire he is serving with honour, loyalty and commitment. Consequently, these decisions leave a bloodstained path and have hurt and traumatized countless other people, his friends and comrades being prime victims of his abuse.
Hiden never takes emotions into full account, the epitome of logical thinking and strategy. That said, his intelligence allows him to manipulate and abuse many people by appealing to their needs and wants. Emotional manipulation and abuse have gotten Hiden far in his motives at the cost of many lives, and by the time someone's realized they've been used, it's often too late for them to turn back.
With little contempt Steinbach did what he asked. With him gone, approached the prisoner, sobbing and begging attempts to beg again, showing photos of his family and children.
"Have mercy. This my family. My wife. My son. Please forgive me—"
"Shut the fuck up trash!"
"... Araghh!!!"
"Scum like you aren't allowed to speak."
"...Arrraagggg, !!!"
Nevertheless, Hiden is the same as Steinbach, overflowing with murderous tendencies. Doesn't show a flicker of regret to persecute and dehumanised the surrendered mutant, ruthlessly electrocuted him until his heart content. He's also the man who casually admitted that he purposefully killed the previous Terrarium Knight captain, declared as a "friendly fire", and has guts no one would dare to question him so he can extract vengeance upon them as higher rank.
To this point it's no It's no secret Brittonia, specially it's military hates Mutants of any kind or nation. Genetic and Racial purity is central to their primary ideology. And because of how decentralized the various factions of the Imperium are, and how tangled their bureaucracy is, there's no real defined guideline as to what defines "mutation". Most mainstream Brittonia would tolerate that even something as Mutants who took the honorary citizenship also less lethal than normal, Low-level Noryoku transformation or an extra digit — traits often confused, hard to distinct from Mutants to regular humans! — warrants casting down to the role of an oppressed slave-caste, if not death on sight. In some corners of the Imperium based-colony, even things as minor as been "attractive", enhanced physical strength or higher than average can result in one being deemed a Mutant and punished accordingly. However, their fear about Mutant's radicals are all the way true; Mutants-Experts proclaimed if the Mutants has outnumbered humans in any region, they happily purged of all life humans in order to deny the Human oppression from foreign countries. Further, a Mutant captured by the Imperial Army's soldier claims that once they are back on top, they will systematically kill every single human in existence though this isn't a sentiment shared by all Mutants, however it's solely personality-based. Some declared that most Mutant's Emperors in history plans for humanity include forced sterility, labour camps, and genocide. Whatever the case maybe almost every time it somehow backfired, when they tired to avoid further brutal conflict with both sides committing horrendous atrocities to maintain order, whatever its to win. Mutants are a major problem in the Imperium of Brittonia. Some sages believe that humanity is approaching a new stage of its evolution, but the danger is when Mutants overpowered mankind, since even a single untrained, untamed Noryoku-type risks inviting a havoc of destruction over human population, and since random mutant births in the populace are a good sign of genocidal sentiments among the population. Most nations have mutant populations that are at best treated as highly-disposable slave labour or doomed to die in battle as military personnel, or at worst are burned at the stake as perversions of the divine human form, because Mutants are highly vulnerable against frames or any fire-based attacks.
However, some strains of mutants, mostly ones arising from genetic defalcation between two humans rather than from the taint of Fallen Mutagen or breeding between two Mutants, have stabilized into subraces the Imperium tolerates as "Half-breeds" with low-level Noryoku manifestation rates most notably the honorary Imperian Mutants who serve specialized roles in the Imperial Army, and the psychic sonar locator caste that is required for locate certain individual. For example, using their sonar ability.
"Perhaps you should spare his life captain!"
"Wha? What did you just say!?"
When Hiden about to execute the Mutant hostage, drawing his sword, of all people Renkik Yito, the newest and least experience, stunned the rest by nonchalantly protesting Mutant's mistreatment, especially Hiden himself as well as Masamune. Gazing him with shocking expression.
"What you mean 'spare him?"
"You heard me Captain. Terrarium Knights are supposed to be the protector of mankind, mighty warriors of the Great Brittonia Empire."
"That kind of bullshitting idealism is good on television. This is reality, not children's fairyland. Here we fight for your survival, a bulwark against the terror. Against the Abomination of the Fallen. Don't trust them, don't try to pity them. Bastards all of them!"
"I know that. But what's of point of killing some lousy janitor. Know killing won't give back the ones you lost."
"!?Ew..."
Tremendous shock overwhelmed Hiden's conscious became speechless, eyes widened with surprise, hearing something very rebellious, unexpected but fact from Renkik, still defending the poor useless hostage.
"Forgive me Captain for been out of line but I know you had traumatic experience; everyone has one in or to act in a certain way. But Please, no more bloodshed. I am sick of it. Just Let's us return to the base and from the frozen hell in peace."
It's been undeniable, Renkik Yito perhaps the nicest, moral upstanding Knight in the military. A genuinely nice person, not supremely good person who has unlimited kindness and compassion for others, but he's not unpleasant, obnoxious or an edgy rebel. A friendly, psychologically well-balanced, morally good and socially balanced soldier, and in short, someone anyone would like to be around and have as a friend. In contrast with Renkik's world where the natural proclivity of humanity is towards selfishness, apathy, violence and cynicism. Only a select few people manage to rise above their base nature to become something better, but the kernel of darkness is still in the blood. When humanity is descending into madness, in effect, even the "heroes" don't have clean hands. Despite working for the Empire whom has denounced by the other superpowers as genocidal, fanatical, aggressive, corrupt, mass-murdering apparatus. However, in the context of the environment, pretty much every other species is just as bad, if not worse than them while other human's regime reserves their malevolence for other humans, and without the Imperium's harsh rule helpless Imperians would be doomed to slavery, extinction, or fates worse than death.
Like Renkik said – Hiden did lose someone, his tensed eyes of sorrow and grief just gave everything. Lose of his beloved wife. She was brutally raped, murdered when she was pregnant by Mutant's fanatical cult, sacked his home, he was on a mission, pillaged everything, and then systematically gang-raped while carrying Hiden's child. At last then insert an iron rod into her vagina for no reason at all. She suffered hours in agonising death...
Their protest racism quickly turned to violence. The Fallenborn leaders and mild radical factions began involved in several violent crimes: robbing banks, Middle class houses, plunder and burn unguarded town, and kill even raped innocent humans who knew nothing of anything.
Instead of finding a peaceful solution, human's government send troops to fight and drive out from their domain, as a result gave birth of Mutant Radicals or Mutanic extremism which so across the world. As a worldwide oppressed minority, mutants are often used as extended metaphors for real-world people and situations. According to the author of "Sacred Chronicles of Mutantism", said— "mutants are hated, feared and despised collectively by humanity for no other reason than that they are mutants and they hold violent powers; destructive to humankind. So, what we have here, intended or not, is a book that is about racism, bigotry and prejudice."
The author also claims that, "the Mutant Extremists are inspired by the legend Redtron and other Mutant Emperors who revolted against discrimination. The leaders of the rebellions send their people to certain death because they are blind or manipulated. Never ending string of wars between humans and mutants will never cease because there is too much hostility between the two races worldwide." In his opinion, the Mutants are doomed to extinction for the crimes their ancestors did centuries back, so they try dragging everyone and everything along with them.