The land of Aurie, once abandoned by the three kingdoms, had now become a prosperous center of trade. Merchants from distant lands traveled there, and wealth flowed through its markets. Seeing its success, the three kingdoms desired to conquer this "land of trade."
However, a mysterious entity had become their greatest obstacle, preventing them from claiming the land.
Deep in the jungle, a man was cutting trees. Each swing of his axe echoed through the forest.
He had dazzling emerald eyes, a sharp jawline, and a muscular build shaped by years of hard work and battle. His hair was unusual—half white and half black—moving slightly with the breeze.
Suddenly, he sensed something.
The forest had gone quiet.
Hearing the faint sound of movement, he realized an attack was coming. Instantly, he infused his ki into his axe and turned around sharply.
At that moment, a woman suddenly appeared in front of him, falling from above.
She had long silver hair and starry blue eyes that looked as deep as the night sky. Her clothes were torn, and her arms were covered with scratches and bruises as if she had been running for a long time.
As she landed, her foot slipped on the logs scattered across the ground.
Thud!
She fell directly onto him.
Both of them crashed to the ground, the woman landing on top of him. For a moment, neither of them moved. Their faces were only inches apart.
The man was surprised by the sudden event—and by her beauty.
The woman quickly realized the situation and stood up in embarrassment. She tried to run away, but suddenly collapsed again.
Looking down at her leg, she realized her ankle was broken.
She gritted her teeth and focused her energy. A soft glow appeared around her ankle as she used her ki to heal the injury.
"That ki…"
The man watched carefully.
"Only the nobles of the Star Kingdom possess that kind of ki."
As he stood up and grabbed his axe, he suddenly sensed multiple presences around them.
Then—
Arrows rained down from the sky.
Infusing his ki into his axe again, he twisted his body and swung the weapon, releasing a powerful wind slash.
Swoosh!
The slash collided with the arrows in midair, causing a small explosion.
"Come out!" he shouted. "I know how many assassins are hiding there!"
For a moment, the forest remained silent.
Then a calm voice spoke.
"My, my… what rude language you have."
A man wearing a black tailcoat landed gracefully on the ground. Under it, he wore a white shirt and a bow tie.
He had silver hair, crimson eyes, and round glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. A faint scar ran across his cheek.
Speaking in a calm and composed voice, he said,
"It is nice to make your acquaintance, my dear fellow. I am the captain of the A4 Squad. My name is Ace… though you might know me as Red X."
He bowed slightly and placed a hand on his chest.
"I've heard of you," the man replied. "You are the one who killed more than fifty people in a single battle."
Ace smiled faintly.
"My reputation precedes me."
He looked at the man more closely.
"And may I know your name?"
"Riyoma," the man replied, narrowing his eyes. "Now tell me—what is your business here?"
"Our business is simple," Ace replied politely. "Give the girl back to us, and we will take our leave."
"Why?" Riyoma asked coldly.
"That is none of your concern, my dear fellow. We simply want her back."
"I will not go with you monsters!" the woman shouted.
Riyoma stepped forward.
"You hurt the woman. Leave."
He rested his axe on his shoulder, his forearm slightly bleeding.
"You don't need to involve yourself in this matter," Ace said calmly.
"Well," Riyoma replied, "you're in my territory."
"So I have every right to ask."
Ace sighed slightly and pulled out a kunai.
At that moment, the rest of his men appeared from the shadows.
Ten assassins surrounded them.
"Not bad," Riyoma mocked. "Ten assassins chasing a helpless woman."
Ace gave a small signal.
One assassin rushed forward.
He suddenly vanished and reappeared beside Riyoma.
But Riyoma reacted instantly.
With a powerful swing of his axe, he struck the assassin, sending him flying through the trees before crashing into a rock.
The assassin coughed blood and collapsed to his knees.
Ace observed him carefully.
"You are quite special, my fellow."
His eyes suddenly stopped at a scar running across Riyoma's eye.
"That scar… could it be…?"
His expression changed slightly.
"No… it can't be."
Turning toward his men, he shouted,
"Bring me the princess!"
Three assassins rushed toward the princess while another attacked Riyoma from behind.
Riyoma moved instantly.
His figure blurred.
In the next moment, he appeared behind the attacker.
"I told you not to get close to her."
He grabbed the assassin by the neck and threw him away, sending him crashing through several trees.
In another instant, Riyoma appeared in front of the other assassins.
Sliding across the ground, he threw his axe toward one of them.
The assassin blocked it with his sword—but before he could react, Riyoma delivered a powerful kick that sent him flying backward.
Riyoma then engaged the remaining assassins in fierce combat.
The princess watched with wide eyes.
"How can he fight so many enemies at the same time?"
Within moments, Riyoma defeated every assassin who had rushed toward her.
Seeing this, Ace glanced sideways.
His remaining men began stepping back in fear.
Suddenly, Ace threw three kunai toward the princess.
The blades were coated with deadly poison.
Riyoma instantly stepped in front of her and blocked the attack with his arm.
The kunai pierced his flesh.
The poison immediately began spreading through his veins, burning like fire.
Ace smiled faintly.
"I will see you again… Dark Emperor."
In an instant, he vanished along with his men.
The forest became silent again.
Riyoma looked at the kunai stuck in his arm.
"Tch… poison," he muttered.
Then his eyes widened slightly.
"Damn… he figured it out."