“What’s wrong… Aren’t you going to shoot me….?  That’s what you came here for right? Go ahead. I even put away my gun so it would be easier for you. ”

The pressure seemed to become heavier with each word slowly slipping through Kieren’s lips. The assassins who were used to tense and dangerous situations found this much more frightening than any assassination they carried out. They were known to be highly skilled as they were assigned to assassinate the Olympic kendo champion and even the president of a militant country. But sense of dread coupled with Kieren’s teenage appearance created an eerie dissonance that set they nearly over the edge. Unable to endure the prolonged situation any further, the assassins simulanteously fired into the formation.

*Bang!*

Kieren leaned back in a leisure fashion as though he was going to sit in a chair placed behind him as soon as he saw the assassins fall for his provocations. The bullets fly past him by a hair’s breadth at the place he was just standing. He smoothly curled into a back roll as he picked up the other two poisoned daggers on the floor. He threw one into the forehead of the assassin in front while quickly slashing the throat of two assassins positioned behind him.

“!!!”   “urgh!”   “ah!”

Kieren quickly set chaos loose into the assassin group by killing the three as soon as they fired at him. However they wouldn’t have been an elite assassin if they were broken just from this.

“Quickly! Regroup into formation Cross!”

Three assassins once more surround Kieren from three sides while the fourth took distance in an attempt to snipe Kieren while the other three were keeping him busy. However just the previous formation, Kieren once again easily broke through by defeating the assassins one by one in close combat with his daggers. The sniper could do nothing as Kieren would use the assassin’s body as a meat shield to avoid being shot.

“Why?! Why are you able to defeat us so easily?! You are supposed to be just some pampered brat! “

The last assassin could only scream out his despair and frustration as he saw his comrades fall dead to the floor. In a last ditch effort the assassin tried to run as he fired bullets to distract Kieren as he knew he wasn’t any match for him. Even if his team was annihilated he at least wanted to live.

Unfortunately for the assassin just like his predecessors, his wish was denied as Kieren chased after him like a demon from hell. His eyes cast a purple glow as the diminished light reflected the barrel of the gun that his irises were locked on. After dodging the shots fired at him, he dashed at the panicked silhouette and reaped the life of the pitiful body. With the bloody corpse at his feet, Kieren stared coldly in annoyance.

“Amateurs. By forming formations you leave yourselves in a position where you can easily see which position was assigned to target a specific vital spot and by waiting for your comrades to aim the trajectory of the bullets can be found from where the barrel is facing. When I knew you guys were targeting me I took out my gun because you can never be too careful but it was just a waste of bullets.”

They were nothing. Compared to THAT world…

*Bam*

“Young master Kieren, Are you all right?!”

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A team of muscular men burst into the room with worried expressions on their faces. Their breaths showing signs of panic as they looked over the room filled with bodies. However when they found their charge standing unharmed they inadvertently let out a sigh of relief.

“Yes, I’m fine thanks to my shadow.” Kieren said nonchalantly.

The shadow Kieren referred to was supposed to an elite bodyguard known only to a handful of people and would only move when Kieren was left without anyone to protect him. In other words the absolute last line of defense, which is why nobody has ever seen this shadow except Kieren. Of course, this was just a cover that Kieren and grandma Akiko thought up to keep Kieren’s abilities a secret.

“That is a relief sir. I deeply apologize for being unable to protect you! We are willing to receive any punishment for this blunder!”

Lazily waving his hand Kieren replied “Don’t worry about it. I know you put me in this safe room because you sensed something was amiss. You even stationed guards outside the door in case intruders tried to force their way in. You couldn’t have known that the assassins were already hiding inside the safe room.”

“Thank you for your leniency young master. However, it was due to our oversight that put you in danger. We will take it upon ourselves to increase our training regimens by 50% but before that please allow us to continue to escort you to your room in case there are more assailants.”

“Very well”

Kieren noticed as he started to walk towards his room that his bodyguards which surrounded the perimeter to ensure his safety held sorrowful expressions. Their training was normally on par with elite military units such as the Green Berets or Navy Seals so to increase it by 50% would be near lethal. Even so, none of them could complain when they thought how they left a 17 year old kid to a group of bloodthirsty assassins. Kieren didn’t spare the guards another thought as he looked back to the direction of his room.

“Young master the room is safe and we shall be on call if you need us. Have a good rest…and I am sorry for your lose.”

Kieren nodded slightly in acknowledgement. When the door was closed Kieren was finally able to relax. He looked around his slightly messy room. After he knew grandma Akiko was on her deathbed, he didn’t have time to clean as he wanted to spend as much time with his grandma as he could. He knew that he shouldn’t leave it like this but he was too drained to start cleaning. He sprawled out on his bed, trying to clear his head of all the muddled thoughts swirling inside.

“…grandma Akiko…I miss you…This will be the first time I will be going into THAT world without your advice…Watch over your grandson okay?”

Tears silently fell out of Kieren’s closed eyes as he drifted to sleep.

As his body relaxed in slumber, his blood began to surge towards his soul. The blood covered the Kieren soul and slowly dragged it down. Down towards the world only a few chosen bloodlines could enter and exit as they please. Nobody knows what that world is called, not even its inhabitants. Therefore by lack of a more creative name, those who experience this world can’t help but call it the demonrealm as only demons who lack humanity live within.