Chapter 105: The Night of the Purge (4)

“Phew, looks like this is pretty much settled.”

Media murmured as she finished taking down three villains with her bare hands.

The enemy’s attacks had been brutal. They had done everything in their power to corner Media and Siegfried, using all sorts of extravagant magic.

However, the result was a complete defeat. The strength of the Seven Stars was far beyond what the villains could have ever imagined.

“Ugh…”

One of the villains writhed on the ground. The bones in his legs were completely shattered, leaving him incapable of walking.

Media fixed her gaze on the man’s back as he crawled across the concrete like a worm. Feeling the pressure of her stare, the villain instinctively turned over, begging for his life.

“P-Please, please! I’ll tell you everything! Just let me live!”

“Oh, really?”

“Of course! Ask anything you want, I’ll tell you everything I know!”

The villain desperately tried to prove his worth, willing to say anything if it meant surviving.

Tap, tap.

The sound of Media’s footsteps stopped right in front of him. She sighed slightly and shook her head.

“Hey.”

“…?”

“Tell me, would you trust the words of a villain?”

“Wait, no—!”

Crack!

With a single brutal stomp, Media crushed the villain’s head.

Then, she lifted her foot and shook off the blood that had splattered onto her shoe.

“Hey, Sieg! How’s your side?”

“Almost finished.”

Siegfried inspected the fallen villains with his sword, ensuring none were pretending to be dead.

His decades of experience had taught him to be meticulous, even in the final moments. After confirming that there were no signs of life, he carefully wiped the blood off his blade.

Siegfried glanced around, assessing the situation.

‘It really was just five of them.’

However, an unsettling feeling began to creep into his chest.

As he pondered this, a loud explosion suddenly echoed from afar.

Boom!

A powerful blast rang out from a distant location.

Siegfried and Media immediately turned their gazes toward the source of the sound.

“……!”

Their eyes trembled. It wasn’t difficult for them to deduce that the explosion had come from Cladi’s residence.

A chilling sensation filled the air. They could sense an overwhelming, menacing magical force—clearly surpassing a count of ten.

They exchanged silent glances and nodded in understanding.

Without wasting any time, they swiftly abandoned the clearing, heading toward Kang Geom-Ma.

***

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

A white wall collapsed, scattering debris in all directions as dust billowed through the air.

“Where the hell are those bastards?”

“How the hell should I know?”

The villains shouted at each other in frustration. They were trying to attack blindly, but the reduced visibility made it impossible to aim properly.

Someone inhaled a lungful of dust, triggering a coughing fit.

Swoosh!

A blade cut through the thick dust cloud, piercing straight through the temple of one of them.

A brief groan escaped the villain’s lips as Knox swiftly withdrew his sword and vanished once again into the haze.

“The assassin is over there! Everyone, fire in that direction!”

Boom!

All sorts of elemental magic—fire, water, wind, and stone—collided into the area, unleashing deafening explosions.

However, their lack of coordination turned their attack into a disaster. Their spells crashed into one another, wasting their energy.

“You idiot! Your magic canceled out mine!”

“Do you have a death wish?”

“What the hell did you just say, you bastard—”

Amid their yelling, a subtle sound rapidly approached.

Swish!

A sword punctured through the solar plexus of the villain who had just spoken.

“Kuugh…! Damn it…!”

Altair, his expression ice-cold, pushed the blade in even deeper before violently twisting it, causing blood to gush out.

The villain gasped out his last breath, and Altair cleanly severed his neck with his weapon, *Syndicate.*

“Rot in hell, trash.”

Altair muttered, replacing his usual farewell with something far more ruthless. After all, there was no need to show respect to villains.

“There they are! Shoot them, now!”

A villain with slicked-back hair shouted frantically.

Altair, with a mocking grin, immediately activated the Blessing of the Raven.

The members of the Auditore family were masters in the art of erasing their presence. Among them, Altair Auditore, a supreme-level assassin, stood at the pinnacle of that ability.

His skill, honed over the years, not only erased his trace but also confused the enemy’s senses.

Especially in an environment with obstructed visibility—like now—they could unleash their full potential.

“Damn it! Where the hell did that crazy old man go!?”

