Three days after Aldric Reinhardt's death, the kingdom named Valtheris was shrouded in a fog of terror. News of the hero's demise spread like wildfire.
His body had been found in horrific condition—dismembered, surrounded by pools of dried blood. And most terrifying of all, carved into the wall of that room was a symbol: a cracked crescent moon, drawn in the victim's own blood.
No one knew who did it. No living witnesses remained. Only one name whispered through the darkness—Midnight Kai.
Tonight, at a lavish mansion on the city's outskirts, a party was underway. Crystal chandeliers sparkled brilliantly, red wine flowed freely, and false laughter filled the spacious ballroom.
This was a celebration for the "elite"—those who possessed power, those who held control over the fates of ordinary people. At the center of attention stood a tall man in an expensive purple robe.
His name was Cassius Valefor, a reincarnator with a cheat ability called "Authority of Command"—the power to control the minds and wills of anyone who heard his voice.
With that ability, he had amassed untold wealth. Collected beautiful women as his personal slaves. Destroyed anyone who dared oppose him.
"A toast!" Cassius shouted, raising his wine glass high.
"To our freedom! To the power that places us above all others!"
The guests—mostly reincarnators and other cheat holders—joined in with loud laughter. They were all the same. They all thought this world was their playground.
But there was one person in the corner of the room who wasn't laughing. A young female servant with empty eyes. Her hands trembled as she held a tray of glasses. Her face was pale. There were scars on her neck—traces of mind control magic forcibly imposed by Cassius years ago.
She had no choice. She had no freedom. She was just a living doll. And behind her forced smile, her tears had dried up long ago.
Outside the mansion, atop the highest roof, someone stood motionless. His black cloak billowed in the night wind. That white mask with its cracked crescent moon glowed softly beneath the full moon's light. His silver eyes stared sharply toward the ballroom's large window.
Midnight Kai had arrived. In his hand, a long list was rolled up. A list of names. A list of sins. A list of people who had crossed the boundaries of humanity with their cheat powers.
And tonight, Cassius Valefor's name would be crossed out in blood.
"Goddess Lunaris," he whispered softly, as if speaking to the moon itself.
"Grant me the strength to enforce Your justice."
The moonlight responded. Silver rays descended, enveloping his body, merging with his shadow. His power rose—pure, cold, and deadly.
Then, without a sound, he leaped down. The party was still in full swing when the lights suddenly went out. The entire room plunged into total darkness.
"What's happening?!" one guest shouted.
"Turn the lights back on, you idiots!" Cassius snapped at his servants.
But no one answered. An oppressive silence replaced the party's commotion.
People's breathing grew heavy. Some tried using magic to illuminate the room, but the flames they summoned extinguished before they could even ignite.
Then, from the darkness, a voice rang out. Cold. Calm. Piercing.
"Good evening, lovers of sin."
Everyone froze.
"Who's there?!" Cassius tried using his cheat ability.
"I command all of you—show yourself!"
But nothing happened. His voice didn't work. His Authority of Command... was useless.
"Impossible..."
"Your power is worthless before me," the voice whispered again, this time closer.
"Because tonight... you're all already within my domain."
Suddenly, moonlight pierced through the shattered glass windows. And in the center of the room stood that figure. Midnight Kai.
His sword was drawn, gleaming with blinding silvery light. His eyes scanned the entire room, counting every target.
"There are twelve of you here," he stated.
"Twelve people who have used cheat powers to destroy the lives of others."
One guest—a fat man with a telekinesis cheat ability—tried to attack. He lifted a large table and hurled it toward Midnight Kai at full speed.
But the masked figure simply swung his sword once.
SLASH!
The table split in two midair and fell on either side of him.
"Don't waste my time," Midnight Kai said coldly.
He moved. So fast that ordinary human eyes couldn't follow. One second he was there, the next he was right behind the fat man.
SLASH!
Blood spurted. The man fell with wide eyes—unable to believe his life could be taken so quickly.
One victim down. Eleven remained. Panic erupted. The guests scattered in all directions, trying to escape. But the doors were already locked. The windows were sealed by shadows. There was no way out.
This was no longer a ballroom. This was a slaughterhouse. Midnight Kai moved again. This time his target was a beautiful woman with an illusion cheat ability. She tried to make herself vanish, creating dozens of false images to deceive him.
But Midnight Kai wasn't fooled.
"Your illusions are too weak to deceive the moon's eyes."
"N-No, please! I'll give you anything, including my body!" the woman begged.
"How unfortunate. I enforce justice with complete gender equality!"
He slashed toward what appeared to be empty space—and his sword hit something. Blood splattered. The woman collapsed, her illusion shattered instantly.
Two victims down. Ten remained. Cassius, witnessing all this, began to panic. He backed into a corner, trying to think. His power wasn't working. His friends were dying one by one. Nothing could stop this monster.
"This can't be happening..." he muttered, trembling.
"You... you're just an ordinary human! How can you defeat us who possess the power of gods?!"
Midnight Kai stopped in the middle of the room now filled with corpses. He turned, gazing at Cassius with an emotionless stare.
"An ordinary human?" He walked slowly closer.
"You're right. I was once an ordinary human."
His footsteps echoed in the silent room. "But you... all of you taught me that in this world, justice will never come from the heavens. Justice must be enforced by one's own hands."
He stopped directly in front of Cassius. "And tonight, I am that justice."
"Midnight Kai!"
Cassius tried to run, but his legs wouldn't move. The shadow beneath him had already bound him tightly.
"W-wait! I can give you anything! Money! Power! Women! Whatever you want!" Cassius screamed desperately.
Midnight Kai raised his sword. "What I want... is all your heads at the end of my blade."
SLASH!
Cassius's head was severed in one strike. His body fell to the floor with a heavy thud. Three victims down. Nine remained.
One by one, Midnight Kai hunted them down. No one could escape. No one could fight back. Their cheat powers meant nothing against the moon's curse that enveloped the entire mansion.
In less than ten minutes, twelve corpses lay across the ballroom floor. Blood soaked the luxurious carpet. The scent of death filled the air.
Midnight Kai stood in the midst of it all, his sword still dripping with blood. Then he saw her.
The young servant woman from before—the one forced to serve those monsters—now stood in the corner of the room. Her body trembled. Her eyes were full of tears, but this time they weren't tears of sorrow.
They were tears of relief. Midnight Kai walked closer. The woman stepped back, frightened, but she didn't run.
"Don't be afraid," he said gently.
"I won't hurt you."
He extended his hand, and with a touch of his sword, the mind control seal on the woman's neck shattered. The woman sank to the floor, weakened. For the first time in years, her mind was free. Her will had returned.
"You... you saved me..." she whispered in disbelief.
Midnight Kai didn't respond. He simply turned and walked toward the window. Before leaping out, he left his final words.
"Live. And remember—tonight, justice came not from the light, but from the shadows."
Then he vanished into the darkness. The next morning, news of the massacre at Cassius's mansion spread throughout the kingdom.
Twelve bodies. No witnesses. Only one symbol carved into the wall with blood: A cracked crescent moon.
And beneath it, a short message that made every reincarnator and cheat holder in the kingdom tremble with fear:
"To those who use cheat powers to oppress—the night is your punishment. I will come. And I will show no mercy."
— Midnight Kai
The night of slaughter hadn't ended. This was only the beginning. And the moon... continued watching from the sky.