With Overwhelming Power
I was twenty-six years old, yet I didn't even have a driver's license. When I turned twenty, my parents told me to get one right away, but I avoided it, claiming I needed to focus on my studies.
Part of it was because I was a homebody who rarely had any reason to go outside, and I ordered almost everything I needed through Coupang. Whether I was going to college, meeting up with friends, or attending Twitch streamer parties, I always relied on taxis or the subway. To be honest, the idea of driving a car just terrified me.
But now, I had to ride a horse? A horse and a car were obviously different, but they were the same in that they were both modes of transportation. I wondered if I could actually pull this off...
'Well, I have no choice. I'll just have to trust Jin's instincts.'
Any noble of this era would have experience riding horses. On top of that, Jin Barenberg was royalty. It would be stranger if he didn't know how to ride.
"Alright, let's do this."
I stepped into the stirrup hanging from the saddle and swung myself up. Despite it being my first time, it was incredibly easy.
"Huh. This is actually much easier than I thought."
Fortunately, Jin's accumulated experience seemed to be deeply ingrained in this body. Just like everything else, I could leave the riding to muscle memory.
"Yah!"
At my vocal command, the horse began to move. I gripped the reins and urged it into a gallop. Steering was completely natural, as if I had been doing this for years.
'I really have synchronized a lot with Jin.'
It left a bitter taste in my mouth, but I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I had a job to do right now.
I spurred the horse forward and rode toward the Imperial Capital.
Just as light always casts a shadow, an underworld existed in every territory of the Empire. The Imperial Capital was no exception.
However, the underworld of this world was slightly different from what one might expect. It was a symbiotic relationship with the nobility. They were like thugs or yakuza who took care of the dirty work the high and mighty nobles found too tedious to handle, while managing minor affairs in the territories. To keep their guilds running, they would even offer a portion of their profits to the nobles.
Since this was the only way for the underworld to survive, it could be considered a brilliant survival strategy.
"Move, move! Exeed is stationed in that duchy! If we don't wrap this up quickly, we might run into trouble with them!"
The vice-master of Zenbukoros barked. They were currently preparing to raid a clothing store in District 13 of the Descartes Duchy. Their orders were to destroy the nearby workshop as well and bring back a person named Andrea. That was the request from Jukeo Sinna, the Madame of Frida.
"Vice-master! We're ready to raid the workshop!"
"I'll check it myself."
The vice-master walked over. Nearly thirty men were gathered in a space that resembled a massive warehouse.
"One mage, five assassins, and the rest are all close-combat fighters."
The vice-master nodded, a satisfied smirk spreading across his face.
"Good. You've packed all the necessary supplies?"
"Yes! We've got the carriages and all the gear ready!"
"You guys head out first. Once you get the signal—"
Boom! A sudden, deafening explosion shook the entire building. Dust and debris rained down from the ceiling.
"W-what the hell! What's going on?!"
The vice-master rushed toward the source of the noise. There stood a man, with a massive, gaping hole blasted through the wall behind him.
"Who sent you?!"
The man merely scanned his surroundings, offering no reply. The vice-master's mind raced. Anyone bold enough to launch a direct assault on Zenbukoros was no ordinary foe.
Step. Step. The man walked forward slowly, stepping over the rubble.
"Quite a crowd you've got here."
The mysterious man cracked his neck from side to side, wearing an utterly bored expression. His sheer arrogance made the vice-master's blood boil.
"Get him, boys!"
How dare he raid Zenbukoros all by himself? The vice-master was incensed by the intruder's sheer audacity.
"Arrogant bastard. We'll capture you and make you spit out who sent you and how you found our hideout!"
But then... Thud! Crash! Moving with the fluid grace of a dancer, the man began to tear through the Zenbukoros guild members.
How could anyone move their joints like that? He wasn't human.
"Aaargh!"
"Ugh!"
"Gah...!"
He hadn't even drawn the sword at his hip. He was taking everyone down with nothing but his bare fists and kicks. Even if these men weren't the absolute elite of Zenbukoros, they weren't weaklings to be brushed aside so easily. Some were former knights, others were adventurers who had made quite a name for themselves. Yet, he was dismantling them effortlessly...
'He's no ordinary fighter.'
The vice-master rolled his shoulders, loosening up. He had no choice but to step in himself.
