The capital's night was no longer peaceful.
The silence had shattered.
Around Rey's house, the street had turned into a battlefield, soaked in blood.
Bodies were scattered everywhere.
Some lay twisted across rooftops.
Some were pinned to walls.
Some had been split open so violently that the ground beneath them was painted dark red.
The surveillance squad had come as hunters.
Now they were nothing more than corpses decorating the street.
At the center of it all—
Victor stood calmly.
Rey's body moved under his control like a puppet of war.
The massive greatsword rested beside him.
His fingers were stained with fresh blood.
Moments earlier, he had crushed an assassin's neck with his bare hand.
The corpse still lay at his feet.
The remaining assassins trembled.
Fear had begun spreading among them.
Victor tilted his head slightly.
"What happened?"
His voice carried faint amusement.
"Why did you all stop attacking?"
His red eyes scanned them slowly.
"Was that everything you had?"
He rested a hand on the hilt of the greatsword.
"…Maybe I should start the hunt instead."
The moment the words ended—
Victor vanished.
The air distorted.
Then—
A scream tore through the street.
Everyone turned instantly.
Victor was already standing twenty meters away.
One assassin collapsed at his feet.
A massive slash had opened his chest from shoulder to waist.
Blood flooded across the stones.
Victor's greatsword dripped slowly.
No one had seen him move.
Not even the squad leader.
The man's eyes widened with dread.
'Impossible…
Even I barely caught that movement…'
If that strike had been aimed at him—
He wouldn't have survived.
The leader's instincts screamed danger.
"EVERYONE SCATTER!"
His voice exploded through the chaos.
"Fall back! Regroup!"
The surviving assassins snapped out of their fear.
They immediately retreated, spreading out across the street.
Victor watched them calmly.
Then sighed.
"…You're irritating."
The next moment—
He rushed forward.
Straight toward the squad leader.
His fist shot forward like a cannon.
But the leader was experienced.
He barely tracked Victor's movement.
Instinct forced him into a defensive stance.
His short sword rose to guard his body.
Then the punch landed.
CRACK!
The blade shattered instantly.
Victor's fist smashed through the weapon and slammed into the leader's arm.
Bone exploded under the impact.
The leader was thrown back like a rag doll.
His body crashed into a stone wall.
Dust exploded outward.
He collapsed to the ground, coughing blood.
His arm hung uselessly.
The bones were completely broken.
His internal organs trembled violently from the shockwave hidden within the punch.
Victor walked toward him slowly.
Each step echoed like a death sentence.
He stopped before the broken leader.
"Hm."
His voice was calm.
"Tell me something."
Victor leaned slightly closer.
"Why were you here?"
"What were you trying to steal?"
His eyes glowed deeper red.
"If you didn't answer…"
"Death might be the only mercy you may receive."
The squad leader laughed weakly.
Blood spilt from his mouth.
"You think… I'll betray my master because of a few injuries?"
He spat blood onto the ground.
"Go to hell."
Even while dying, he smiled viciously.
"Even if I die here… my subordinates will escape."
"They will report everything."
"Stronger people will come."
His eyes burned with hatred.
"Then we'll see how arrogant you remain when real monsters arrive."
Victor listened quietly.
Then tilted his head.
"…But what if nobody escapes?"
The leader frowned.
"What?"
Victor suddenly grabbed him by the back of the neck and lifted him into the air.
"Look."
He forced the leader to face the street.
And the man's expression froze.
Every assassin he had ordered to retreat…
Was lying on the ground.
Some twisted.
Some torn apart.
Some bleeding out silently.
None of them were standing.
None of them were alive.
Victor casually dropped the leader back onto the ground.
The man stared in horror.
"You…"
"You're a Psychic Artist…?"
His voice trembled.
"How can that be…?"
"Such a rare root… guarding a fallen heir…?"
"Who are you…?"
Victor sighed.
"Geez."
"I already told you."
"I control blood."
"Not telekinesis."
He raised one hand.
"Though… the result looks similar."
The street suddenly filled with screams.
From every direction.
The leader's head snapped around in panic.
His fallen subordinates—
The ones still barely alive—
Were suddenly convulsing violently.
