The moment Haru stepped forward, the air exploded.
In just a single heartbeat—
ten men surrounding him were already airborne, their heads spinning through the air, painting arcs of blood in the wind.
Sching! Sching! Sching!
Three seconds later—
five more fell without even realizing what killed them.
They didn't see his sword move.
They didn't even hear his footsteps.
Every time someone blinked, someone died.
Every time someone took a breath, another body fell.
Even the sound of steel couldn't keep up with his speed.
The entire battlefield froze in horror.
Xinx's face twisted in terror.
"R–RUN!!" he roared.
But before the last syllable left his mouth, twenty more bodies collapsed, headless, the snow beneath them dyed crimson.
Xinx's heart pounded wildly. He had killed hundreds in his life—
each one giving him a rush of power, a dark satisfaction.
But when he looked into Haru's eyes…
there was nothing.
No rage.
No joy.
No hate.
Only a deep, terrifying emptiness—
the gaze of someone who had long since stopped counting how many lives he'd taken.
He's not fighting, Xinx realized. He's just… existing. Killing is as natural to him as breathing.
Xinx stumbled back, his body trembling.
No one reaches that level by fighting monsters, he thought in horror. He became that by killing monsters wearing human faces.
"Damn it—!" He turned and ran, forcing every ounce of mana into his legs.
He sprinted faster than he ever had, his boots tearing through the soil.
When he glanced back—
he saw Lee's head flying through the air, his eyes still open, staring at nothing.
Xinx ran faster. His lungs burned, his legs bled, but he didn't stop.
He dared to look back again—
and saw Sam's head still attached to his body, but floating, as the lifeless corpse continued to run for several meters before collapsing.
"No… no, no, no!!" Xinx screamed.
He pushed harder—mana bursting from his feet, leaving trails of flame and dust.
But this time, when he turned again—
Haru was already behind him.
Not running.
Not even moving fast.
Just walking.
The pressure froze Xinx's body mid-step. His mind screamed to move—but his muscles betrayed him.
"NO—!!"
Shhhk!
A red line appeared across his neck.
And before he could even finish the word—
his head separated cleanly from his shoulders, spinning into the air.
His body stood upright for a moment, then fell forward into the snow.
The world went silent again.
Blood dripped from Haru's blade as he looked over the now-quiet field.
Dozens of corpses lay around him—broken, burned, decapitated.
The once-bustling chaos of battle had turned into a graveyard of silence.
Haru exhaled softly.
Not satisfaction. Not relief.
Just emptiness.
> "...Seventy-three," he murmured, wiping the blade clean.
"Counted right."
And as he sheathed his sword, the blood on the ground froze beneath his feet—
the snow itself seeming to fear him.
Everyone stood frozen.
No one spoke.
No one even dared to breathe too loudly.
The battlefield—once filled with screams and steel—had fallen into a dead, suffocating silence.
The snow was stained dark red, and the scent of blood hung thick in the air.
Some of the soldiers trembled, clutching their weapons so tightly that their knuckles turned white.
They had seen death before—
but not like this.
They whispered under their breath, their voices shaking.
> "How… how can someone kill people like that?"
"Is he even human?"
The night slowly devoured what little light remained.
Only the wind moved, whispering through the broken trees and fallen bodies.
No one dared to move first, afraid that the slightest sound might draw the demon's gaze—the one they now realized wasn't from the enemy side, but from their own.
Then, a calm voice finally broke the silence.
Seraphina stepped forward, her tone gentle but commanding.
> "Everybody, it's fine… You don't have to be afraid."
Her gaze swept over the trembling soldiers.
> "I know this man. He's my personal guard. My most loyal protector."
She looked at Haru, her expression unreadable—half reassurance, half quiet calculation.
> "So don't worry. He's here to protect us. Right, Haru?"
Haru stood a few paces away, his blade still dripping faintly with blood.
He didn't answer with words—only a silent nod, his face unreadable, his eyes calm and cold.
The soldiers looked away, relieved and terrified all at once.
---
Inside his mind, Haru understood everything perfectly.
> They're using me, he thought.
And I'll use them too.
He had no loyalty to empires or bloodlines.
But through Seraphina and her influence, he could gain access to what he truly needed—information.
A path that might lead him back to his own world.
He didn't trust her, and she didn't trust him.
Yet, they both understood something very clearly:
they needed each other.
Even Seraphina, behind her calm smile, knew what kind of danger she was dancing with.
> If I fail to give him what he wants… she thought, stealing a glance at Haru.
Then maybe my head will be the next to fall.
---
Two hours later—
the sound of horses and metal echoed from afar.
Reinforcements arrived—two generals and a squad of elite knights, with Wizz leading them.
They froze as they entered the scene.
Even for veterans who had fought countless battles… this was something else.
The entire field was painted red.
Corpses of foreign warriors—each one killed cleanly, swiftly, without a single wasted motion.
General Merlin, her face pale beneath her battle helm, whispered quietly,
> "By the gods… what kind of monster did this?"
Wizz didn't answer. He already knew.
His eyes found Haru standing silently beside Seraphina—like a shadow behind a queen.
The generals began investigating the aftermath.
Scattered insignias, foreign weapons, and the shattered crest of the organization known as Zero.
Reports confirmed their fears—
Zero wasn't just a band of killers. They were organized, trained, and increasing in number.
Their true motives were still unclear… but one thing was certain:
This massacre was only the beginning.