Knight of the Red Spear: The Francois Rosetia Subjugation Operation
"Run! Keep running!!!"
"Faster! The target's right up ahead!"
The Thumb organization members arrived at the scene to find a knight in crimson rose-emblazoned armor wielding a red lance, skewering their comrades one by one. The Thumb soldiers writhed in agony, bound by thorny red vines.
The organization members simultaneously aimed their guns at the red knight.
"Don't move. Drop your weapon and surrender, and we'll let you live."
The knight remained utterly silent.
"Is that... really Francois Rosetia..?"
"No doubt about it. That's the 5th-kin Blood Fiend Francois Rosetia. The attack patterns, her signature rose vines and projectiles. And above all... that distinctive Blood Fiend scent... It's definitely the Francois Rosetia I saw twenty years ago!"
"Yeah, no way there's another 5th-kin Blood Fiend prowling around here. Everyone, open fire and take her down!"
The organization members fired shot after shot, but they were met with an unbelievable sight. The first bullet was a light one—the red knight dodged it effortlessly. The second, too—a casual sidestep, as if she'd predicted its trajectory. Once might be luck, twice coincidence. But by the third, it was clear: she knew where the bullets would land and was evading them on purpose.
In the stunned silence that gripped them all, the knight pierced one soldier's head clean through. The others fired belatedly, but she dodged every bullet with nimble movements. Then, one by one, heads and torsos were run through by the red lance—swift, precise, lethal.
The knight in crimson armor said nothing, merely dodging bullets, dodging again and again. Sometimes, she even caught them with her red thorny vines. Every attack was futile.
"Is that... really Francois..?"
"Something's off. Francois was never a combat-specialized Blood Fiend! That's definitely a different entity—one of the top-tier 5th-kin in strength."
"Soldatos, fall back! Capos, move up and subdue it!"
Three Capos charged with weapons raised, swinging at the red-armored knight. She evaded every potentially lethal strike, as if waiting for them to tire. Capos might match Grade 2 Fixers or even Grade 1 in the city, but their greatest weakness was their humanity.
The knight was biding her time, waiting for their stamina to bottom out. Blood Fiends were incomparably superior to humans—ten times the strength, insane endurance and stamina sustained by blood alone. Her staying power utterly overwhelmed the Capos'.
And as if to prove it—crunch. A Capo’s side was pierced by the red lance. He spat blood from his mouth and swung his weapon wildly. The Blood Fiend silently dodged.
"Does that even make fucking sense..?"
"Doesn't that bastard ever get tired..?"
These were elite troops, all Capo (|||) grade. Even a 5th-kin Blood Fiend shouldn't outclass them compared to higher-kin—but this one was no ordinary 5th-kin.
"That fucker's a battle-hardened Blood Fiend. Probably survived some war in the past."
"How the hell...? We're Capos—quasi-Grade 1 Fixer level—and we're struggling this hard against some goddamn 5th-kin..?"
Wilson watched the other Capos' conditions with a grave expression. Not a single inch of their bodies was unscathed. The red-armored knight kept stabbing, stabbing, piercing, piercing—lightly evading their attacks as if she knew their every move in advance. This war-weary monster of a Blood Fiend eyed the Capos before her.
"Fuck... to think I'd lose to some shitty Blood Fiend!!!"
One lost his reason and charged. "Wait—stop! Something's wrong with that Blood Fiend!"
But Wilson’s warning fell on deaf ears. The Capo swung his weapon—crunch. The knight touched the ground, and blood-formed red branches speared straight through the Capo's body.
"Gah... what the..?"
The knight pierced his head. "....."
The knight said nothing. One by one, heads and bodies were skewered, bleeding out fatally. The last Capo standing was Wilson alone.
"Hah... Looks like you're no mere 5th-kin Blood Fiend. More like a battle-scarred human type, huh?"
"....."
"...Your fighting style's more human than Blood Fiend. Who turned you? If they made you a Blood Fiend, they must be at least 4th-kin..?"
"....."
The red knight answered Wilson's questions with silence, then charged with her red lance.
Claaaang! The dull yet crisp clash of metal bat and red lance echoed through the entire building.