Altair’s presence had completely vanished. The man with slicked-back hair began to panic, his expression twisted with fear.

Swish!

Stab!

An unexpected strike from an angle beyond anticipation.

Or rather, an attack that was impossible to predict.

Thud.

Without even a final gasp, the man with slicked-back hair joined his fallen comrades in death.

The remaining villains stood paralyzed, their eyes clouded with fear.

They could only attempt to guess their enemy’s location, relying on the fleeting shadows that flickered around them, hurriedly launching their spells in desperation.

But their speed was no match for Altair and Knox’s rapid movements.

Knox’s crimson blade carved a swift arc. The blood-soaked sword sliced through the air before severing a villain’s arm.

The right arm tumbled to the ground.

The villain’s attempt to cast a spell was abruptly cut short as the accumulated magical energy dissipated like a bubble popping.

“Aargh!”

The villain clutched desperately at the stump where his arm used to be. His throat let out a horrified scream, but it was swiftly silenced, vanishing into nothingness.

“This is insane…!”

Cladi muttered, his face pale as if his very soul had been ripped from his body.

Suddenly, he collapsed to the ground, unable to hold himself up.

His heart pounded erratically like a broken machine, while his spine and blood vessels felt as though they had been frozen solid.

There were three enemies, while they numbered fifteen.

How was it possible that they were losing? Even though the villains weren’t cooperating properly, the sheer brutality of the massacre unfolding before him was beyond comprehension.

Even with Altair involved, there shouldn’t have been such an overwhelming disparity in battle.

Cladi stared blankly ahead.

Through the dust that clouded his vision, a faint glint of a short blade sliced through a floating fireball.

The scorching heat vanished in an instant.

The villain who had cast the spell cursed under his breath, though his words were barely coherent due to his panic.

The meaning, however, was clear: “Does this even make sense?”

But his confusion didn’t last long.

Moments later, he himself was sliced apart by Sashimi, just like his magic had been.

The villains’ formation was on the verge of collapse.

They had no idea where their enemies would appear, what techniques they would use, or even how many allies they had left.

A bespectacled villain, his eyes bloodshot with desperation, screamed.

“Regroup—!”

Before he could finish his sentence, a sudden sound filled the air.

Sashimi cut cleanly from the top of his head down through his chin.

Clang!

His glasses shattered, snapping like an overstrained wire.

Another villain fell disgracefully, adding to the growing list of casualties left in Sashimi’s wake.

“Just die already!”

A female villain charged at Kang Geom-Ma in a frenzy.

Whoosh!

Kang Geom-Ma pivoted on his left foot and swung his blade gracefully.

Slash!

The woman, unable to react, was cut clean in two.

Her upper body slid to the side, parting from her lower half before collapsing to the ground with a wet splat.

“…!”

A sight that was unbelievable even when witnessed firsthand. Cladi’s pupils grew even emptier, his sense of reality long gone.

‘A monster like this… is a student?’

The steel cut through without even clashing against the bones; it was as if it slid through melted butter.

Although the Auditore assassins were impressive, Kang Geom-Ma’s movements were in an entirely different league.

Even someone as ignorant in swordsmanship as Cladi could recognize that the movements of that sword were unsettling, almost supernatural.

It was not just a simple comparison—it truly seemed as if the sword was imbued with a spectral aura.

It wasn’t only the movements of the sword but also how Kang Geom-Ma eliminated magic and created the perfect conditions for the two assassins to operate.

Although it seemed as if he attacked indiscriminately, he only eliminated the villains who were about to cast spells.

In a limited space, his movements were precise and optimized, advancing with the least amount of displacement necessary.

Even when he could dodge, he chose instead to cut magic mid-flight, leaving the villains in confusion and terror.

Footwork, swordplay, psychological manipulation—he used every resource at his disposal to overturn a situation where they were at a numerical disadvantage.

Cladi already knew that Kang Geom-Ma was an extraordinary guy, but who could have anticipated that he was at this level?

‘…Kang Geom-Ma, that bastard…’

However, what sent an unbearable chill down Cladi’s spine was not just his skill.

He did not show even the slightest hesitation in cutting down lives.

Even the Auditore assassins, as ruthless as they were, infused their swords with some emotion. Kang Geom-Ma, on the other hand, wielded his sword with a terrifying coldness, devoid of humanity.

