The street had become a battlefield.
What used to be a quiet residential road of the capital now looked like the aftermath of a siege.
Walls were cracked open.
Roofs had collapsed.
Doors had been torn from hinges.
Stone and wood littered the ground like rubble after an earthquake.
At the center of that destruction—
Victor stood facing Kelric.
The night air trembled with killing intent.
Above Kelric's head, two disc blades floated silently in the air.
They ignored gravity completely.
The curved weapons spun slowly, humming with psychic energy.
Then—
Kelric flicked his fingers.
The discs launched forward like predators.
SHRIEEEEK!
The blades tore through the air with terrifying speed.
Victor's greatsword moved instantly.
CLANG!
Sparks exploded as the first blade struck his weapon.
The second curved behind him like a hunting hawk.
Victor twisted his body.
The disc missed his throat by less than an inch before slamming into a nearby wall.
BOOM!
Stone exploded outward.
The weapon curved back again.
Like a boomerang guided by invisible hands.
Victor's eyes sharpened.
'Annoying ability.'
The discs attacked again.
Left.
Right.
Behind.
Above.
Kelric's control was ruthless.
The weapons came from impossible angles.
Victor dodged when he could.
Blocked when he had to.
Every clash echoed through the ruined street.
CLANG!
CRACK!
SHRIEK!
Each time the discs struck buildings instead of him, more destruction followed.
Walls collapsed.
Windows shattered.
Roofs split open.
The entire street was slowly being carved apart.
Victor clicked his tongue.
'Troublesome.'
Now that he knew Kelric was a Psychic Warrior, the fight had become far more irritating.
In his old time—
Users like these were called Spirit Masters.
They controlled objects through willpower.
Some could even invade the minds of others.
For a physical combatant like Victor…
They were among the most irritating opponents imaginable.
Even in his previous life—
He had once fallen to a telekinetic user.
Aiden's Former Master.
Just another monster of that cursed path.
Victor's expression darkened slightly.
'Disgusting abilities.'
Another disc screamed toward his neck.
Victor knocked it aside.
CLANG!
But the repeated defence began to show its cost.
Rey's body was not his own.
It was lighter.
Faster.
But far less durable than the body Victor once possessed.
His arms were starting to ache.
His muscles screamed from repeated impacts.
Even the grip on the greatsword had begun to tremble slightly.
The discs attacked again.
Victor blocked.
Then dodged another.
Then another.
The street around them continued collapsing.
Victor's clothes had several cuts now.
Small wounds dotted Rey's body.
Though Victor closed them quickly using blood control, the constant pressure was beginning to irritate him.
'I could kill this fool…'
But that would cause bigger problems.
Victor's senses stretched outward.
More spectators were gathering in the distance.
Residents.
Guards.
Hidden spies.
And worst of all—
If he pushed this fight too far, stronger enemies might appear.
Annoying.
Victor's gaze shifted briefly toward Rey's house.
Inside—
Two weak life signatures lay on the ground floor.
The servants.
Unconscious.
Victor's blood-sensing ability quickly confirmed it.
'Still alive.'
A sigh escaped him.
'This kid's luck is terrible.'
Victor subtly manipulated the blood within their bodies.
A pulse.
A twitch.
Moments later—
Both servants began waking up inside the house.
Victor finally relaxed slightly.
Good.
Now the noise inside the house would alert others.
That meant witnesses.
Which meant Victor could soon disappear and return as Rey.
But in that brief moment of distraction—
Kelric attacked.
"You dare ignore me while fighting?!"
His voice exploded with fury.
"Then die!"
Both discs returned to his hands.
Psychic energy surged.
The weapons suddenly merged together.
Metal shifted and locked.
Four curved blades extended outward.
A four-edged killing disc.
Kelric hurled it forward.
The weapon spun like a hurricane.
The air screamed.
Victor immediately sensed danger.
He leapt upward.
But that was exactly what Kelric wanted.
Kelric vanished.
Then reappeared above Victor in midair.
Victor reacted instantly.
His greatsword rose to defend.
But Kelric didn't care.
The spinning four-blade disc suddenly reversed direction and slammed into Victor's sword.
CRAAAAAANG!
The impact was monstrous.
The rotating blades tore against the greatsword like a giant saw.
Sparks exploded everywhere.
