The Iron Serpent Bar was full of smoke and noise. Men drank, laughed, and gambled.
Then the door opened.
Gian Kayne walked in.
Silence fell. Dice stopped rolling. Glasses froze in midair. Everyone stared.
The Demon Angel sat at the bar. Calm. Silent. The bartender's hands shook as he poured a drink.
From the corner, a scar-faced man whispered to his crew. "Tonight, he dies."
He snapped his fingers.
A gunshot exploded. Glass shattered. Chaos filled the room.
---
Gian flipped a table as a shield. Bullets slammed into it. He shoved it forward, knocking two men down.
He grabbed a chair leg, threw it like a spear, and dropped another thug.
A knife came for him. Gian blocked, twisted the man's arm until it broke, then slammed his head into the counter.
In minutes, the bar was silent. Bodies groaned on the ground.
One dying thug leaned against the wall, clutching his chest. He called Gian closer.
"Who sent you?" Gian asked.
The man coughed blood. His eyes burned.
"Someone close to you…"
Gian's jaw tightened. "Who?"
The thug gave a weak smile. His last words came like poison:
"…the one you trust will kill you."
Then he died.
Gian stood in the broken bar, fists clenched. For the first time, he felt a shadow inside his heart.
Someone close. Someone trusted.
A traitor.