Thirty minutes prior, after the wealthy district of Bazef. The sun has set and the sky is dark.

  Three men are walking toward a rental house. One is tall with visible muscles and scars all over his arms. Another is tall but thin, though he still shows a good physical build. The last one is shorter than both, an average height with his head at the level of their shoulders. He holds a bottle of wine in hand.

  Up at the veranda, the big one checks his pocket while the thin one speaks. "It's so annoying. I haven't drunk enough to be drunk. Couldn't you let me gulp more beer? Who even leaves the bar so early?!" He directs his complaint at the short one, barely able to stand straight.

  The short one looks at him with a tired expression. Placing his hand on his face, he glances at the one unlocking the door. "Doesn't it take too much time?"

  "Hey, don't ignore me."

  "Indeed, it takes time because of this." The big one points at the paper wedged in the small gap of the locked door. He gazes back at the short one. "I doubt it's something problematic. Maybe a kid's prank, but we don't know."

  The short one walks along the line of the veranda to the window.

  "Some dust got wiped. Faint but still visible."

  "Hey, stop ignoring me!!"

  The big one stands straight up. "Does it mean someone found out who we are?"

  "Hey!!" The thin one keeps talking, but he's been cast aside from the conversation.

  "The trail suggests the person looked inside. If they truly were hostile, they would've forced the door." He looks back at the big one. "You can open safely."

  "If you say so, Rahid." The big one gets back to opening it.

  Rahid sends his hand to his torso pocket, pulls out a cigarette, and places it in his mouth. With the same swift motion, he picks a box of matches from his other pocket, then lights the cigarette and drags.

  The door opens. The piece of paper falls down.

  "It looks like a letter," the big one says.

  The others turn their attention to him.

  Rahid puffs. "Please, Hirou, read the content."

  Hirou nods and unfolds the letter. "There's no address to the receiver. Anyways. 'Dear interlocutor, I'm not willing to reveal your names in case of interception of the letter. One of the victims of last night's incident recovered. They revealed all what they knew…'" He pauses, his expression growing worried the more he reads. "'Upon investigations, we found out who you were and are willing to negotiate. The salary of a soldier isn't so much as to not worry about luxury, so if I resolve this matter without any issues, we can meet at the place where the incident happened. This night only, or else I'll reveal your whereabouts.'"

  After he stops, Rahid looks at the thin one whose expression has grown sober. Rather, he realizes it's not time to goof off.

  "Is it serious? Up until now, the soldiers have been chasing around for the recruits. It can't be real. They can't possibly believe in anything they were told." The thin one exclaims.

  Rahid holds his cigarette for a while. "You've lost your marbles. If they picked that up behind you, they can be somewhat certain about the presence of someone from the sect in the area. It's easier to believe someone hostile to their society caused so much damage rather than a wannabe soldier."

  "But then, if they did that, why chase after the recruits?"

  "A device to lure us? Deceiving the other soldiers to get the most profit? I don't know. What's concerning is that they found us." He puffs out some smoke. "What is concerning is that they just came by and we met nobody on our way. It looks like they just got confirmation. They've been really checking on us."

  The thin one grabs Rahid by the collar. "There's no way it can be possible. I did everything like you told me." His eyes twitch like he's about to cry. "Will big sis hate us for this mistake?"

  Rahid stays unbothered. "The sheer mention of 'us' like you're not the one who sold our disguise." He grits his teeth.

  Hirou casts the thin one aside with enough strength to make him fall. "Stop it now, Kaleb. It's no use to panic if they haven't shared that information yet. Besides, there is a Bazef stamp on the letter. I doubt it's fabricated."

  "I'm sorry. I should've watched my back." Kaleb's tears flow down as he looks away from them. "My inattention caused it."

  Rahid squats down, looking at Kaleb deep in the eyes. This action forces him to crawl back.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  A grin appears on Rahid's face. "They haven't told anybody, so why are we worried?" He takes a deep drag, then blows the smoke on Kaleb's face. "After all, the people playing this prank on us are going to die."

  Kaleb stares, his face pale. "You suggest we go kill them?"

  Hirou interjects. "We? No. Only I." His face is solemn.

  "That's a suicide mission. It's unreasonable."

  "Location, information, and overall he's less reckless than you." Rahid sounds amused. "After all, if they're not graded, a soldier is just the background in the image."

  Kaleb gets up. "Still, going together would be safer."

  "No. Some of them might be lurking around." Hirou's back faces them. "Kaleb, I'm doing this to wipe out your mess. Next time I won't do anything. You'll have to clear it yourself. Both of you aren't in shape to handle dynamic fights. I'll make sure to be quick."

  Rahid points at the door with his thumb. "I guess this will have to be concluded inside."

  A pincer appears, carrying a combination of black and red tissue. In a matter of seconds, Hirou is completely dressed.

  "Come back to us safe," Kaleb expresses.

  Hirou vanishes, prompting Rahid to lock the door.

  "This woke us up, bad when all I wanted was to sleep early."

  "Don't say that. He's going to risk it. We should've followed him even if it was for caution, just to be sure."

