Ruigh turned to Uhra.
"Are they inside?"
They stood against the dark house wall with two others – the scarred one and the one with the headband.
The killers had split into groups.
The four of them were on one side of the house; on the other three sides there were four killers each as well.
That meant sixteen outside and seven inside.
Uhra grinned and peeked around the corner.
"Yeah, they're inside."
The scarred man smiled.
"We should introduce ourselves. I'm Ned, Excellence Killer."
The man with the headband rolled his eyes.
"Kenta, Excellence Killer."
Uhra grinned.
"I'm Uhra, a Special Killer. But I'm sure you've already heard of me."
Ned nodded admiringly.
"Of course. You're the strongest of the Special Killers. They say your strength even surpasses some of the Four Apocalyptic Riders."
His eyes sparkled as he leaned forward.
"Could I maybe get an autograph later? And a picture for my son? For him you're a hero… and for me, honestly, you are too."
Uhra laughed and gave a mock bow.
"Ah, too much honor. No one surpasses the Apocalyptic Riders, except maybe the Boss – and perhaps one or two others."
He spread his arms wide.
"But for your son, I'll gladly keep playing the strong guy. Can't let him lose that smile."
Ned nodded gratefully.
"Thank you very much."
Kenta looked at Uhra with disdain, then turned to Ruigh.
"And who are you?"
Ruigh opened his mouth, but before he could answer, Kenta cut him off.
"Probably just a little Regular, right? This is a few levels too high for you, kid. What are you, fifteen?"
Ruigh's eyes narrowed. He clenched his fists and stepped toward Kenta.
"I don't think so. Do you want to see the truth?" he whispered.
Kenta raised his hands playfully.
"Gladly. Come on then, wannabe Killer, show me."
He smirked and slapped Ruigh lightly on his trembling chest.
Ruigh's breathing quickened.
Anger seized him, shaking his bones.
It burned through him like poison.
He saw red.
Uhra darted forward and grabbed him by the arm.
All traces of mischief were gone from his eyes.
"Calm down, kid," he murmured quietly.
Kenta laughed harshly.
"Wow, looks like the great Uhra had to step in."
Uhra ignored him.
Instead, his radio crackled.
"Area secure. You can go in."
Uhra nodded and lifted his head.
"Then let's move."
They jumped through the window.
Ruigh landed on his feet and glanced at Uhra.
He was already several steps ahead.
Ned and Kenta followed.
Uhra scanned the darkness, his eyes sharp. Then he turned to the others.
"Stay quiet. Stay alert," he whispered.
They moved on.
Ruigh walked in the rear. Then Kenta, then Ned. At the front: Uhra.
The corridors were pitch black. Nothing but their flashlights lit the way.
Kenta laughed. With a cocky grin, he turned to Ruigh.
"What's the matter? Scared already?" he asked.
Ruigh bit his lower lip. He hated it when people mocked him. He wouldn't allow it anymore. Not anymore.
He opened his mouth to reply—but a scream cut him off.
A death scream.
At the same time, the radio crackled. A voice cried out:
"You have to run! Quick, run!" It was filled with panic. "Run, they've got us! They're—" The voice broke.
A final whisper bled through. Weak. Shattered.
"Please… run."
Then silence.
Ned gasped in shock.
"Oh no…"
Uhra spread his arms calmly.
"We move on."
Ned stared at him, horrified.
"But… what if—"
Uhra chuckled softly, tilting his head.
"If we die?" he asked bitterly. "That's part of our job—protecting the innocent from what they cannot even comprehend."
He turned forward again, but added quietly:
"It would be a miracle if we didn't all end up rotting in the dirt one day."
Kenta ignored him.
"So what now?"
Uhra turned thoughtfully.
"We split up. I'll go with Kenta. Ruigh—you go with Ned."
Ruigh nodded.
"Understood."
Uhra gave a slight nod and headed in the other direction—though not without leaning close to whisper:
"Good luck."
Ruigh walked off with Ned down the opposite corridor.
Ned looked nervous, his whole body trembling.
Ruigh glanced at him, frowning.
"You alright?" he asked.
Ned forced a smile.
"Yeah, I'm just—"
But the smile froze on his face as a blade split his head in two.
Both halves fell to the ground with a dull thud.
The smile was gone forever.
Ruigh stared at Ned's corpse for a few seconds.
He blinked blood from his eyes and took a step closer to the lifeless body.
Closing his eyes, he tried to focus. He clenched his fists tightly to stop them from trembling.
His breathing slowed, becoming steadier.
Then—suddenly—he felt a faint breeze.
Barely noticeable.
Instinctively, he ducked.
