Building 1 on Guta Street was a three-story flat-roofed structure, just like every other building on the street. The first floor had two rooms, a dining room, a living room, a kitchen, a washroom, and a basement storage room. The second floor had six rooms and two washrooms; Goethe, his parents, younger brother, and aunt had all lived on this floor. The third floor had a large study, a living room, and a washroom, where Goethe's grandfather lived.
Like other houses, Building 1 on Guta Street had no back door and no garden. Opening the front door led straight to the street. Goethe didn't climb through a window; instead, he gripped a revolver in his mouth and used both hands and feet to climb up to the rooftop.
In "his memory," there was a door on the rooftop that led directly inside the house—this door was left for convenience when drying clothes. Below the door was a movable ladder, and the door wasn't locked; the ladder was simply moved aside when the door was closed.
Goethe silently opened the door.
After carefully peeking inside, Goethe leaped down.
As his feet touched the floor, a flood of familiar memories rushed in.
This gave Goethe a false sense of security.
Whoosh!
Goethe took a deep breath, dismissing that illusion.
Standing in the darkness, he squinted and scanned his surroundings.
The furniture hadn't moved, and the room's decorations were still intact. It was clear that the "creditors" hadn't broken in after "he" had left.
Of course, this wasn't because those "creditors" were merciful.
It was simply because the repayment deadline hadn't yet arrived.
Once the repayment deadline arrived…
Not just the furniture, but the entire house would be divided up by those "creditors."
Following his memory, Goethe immediately found the candlestick that had smashed into Hade's skull.
[Obtained Bloody Honor!]
...
When Goethe's fingers touched the candlestick, words appeared before his eyes.
Seeing the words, Goethe's tense nerves slightly relaxed. The overwhelming power he had felt moments before was etched in his mind. Even though there might be hidden dangers, the "Bloody Honor" was still indispensable for the current Goethe.
He didn't think the mist just now was a natural phenomenon.
As he thought of this, his barely relaxed nerves tensed again. Holding the candlestick, Goethe quickly headed to the kitchen.
Everything he needed was there.
At that moment, Goethe, who had been keeping an eye on the street, suddenly noticed the thick fog thinning!
"Is this…"
"An official intervention?!"
Goethe's eyes lit up.
After he had explained that the incident involved supernatural powers, the authorities had surely made arrangements. However, Goethe hadn't expected such a prompt response, especially compared to Swart, which made this all the more remarkable.
"If that's the case, I might slightly alter the plan!"
Faced with the good news, Goethe's lips curled into a smile.
Outside Guta Street, Delbert, who had been hiding in the shadows, saw the thick fog thinning and his face changed.
This had never happened in previous operations!
"Could something have happened to the master?"
The sudden change, along with the corpses by the carriage, made Delbert hesitant.
As the leader of this gang, Delbert was fully aware of their advantage.
Six gunmen?
Don't be ridiculous.
In places like Hunter's Bar, there were plenty of people like them.
What had allowed them to gain a bit of fame in Rust was the powerful figure who wielded extraordinary abilities.
But now, it seemed something had gone wrong with that figure…
"Find the target!"
"Take him out!"
As Delbert hesitated, the voice of that powerful figure suddenly echoed in his ears.
Although he didn't know what had happened, he dared not disobey the order from that figure.
Immediately, Delbert waved to two of his subordinates.
The two men quickly moved toward the carriage from both sides, while the remaining two took up positions, keeping an eye on the surroundings of the carriage.
They were aware that one person had escaped earlier.
The attackers approaching the carriage didn't expose themselves directly; instead, they used the shadows and walls to conceal their movements.
As a result, their progress was slow.
A few minutes later, they finally got close to the carriage.
One of them even saw Swart, curled up under the carriage seat, trembling.
Without hesitation, the attacker leaned out, raised his revolver.
But just as he was about to pull the trigger—
Bang!
A gunshot suddenly rang out.
The attacker fell to the ground.
Standing in the darkness, Goethe didn't even check to see if he had hit the target; after firing, he quickly retreated.
"Take him down!"
Delbert, seeing yet another fallen subordinate, shouted in fury.
