Chapter 5: Blood Fang (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 5: Blood Fang (1)
The Outer City.
It was where the common residents of the estate made their living.
Unlike the slums outside the castle walls, which were mostly shantytowns, this area boasted well-paved streets, bustling restaurants, and a square where people could rest. In the center of that square stood a statue of Hephaistos, a symbol sacred to the Dmitry territory.
‘It’s quite bustling.’
The air was thick with noise. Crowds of people bustled to and fro, a chaotic mix of merchants hawking their wares and customers eager to buy them.
Roman walked down the street.
Naturally, many people recognized him.
While most members of the Dmitry family lived within the Inner Castle, Roman frequently ventured into the Outer City in search of entertainment. During those outings, he had caused more than his fair share of trouble. People whispered at the sight of him, but none dared to approach and offer a greeting.
Respect for the lord’s family?
At least, that didn’t apply to Roman.
The people of Dmitry sincerely respected Baron Romero, but they drew the line at treating his good-for-nothing son with the same regard.
‘By now, Blood Fang must know my location. They must know that Roman Dmitry, their target, is strolling through the streets without a single guard.’
This was why he had come to the Outer City.
Roman had purposely wandered the streets with Hans in tow, a pattern of behavior he had often displayed in the past. Once he judged his location had been sufficiently exposed, he left Hans behind in a safe restaurant. Hans’s role was complete. His presence had merely been a tool to lower the enemy’s guard; Roman had no intention of putting him in danger.
‘If Blood Fang is truly a group that doesn’t care who they target for revenge, as the rumors say, then now is their golden opportunity.’
Today’s outing was no coincidence.
After his father tasked him with handling the Blood Fang issue, Roman had locked himself in his room and thoroughly researched them. In truth, their military strength wasn’t formidable. They were at a level the Dmitry Knights could easily wipe out. The problem was their decentralized, cell-based structure, which made it impossible to eradicate them all at once. That was why they were left alone. If you provoked them and failed to eliminate them completely, you would have to live the rest of your life under the constant threat of terror.
An organization without a solid form.
So, Roman devised a plan.
If he couldn’t find them, he would make them come to him.
“Fresh fish for sale!”
“Southern silk for just one gold!”
“Max, move it, double time!”
The crowd bustled around him.
Walking among them, Roman calmly settled his emotions.
‘Today is the day the Dmitry Knights conduct their regular training. The number of guards is significantly lower than usual, so they won’t be able to respond quickly if something happens in the Outer City. Blood Fang wouldn’t miss a day like this. It’s not every day that the young master of Dmitry, who goes out unpredictably, wanders the streets without a single guard on the very day the knights are training.’
Bait.
Roman had made himself an irresistible one. He had used this exact method countless times back in the Murim. Even the most elusive assassins, who left no trace, would pounce the moment a vulnerability was naturally exposed.
‘Three behind me.’
He was finally being tailed. A few men who had been watching from a distance were now openly following him.
‘Now, to lure them in.’
As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Roman turned a corner and headed toward a quiet, deserted alley. Since it led to the entertainment district he frequented, Blood Fang would have no reason to suspect a thing.
He dangled the bait.
He would make them bite.
Hiding his true intentions behind a cold expression, Roman vanished deep into the alley.
* * *
“Knight Commander Jonathan! Knight Commander Jonathan!”
Jonathan, who was supervising the knights’ training, frowned at the sight of Hans running toward him, completely out of breath.
“What is it?”
“The… the young master… pant… is in danger… pant.”
“Calm down and speak clearly.”
Hans couldn’t form a proper sentence through his heavy panting. His face was pale from having run all the way from the Outer City, but alerting them to Roman’s peril was far more important.
“Young Master Roman is in danger!”
“The young master?”
“Yes! He went to the Outer City without a single guard, and I think he intends to pick a fight with the Blood Fang gang! There’s no telling what will happen if we leave him alone. We have to find him immediately!”
Hans’s voice was high with agitation as he desperately tried to convey the gravity of the situation, but Jonathan’s reaction was one of utter disbelief.
“I must be hearing things. Are you telling me that Young Master Roman—who can’t even wield a sword properly, let alone use Aura—went to the Outer City alone to fight Blood Fang?”
“Yes, that’s right!”
“What absolute nonsense.”
Jonathan let out a dry chuckle. He had been a knight of Dmitry ever since Baron Romero was granted his title and had even taught the young masters, including Roman. The other sons had shown excellent talent as swordsmen, advancing so quickly they were sent to the Capital. Young Master Roman was the sole exception.
The weakest of the weak.
Worse, his cowardice was the biggest problem. He would collapse and tremble at the mere sight of blood, leading everyone to conclude that he possessed zero talent as a swordsman. He was a fool who didn’t even know how to use his own body. In fact, his reputation as Dmitry’s fool had originated with the knights.
To hear that such a man had gone to face Blood Fang… it was only natural that Jonathan found it impossible to believe.
“We don’t have time for this! We have to save the young master now!” Hans stamped his feet in frustration.
Jonathan was displeased, but he couldn’t simply ignore Hans’s words.
‘Besides, the Lord gave a special order.’
A few days ago, Baron Romero had summoned Jonathan and ordered him to assist Roman. Although Jonathan and the other knights cared little for Roman, they could not disobey the command of the lord they revered like the heavens.
