A startled cry echoed through the hallway.
Black Hand Legion mbers imdiately dropped what they were doing and poured out of their rooms in a steady stream. Among them were the scruffy man and the compound's supervisor, Greg.
"What's going on?"
"Soone's attacking us?"
"They've got so serious guts!"
The scruffy man barked out his questions, while a group of hardened fighters gathered behind him—so of the best in the compound, including a few A-rank Awakeners.
"Alright, boys, let's go check it out!" he called, and the response was imdiate.
But Greg frowned. Sothing felt off. The slaughter outside—it wasn't random. It was planned.
Sure, the Black Hand Legion had its fair share of psychopaths who killed for fun, but they didn't just start butchering their own people indiscriminately. And if anyone ever did, they were either put down or dealt with fast.
"We should be careful. We don't even know who these people are," Greg warned.
"Relax, boss. There's a ton of us. What, you think they're gonna flip the whole damn world upside down?" the scruffy man scoffed.
He figured it was just so survivors who had escaped or maybe a few Awakeners from a shelter sneaking in to rescue people. It wouldn't be the first ti sothing like this had happened.
With that, the group stord downstairs, their footsteps heavy with confidence. But the mont they stepped outside, their expressions shifted—shock, then fear.
The courtyard was a massacre. Bodies were strewn everywhere, limbs twisted at unnatural angles. So had been sliced clean in half, their upper bodies still twitching, trying to crawl forward.
Blood painted the ground in thick, glistening streaks. Entrails spilled out, steaming in the cool air.
"Help… help …"
A half-severed man dragged himself toward the scruffy man, reaching out with a trembling hand. Blood gushed from his mouth, his eyes filled with sheer desperation.
Then, his breath hitched—and stopped. His hand dropped limply to the ground.
"Shit…"
The scruffy man's cocky deanor vanished. His gut twisted with unease.
Who the hell could've done this?
In just minutes, nearly a hundred Black Hand Legion mbers had been wiped out.
"We have to stop them—now!" Greg snapped, urgency creeping into his voice.
The group picked up their pace, rushing toward the source of the carnage.
And then they saw her.
A girl stood at the center of the bloodbath, a tachi in her grip. The blade glead red, fresh blood dripping from its edge.
She was slender, her skin pale, her features delicate—stunningly beautiful.
Mia slowly lifted her gaze, locking eyes with the scruffy man.
"I ca for you."
The scruffy man's breath hitched. "You… what…?"
His voice faltered, his mind racing.
Yesterday.
He had t her yesterday, in the neighboring compound. She had said she was new.
Which ant…
She was never part of the Black Hand Legion.
She was an Awakener from a shelter.
And if that was the case…
Then the people in the neighboring compound—they were already dead.
She and her group must have slaughtered them all.
And then opened the door for him.
A cold shiver ran down his spine.
He had been standing just one door away from a massacre.
And he hadn't even known.
Greg's eyes narrowed. "You've seen her before?"
"Yeah… Yesterday, when I was delivering a ssage. She was in the other compound. I think… I think Victor and the others are all dead."
Greg's pupils shrank.
So it wasn't just so random attack.
"You were just saying we could handle them," Greg muttered.
"Uh… yeah, about that… Boss, maybe we should all go in together," the scruffy man said, suddenly a lot less sure of himself.
Greg nodded. "Agreed."
"Kill them!"
At his command, the Black Hand Legion mbers roared, drawing their weapons and charging forward.
The battle erupted once more.
The scruffy man was among them, gripping his short blade tightly as he lunged at Mia.
The air whistled as his blade sliced forward, fast and sharp—his speed was no joke. As an A-rank Awakener specializing in agility, his close-combat skills were formidable.
But against Mia? He was still leagues behind.
She swung her tachi in a sweeping arc, effortlessly knocking his short blade aside. The sheer force of the impact split the skin between his thumb and forefinger, sending a sharp jolt of pain up his arm.
Before he could react, Mia thrust her tachi forward.
Schlkk!
The blade pierced straight through his shoulder.
"AAAHHH—!!" The scruffy man howled in agony.
Mia had aid for his heart—she thought she'd do him a favor and end it quickly.
But he managed to dodge, just barely. A few inches off the mark.
"Huh. You don't look very happy," Mia mused, tilting her head.
The scruffy man shuddered. Her voice—it wasn't human. It was the whisper of a demon.
How the hell was he supposed to be happy right now?!
Wait.
Where the hell was Greg?
In the chaos, the scruffy man suddenly realized sothing—Greg was supposed to be fighting alongside him. They had agreed to take her on together.
But now?
There was no sound from Greg. No movent.
If the two of them had attacked at the sa ti, they might've stood a chance.
Frantic, the scruffy man turned his head, scanning the area.
And then he saw him.
Greg was standing just a few feet away.
Frozen.
Not moving an inch.
Like he was just watching the show.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing?! Get over here and help !" the scruffy man shouted.
But Greg didn't respond.
He just stood there, trembling.
His eyes—wide, filled with terror—like he was enduring so unbearable agony.
Like if he moved even a little, his body would collapse.
And then—
The scruffy man saw it.
The most horrifying thing he had ever witnessed.
A figure materialized behind Greg.
Ethan.
He hadn't been there a second ago. He had just… appeared.
And then, with a casual motion, Ethan reached out—
His fingers sank into the back of Greg's skull.
And with terrifying ease, he pulled out Greg's crystal core.
Greg's body crumpled to the ground.
Lifeless.
The whole thing had taken re seconds.
Effortless.
Like swatting a fly.
The scruffy man stood there, stunned. His mind went blank.
Greg was A rank. A supervisor-level Awakener.
And he had been killed like it was nothing.
And that ability…
That wasn't human.
"No way… Is he a Zombie King?"
The thought struck him like a bolt of lightning. His face twisted in disbelief.
But Mia wasn't about to give him ti to process it.
Her tachi flashed through the air, crackling with electricity.
The blade moved so fast it tore through the sound barrier.
There was no ti to dodge.
Schlkk!
A deep gash split open across the scruffy man's chest. Blood sprayed into the air as he collapsed forward.
This ti…
He was really "happy."
With two high-ranking mbers dead, the rest of the Black Hand Legion fell into chaos.
Panic set in.
They finally realized—
They weren't even in the sa league as their opponents.
"RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"
Soone in the crowd scread, and then—
The stampede began.
Mia, Sean, and the others surged forward, cutting them down as they fled.
They had done this before. Many tis.
Their teamwork was seamless.
Victory was already in their hands.
And damn, it felt good.
"Winner, winner, chicken dinner…" soone muttered with a grin.
…
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