Their bodies trembled.
Veins bulged across their skin.
Then—
They screamed.
"What… are you doing?!"
The leader roared.
Victor's voice remained calm.
"Tell me something."
"What do you think happens…"
"…when your own blood coils around your heart?"
Victor slowly closed his fingers.
"…and punctures it from the inside?"
Several assassins suddenly went silent.
Their bodies collapsed instantly.
Dead.
Victor looked down at the leader.
"They all died the same way."
"Quietly."
"Painfully."
His voice softened slightly.
"But you're the leader."
"You deserve something more… memorable."
The leader tried to move.
But suddenly—
A crushing pressure appeared in his chest.
His breathing stopped.
His vision blurred.
His body grew colder.
"What… are you doing…?"
His voice was barely audible.
Victor crouched beside him.
"Oh, nothing complicated."
He spoke almost kindly.
"I'm simply gathering all the blood in your body…"
"…into one place."
Victor tapped the leader's chest.
"Your heart."
The leader's eyes widened in horror.
"And now…"
Victor slowly clenched his fist.
"…I compress it."
The leader's entire body convulsed violently.
His veins bulged.
His skin turned pale.
"Eventually…"
Victor finished calmly.
"…it bursts like an overfilled balloon."
The leader trembled violently.
But suddenly—
He began laughing.
"You… monster…"
His shaking hand pulled a small signal flare from his belt.
Even while dying—
He crushed it.
A red flare shot into the sky.
It exploded into crimson mist above the capital.
Victor glanced up.
"…A signal."
He shrugged.
"Do you think that delays your death?"
The leader glared at him with hatred.
"You're worse than the monsters who command us…"
He coughed up blood again.
"They'll capture you."
"Experiment on you."
"You'll die like a lab rat."
Victor sighed.
"…Dramatic."
His fingers twitched.
The leader's body suddenly jerked.
Then went completely still.
The light faded from his eyes.
Victor released the corpse.
It collapsed lifelessly onto the ground.
Silence returned to the street.
Victor stared at the body briefly.
Then turned toward his house.
But before he moved—
His eyes lifted toward a rooftop.
Someone had been watching.
Victor had sensed him from the beginning.
But until now, the man had chosen not to reveal himself.
Victor rested the greatsword over his shoulder again.
"What happened?"
His voice echoed across the rooftop.
"You only show yourself after everyone dies?"
He smirked slightly.
"Were you measuring my strength the entire time?"
The man standing above finally spoke.
His voice was calm.
Cold.
"I don't care about those ants."
His gaze never left Victor.
"Hundreds more like them can be trained."
He extended a hand slightly.
"Give me the item."
"I might let you live."
Victor chuckled.
"Hoh…"
"So confident."
His crimson eyes narrowed.
"But I can hear the hesitation behind your words."
Victor pointed at him slowly.
"You're calculating."
"Whether you can kill me."
"How much damage will you suffer?"
"And whether death is a possibility."
Victor's voice turned mocking.
"Yet you still pretend you can win."
He tilted his head.
"Don't you think that's a little bold?"
The night grew silent again.
"Oh… so you're a mind reader too?"
The man's voice carried faint amusement.
"Then let me show you the difference between you and me."
He slowly stepped forward on the rooftop edge.
"At first, I was thinking of letting you leave alive. After all… we're almost the same level."
His eyes hardened.
"But if you're asking for death…"
He jumped down from the roof.
"…why should I hold back?"
His boots landed on the ruined street with a dull thud.
For the first time, Victor could see him clearly.
The man wore a tight dark coat over a simple pair of jeans.
His posture was relaxed.
Too relaxed.
Behind his back, two strange weapons were strapped across his shoulders.
Victor's eyes narrowed.
They looked like curved blades… but the way they were positioned made no sense for daggers or swords.
'Strange…'
His gaze sharpened.
'If that guess is correct…
Then this fight might become troublesome.'
The man rolled his neck slowly, loosening his shoulders.
"I don't like killing people without introductions."
His lips curved slightly.
"I am Kelric."
"Now tell me… who are you?"
Victor looked at him like one would look at trash on the street.
"…Are you worthy of knowing my name?"
