Chapter 104: The Night of the Purge (3)

“Ugh…”

Knox’s upper teeth pierced his lower lip. A metallic taste flooded his mouth as blood seeped between his teeth. Slowly, he released the arm he had been holding.

Assassins, by nature, are those who constantly walk the edge of death.

Taking another’s life.

No matter how justified the reason, they must always be prepared to face their own death.

That is the karma assassins must bear.

However, between mental preparation and reality, there is a cruel and insurmountable abyss.

Knox slowly lifted his gaze. His previously sunken pupils ignited with a crimson glow full of fury. The veins in his eyes became pronounced as his eyes widened intensely.

Activating his visual acuity, Knox attempted to discern the darkness beyond the door.

He wanted to lunge forward immediately, but he restrained himself. He wasn’t reckless enough to act without understanding the situation.

With all his senses on high alert, a chill ran down his skin.
The wild and ominous energy seeping through the crack in the door made him instinctively step back.

‘…Magic.’

The amount of magical power emanating couldn’t be compared to what he had sensed moments ago. The air wasn’t just cold—it felt tainted with an abyssal blackness.

As Knox continued staring intently at the door, Altair spoke to him calmly.

“Knox, don’t let your emotions control you.”

“…Yes.”

“We haven’t identified the enemy yet, so stay composed.”

Altair’s voice carried serenity, but in contrast, his expression was visibly tense.

Kang Geom-Ma observed the old man and could clearly perceive the emotion behind his expression.

‘Rage.’

Even the supreme assassin, Altair, couldn’t prevent the death of his family from shaking his spirit.

Yet, he carefully suppressed the flood of emotions threatening to spill over.

Clap, clap, clap, clap.

Applause suddenly echoed from beyond the door, bouncing off the walls like an eerie echo.

Soon, several figures began to emerge from the darkness.

“Well, well. As expected of the leader of the Auditore family. Look at his composure. His grandson dies, and he doesn’t even blink. Could it be he has no emotions?”

As the cold wind blew, a dark-skinned man appeared, wearing a malicious grin.

Kang Geom-Ma narrowed his eyes.

He had never seen this man before.

However, there was no doubt that he was responsible for the carnage.

The man radiated grotesque magical energy. In one hand, he held a weapon, and in the other, a torn-off arm.

Altair’s eyes followed the man’s gaze, and upon noticing what he was holding, his face twisted in barely contained fury.

“……”

“Oh, this?”

Sensing Altair’s stare, the man shrugged indifferently. Then, as if it were trash, he tossed the arm onto the ground. A wet sound echoed as flesh and metal struck the floor.

“You Auditore people are incredibly annoying. Good thing we had numbers on our side, or we might have lost. And that’s with magic on our side. By the way, I thought about keeping this arm as a trophy, but I figured I’d return it. Give it a proper burial.”

“You bastard!”

Altair roared with a fierce cry.

His extreme rage materialized into an overwhelming killing intent directed straight at the man. However, he simply raised his hands as if trying to pacify Altair.

“Whoa, scary. What’s with this old man? Hey, I don’t think I can handle this alone. Everyone, come out!”

The man shouted into the darkness behind him.

Step, step.

The sound of multiple footsteps began to echo from the distance.

“……!”

Moments later, about fifteen figures lined up beside the man, forming a row on both sides. Their eyes glowed with a sinister gleam in the dim light.

They were all villains. Nearly every infiltrator in the academy was now gathered.

With their forces aligned, a confident smile spread across the man’s face. Crossing his arms, he spoke arrogantly.

“No matter how powerful you are as the leader of the Auditore, no one can handle this. You should be grateful to that professor. He’s an unbearable idiot, but you have to admit, he’s got a head on his shoulders. How did he manage to time your arrival so perfectly? Don’t you think?”

The man let out a mocking laugh, but the other villains ignored him, frowning at his words. Annoyed by the lack of reaction, the man scratched his head.

“Damn, no teamwork here. Although, now that I think about it, are villains antisocial because they were already idiots, or did they become like this after turning into villains?”

The man pondered, placing a hand on his temple as if he were contemplating a meaningless philosophical question. There was something unsettling about his relaxed demeanor.

“…Hmm, I can’t figure out the answer myself, so, honorable Cladi, what do you think? Someone as wise as you should know, right?”

From the shadows, Cladi cautiously revealed his face.

After a brief moment to choose his words, he responded with false modesty.

“All of you half-demons are extraordinary beings. After all, you have signed contracts with the Corps Commanders.”

“Really? Though that doesn’t seem like a direct answer to my question, hearing someone as wise as you say we’re amazing isn’t bad at all.”

“…Ha ha, I’m glad that pleases you.”

“Well, let’s put the nonsense aside. Cladi, you owe us. You better reward us generously later. If not, you know what will happen.”

At the man’s subtle threat, Cladi quickly nodded. Seeing this, Altair gritted his teeth, the veins bulging on his forehead. Finally, he exploded, expressing his emotions with complete clarity.

“Cladi! No matter how corrupt you are, how could you ally yourself with this scum?”

“Shut up! Who do you think you are to lecture me, you despicable butcher assassin?! And even worse, daring to attack the mansion of a respectable elder like me! When this night is over, I will personally wipe out the Auditore family!”

“Ha, bold words from a parasite who sold himself to the demons. Your father, who died heroically during the Basmon purge 40 years ago, must be weeping in shame in hell. Learn to feel disgrace.”

At those words, Cladi’s expression changed drastically. His face, already red from alcohol, turned even redder, this time from humiliation. With a stiffened neck, he shouted.