  In the main room, Rahid lies on the sofa. "Thinking about that now is pointless. Just sleep and time will fly. By tomorrow he'll be present here with us." With that, he closes his eyes, and Kaleb looks at him in disbelief.

  "If you say so, I'll do as you advise." Kaleb goes to his room and lies on his bed.

  After running to the incident area, the scenery hits hard. The realization of the damages makes Hirou slow down a little. The sprint turns to a jog, then to steps. He walks the path of ruins and gets to the destroyed alley.

  A pink pajama and red twin tails, sitting on the ground with her back facing him. He makes no sound. The steps get slower and closer.

  She doesn't budge. He's finally centimeters away from her. His hands approach her neck meticulously.

  "Watch out!" A voice echoes, getting closer.

  That sound alerts Dalia, who realizes the presence behind her.

  Something crashes on the ground, separating them. Hirou steps back and gazes at his opposition.

  "Crap, I was so close to having you go so easily." His voice is disturbing, sounding sorry for what he's going to do.

  Two men get to the side of Dalia. Their faces tensed by the vision in front of them.

  "Is he the person we're after?" One of them asks.

  The other stays on guard. "Only the person targeted by the letter will get here." He swallows. "At least that's what Melissa said."

  "I understand it now." Hirou gazes at the sky. "It was a trap. Hurrying and taking quick decisions didn't help me in this case." He looks back at them. "Are you really ready for this?" His attention focuses on Dalia, who hasn't recovered from her startle.

  Her body trembles. Her left hand weakly reaches her neck. The touch makes it fall back down. She lowers her head.

  "Are you okay, Dalia?" The first man asks, concerned.

  "Are you sure you can permit yourself to chat in my sight?" Hirou begins to walk.

  Dalia looks back up, eyes red like she's holding tears. "I almost died." Her voice cracks. "I almost died without even knowing." Her face frowns. "You'll pay for making me look like a fool."

  As soon as those words are blurred out, Hirou is now standing between them in a blink of an eye.

  They look shocked.

  The one on guard quickly turns with an armed punch. "I haven't moved my eyes. How?"

  In that instant, as his fist aims at Hirou's head, a purple aura in the form of a needle appears on the man's neck. His punch misses the target. Falling down with the motion he put in, Hirou without letting him touch the ground kicks him in the face. His body flies, head smashing the wall before falling into the debris.

  "Is that the best you can offer?" Hirou says, standing on the same spot, staring at Dalia.

  The other man raises his left hand, golden aura surging from his feet up to his body.

  "You'll pay for that!" He forms claws with the aura.

  His mouth opens again for a slight moment before colliding with Hirou's fist. His teeth fly as his body is ejected. Like a fountain, his blood decorates the path as he's in the air.

  He falls, his face unrecognizable, the form of Hirou's fist engraved on his skull.

  Hirou shakes his left hand, blood dripping. "How slow," he says calmly, almost bored.

  The look on Dalia's face changes, no longer that of a beast about to fight back but of someone about to surrender.

  "Just what the hell are you?"

  Hirou ignores her question. "Tell me, is this all of you, or are there more?" He cracks his neck. "I want to get it all done fast, to serve as an example."

  The clouds move. The alley isn't completely dark anymore.

  "L-like I'm going to tell you anything."

  "Whatever. Haha. You're not escaping from me. Whether you're ten or a hundred, it doesn't make any difference. You're going to die this night."

  After the words are pronounced, the body of Dalia is held high by the neck as she tries to defend herself. Then she's slammed on the ground. She taps his arms with all her might. Her eyeballs are almost completely facing up.

  "You understand this is futile, right?" His voice is still calm. "The last thing you should do is pray you have better luck in your next life."

  As soon as he says that, he looks up, feeling a presence. In front of him, Everest runs at him. That sight is amusing to him. A small laugh leaves from beneath his mask under the hood.

  In an instant, Everest is sent flying in the air. He rolls on the ground, body scraping before he stays steady.

  Hirou lets Dalia free from his grip. He then walks steadily toward Everest. Dalia gasps for air, but he doesn't seem to notice.

  "You survived from that. You're slightly tougher than the others, but that's all about it."

  As the steps get closer, Everest closes his eyes, awaiting his fate.

  Hirou's left hand gets closer. "I thought you'd show more than them."

  Splash!

  High-pressure water assails Hirou's hand. He looks at the direction of the blow. A kick approaches his face from the other side. He barely blocks it with the same hand. Jiaolong forces with his kick, barely pushing him away.

  "You should've aimed for my head."

  "Sorry, my aim is bad on long distance." Melissa gets closer to Jiaolong, covering Everest.

  "He's in bad shape," Jiaolong comments.

  "So are the others." She looks at the different bodies on the ground. She frowns. "I'm actually surprised he survived." Her voice cracks.

  "Melissa, I can't promise you to be of help, but this is our lives we're risking. So after this, I expect fair retribution." Jiaolong begins to place himself in a fighting stance as azure blue aura surrounds him.

  "I didn't know a hero was this vicious, but high risk, high rewards, so focus on surviving. The others are going to be here soon."

  On the wet ground, water spatters as Hirou is now in front of Jiaolong with a fully launched punch.

  Jiaolong's eyes barely follow his movements.