Chương 19: Cold Execution

"Mike! Stall the giant goblin. Joe! Assist him! Denise and I will quickly kill this kid, then we'll deal with the giant fatty together." Evan shouted as he vigilantly guarded against an attack from Kyle.

"Fine! But don't take too long. I can't hold it back for much longer!" Mike shouted back before exchanging positions with Denise. Evan and Denise closed in on him from both sides; one was an assassin, and one was a rogue. One had explosive speed and sharp attacks; the other was stealthy and underhanded. All they needed was just one opening to kill him; swordsmen aren't known for their defense after all. Kyle was injured and tired.

His arm injury especially stung, making it hard to wield his sword as proficiently as before. This should have been a fatal situation. That is… If he were an apprentice.

"Do it!"

"Now!" The two moved at the same time, closing in on both sides. A pincer. However, Kyle didn't retreat. He stepped forward, mana surging through his body, enhancing it to a degree never seen in this fight before. Using [Burst Step], he instantly appeared next to Denise. Her eyes widened, and she quickly tried to stab him with her daggers, but before her arms could fully extend, he drove his heel into her ribs.

"Aagh!!" Denise was sent skidding across the ground, breath knocked from her lungs, spit and blood flying from her mouth. Evan's eyes widened.

"Wha—!" Kyle was already in front of him.

"Clang!" Evan barely raised his daggers in time, parrying the slash, but the impact caused his arms to go numb. He couldn't parry the second strike. [Superspeed Slash] Evan's left arm spun through the air, his blood splashing like a fountain.

"Agh—!" He could barely heave out a cry before he was sent flying by a kick from Kyle. One second later, Kyle was already by Denise's side. She had barely managed to stand up, but she wouldn't be able to anymore. One second, she saw Kyle's cold eyes, followed by a silver flash. The next second, she saw a familiar headless body, then the sky. Finally, eternal darkness. Evan's pupils trembled as he looked at Kyle's back. Denise's head rolled on the ground, stopping just a few meters away from him.

"You… You're not an apprentice! You're a rank 1 professional!" Evan shouted hysterically. Kyle didn't respond. He kicked up one of Denise's daggers with his feet and threw it at Mike, who was distancing himself from the giant goblin, trying to escape.

"Ugh!" The dagger precisely sank into his thigh, causing him to stumble and fall.

"Wait... Wait!!" Mike shouted as he raised his hand to stop the approaching giant goblin. However, the latter didn't care and raised its club… and brought it down, crushing Mike's head into his body, killing him instantly. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"Ah—Ah!!!" Joe watched this with a look of horror. He quickly turned around and tried to escape into the forest, but he came face-to-face with Kyle. Watching those cold blue eyes, Joe stepped back, his face filled with dread.

"Kelly!!!" Joe suddenly threw his short sword at Kyle and shouted before fleeing.

"Phiii!" An eagle's cry suddenly sounded in the sky, followed by a swift shadow stooping from the sky. Kyle deflected the short sword and vigilantly looked at the incoming shadow. It was an eagle.

'So this is how they were able to precisely track me down.' Kyle's eyes flashed. Now that he thought about it, he did remember seeing a black dot in the sky as far back as in Mirevale town. He thought that it was just another bird flying in the sky, not thinking much of it.

'I have to be more careful from now on.' Facing the incredibly swift eagle, Kyle sidestepped at the last moment and cleaved it into two. He quickly chased after Joe, closing the distance in just a few seconds and promptly beheading him. The sacrifice of his pet bought him only a few seconds. Turning to look at the last member and the orchestrator of this ambush, he was being chased by the giant goblin, escaping into the dense forest.......

Evan stumbled through the trees, clutching the stump of his arm, blood dripping onto the forest floor. His breathing was ragged. The growls and cries of the giant goblin had disappeared at some point. Looking back at the silent forest, a faint smile appeared on his face.

"Heh!" A weak laugh escaped from his mouth.

"I finally escaped from that bastard. Once I return to town, I'll—" His voice cracked the moment he turned back. Kyle was leaning against a tree, bandaging the wound on his forearm. He tugged at the bandages, confirming that they were secure, before a satisfied expression appeared on his face.

"Once you return to town, you'll what?" Kyle asked, looking at him with a faint smile. He slowly approached him, his palm on the hilt of his sword. Evan's pupils shrank. He stumbled back, a look of panic appearing on his face.

"W–Wait!" With each step Kyle took forward, Evan took a step back. Eventually, he bumped into a tree and slid to the ground. Kyle looked at the fearful Evan in front of him and asked.

"Now, tell me? Is the reason you ambushed me truly for the dwarven sword?" Kyle unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Evan's throat as he asked. Feeling the sharp tip poking the skin of his throat, Evan was terrified.

"Y-Yes! It was indeed for the sword!" He quickly replied.

"I see. You should have noticed the sword back when I was fighting the goblins, right? You were with the Silent Strike team back then. Are Marcus and the other two involved in any way in this ambush?" Kyle calmly asked.

"This…" Evan's eyes shifted, seemingly deliberating on how to answer this question. Kyle's eyes turned cold as he drove the sword tip into Evan's skin, causing blood to flow.

"Answer me!"

"N-No, they aren't involved." Evan hurriedly replied. Kyle looked at his eyes, searching for any trace of lies, but he could only see panic and dread.

"I see, then you can die," Kyle said as he prepared to thrust his sword, ending the life of the man in front of him.

"Wait! You can't kill me! I'm part of the Bloody Hand gang! And so were those three people from before! Other people know about our operation, so if we all disappear, you'll be the main suspect!" Evan quickly spoke.

"Oh?" Kyle raised his eyebrow and signaled for him to continue.

"So, your only option would be to let me live! I'll cover for you once we go back. After that, I swear that I will never cause you trouble or look for you again!" Evan continued to lay out his point; he had calmed down by now. In his view, although Kyle was a genius and a young professional, he was still just a kid from a backward village. Faced with the possibility of facing retaliation once he reached town, he would likely back down.

"The Bloody Hand gang, huh? Does such a thing even exist in Mirevale town?"

"Yes, it does. In fact, gangs and underworld organizations exist in all towns and almost all cities. The Bloody Hand gang is the ruler of the underworld in Mirevale town; its influence extends to almost all unlawful activities, and don't think that you can ignore them since you're a professional. The gang has multiple professionals, and the leader is one of the strongest rank 1 professionals in the town; crushing you would be effortless." The more he talked, the more confident he got.

Evan no longer had that terrified expression on his face; he was now filled with confidence.

"So, I can't kill you, or I will face the Bloody Hand's retaliation?" Kyle calmly asked.

"Exactly," Evan replied confidently.

"So, take back this sword of yours and come wi—" Evan's voice cracked as he felt agonizing pain in his neck. He struggled to look down, only to see the sword fully buried in his neck.

"Why—" Evan raspingly asked, blood sputtering from his mouth. The light slowly faded from his eyes.

"Do you take me for a fool? Why would I believe the words of a scum like you?" Kyle coldly said, flicking the blood from his sword and sheathing it.

'I'll investigate when I go back to town. If there's a way to solve it, I'll do that. If not, I'll just escape into the wilderness and train for a few years, then come back and slaughter all those underworld bastards.' It was strange to say, but Kyle barely felt anything when he killed these people earlier. It was only now, after everything had settled down, that he felt some discomfort while looking at Evan's corpse.

'Now, should I leave these bodies here, or should I look for a way to get rid of them?' Kyle thought as he looked at Evan's corpse.

"Nice choice."

"Who?!"