Victor felt the terrifying cutting force grinding against the metal.
The blade vibrated violently.
Heat spread through the weapon from pure friction.
Even Victor was pushed downward.
BOOM.
His body smashed into the wall of a house.
The structure collapsed instantly.
Victor disappeared beneath a mountain of debris.
Dust filled the entire street.
Kelric landed lightly.
A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
"Finally."
He raised his hand.
The disc weapon trembled.
But—
It didn't return.
Kelric frowned.
"…What?"
He increased the psychic pull.
The weapon trembled harder.
Still—
It wouldn't move.
Kelric's eyes narrowed.
Using telekinesis, he lifted the surrounding debris.
Stone chunks floated into the air.
And beneath them—
He saw it.
A hand.
Gripping the spinning disc blade tightly.
Victor's hand.
Kelric's anger exploded instantly.
"You—!"
Before he could attack—
The rubble began to tremble and shake.
BOOM!
All the rubble exploded outward.
Victor stepped out of the crater.
Dust rolled off his shoulders.
In his hand—
He was holding the four-bladed disc like a toy.
The weapon struggled violently under Kelric's psychic control.
But Victor's grip didn't move an inch.
Victor looked at it casually.
"You really know how to play with this thing."
Then he smirked.
"But I know someone who could use it better than you."
His eyes glowed faintly.
"So… thanks for the gift."
The disc vanished instantly.
Stored inside Victor's spatial storage.
Kelric's face twisted with rage.
"You thief!"
"Give my weapon back!"
"You're not worthy to even touch it!"
Fury erupted from him.
Dozens of broken stones rose into the air.
They shot toward Victor like cannonballs.
Victor swung his greatsword calmly.
CRASH!
CRACK!
Every stone shattered instantly.
Kelric's eyes focused on the sword.
There—
A deep cut remained where the disc had struck earlier.
The blade had almost been sliced apart.
Yet Victor still wielded it effortlessly.
Kelric clenched his teeth.
"Give. Me. My—"
Suddenly—
A violent tremor struck his skull.
Kelric staggered.
Pain exploded inside his head like a hammer smashing his brain.
He looked forward in shock.
Victor was pointing two fingers at him.
"Relax."
Victor's voice was calm.
"We're stopping here."
Kelric tried to move.
But suddenly—
A crushing pressure formed inside his chest.
His breathing became ragged.
His vision blurred.
Victor slowly closed his hand.
"There are… unexpected guests arriving."
Victor turned away casually.
"I'll leave now."
He glanced back once.
"If you still want to die over that weapon…"
"…feel free to chase me."
Victor clenched his fist.
Kelric collapsed to one knee.
His heart felt like it was being squeezed by invisible hands.
Victor disappeared the next second.
The pressure suddenly vanished.
Kelric gasped for air.
His body trembled violently in anger and shame.
His face was fully red.
He looked around.
Victor was gone.
"…Blood control…"
Kelric whispered.
"Is such an ability even possible…?"
His communicator suddenly activated.
"Sir!"
A voice shouted urgently.
"Hosric Valemont has left the mansion in fury!"
"He's heading straight toward your location!"
"Orders say we must evacuate immediately before he arrives!"
Kelric's eyes widened.
'So that's why he left…'
But then—
Kelric suddenly felt it.
A terrifying presence approaching rapidly.
He looked to the right.
His instincts screamed danger.
Without hesitation—
Kelric vanished into the night.
Moments later—
The storm of a far greater monster arrived.
Only a few seconds passed after Kelric vanished.
Then—
BOOM.
An explosion shattered the silence as a figure crashed into the destroyed street.
Stone shattered beneath his landing.
Dust surged outward in a shockwave.
It was Hosric Valemont.
And he was furious.
His eyes slowly moved across the battlefield.
Broken houses.
Collapsed walls.
Cracked streets.
The entire area looked as if a small war had taken place.
His jaw tightened.
A terrifying pressure began radiating from his body.
The air itself seemed to grow heavy.
Anyone nearby could feel the suffocating rage rolling off him.
But Hosric himself remained silent.
Deadly silent.
His gaze slowly followed the trail of destruction.
Until—
It reached the house.
Rey's house.
The shattered window of Rey's room was clearly visible from the street.
Hosric's eyes instantly turned bloodshot.