“You damned bastard! How dare you mention my father⎯?”

“Enough.”

The leader of the villains, who had remained silent until now, interrupted abruptly, as if he could no longer tolerate it.

“But…! He’s talking about my father!”

As Cladi, panting with indignation, tried to protest, the man’s eyes turned cold as ice.

“Hey, Cladi. Just because I use honorifics and polite words with you, do you really think you’re above me?”

“…….”

“The only reason we’re keeping you alive is because, after killing these guys, we need someone to clean everything up. It’s not because you’re useful.”

Cladi pressed his lips together, biting down hard. His eyebrows trembled with rage and humiliation, but he didn’t dare respond.

The man barely spared him a glance before turning his attention back to the front.

‘So that’s the boy.’

The villain’s eyes locked onto Kang Geom-Ma, the prodigious black-haired student who held the top rank in the academy. It was his first time seeing him up close, but his presence left no doubt that he was someone extraordinary.

Even though the assassins around him were visibly tense, he remained firm, calmly assessing the enemy forces with his dark, composed eyes.

‘It seems this vessel is different…’

Even before defeating Mao Lang, the villain had already been known among their ranks as someone to watch, second only to Leon, the hero candidate.

For the Corps Commanders to descend into the human world, they needed a vessel—a body known as “the vessel.”

That was why, after the First Great Human-Demon War, Balor Joaquin had sealed the border between the Demon Realm and the human world.

As a result, humanity was able to maintain a truce with the demons despite the imbalance of power.

However, that fragile tension had slowly begun to weaken over the course of 700 years.

The Corps Commanders patiently awaited the right moment. As beings who were nearly immortal, free from the limitations of mortal life, they had plenty of time.

Finally, the moment arrived. At Joaquin Academy, a golden generation unlike anything seen before—and likely never to be seen again—entered all at once. Among them was the hero candidate, Leon.

However, an unforeseen event disrupted their plans.

‘Kang Geom-Ma.’

A student who had surpassed the brilliant golden generation to claim the top spot. Moreover, the very same one who had defeated Mao Lang in a single strike—a peerless genius.

The Corps Commanders, informed by the villains infiltrated within the academy, felt greed awaken in their eyes.

They ordered their subordinates to bring them either Leon or Kang Geom-Ma, promising them infinite riches and glory as a reward.

Those words filled the villains with joy, and they swore to deliver a vessel to their masters.

One man among them was visibly excited, while the other villains at his side had eyes gleaming with greed, like wolves who had just found a juicy prey.

‘Damn scavengers.’

As he analyzed the faces of the competitors around him, the man suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Instinctively, he lifted his gaze forward.

“……!”

Kang Geom-Ma was staring directly at him. With just that one glance, he felt as if he were being slashed by a sword. A shiver crawled down his back.

‘…What the hell is this guy!?’

On the other hand, Kang Geom-Ma calmly whispered to Altair.

“Family Head, you and Knox handle disorienting the enemy. If we move quickly, we can overcome our numerical disadvantage.”

Altair’s face showed a brief moment of surprise, but he soon nodded. Despite the age gap, he felt immense confidence in the young man before him.

Clang!

Altair unsheathed the blade hidden in his cane. It was an S-rank weapon known as Syndicate. The sound of it being drawn immediately captured the attention of those present.

Slash!

Another sharp sound rang out as Knox unsheathed his crimson sword, Hongryun. The gleam of its blade seemed dyed in blood.

To Kang Geom-Ma’s left stood the elderly Altair, head of the Auditore family. To his right, the Auditore family prodigy, Knox. Both stood by his side, as if escorting him.

“Those bastards are coming!”

The man leading the villains shouted as he realized the inevitable clash.

Even though they outnumbered their opponents five to one, the sheer pressure exuding from Kang Geom-Ma and his allies was terrifying—darker and more ferocious than even the shadows of magic itself.

“……!”

The villains quickly lined up, assuming battle formations. With the metallic scent of blood thick in the air, their gazes sharpened.

In an instant, both sides stood in a tense standoff.

Magical and murderous auras collided in the air. Amid this pressure, Kang Geom-Ma took a step forward and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

His gaze locked directly onto Cladi.
The dark eyes of Kang Geom-Ma, glowing with an intense menace, caused a shudder to run through Cladi’s own.

Kang Geom-Ma reflected. There were too many debts accumulated until now.

Not just problems that affected him, but also those that had harmed the people around him.

And now, with all the villains infiltrated in the academy gathered in one place, wasn’t this the perfect opportunity to settle those debts?

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a neck for a neck.

After all, merchants hate being in debt.

Of course, the situation wasn’t in their favor. They were outnumbered, and each enemy radiated an overwhelming amount of magical power.

Yet, for some reason, his grip on Sashimi suddenly tightened. Confidence surged through him—confidence in his ability, in his strength.

Maybe, just maybe, he had started to truly enjoy battle.

And what if he had?

No matter how many they were, no matter how powerful they seemed…

“I’ll take care of the magic. You two handle their heads.”

Kang Geom-Ma spoke calmly to the two standing beside him, his voice carrying unwavering confidence.

Shing!

The Sashimi rang out one last time, releasing a cold gleam.

Two blades reflected an icy light beneath the weight of battle.

Kang Geom-Ma smiled faintly.

[The Blessing of the God of the Sword manifests.]

As the flames of battle ignited, a quiet chuckle escaped his lips.

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《May the blessing of the gods be with you.》

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