The quiet night shattered.
BOOM!
The window of Rey's room exploded outward.
Glass and wood fragments rained across the street like shrapnel.
Two bodies were thrown out of the house like broken dolls.
They slammed into the ground with sickening force.
Both intruders were drenched in blood.
One of them was already dead.
A massive hole had been blasted straight through his chest, as if something had torn through him with brutal force.
His eyes were frozen wide open.
The expression of a man who died witnessing something beyond comprehension.
The second assassin was barely alive.
His body twitched violently against the wall where he had crashed.
Bones in his limbs were bent unnaturally.
Glass shards pierced deep into his flesh.
One eye had nearly been destroyed.
Blood poured endlessly from his mouth.
Yet this nightmare had only begun moments earlier.
Inside the room.
The two assassins had been searching desperately for the dagger their leader ordered them to retrieve.
But before they could find it—
A man appeared.
No footsteps.
No sound.
Just a presence that suddenly existed inside the room.
The pressure that followed froze their lungs.
At least an Acolyte Rank Martial Warrior.
They realised it instantly.
Both assassins were forced down to one knee as the invisible weight crushed them.
Still, they refused to answer his questions.
They needed to see his face.
Needed to identify him.
Needed to warn their leader.
But then—
The figure stepped into the moonlight.
And both their thoughts stopped.
Standing before them was.....
Rey Dragonstorm.
Their target.
The same boy they had been monitoring all night.
But something about him was… wrong.
His eyes were glowing crimson red.
A deep, violent colour that burned like fresh blood under moonlight.
His face carried a proud, almost tyrannical smile.
Not the face of a boy.
But the expression of someone who believed the entire world existed beneath him.
The first assassin felt his fear vanish.
Replaced by anger.
'So this brat was the one scaring us?'
But doubt lingered.
'What happened to him…?'
His instincts screamed something was wrong.
'I need to report this to the leader.'
His eyes flicked toward the window.
The only escape.
He quietly signalled his partner behind his back.
'Run.'
'I'll distract him.'
But the moment the signal was given—
Rey moved.
Not fast.
Not rushed.
Just… inevitable.
The assassin in front suddenly lunged.
A dagger flashed toward Rey's throat with lethal speed.
"Hurry! Leave now!" he shouted.
His partner immediately sprinted toward the window.
But Rey didn't even look worried.
Instead—
He smiled.
"Hoh…"
"I'll respect your courage for attacking me."
His crimson eyes glowed brighter.
"But that's all."
"No one leaves alive tonight."
His hand moved lazily through the air.
Just a small motion.
Nothing dramatic.
But something changed.
The escaping assassin suddenly collapsed.
His legs buckled beneath him like they no longer belonged to him.
He crashed to the floor.
His entire body trembled violently.
Meanwhile—
Rey caught the attacking assassin's wrist with terrifying precision.
The dagger stopped one inch from his throat.
Rey twisted his hand slightly.
CRACK.
The assassin's wrist snapped.
The dagger fell.
Before the man could even scream—
Rey casually threw him aside like trash.
The assassin rolled across the floor violently.
He scrambled toward his partner.
"What are you doing?! RUN!"
But his partner was crying.
"I—I can't move…"
His legs trembled uncontrollably.
"My legs are numb…"
"Help me… I don't want to die…"
Fear completely broke him.
The first assassin stared in disbelief.
Then slowly turned toward Rey.
"What did you do…?"
Rey walked toward them slowly.
Each step echoed heavily across the floor.
"Hm?"
"Oh, nothing much."
He spoke casually.
"I simply increased the weight of the blood in his body."
The assassin froze.
He didn't understand the words.
But he understood the result.
They were facing something monstrous.
Then—
He heard his partner scream.
The second assassin looked up in terror.
Rey was standing right in front of him now.
And in his hand—
A massive greatsword had appeared.
No one saw where it came from.
It simply existed.
Rey raised the blade with one hand like it weighed nothing.
The terrified assassin couldn't even move.
And then—
THUD.
The greatsword plunged straight through his chest.
The blade pierced his body and pinned him to the floor.
Blood exploded across the room.
His scream died instantly.
His body twitched once.
Then went still.
The first assassin watched everything happen.
His mind went blank.
"NOOOOO!"
Rage erupted from his throat.
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
He rushed forward wildly with two daggers.
His eyes were bloodshot.
All logic gone.
All fear gone.
Just revenge.
But Rey didn't even move much.
Every strike missed.
Every attack cut nothing but air.
To the assassin, it felt like attacking a ghost.
Rey's movements were terrifyingly calm.
Small steps.
Small turns.
Yet every attack slid past him like water around stone.
The assassin attacked faster.
More savagely.
But it meant nothing.
Rey finally sighed.
"If your little revenge playtime is over…"
His red eyes flared.
"I will finish this."
He raised the greatsword high.
Then swung it sideways like a bat.
BOOM!
The impact sent the assassin flying backwards several meters.
But Rey didn't stop.
His body blurred.
In the next instant—
He appeared before the man again.
The assassin barely lifted his head—
And the sword smashed into his face.
The blunt side crushed into him like a hammer.
His body flew backwards violently.
He crashed through the wall.
Both corpses were sent flying out of the house.
Which was exactly what the surveillance team outside had witnessed.
Back inside the room.
Rey stood calmly.
Blood dripped slowly from the sword.