The two remaining men didn't need Delbert's orders to start pulling their triggers.
Bang, bang, bang!
On the second floor of Building 1 on Guta Street, the window where Goethe had just fired was shattered to pieces.
The two gunmen, firing as they moved toward Building 1, were determined. One of them roughly dragged Swart out of the carriage, pressing a gun to Swart's temple, ready to use him as a human shield.
But it was futile.
Bang!
Another gunshot rang out.
Swart only felt his cheek grow warm as the person holding him fell at his feet. The bullet had entered through the attacker's eye, blowing away half his skull.
"A sharpshooter!"
"Take cover!"
Delbert didn't bother with Swart anymore. Shouting the command, he quickly ducked behind a nearby wall.
The remaining two gunmen also found cover.
Swart, however, felt his legs give way, his pants growing warm.
After hitting another target, Goethe quickly moved to a new position, surprised at his own accuracy.
The first shot had been carefully prepared, and the sudden attack had naturally hit its mark.
But the second shot had been uncertain.
In simple terms, it was a lucky shot.
But it had hit the opponent's eye, which was quite unexpected for Goethe.
After all, under normal circumstances, at this distance, even if he had aimed, he wouldn't have been so accurate.
As for accidentally injuring Swart?
Goethe didn't care at all.
"One bullet left."
"Next…"
"It's just a matter of waiting for the prey to walk into the trap."
Leaning against the wall at the corner of the third floor, Goethe glanced at the revolver's cylinder, took a deep breath, and then slowly picked up the book he had prepared earlier.
Outside, Delbert, still hiding in the shadows, hesitated once more.
Fighting a concealed sharpshooter in the dark was not a wise move.
Especially when they had already lost three men.
The remaining three couldn't effectively suppress the sharpshooter. Or to put it more accurately, showing themselves would mean death.
The two fallen subordinates were perfect examples.
"Should we retreat?"
The thought of escape surfaced again in Delbert's mind, but the next moment—
The mist that had just dissipated reappeared.
In the fog, Delbert and the remaining two gunmen smiled with relief.
"Charge in!"
Delbert shouted.
Immediately, under the cover of the thick fog, one of the gunmen started firing at the door of Building 1 on Guta Street.
Bang, bang, bang!
Gunshots echoed as one man emptied his revolver. While reloading, the other continued firing, and after two such cycles, the first floor of Building 1 was almost reduced to a sieve.
Naturally, under such circumstances, no one could survive and remain standing behind the door for an ambush.
One gunman kicked the shattered door open, holding his gun at the ready, while the other tactically rolled into the room.
But just as this gunman stood up, he felt a sticky, uncomfortable sensation in his palm. Instinctively, he raised his hand to his face, and the pungent smell hit him.
"Kerosene!"
The gunman was terrified and tried to retreat.
But it was too late.
Goethe, who had been hiding on the third floor, tossed down the book that had been soaked in kerosene and set alight.
Boom!
The burning book hit the floor, and flames immediately shot up.
The hallway was instantly engulfed in fire.
The gunman, now ablaze, turned into a human torch.
The other gunman, still reeling from the shock, was suddenly tackled to the ground by the burning man in a frenzy of pain.
The flames quickly spread.
The previously unscathed gunman was also set on fire.
"Ahhh!"
"Help me!"
The two gunmen, now aflame, tried to get up and run, seeking their boss's help.
Seeing the two burning subordinates rushing toward him, Delbert knew the consequences if they got too close.
Bang, bang!
Gunshots rang out, and the two fell.
Looking at the corpses of his subordinates, Delbert's expression turned grim.
What he had thought would be an easy mission had now left him all alone.
He was filled with hatred for Goethe, who was hiding in the house.
But more importantly, as a lone survivor, he had to prove his value to that powerful figure!
He knew well why he had been chosen by that figure as a subordinate.
It was only because he had five obedient subordinates.
But now all five were dead!
His value had significantly diminished!
He didn't want to be abandoned!
So—
As the fog poured into the house and the flames died down, Delbert couldn't wait to step into Building 1 on Guta Street.
(End of Chapter)