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I didn’t know exactly how their conversation went, but one thing was clear: they were ready to kill us at any moment.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have hidden so many people in such a cramped building.

It seemed like the entire building was designed as a trap.

There were people hiding not just beneath the floor where I stood, but even in the ceiling.

Old furniture and walls were rigged with various setups, designed for an ambush or to launch arrows at us.

It was a clever plan.

If you couldn’t win in a head-on fight, setting traps like this was the right move.

“Yeah. Everyone’s got a solid plan—until they get punched in the face.”

I kicked the table and scattered the five men in front of me for a moment.

I kicked it too hard, shattering the table, but the impact was enough to send the five men tumbling away.

I’d bought myself some time.

First things first, let’s deal with the ones hiding behind me.

I glanced back and drew my greatsword.

I readied myself for a wide slash. One guy hiding behind a pillar lunged at me with a short sword.

As I heard before, there were plenty of ways to commit suicide.

“You idiot! Do you think you can swing that thing in a cramped space like this?”

“I pulled it out because I can.”

Big weapons usually suffer from spatial constraints.

We were in a cramped, complex indoor space, and naturally, pillars and other obstacles stood in the way of my sword’s path.

For a normal swordsman, the moment their blade hit a pillar, it’d stop with a hard thunk, halting the attack.

And once that happened, it was over. With both attack and defense stopped, only death awaited.

But I wasn’t an ordinary swordsman.

Craaaaack!

My blade tore through everything in its path as if grinding them to dust, without a trace of sword energy.

I could feel the resistance from the obstacles, but the sword never stopped moving.

The eyes of the suicidal fool widened in shock.

I granted his wish, and his bisected upper body rolled lifelessly across the floor.

‘I won’t use sword energy.’

There was no need for it.

If I used sword energy, I could slice through everything like tofu, but for now, my holy power alone was more than enough.

More importantly, it wasn’t time to reveal my sword energy in front of others yet.

A well-fighting mercenary and a Swordmaster carry vastly different reputations.

If word got out that a new Swordmaster had emerged, even the imperial family wouldn’t stay idle.

That would throw a wrench in our plans.

‘Besides, if they run away scared right from the start, it’ll be annoying.’

These guys seemed like they’d put up a decent fight.

Especially the first five I encountered.

Their movements were solid, and I liked the way they tried to exploit weaknesses.

Even for me, slashing through obstacles slowed my sword down.

A weapon as heavy as a greatsword inevitably had large, sweeping motions.

If I missed, the other side would get an opening, which could turn into a vulnerability.

Judging by their movements, it seemed like they were trying to guide my attacks toward the walls or pillars.

Were they trying to force a two-way choice, relying on their numbers?

Their intentions were obvious. Then again, it was the most effective approach they could think of.

I admired the effort, so I decided to play along.

“You’re as skilled as they say. Your reputation precedes you.”

“Do you think I’d only live up to my reputation?”

“But do you think you’re the first mercenary in Requitas who thought they could rely on their skills and rampage?”

My greatsword scraped along the wall as it rushed toward them.

A high slash aimed at chest level. Most of them dodged out of its trajectory, but one of them ducked underneath.

He must’ve thought it was hard to change direction with such a heavy weapon. A sharp decision.

Mana shimmered around his sword. It wasn’t sword energy, but it looked like he was enhancing the sharpness and durability of his blade.

For any other swordsman, this would’ve been a perfect chance to exploit, and even for me, that attack could’ve landed.

It was what you’d call a perfect counterattack.

But it was a fatal mistake.

Once again, I wasn’t an ordinary swordsman.

I stopped my swinging sword with sheer force and shifted its trajectory.

The man let out a short sigh, sensing his impending death.

“Hah.”

My sword came crashing down, and his body was gruesomely split apart.

The impact of my greatsword cracked the wooden floor beneath it.

His body, now beneath the shattered floor, found its grave in the rubble.

It seemed I had taken too long to finish him off.

My lengthy series of movements had left my right side vulnerable.

They weren’t going to let this opportunity slip. I had expected that much.

I left it open on purpose.

“Well done.”

There was no time to retrieve the sword for a counterattack.

In that case, I would slowly retrieve the sword with my left hand while defending with my right.

I lunged forward, swinging my right arm out forcefully.

My hand connected perfectly with the enemy’s head.

Crunch!

His skull caved in, and his already ugly face became even more grotesque.

I had to catch the body with my hand before it flew away.

“What... kind of strength is that...?”

“Thanks for the weapon. I’ll put it to good use.”

The man, now missing half his face, no longer needed his longsword.

Gratefully, I accepted his gift and drove it into the floor beneath me. Blood and unidentifiable chunks of flesh stuck to the blade as it pierced the wooden floor.

One more to the side. It took less than three seconds to clean up the two on the floor.

Now that things were cleared below, the ceiling was next.