If what Hans said was true… that stupid fool had made a massive blunder. Why on earth was a man who couldn’t even swing a sword acting so recklessly, completely oblivious to his own limitations?
Jonathan barked out an order.
“All forces, arm yourselves immediately!”
Clank, clank.
The knights lined up in perfect order.
With a fierce expression, Jonathan looked down at Hans.
“Lead us to the young master. On our land, we will not tolerate anyone laying a hand on a son of Dmitry.”
* * *
Step, step.
Footsteps echoed through the alley.
The men, who had followed quietly in step with Roman, revealed their true colors the moment they entered the secluded area.
Dash!
“This is for Blood Fang!”
It happened in an instant.
One man rushed forward like a madman, lunging at Roman with a dagger drawn from his coat. It was a sudden, unannounced ambush. An ordinary person would have been helpless, but Roman’s reaction was immediate.
Swoosh.
He sidestepped by a hair’s breadth.
Then, trapping the man’s arm under his own, he snapped it.
Crack.
“Aaaaargh!”
The man screamed. As he dropped the dagger from his arm, now bent at an unnatural angle, Roman snatched the falling weapon from the air and stabbed him in the neck. Once, twice, three times.
Blood sprayed like a fountain. With a pale face, the man desperately tried to stem the flow gushing from his neck, but the crimson fluid leaked through his fingers.
“Shit!”
“You son of a bitch!”
The other men’s expressions twisted in fury. Drawing their weapons, they lunged at Roman simultaneously.
Whoosh!
Blades swung from all directions, aiming for Roman’s life. They gleamed in the dim light, but they all sliced through empty air. The men’s faces stiffened. If this was the Roman they knew, such movements were impossible.
Thud!
“Gah!”
Roman’s kick slammed into one man’s abdomen. The man tried to counterattack, his face contorted in pain, but Roman had already moved out of his range. By the time he frantically tried to locate his opponent, Roman’s fist was already buried in his face.
His head snapped back. Blood gushed from his mouth as his teeth scattered onto the ground like scattered corn.
Then.
“Argh!”
Another scream rang out. While the beaten man was still dazed, Roman threw the dagger, burying it deep into the thigh of the last man standing.
All of them collapsed to the ground. In an instant, three men had been taken down.
The two who were still alive were struck with sheer terror at the sight of their dead companion, who lay with a gaping hole in his neck.
‘T-This is Roman?’
The information was wrong. No, common sense itself was wrong. The Roman they knew was absolutely not capable of this.
“Is it just the three of you?” Roman’s voice was nonchalant. Wiping a smear of blood from his face as if it were nothing, he scanned his surroundings.
There were no other enemies. At least, that was what his senses told him.
‘There’s no one in Blood Fang skilled enough to evade my senses.’
Over the past few days, Roman had achieved rapid physical development. While impossible for an ordinary martial artist, nothing was impossible for the Heavenly Demon who had unified the Murim.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
The greatest divine art in the Murim improved Roman’s body with every breath he took. The memories and martial arts of the Heavenly Demon made such a miraculous feat possible. Although it would take a considerable amount of time for him to reach a level he found satisfactory, recovering even 0.1% of his original power was more than enough to handle Blood Fang.
Roman caught his breath. A trace of mana stirred within his Dantian. His body, which had once been completely devoid of mana, was already accumulating it and entering a new realm.
“I-If you kill us, you won’t get away with it!”
“We’re Blood Fang!” the men shrieked in desperation. Consumed by fear, they tried to break his resolve with words.
“Threatening me after you’ve already tried to kill me? Are you just stupid, or is that really all you have?”
Roman squatted down in front of them. He drove the dagger into one of their legs again.
Thud!
“Argh!”
“From now on, answer only what you are asked. If you answer honestly, I will graciously give you a chance at rehabilitation.”
“W-What does that… Argh!”
Thud!
“Answer only what you are asked.”
Roman looked into their eyes. Their terror-stricken gazes couldn’t meet his.
The method to wipe out a decentralized cell organization was simple. When you couldn’t grasp their true form, you simply dealt with them one by one, from the bottom up. Eventually, you would reach the head.
Roman smiled.
“Who is your superior?”
The conversation was brief.
The Blood Fang members tried to keep their mouths shut, but once the torture began, they spilled everything. With their finger joints severed and their eyes threatened, there was no way they could endure.
“T-There’s a pub called the Dew of Dawn. We… we get our missions there. We just say a password and they give us the job. We don’t know anything else!”
“See? You should have just said that from the start.”
“Then… will you let us live?”
“No. For trash like you, the only rehabilitation is death.”
Thrust!
He drove the dagger straight into the man’s heart.
There was no guilt. The Demonic Cult was a world where the strong preyed on the weak. Showing mercy to an enemy was not one of its virtues.
Wiping the blood from his face with his sleeve, Roman stepped back out onto the bustling street.
‘One by one.’
A smile played on his lips.
Roman knew. He knew that he was far from a good person.
His heart pounded. An emotion he hadn’t felt since he reigned as the Best Under Heaven was reawakening, stimulating his senses.
At that very moment, as the Dmitry Knights scrambled in a panic, Roman walked alone toward the den of Blood Fang.