The sword left its sheath like a stroke of black lightning, splitting the morning calm.
Silence slammed into the plaza. No one spoke. No one breathed. The two masked assassins stood across from Jiyul, their blades drawn, their killing intent seeping into the air like poisonous smoke. High in a nearby window, a noble child began to cry, sensing the wrongness in the air before the blood even spilled.
The atmosphere was broken.
Jiyul tilted his neck, a loud crack echoing in the quiet square. His long black coat rippled in the gentle wind, the crimson thread on his collar catching the sun. In his hand, the sword was dark a void-like red steel that seemed to absorb the morning light rather than reflect it.
The assassin on the left moved.
He was fast. Blink-and-you-miss-it fast. A white blur rushing forward to claim a life.
Ssshhhck.
Steel met steel. The sound was brief, sharp, and final.
A split second later, a spurt of blood painted the air like thrown ink. The assassin skidded to a halt, stumbling back as he clutched his wrist. A thin, perfect red line had opened across his skin, severing tendons. He hadn't even seen Jiyul move.
Gasps rippled through the noble crowd.
"Did he just...?"
"How fast was that?"
"That blade..."
Daren stood back, his eyes wide and unblinking. He didn't dare make a sound.
Jiyul stood exactly where he had been, his sword point hovering just above the cobblestones. He didn't speak. He didn't gloat. instead, he took a step forward.
Thud.
The sound of his boot on the stone echoed like a war drum.
The second assassin roared and rushed in, his sword raised high. He swung vertically, a heavy blow aimed to cleave Jiyul in two from skull to navel.
Jiyul didn't dodge. He stepped into the attack.
CLANG.
He caught the blade on his forearm guard, the metal singing from the impact. In the same motion, he drove his own sword forward like a spear.
It buried itself deep into the assassin's stomach. The blade punched through armor and flesh, emerging from the man's back with a wet slide. The assassin gasped, his eyes going wide as he coughed blood onto Jiyul's sleeve.
Jiyul leaned in close, his face inches from the dying man.
"You were too slow."
He yanked the blade out sideways, slicing the man open from navel to ribcage.
Blood rained in a crescent arc. The body dropped to its knees, twitching violently before collapsing into a heap of white cloth and red ruin.
The crowd screamed. Some nobles fainted where they stood. Others turned to run but stumbled over their own expensive robes, frozen by the raw violence.
The first assassin the one with the ruined wrist screamed in rage. He charged again, ignoring the pain. He moved faster now, desperation fueling his strikes. Slash left. Slash right. Low. High. Each swing was deadly, aimed with professional precision.
CLANG. CLANG. CLANG.
Jiyul blocked everything one-handed.
His black blade danced between the strikes like a living creature. His eyes remained cold, distant, and bored. He looked like a man cleaning filth, not fighting for his life.
He deflected a high slash and spun.
SLICE.
The assassin's left ear flew off in a red mist.
The man screamed, stumbling back, but Jiyul didn't let him breathe. He followed the retreat, his blade flashing in a low arc. It bit deep into the assassin's thigh, severing muscle.
The man collapsed, trembling on the stones.
"No more," the assassin croaked, clutching his leg. "Please..."
Jiyul tilted his head, looking down at him.
"No more?" he repeated, the words rolling around his mouth like a bad taste.
He stepped onto the assassin's chest, pinning him to the ground. The man wheezed under the weight.
"Do you know how many people like you have hunted me?"
The assassin gasped, tears mixing with the blood on his mask. "Orders... we just... had orders..."
Jiyul lowered his sword until the tip rested against the man's throat.
"Your last words are excuses?"
He thrust the blade down.
It punched clean through the throat and sank into the stone beneath.
Silence.
Complete, absolute silence.
The smell of blood was thick, metallic and heavy. The pristine stone road glistened red. The nobles stood frozen in horror, their morning stroll turned into a nightmare.
"You're insane..." Daren whispered, his voice trembling. But he didn't look away.
Jiyul stood. He panted once just once then pulled the blade from the corpse's neck with a wet squelch. A trail of blood followed the steel.
He turned.
And that was when she arrived.
Hooves clattered against the stone. A white horse, powerful and elegant, galloped into the square. On its back sat Captain Selena, clad in the black-and-gold armor of the Royal Guard. A crimson sash was tied across her waist, and a black bow rested across her back.
She reined the horse to a halt, her sharp eyes taking in the scene instantly. The two corpses. The splattered crowd. And Jiyul, standing in the red mist like a devil reborn.
She exhaled softly.
"Of course," she muttered. "It's you again."
Jiyul turned his head, locking eyes with her.
"Morning," he said flatly.
Selena raised an eyebrow. "That is all you have to say after turning the noble district into a slaughterhouse?"
He shrugged, flicking blood from his blade. "They came. I answered."
She slid off the horse with practiced grace. The nobles scrambled back to give her space.
"Captain Selena..." Daren whispered, relief flooding his face.
Selena stepped forward, her boots splashing gently in the blood pooling on the stones. She walked right up to Jiyul. There was no fear in her eyes. Only tension, sharp as the blade in Jiyul's hand.
"You enjoy this?" she asked quietly. "This killing?"
"I don't enjoy it," Jiyul replied. He looked around at the trembling nobles, his gaze empty. "I just don't regret it."
Selena stared at him for a long moment. Then, she gave a half-smile. It was cold. Icy.
"You are still the same bastard who took my arrow like it was a flower petal."
"And you are still the same girl who shot me from a roof instead of fighting me head-on," he replied.
Their eyes stayed locked. The air between them crackled. Daren took a nervous step back.
Selena spoke again, her voice lower this time.
"Keep this up, and you will be hunted by more than just the Silent Fang."
Jiyul looked past her, toward the horizon.
"Let them come."