The sword wasn’t particularly great, so I just threw it up to handle the enemies above.

Still, there was some use left in the corpse, so I grabbed its neck.

A gush of blood poured out, seeping into the gaps of my gauntlet, warming my hand.

I splashed that blood in the face of the enemy in front of me.

For just a brief moment, his vision was obscured.

It’s hard to maintain an attack when you can’t see, and a split second was all I needed.

“You’re such a generous friend. Don’t you think?”

I hurled the body forward, charging in with my full weight.

With my height and heavy armor combined, I delivered a substantial mass-based assault.

The angle was perfect, as if guided by luck. The man crashed into his companion behind him, and my sword swept through them in a horizontal arc.

Two down. Two weapons left. Two enemies still on the ceiling.

The numbers matched up nicely, so I sent them all off to Hibras together.

The sword I threw had knocked down part of the ceiling, and three bodies came crashing down.

“Your words are slowing down. But is it just a coincidence that you’re the only one left alive?”

The last one standing was the guide. The one who had been running his mouth the entire time.

There were a few others behind the wall and in the next room, but…

I didn’t need to worry about them.

“I don’t understand. What do you gain from this?”

“I already told you. Revenge. And I’ve already gained plenty.”

“But what for? No matter how much I think about it, we’ve never had any dealings with you before!”

“Kirux was involved.”

He looked confused, as if this wasn’t his problem.

He probably thought that since it was Kirux who took the job, it didn’t concern him.

But he had it all wrong.

He wasn’t the unlucky one; in fact, he was lucky.

He should’ve been dead long ago, but he was still alive—for now.

“I know two people who wouldn’t rest peacefully as long as scum like you are alive. I’m just cleaning up so nothing like this ever happens again.”

“Cleaning up? What right do you have to do this?”

“You’ve sure gotten talkative now that you’re about to die. Since when did this lawless zone care about rights?”

There are some things you can never forget.

For example, the sight of Terion with blood spurting from his neck.

It must’ve been around here.

His neck had been sliced about halfway, and blood was gushing out in torrents.

I couldn’t be bothered to draw a dagger. I tore into the man’s neck with my fingers, ripping it open, just as Terion had been injured.

No more, no less—exactly as far as Terion’s wound had been.

It was a meaningless act of revenge, but it made me feel a bit better.

I heard a familiar sound from the adjacent room. Footsteps I recognized.

“Looks like you’re done here.”

Sirien glanced at the dying man.

She didn’t linger. Just like one wouldn’t stare at trash on the street for too long.

“It’s all clear on my side. I also killed one who was trying to escape.”

“Did I miss someone?”

“Well, not really. He was outside from the start.”

“Ah, I didn’t think that far ahead.”

“That’s why I say you lack attention to detail.”

Had we cleaned up all traces of Kirux?

I wasn’t certain. Millen didn’t trust us, so he might have set us up using whoever he thought was expendable.

We’d figure it out as we went along. If there were more, we’d just clean them up too.

“Why don’t you check those bodies? There’s probably some money on them.”

“How do you know?”

“They didn’t come after us for no reason. Millen must’ve paid them off to take this risk.”

“Then we should spend that money on something nice.”

Just as Sirien had suggested, I searched the bodies and found a pouch of gold coins.

It wasn’t as hefty as the one Isha had received, but when it came to gold, the more the better.

I pocketed the pouch, and when I looked up, Sirien was already approaching me.

“Hold still for a moment.”

Where she had gotten it from, I didn’t know.

Her small hand wiped the blood off my armor with a cloth.

It was going to get bloody again soon anyway, but I kept quiet, knowing she wouldn’t appreciate being interrupted at a time like this.

“Do you think Russell will make a move?”

“We can only hope. If he doesn’t act while we’re shaking things up, then when will he?”

“I’d like to keep Russell alive if possible. Are you still against it?”

“Not sure. He’s not exactly indispensable. Honestly, it’d be easier to deal with if Isha were the only one left standing.”

Once we cleaned out the sewer rats, naturally, wolves would gather to fill the power vacuum.

We weren’t planning to leave Requitas unattended.

We had no intention of letting go of this money stream. The idea was to establish an organization and use it as a straw to siphon Requitas dry.

Sirien intended to put Isha at the head of that organization.

With Isha indebted to us, she’d serve as a figurehead while we absorbed the remnants of the Crescent Moon.

We’d send in our people to seize control behind the scenes. That was the plan.

For Sirien, Russell was unnecessary.

Russell was already a skilled leader. He could rebuild the Crescent Moon without our help.

If that happened, our cut of the gold would be significantly smaller.

“But if you really want to save Russell, go ahead. You’re much more important to me than he is.”

“Trust me just this once. I’ve got a good feeling about this.”

“When have I ever not trusted you?”

Sirien flashed a small smile.

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