The blood on the cobblestones had barely begun to cool.
Jiyul stood in the center of the massacre silent, still, his sword lowered but his killing intent hanging in the air heavier than the morning mist. Across from him, Selena watched with eyes full of a hundred unasked questions. Daren stood a few paces back, pale and trembling, trying to make sense of the carnage.
Then came the sound.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Hoofbeats. Distant at first, then louder. Rhythmically crushing the silence.
Selena's gaze snapped toward the main avenue. "More?"
Jiyul turned his head slightly, his cold eyes narrowing as he watched the street ahead.
No masks this time. No shadows slithering through alleyways.
It was the Royal Guard. Ten of them, mounted on heavy warhorses, their silver-and-blue armor gleaming under the sun like polished mirrors. But at their center rode a man on a white steed so pristine it seemed to glow. The sunlight didn't just hit him; it seemed to bend around him.
Selena's breath hitched.
"...Rayel," she whispered.
Daren's knees gave out. He fell to the bloodied stones, bowing so low his forehead nearly touched the red puddles. "T-The Grand Commander..."
Selena looked at Jiyul, her voice low and urgent. "So, this is your end."
Jiyul didn't flinch. He didn't bow. He gave a small, humorless smile not of joy, but of absolute indifference.
"I don't end," he said. "I just continue in different shades."
The white horse came to a halt a few feet away from the slaughter. Its hooves sank into the crimson mud with a wet squelch.
With casual grace, Rayel slid down from the saddle. He was tall, his loose black hair framing a face that was too calm for a battlefield. Beneath his fine white robes, a chain-like armor shimmered so thin it looked like smoke stitched with silver thread.
He stood in silence, hands at his sides, facing Jiyul.
Selena instinctively stepped aside, lowering her head in deep respect.
But Jiyul?
He stared straight back.
"Break the stare," he whispered to himself, his voice razor-sharp.
A beat passed. The tension stretched thin enough to snap.
Then, Rayel threw his head back and laughed.
"UAHAHAHAHA! You ..you are the one who did this? Damn, man."
He looked around at the severed limbs, the blood-soaked stones, and the broken blades. "You painted the whole damn road like it's festival season."
Jiyul's expression didn't change. Empty. Unreadable.
"Yes. I did it."
His voice dropped an octave, vibrating with threat. "So what? You going to kill me now? Then come. I will paint your blood into the road too."
Rayel laughed again, gripping his saddle as if the absurdity of the threat was too much to handle.
Selena furrowed her brow in confusion. Daren glanced up, terrified. Even the royal guards shifted uneasily.
Jiyul narrowed his eyes. He read the laughter as mockery. And he hated mockery.
His hand moved.
Flash.
Jiyul's blade cut through the air with deadly speed, a blur of black steel aimed straight at Rayel's neck.
Rayel didn't dodge. He didn't draw a weapon. He simply raised one hand.
CLANG!
The sound was like a temple bell struck by a giant.
Jiyul's sword stopped dead. The blade was caught in Rayel's open palm, halted by the thin, glimmering chain armor that coiled around his hand like silver skin.
Rayel's laughter died instantly. His expression shifted from amusement to something ancient and terrifying. His eyes felt heavy, looking not at Jiyul, but through him.
"...Your sword isn't sharp enough to cut me," Rayel said quietly. "Move aside. I am not here for you."
Selena stepped forward, panic in her voice. "Sir Rayel! He is the one who caused all this"
Rayel raised a hand to silence her. "True."
He turned back to Jiyul, a faint grin returning. "But he also saved me some work. I came for the Silent Fang... and this guy? He already killed them."
He gave Jiyul a mock salute. "Thanks. At least your blade is good for something."
Jiyul's eyes narrowed further. He gripped his sword tighter, his knuckles turning white.
"You mocking me?"
Rayel's grin stayed, but the warmth left it.
Jiyul attacked again.
This time, Rayel moved.
Fast. Too fast.
He sidestepped effortlessly, grabbed Jiyul's arm mid-swing, and with one swift motion, slammed a kick into his chest.
THUD.
It sounded like a hammer hitting meat.
Jiyul flew back, crashing into a pile of broken crates and wood. Dust exploded around him as he tumbled across the stones.
Rayel didn't even watch him land. He turned to Daren, wiping his hands as if he had just touched something dusty.
"Take your man before I decide to kill him."
Daren scrambled toward Jiyul without hesitation.
Rayel mounted his horse, then pointed a gloved finger at Selena. "Burn the bodies. Use lime. Leave no scent behind."
Selena saluted instantly. "Yes, Commander."
Without another word, Rayel flicked the reins. His white horse galloped away, the bloody street behind him nothing more than a footnote in his day.
Jiyul groaned and pushed himself up from the debris. He spat a mouthful of blood onto the stones. His chest burned where the kick had landed.
"That bastard..."
Selena approached cautiously. "He is known as the strongest man alive," she said softly. "Be careful next time you swing at a god."
Jiyul didn't reply.
Instead, he stormed toward one of the Silent Fang corpses. He knelt, his eyes wild with frustration.
"Jiyul, don't !"
His hand pressed onto the corpse's chest.
The Blood Ember activated.
A red light burst from the dead man, spiraling up Jiyul's arm and slamming into his body. His veins glowed briefly. His eyes sparked with crimson energy.
Selena stepped back in shock. "What are you doing?!"
Jiyul's face twisted in agony.
Images slammed into his mind. A feast. A hall of wine and gold. A masked figure holding a burning torch. Screams.
But then
Fury.
Jiyul's rage swelled, crushing the memories into dust. The physical pain of the Ember gave him more clarity than any vision ever could.
He stood up, his spine cracking. His skin still burned with the Ember's light.
Selena moved in, concerned, reaching out to steady him. "Jiyul, enough "
He swung instinctively.
Sssshhhk!
His blade grazed her hand. A thin line of red bloomed across her skin.
She winced, pulling back sharply. "Damn it!"
Jiyul's voice came out harsh, cold, and utterly detached.
"Don't touch me, you freak."
Selena froze. Her eyes widened not from the wound, but from the raw hatred in his voice.