At this point, Cladi began to wonder if that was even a person at all. Kang Geom-Ma looked like a sharpened blade that had taken human form.

“AAAAAAAHHHH!”

A scream.

“Kyaaaaah!”

Two, three—the echoes of screams piled up against the walls and the floor.

Chaos and terror spread through the villains’ ranks. Even if they had lost their humanity, the fear of death was still present.

“Run! We can’t win against that monster!”

The villains’ formation collapsed in panic. Some tried to flee desperately.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Kang Geom-Ma instantly detected their hurried movements.

His senses, which had been honed over time, were no longer just an advancement but an evolution.

Even in a situation where visibility was nonexistent, Kang Geom-Ma could move with absolute freedom.

He lightly stepped on the wall and propelled himself forward.

Bang!

The marble wall shattered from the impact, emitting a sound similar to a gunshot.

“““……!”””

Kang Geom-Ma landed in front of the fugitives like lightning, taking a crouching stance while wielding his Sashimi.

Slash!

The blade of the Sashimi gleamed, grazing the ankles of those trying to escape.

The villains didn’t realize their feet had been cut off until they began to fall. The hallway tiles were stained red, like stamps pressed with blood.

They ran several meters without feet before collapsing to the ground.

“D-Damn it! My feet! My feet!”

The corridor filled with their agonized screams.

However, Kang Geom-Ma’s swords moved once more, slashing their throats in a single stroke.

The screams stopped abruptly.

The dark-skinned villain remained still, wearing a stunned expression.

He had been providing support from the rear with water-attribute magic, which explained why his head was still attached to his body.

He shook his head violently, trying to shake off his shock.

‘Damn it, the first thing is to recover visibility.’

Although it was late, he thought that if he reorganized the ranks now, there would still be hope. His mind started working quickly. He gathered magical energy and formed a massive water bubble in the air.

Immediately after, he detonated it with force. The bubble exploded with a pop, sending a wave that swept through the surroundings and moistened the air.

As the humidity increased, the dust began to settle little by little.

The villain smirked in satisfaction and shouted.

“Hey, bastards! Now that we can see, let’s fight!”

“……”

Only silence returned. He shouted again.

Even so, there was no response.

‘W-What the hell is going on?’

For a moment, a shiver ran through his head as he looked around, confused. By then, the dust cloud had completely settled, revealing the scene.

“Ah…”

An involuntary murmur escaped his lips.

And at that moment, he understood why no one was responding.

The reason was simple—there was no one left at his side.

All around him, there was only blood and scattered pieces of flesh.

The only ones still standing were three humans, wiping the blood from their swords as they walked through the corpses. Among them, the figure in the center, with black hair, locked eyes with him.

‘Ah.’

A sigh of despair escaped from within him.

His face displayed a mixture of emotions—horror, disbelief, and finally, resignation. His dark skin turned pale, almost bluish.

Cladi, who was behind him, felt an even deeper fear. His hands trembled as he watched Kang Geom-Ma take a step forward.

Chap, chap.

The sound of his boots splashing in the blood covering the hallway floor echoed like drums pounding in the chests of the two men.

It was just the sound of his footsteps, but it seemed to crush their hearts as if an invisible hand was squeezing them.

No one planned to stand still waiting for death, but their minds were paralyzed, unable to think of a way to escape.

Just as terror was about to consume them completely…

BOOOOM!

A loud explosion shattered the heavy silence, coming from the side. Instantly, all eyes turned toward the source of the noise.

“……!”

A perfectly round hole had opened in one of the walls. Through it, someone walked in with their hands behind their back, their attitude completely carefree.

“Well, it seems the bloodshed was more severe than I expected. I didn’t think everyone except one would end up dead. This wasn’t in my calculations. However, there is no greater satisfaction for an educator than seeing a student grow.”

The voice, carrying a pleased tone, belonged to a middle-aged man.

The dark-skinned villain, upon seeing the newcomer, felt a ray of hope. A look of relief filled his face as he exclaimed excitedly.

“Hey! What the hell took you so long?”

Although he had always been an insufferable figure, at this moment, he couldn’t be happier to see him.