His crimson eyes looked almost bored.
Then he raised his hand.
Blood particles floating in the air gathered together.
As Zero's Matter moved upward, it approached the blood blob.
The two merged together, quickly forming a crimson red blob.
Forming something.
A mask.
A deep crimson half-mask with jagged demon teeth carved across the front.
He slowly placed it over his mouth.
He had chosen to hide his identity.
Just as he stepped toward the destroyed wall—
A strange sensation pulsed across his hand.
A faint tingling.
Victor paused.
And slowly looked down.
Something interesting was about to happen.
'Hmmm…'
Victor flexed Rey's fingers slowly.
The body responded, but the weakness was obvious.
'This child's body is still far too fragile…'
A faint smirk appeared on Rey's face.
'Soon… it will be time.
Time to teach him that technique.'
Victor's eyes glowed faintly red.
'The technique that once shook battlefields…
Undying Blood...'
His smile widened.
'My name will shine once again as a Blood star.'
At the moment—
Rey himself was completely unconscious.
His mind had collapsed from exhaustion after the tournament.
While his body rested and recovered…
Victor had taken full control.
And now—
He intended to enjoy the night.
"Let me have some fun…"
Victor muttered lazily.
"…before any unexpected variables arrive."
He stepped toward the shattered wall.
And looked outside.
The assassin squad was already staring at the broken window.
The two bodies of their comrades lay on the ground.
Broken.
Bleeding.
Dead.
Then—
A figure appeared at the window.
Moonlight revealed only part of him.
A tall silhouette.
A massive blade resting across his shoulder.
His face hidden behind a strange crimson mask.
But his eyes—
Those glowing red eyes—
Every member of the squad saw them.
And instantly felt a chill crawl down their spines.
It felt like a predator had appeared in front of them.
The squad leader's face twisted with rage.
His men had just been slaughtered.
"HOW DARE YOU!"
His voice exploded through the street.
"All units!"
"Capture him!"
His sword pointed toward Victor.
"I will personally tear this fool apart for killing my subordinates!"
Weapons were drawn instantly.
Daggers.
Short swords.
Poison blades.
The squad surrounded the house.
But strangely—
No one stepped forward first.
Because the bodies of their comrades still lay on the ground.
And they had seen what happened to them.
Victor slowly stepped onto the broken edge of the window.
"…Hah."
A chuckle escaped his lips.
Then he jumped down.
The moment his feet left the window—
The squad attacked.
More than ten assassins launched themselves toward him simultaneously.
Blades flashed in the moonlight.
Every strike aimed for his heart.
Victor's red eyes calmly observed everything.
He could feel it.
Several other presences hiding in the darkness.
Spies.
Observers.
Different factions watching the chaos.
All measuring him.
All waiting.
Victor understood their intentions instantly.
None of them were good.
But that didn't matter.
His attention returned to the assassins mid-air.
The greatsword moved.
One simple sweep.
CLANG—!
Metal collided violently.
Three assassins were blasted away mid-air.
Their bodies crashed across the street.
Victor landed smoothly on the ground.
The squad quickly regrouped.
They spread out.
Circling him like hunters around prey.
Their coordination was precise.
Professional.
Victor observed them calmly.
Each of them carried multiple hidden weapons.
Poison.
Throwing knives.
Concealed blades.
They communicated silently through hand signals.
A well-trained assassination unit.
Victor smiled beneath the mask.
Children.
Suddenly—
Two assassins appeared behind him.
Daggers coated in poison stabbed toward his spine.
Victor blocked without even turning fully.
CLANG.
Both blades stopped against his greatsword.
At the same time—
Two more assassins rushed from the front.
Their attack pattern was perfect.
A coordinated kill strategy.
But to Victor—
It was painfully predictable.
He stepped sideways.
The blades missed him by inches.
His sword moved again.
SHRRK.
One assassin's body split cleanly from shoulder to waist.
Blood sprayed across the street.
The second assassin barely had time to react before Victor kicked him away.
His ribs collapsed inward.
The man died instantly.
The squad hesitated.
Fear began creeping into their hearts.
But one assassin finally lost control.
He roared and rushed forward alone.
Daggers flashing wildly.
Victor didn't dodge.
Instead—
He stepped forward.
And grabbed the man by the throat.
The assassin's attack stopped instantly.
Victor lifted him off the ground effortlessly.
The street fell silent.
Every squad member watched in horror.
Victor calmly turned his head.
Looking at the remaining assassins.
Their weapons trembled slightly.
The man in Victor's grip struggled desperately.
His legs kicked wildly.
His hands clawed at Victor's arm.
Victor slowly tightened his grip.
The struggle became weaker.
And weaker.
And weaker.
Then—
CRACK.
The sound echoed across the silent street.
The assassin's body suddenly went limp.
Victor looked at the corpse for a moment.
Then tossed it aside like garbage.
The body rolled across the ground.
One of the squad members rushed forward to check.
Then froze.
The dead assassin's face was pale with terror.
His neck bone had been completely crushed.
The skin of his throat was torn open.
Five deep claw-like marks were carved into the flesh.
He had died in absolute despair.
A heavy silence spread across the squad.
Reality was finally sinking in.
Their opponent…
Was far beyond them.
They couldn't defeat him.
Not even close.
But by the time they realised that truth—
It was already too late.
Because Victor was still standing there.
Still smiling.
And the night had only just begun.