Kelric blinked.
Victor's voice grew colder.
"Go look at your face in a mirror first."
"Weaklings like you are nothing but pebbles on the path I walk."
For a moment—
Kelric went silent.
Then suddenly—
He began laughing.
Not a normal laugh.
A hysterical, unhinged one.
"Hahahahahaha!"
His shoulders shook.
"What arrogance!"
His eyes gleamed wildly.
"You're even more arrogant than the most arrogant bas*ard I've ever met!"
His smile twisted.
"Fine."
His body suddenly leaned forward.
"Then die."
BOOM!
The street cracked as Kelric burst forward.
But Victor had already vanished.
Both figures moved at the same time.
They appeared face-to-face in the next instant.
Victor's hand slashed forward like a blade.
Kelric bent his body backwards at an almost impossible angle.
The strike missed his throat by a hair.
And in that tiny moment—
Kelric's hands moved behind his back.
The weapons flashed free.
Two curved blades snapped into his grip.
But they were not ordinary blades.
Each one was shaped like a double-edged crescent disc.
A handle ran through the center, allowing Kelric to grip them firmly while the sharpened edges curved outward like a spinning saw.
Victor's eyes sharpened instantly.
'Just as I thought…'
Kelric twisted his body and swung both disc blades in a vicious cross strike.
Victor stepped back instantly.
The blades sliced through the air where his neck had been.
The wind pressure alone carved a shallow line across the wall behind him.
Victor's gaze turned serious.
He quickly retreated toward his greatsword.
His hand closed around the hilt.
The massive blade rose smoothly.
Right on time—
Kelric attacked again.
One of the disc blades suddenly flew out of his hand.
It spun through the air as a screaming buzz saw.
Victor swung his greatsword.
CLANG!
The disc deflected away violently.
But Kelric was already in front of him.
The man attacked relentlessly.
His second blade carved vicious arcs through the air.
The street exploded with sparks and shattered stone as their weapons clashed.
Houses cracked.
Walls split open.
Every strike carried killing intent.
Yet Victor's attention wasn't fully on Kelric.
Something felt wrong.
Kelric's lips curved slightly during one exchange.
A smile.
Victor's eyes widened.
'So that's your trick.'
Without hesitation—
He jumped high into the air.
At that exact moment—
A metallic scream came from behind him.
Victor twisted his body mid-air.
The first disc blade he had deflected earlier was returning.
It shot toward him like a guided missile.
"DIEEEE!"
Kelric roared.
At the same time—
He hurled the second disc blade straight at Victor.
One from the front.
One from behind.
Victor was trapped mid-air.
A perfect execution.
Kelric's grin widened.
'You're finished.'
But then—
Victor moved.
His muscles tightened.
His grip on the greatsword hardened despite the strain on Rey's body.
He twisted his torso unnaturally.
The blade moved like a storm.
CRANK!
The first disc collided with the greatsword and was knocked aside.
But Victor didn't stop.
His body forced itself into another impossible swing.
CRANK!
The second disc exploded away in the opposite direction.
The impact tore Rey's palms open.
Blood ran down the hilt of the sword.
Both spinning blades slammed into nearby walls and embedded themselves deep into the stone.
Victor landed heavily on the ground.
His breathing was steady.
But his expression had grown serious.
He looked directly at Kelric.
"…Just as I expected."
"You're a Psychic Warrior."
Kelric stared at him for a moment.
Then slowly smiled.
"So you figured it out."
The embedded disc blades suddenly trembled.
Stone cracked around them.
Then—
They ripped themselves free.
Both weapons floated through the air.
They returned to Kelric's side like loyal hunting beasts.
Hovering silently beside him.
Kelric crossed his arms casually.
"Hm."
"Maybe you really are a mind reader."
"To recognise my ability before seeing the full attack…"
His smile widened.
"But unfortunately for you…"
The floating discs began vibrating violently.
"…it won't change the result."
The weapons suddenly shot forward again.
Blades spinning so fast they became blurry streaks.
They rushed toward Victor's throat.
Victor stood completely still.
Watching them approach.
And slowly—
A smile appeared on his face.
The real fight…
Was finally starting.