A violent aura burst from him.
The pressure around him doubled.
The ground beneath his feet cracked.
Without another second wasted—
He leapt upward.
His body shot toward the destroyed window like a cannonball.
He landed inside the room.
His eyes swept across the surroundings instantly.
The entire room was in chaos.
Furniture overturned.
Drawers ripped open.
Books scattered everywhere.
Someone had clearly searched the room thoroughly.
Hosric's expression darkened.
Then—
His gaze landed on the bed.
A body was lying there.
Covered under a blanket.
Hosric froze.
His heartbeat suddenly grew louder.
Because he noticed something.
Blood.
There was blood on the blanket.
For a moment—
His mind stopped working.
Countless horrible possibilities flashed through his head.
Slowly…
Very slowly…
Hosric approached the bed.
His hands trembled slightly.
Sweat formed on his forehead.
He grabbed the edge of the blanket.
And gently pulled it back.
Hair appeared first.
Then the head.
Hosric immediately recognised the face.
Rey.
His nephew.
Relief appeared for a brief second.
But his eyes quickly moved lower.
Toward the chest.
Toward the place where the blood stain was.
His hand stopped moving.
For the first time in years—
Hosric hesitated.
He almost closed his eyes.
Preparing himself for the worst.
Then—
He pulled the blanket away completely.
And froze.
There was nothing.
No wound.
No cut.
No injury.
Not even a scratch on Rey's body.
His clothes were intact.
Completely clean.
Hosric blinked in disbelief.
He quickly examined the blanket again.
No blade cuts.
No tears.
Nothing.
Then his gaze moved toward the bed.
A large patch of blood covered one corner of the mattress.
Understanding slowly dawned on him.
"…He wasn't lying here when the blood fell."
Hosric exhaled slowly.
The tension in his chest loosened slightly.
Someone else's blood had landed on the bed.
Not Rey's.
Still—
The entire situation made no sense.
Hosric called out.
The two servants hiding downstairs slowly appeared.
Both looked disoriented.
They had just regained consciousness.
Unfortunately—
Neither of them knew anything.
They remembered nothing about the battle.
And Rey himself was still asleep.
Hosric stared at his nephew for a moment.
The boy looked completely peaceful.
As if nothing had happened.
Hosric turned away.
He immediately contacted the Valemont mansion.
Guards were dispatched.
Even the city authorities were called to investigate.
After that—
Hosric returned outside.
He wanted to check the battlefield again.
When he arrived earlier, he clearly saw bodies scattered across the street.
Assassins.
All killed by a single weapon.
He began counting the locations.
But then—
He stopped.
His brows furrowed.
"…Where are they?"
The street was empty.
Completely empty.
Every corpse had disappeared.
Not a single body remained.
Hosric immediately ended the call.
He jumped down and examined the area carefully.
Nothing.
No bodies.
Not even dragged marks.
Everything had vanished.
"…Someone removed them."
Hosric looked toward the distant center of the capital.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Who?"
Only a few groups in the city had the ability to erase a scene this cleanly.
But there was no point reporting it.
Even if he did—
No one would pursue the matter.
Hosric finally let it go.
Rey was safe.
That was enough for him.
Still…
He looked once more at the ruined street.
"I'm certain this entire mess…"
"…started because of that dagger."
His gaze turned thoughtful.
"But who was the one fighting those assassins?"
"A benefactor of the Dragonstorm family…?"
"Or something else entirely?"
He sighed.
"Whoever it was…"
"…they saved Rey tonight."
At that moment—
A Valemont family car arrived to assist him.
Hosric returned upstairs to check on Rey again.
But far away in another part of the city—
Inside a silent room—
Kelric was kneeling on the floor.
Sweat dripped down his face.
His body trembled slightly.
In front of him stood a man.
A single figure.
Calm.
Silent.
But the cold pressure radiating from him was enough to freeze the air.
Kelric swallowed nervously.
"Sir—"
SLAP.
The sound echoed sharply through the room.
Kelric's body flew sideways and crashed to the floor.
Blood spilt from his mouth.
His cheek instantly swelled.
The man standing before him lowered his hand slowly.
His voice was cold.
Emotionless.
"…What a waste."
The room fell into an even deeper silence.
And the night outside suddenly felt far darker than before.