The man's grin widened, crooked teeth flashing under the dim forest light.
The insignia on his chest—
a coiled serpent biting its own tail—
was burned into Leone's memory.
It was the mark of La Serpiente, the syndicate that betrayed him back on Earth.
Leone froze—not in fear, but in a calm so lethal it made the air feel colder.
"…You," Leone whispered.
The bandit laughed.
"Didn't expect to see that face again, did you, Boss?"
The little girl whimpered as the blade pressed against her throat.
Leone's eyes darkened until they looked like pits.
Kael emerged from the trees behind him, panting.
"Your Highness—! The mercenaries— Who is—"
"Stay back," Leone said quietly.
Kael stopped immediately.
Not because he respected the order—
But because the tone in Leone's voice didn't sound human.
It sounded like a man standing in front of the grave he was buried in.
The bandit tightened his grip on the child.
"Move another step," he spat, "and she dies."
Leone tilted his head slowly.
"You think I care about you hurting her?"
The bandit stiffened.
Kael's jaw dropped.
Leone crouched down slightly—almost playful, but the insanity in his eyes made the bandits tremble.
"Let me teach you something," Leone said softly.
"When a man threatens a child…"
His voice dropped lower.
"…he stops being a threat."
Leone smiled.
"He becomes a walking corpse."
The bandit swallowed.
"Boss… you've changed."
Leone's smile widened.
"No. You idiots never understood me in the first place."
He raised a hand.
The bandits tensed defensively.
But the girl didn't scream.
She didn't even flinch.
She was staring at Leone with wide, hopeful eyes—
as if she recognized something in him.
Leone locked onto the bandit's gaze.
"One chance," he said calmly.
"Drop the knife. Back away."
The bandit barked a laugh.
"You're soft now. The Leone I knew would've shot the kid to get to me."
Silence.
Only the wind moved.
Then—
Leone's expression vanished.
No smile.
Nothing.
Dead.
Cold.
Mafia.
"Do you want to find out?" he asked quietly.
The bandit's face paled.
He didn't drop the girl, but his hand shook.
"We were told this version of you would be weaker," the man whispered.
"That you'd be easy to take. That your memories of us wouldn't matter in this world—"
Leone's eyes narrowed.
"…who told you that?"
The bandit froze.
He realized too late he had slipped.
Leone moved.
Not like a swordsman.
Not like a trained soldier.
He moved like a street predator.
A blur.
A flash.
The girl was yanked backwards into Leone's arms—
And before the bandit even registered the motion—
Leone slammed his elbow into the man's jaw with bone-shattering force.
The bandit crashed to the ground, choking on blood and teeth.
Leone handed the girl behind him to Kael.
"Take her," he said.
His voice was calm.
Then he stepped toward the bandit.
Kael's face drained of color.
"Your Highness… don't—"
"No."
Leone didn't stop.
He crouched beside the bandit.
"Let's talk," he whispered.
The bandit wheezed, "You… you're no prince…"
Leone leaned in.
"I am whatever I need to be to end you."
He grabbed the man's collar and yanked him up, their faces inches apart.
"Who told you I'd be here?" Leone hissed.
"And why do you have that insignia?"
The bandit coughed blood.
"Boss… you died. Different world. New rules."
Leone's heartbeat slowed.
Cold realization crept up his spine.
The bandit grinned weakly.
"But some things follow you… even across worlds."
Leone's vision tunneled.
"What follows me?" he whispered.
The bandit gasped something—
A name.
Barely audible.
A name Leone hadn't heard since the day he died.
His oldest enemy.
His greatest rival.
The only man he never managed to kill.
"—Valerio."
Leone's blood ran cold.
Kael stepped forward.
"Your Highness? What did he say?"
Leone didn't answer.
Not because he didn't want to—
But because the bandit suddenly convulsed.
Foam bubbled from his lips.
His eyes rolled back.
Then—
BANG.
A distant shot echoed through the forest.
The bandit collapsed.
Dead.
Leone slowly rose to his feet.
Someone had killed him remotely.
Silenced him.
Closed the loose end.
Kael shouted, "ARCHERS! FIND THE SHOOTER!"
But Leone stood still.
Silent.
A storm brewing behind his eyes.
Valerio.
His rival.
His nightmare.
A man who, if alive in this world, could burn kingdoms for fun.
Leone clenched his fists.
So his past followed him here.
Good.
Let it.
Because this time—
He wasn't the hunted.
He was the hunter.
Before Kael could speak, two more soldiers burst into the clearing.
Faces pale.
Trembling.
"Y-Your Highness!" one of them stammered.
"We found something!"
Leone lifted his head.
"What?"
The soldier held out a rolled parchment with a red seal.
A seal Leone recognized instantly.
His breath hitched.
A mafia-style summons letter.
In this world.
Kael handed it to him carefully.
Leone broke the seal.
He unrolled the parchment—
And froze.
WELCOME BACK, BOSS.
WE'VE BEEN WAITING.
– V
The forest wind died.
The world seemed to hold its breath.
Leone slowly looked up.
His eyes were no longer calm.
They were murder.
"Valerio…" he whispered.
"I'm coming for you."