"Back off! I'll handle him myself!"
At his command, the remaining men scrambled backward. A vast number of guild members already lay groaning on the floor.
"I don't know who sent you, but you picked the wrong fight."
The man let out a cold, mocking chuckle and raised an eyebrow.
"The wrong fight? No, you're the ones who picked the wrong fight."
The vice-master's brow twitched.
"You seem pretty confident just because you took down a few of my lackeys, but you're sorely mistaken. I'm on an entirely different level from them."
At his words, the man smirked coldly again. It was a blatant sneer. The vice-master could no longer contain his rage.
"I'm going to smash that smug face of yours so you can never smile like that again!"
Boom! With a heavy thud, the vice-master lunged forward. He pulled his right arm back, preparing to unleash a devastating punch. No one had ever survived a direct hit from this blow. Surely, this bastard would—
Catch.
"Huh?"
The man had effortlessly caught the incoming fist in his palm. The vice-master's eyes widened in sheer shock.
"What the—!"
Before he could even process it, the man's fist flew forward. Crack! His cheekbone shattered, his eyes rolling back as he was sent flying. Crash! He slammed into the wall, leaving a deep crater in the masonry.
"Cough!"
Vomiting blood, he slid down the wall. His mind was in a complete daze. Who on earth was this monster?
"Hey."
The voice was as cold as frost, sending a violent shiver down the vice-master's spine.
"Y-yes?"
He spoke formally without even realizing it. His survival instincts had kicked in, warning him that defying this man meant instant death.
"Where is your master?"
"He... He isn't here right now..."
"Where did he go?"
"He said he had some business to attend to..."
"Are there any who already left for the duchy?"
"Y-yes! But only a few!"
The man stroked his chin and muttered, "Hmm, I didn't expect the master to be out."
"I guess I have no choice but to wait for him."
Just then, a group of subordinates rushed in from behind, fully armed.
"Kill him!"
"He did that to the vice-master!"
"We can overwhelm him with numbers!"
The man turned. Step. Step. Every step he took radiated a suffocating bloodlust. Yet, the clueless guild members charged blindly at him.
The man casually scratched his ear and drew his sword. Shring... To the vice-master, the sound of the blade leaving its scabbard sounded like a funeral dirge. They shouldn't fight him. They absolutely shouldn't.
"Stop, you fools—!"
Whoosh! A single swing of his sword unleashed a terrifying gale. Boom!Aura swept through the room, obliterating everything in its path. It was Sword Qi. The bodies of the charging guild members were instantly torn to pieces, their severed limbs scattered across the floor.
"W-what in the world..."
Very few people in the world possessed such power. Even the Commander of the Imperial Knights couldn't perform such a feat. The vice-master squeezed his eyes shut. The only ones who could possibly defeat this man were their Guild Master and the First Captain, both of whom were Sword Masters. He had no choice but to wait for them...
"Aaargh!"
"T-this is impossible!"
"He's a Sword Master! Run!"
The man did not let a single soul escape. No matter how fast they ran, he caught up to them with speed that resembled teleportation, and those who managed to get further away were cut down by his Sword Qi.
"P-please spare me!"
"S-stop...!"
The sword sliced through the air. Slash! There was no mercy in him. He was a demon of the blade. Where on earth did this monster come from...?
"Empire—!" Slice! Even having a mage was useless. Before the mage could even finish chanting, his head was sent flying.
"They're weaker than I thought. Or maybe this body is just ridiculously strong."
The man scratched his head and walked back over to the vice-master. Every other guild member in the warehouse had already been annihilated.
"Hey."
"Y-yes?"
"Is your master not coming back today?"
"N-no! He'll be back soon!"
The man gave a bored "Is that so?" and sheathed his sword.
"Then I'll just wait a bit. Let's shoot the breeze while we wait."
What was this guy's goal? He suddenly appeared, slaughtered the entire guild, and now he wanted to sit down and chat...?
"How did I end up like this?"
"W-what? What do you mean by that all of a sudden..."
The man let out a long, hot sigh and shook his head.
"I'm killing people like a madman, yet I feel absolutely nothing. I'm really starting to lose myself. If this isn't a psychopath, I don't know what is."
The vice-master couldn't understand a word he was saying. He had just butchered people like a demon, and now he was saying *this*?
"Man, I want some fried chicken."