"Un-fucking-believable strength... Why the hell did someone like you become a Blood Fiend...?"
The knight's face was hidden by crimson armor from head to toe, but her build marked her as male.
"You... what's your goal? Never heard of anyone this strong. Who the hell are you?"
But the red-armored knight wouldn't answer. After several clashes, Wilson's chest and side were pierced. Spitting blood, he took one final lance to the chest.
"Ha.... Fuck.. If I'd known it'd end like this, I'd have confessed to Valentina one more time before dying.. What a goddamn regret.."
The knight drove the lance deeper. With every inch into his flesh, Wilson felt his heartbeat slow.
"But hey... before I go, I'll do something useful..!"
Wilson swung his bat hard, smashing the knight's leg. "!?"
"I'll cripple you before I die!!"
Crunch!!!!! The knight swiftly pierced Wilson's face. Limping, she voraciously devoured the blood pooling from the surrounding corpses.
But Wilson's final act meant nothing—Blood Fiends regenerated from blood. Still, the blow was heavy enough that the knight limped away from the scene.
....
Morrison slammed his desk.
"Hah... Don't fuck with me. Wilson's dead..?"
"Yes... It's true."
"Sigh.... Cause of death?"
"As I said, injuries from a Blood Fiend wielding a red lance as its main weapon."
"Red lance...?"
"Yes. Per radio reports, the enemy Blood Fiend swung the red lance with swift movements, piercing foes while dodging all our side's attacks with agile maneuvers."
"Impossible. Francois Rosetia isn't combat-specialized. And armor and a lance? Francois using weapons..?"
"Yes. Reports describe a tall male Blood Fiend in rose-emblazoned crimson armor. It uses thorny vines to hinder or slow enemies before piercing defenseless targets."
"Male Blood Fiend...? No way—Francois is female. That knight in red armor is definitely a different entity. But... why does it use the same 'blood flow style' as Francois? Don't tell me it's a higher-kin commanding her like Francois... Damn, that complicates things..."
Morrison rubbed his forehead as if his head ached.
"More importantly... what about Valentina?"
"Yes. She's gone to District 23 to handle a job from another Thumb branch."
"What...? District 23..?"
Morrison looked incredulous.
"Why the hell would she go there? If her dad finds out, he'll lose his shit. Blaming us for sending his precious daughter to a filthy dump like that. Might even start a power play with Thumb for a while. Sigh... Which idiot assigned Valentina that job..?"
"....Daniel Thomason, sir."
"That... that fucking scum.. Couldn't hold back and harassed Valentina again..?"
"Well... he's higher in the hierarchy than her."
"Hah... An Underboss obsessed with a kid half his age. Pathetic bastard."
Morrison pressed his temples as if his head hurt again.
"Daniel, that young punk sitting in an Underboss seat. Unbelievable. Not long ago, he was below me and Karo in rank, and now he's strutting around after a bit of success.."
"....Shall I call Valentina here..?"
"....No. Let her stay there for now. Our top priority is excluding that red-armored knight and Francois from this area. Hah.... Two 5th-kin Blood Fiends, plus holding the L Corp vacant lot... Haha... Talk about bad luck.."
....
Kali lit a cigarette dangling from her lips, gazing at the stars in the dark night sky.
"Whew... Being friends isn't half bad after all.."
As Kali stared at the night sky from the veranda, scanning the surroundings—that was the moment.
(Swish) For a split second, she felt someone nearby watching them. In danger-ridden District 23, someone wandering at night was nothing unusual. But Kali sensed something else: an unnaturally foul blood stench assaulting her nose. Not the stale smell of some clichéd murder, but the scent of blood meant purely for predation.
The instant Kali grabbed her greatsword to leap from the second floor—
"Kali, what're you doing? Come in already."
"Huh..?"
"Hurry up and get in. The meat's getting cold."
Peering inside, Kali saw Goose-unnie and Uncle Sean grilling the hanwoo Valentina had bought.
"Kali, we eat without you if you don't come in?"
"Coming right now."
As Kali followed Valentina inside from the veranda, a figure with yellow hair watched them from afar.
The yellow-haired figure stared at them and murmured,
"Hmm... What to do with this..?"