A blade struck the wall above him, exactly where he had been standing a moment ago.
A shadow shot past him.
Ruigh jerked his head, scanning his surroundings.
He listened.
Nothing.
Only the distant howl of the wind outside.
And footsteps.
Clear. Distinct.
Ruigh bolted forward, sprinting down the hallway.
From the darkness behind him, more blades were hurled his way.
He was too fast. They struck walls and ceiling instead, embedding themselves with sharp cracks.
As he glanced around, checking for more projectiles, something overtook him.
A dark figure.
It dashed down the corridor ahead and disappeared through a door, slamming it shut behind.
Ruigh came to a halt, eyes fixed on the door.
Slowly, step by step, he approached.
His hand reached for the handle, pressing it down gently.
The door swung open.
Nothing.
---
Meanwhile, Uhra and Kenta moved along their passageway.
Kenta glanced around mockingly.
"So this is supposed to be dangerous? Doesn't seem like it."
Uhra's watchful eyes stayed forward.
No laughter.
No smile.
"Don't be fooled by appearances," he said firmly.
Kenta smirked.
"No witty remark? No laughter? You've been laughing non-stop the last three days with that pathetic weakling… what was his name again? Right—Ruigh."
Uhra kept walking, but the tension in his hand was visible.
"He's someone worth smiling for," he replied.
Kenta burst into loud laughter.
"Oh really? Is your smile that precious?"
He stopped, his eyes narrowing.
"So that's how you see yourself? A knight in shining armor, huh?"
Uhra looked at him.
"No. Believe me, I'm no knight in shining armor."
He stepped closer, tilting his head slightly as his gaze pierced into Kenta's eyes.
"There's only one reason I don't smile at you," he whispered.
"Because you don't deserve it."
Kenta's expression darkened.
"What's that supposed to mean? You think I'm weak?"
Uhra shook his head.
"The suffering deserve a smile. Not hypocrites."
Kenta's fists clenched. His nostrils flared.
"How dare you—"
A drop of blood landed on his chin.
Both men slowly looked up.
Seven rotting corpses hung from wires above.
The seven killers of the vanguard.
Kenta stumbled back, trembling as his body pressed against the wall.
Uhra sneered.
"Never seen blood before?"
At the end of the corridor, a door opened.
Ten men stepped through, with more silhouettes looming behind.
Uhra nodded toward the dangling corpses.
"And there are the ones responsible."
Kenta shook his head wildly, his breath coming in short, frantic bursts, eyes wide with terror.
"No… please… I just wanted the reward…"
He stumbled, falling to the ground, crawling desperately to escape.
But Uhra placed his foot firmly on him.
"Exactly what I meant by hypocrite."
He bent down, grabbing Kenta, pulling him slowly back to his feet.
"You're no true killer, Kenta," he said coldly, both hands now pressing against Kenta's head.
"Just a hypocrite. And you know what?"
Uhra smiled wide.
"I hate hypocrites most of all." His tone turned almost mocking. "And now… you've even seen my smile."
His eyes narrowed in pity.
"For you… it's the last."
Kenta whimpered.
"Please, I'll do anything—"
A sickening crack.
Uhra snapped his neck in an instant.
Kenta's head lolled to the side, the horrified expression fading as life left him.
Uhra let the body fall with disdain, stepping over it casually—still smiling.
"Well then… where were we?"
He fixed his gaze on the enemies.
By now, there were fifty of them, crammed into the narrow hallway.
The first ten charged forward in formation.
Uhra raised his right hand, spreading his index and middle finger apart. Between them, a small black dot formed.
A pull. A growing force.
He aimed lazily at the attackers and released it.
The black dot shot through the hallway, tearing it apart.
Walls, ceiling, and floor split violently. Everything was being sucked in.
The attackers turned in panic, trying to flee.
It was pointless.
When the singularity reached them, their bodies were flung into the air, spines bending, bones breaking.
Their screams echoed in agony as they were swallowed into darkness.
Uhra clapped his hands loudly.
"Who's next?"
The remaining enemies recoiled in fear.
Uhra grinned, raising his hand again.
Ten more black dots shot forward.
---
Ruigh stared into the empty room.
It couldn't be real.
Suddenly, two blades pierced his back from above, sending him crashing to the floor.
The shadowy figure dropped from the ceiling.
Ruigh spat blood, his fading vision darting around.
Boots.
Dozens of boots.
He looked up.
At the entrance—soldiers.
Hundreds of them.
They filled the corridor, spilling into the space beyond.
Ruigh's eyes flicked back and forth in panic.
They had been waiting.
It was a trap.
And they had walked straight into it.