Chicken? What was that? Cold sweat poured down the vice-master's back. He felt a deep, primal terror toward this man who kept rambling about incomprehensible things.
"Aren't you going to answer?"
How the hell am I supposed to answer that? The words rose to the tip of his tongue, but his survival instincts firmly shut his mouth.
"I... I don't really know what chicken is..."
"Ah, speaking of chicken, that reminds me."
The man suddenly stood up and—Clap!—clapped his hands together.
"Maybe I should make and sell fried chicken? That's actually not a bad idea."
He was insane. Covered in blood from head to toe while spouting nonsense, he wasn't just a regular madman. He was a devil.
"Honestly, I'm only telling you this because it's you..."
The man continued to talk to the vice-master, rambling on with incomprehensible stories. He claimed he came from another world. He said he was being eroded by the memories of the person whose body he inhabited, and that his original personality was being swallowed up. The vice-master couldn't understand any of it, but he nodded along just to stay alive. He didn't even know what he was saying anymore.
"I once said I'd kill anyone who got in Franche's way. But now that I'm actually doing it, it feels a bit weird."
The man shook his head before continuing.
"Still, a promise is a promise. I never make promises I can't keep."
Shring. The man drew his sword.
"Thanks for listening to my story."
"W-wait! Please, spare my life...!"
"I can't do that. Not after you've heard all this."
You crazy bastard! You're the one who blabbered on your own! He wanted to scream, but begging for his life took priority.
"Please, I beg of you..."
"No."
"Ah..."
Those cold eyes. This man had absolutely no intention of showing mercy.
"Y-you motherfucker! I listened to all your crazy bullshit!"
Was it because death was staring him in the face? The vice-master's life flashed before his eyes. If he had only completed this mission successfully, he could have risen to the rank of captain...
'The world is truly against me.'
The vice-master let out a sigh and hung his head.
"Goodbye. I'll make it quick."
Swish. The blade flashed, and thud, the vice-master's head was cleanly severed, falling to the floor. His head rolled away. Fortunately, he managed to close his eyes before the end.
"I don't even feel a shred of hesitation cutting off a head. Well, I suppose it's been like this ever since I first transmigrated into Jin."
Felix, the Master of Zenbukoros, felt an ominous energy as he approached the hideout where they were supposed to execute their plan.
The overwhelming pressure forced Felix to halt in his tracks.
One of the captains beside him asked.
"Master, what's wrong?"
"Something is wrong. It's too quiet."
"Aren't they probably just slacking off since they're already prepared?"
"No, that's not it."
Felix swallowed hard. The sole reason he had survived so long as the Master of Zenbukoros was his gut instinct. Right now, his instinct was screaming at him that entering this place meant death, urging him to turn back immediately.
Unable to watch this any longer, one of the captains chuckled.
"You do this from time to time, Master. Is it your 'instinct' again?"
This idiot has no idea. Could he not feel it? This bizarre, heavy pressure? Felix's hands began to tremble.
"Let's just go in. This is our branch office, what could possibly happen?"
He wasn't entirely wrong. Who would dare mess with them? Zenbukoros was the strongest dark guild in the Empire in terms of raw martial force, and the second most influential overall. Instincts could be wrong sometimes, so surely nothing was amiss.
"Fine, let's go in. My gut must be playing tricks on me."
Shaking off his worries, Felix and his captains stepped into the hideout. But...
"W-what in the world is this?!"
The Zenbukoros hideout was painted in blood. The guild members had been hacked to pieces beyond recognition, and a massive hole was blasted through the wall.
"My instinct... was right after all..."
Felix's gaze turned icy. Even though his gut was screaming at him to run, their current fighting force was formidable. They had five captains of Zenbukoros, plus Felix himself, who was a Sword Master. There were only three people in the entire Empire who could defeat this lineup.
"Show yourself, you motherfucker!"
One of the captains shouted confidently. Then, footsteps echoed from the shadows.
Step. Step. As the footsteps drew closer, Felix's instincts screamed louder. Run. Get out of here right now. But it was too late to run. His guild, built on years of blood, sweat, and tears, lay in ruins. Where could he possibly go?
A moment later, the footsteps stopped.
"You're finally here."
The blood-drenched man smirked. Looking at him, Felix felt a chill run straight down his spine.
"Consider this a tragedy born of your own greed."