The voice echoed into the room; its occupants turned towards the door only to see it cave inwards. It burst from the impact, splintering into shards of wood; even the metal reinforcement of the heavy gate bent from the pressure. The guard who, a moment ago, stood in front of the door flew inside and landed on his back, tumbling toward the far side, unconscious. Although still alive, the guard was battered and bruised, yet the man who stepped through the broken door after him was immaculate.

The man stepped before the leader, and the alarm rang throughout the compound. Sofia figured the loud sound of the door breaking must have alerted the guards. Their time was limited, yet Felix seemed unhurried. Both men stared each other down for a moment before Felix broke the silence.

"I've come for what is mine," he said.

The boss looked puzzled, unable to understand what he was referring to, until he noticed the black blade encased in a recess in the wall. The boss smiled.

"I see. Here to take revenge, is that it?" the leader said as he reached for his weapon.

Two axes, a little more than half his size, were on the side of the bed, making for quite an intimidating sight. Their wood handles were stained red due to being soaked in his enemies' blood. Their blades were broad and heavy but seemed extremely sharp. Felix was calm and unconcerned. He even gave the man enough time to dress. As the battle's prelude was brewing, Sofia reached Felix's side. Seeing this, the boss sneered.

"I knew you would betray me someday, you little bitch. I just didn't think one of your victims would be dumb enough to shield you," he said, keeping his eyes on Felix. "Let me tell you. Even before she came here, that bitch was scamming poor sods like you, using her body. You'd be surprised at the lows she and her brother had stooped to."

Sofia tensed up, thinking of all she had done in the name of survival. True, her brother and she had done some truly despicable things, but without resorting to this, they would already be corpses. Sofia looked towards Felix, awaiting his judgment with a slight fear in her heart. To her surprise, Felix remained unmoved and simply shrugged.

"I'm hardly clean myself," he answered. "I'm not arrogant enough to judge right or wrong. I do as I please, and if people label me evil, then so be it."

As Sofia heard his answer, the cold that had permeated her heart over her lengthy years in this gang started to melt a little. She had always thought herself undeserving. She had only confided in her brother, expressing her fears and doubts, but it had been over a year since she had last seen him. Since then, she had felt more and more alone.

Felix hadn't mentioned her outburst in the cabin. She feared she would be looked down upon for her past, but he was different. Finding someone who would not judge her actions after such a long time brought tears to her eyes.

The boss frowned at the scene. Something seemed odd about the man in front of him. He seemed utterly at ease despite being deep into an enemy stronghold, surrounded by foes on all sides. He stared at the intruder, but a chill ran down his spine. He frowned at the notion. He has seen his fair share of battle and had never felt that way towards an unarmed opponent.

Moments later, over a dozen guards swarmed into the room. The boss felt relief seeing his men surround the strange young man. However, moments later, an overpowering sense of shame arose in his mind at that thought. How could the "Raging Beasts" leader feel relief at outnumbering an unarmed opponent? Did that mean that he feared his foe?

IMPOSSIBLE! he thought as rage overwhelmed him. Fear is a sign of weakness, which is unacceptable to a being like myself. The only way to clear this shame is for him to die under my blade!

He raised both axes and rushed towards Felix before letting them fall diagonally towards him, cutting off his escape route. Felix, however, swiftly rushed backwards. The guards surrounding him were still surprised by their boss' sudden action and thus were a step too late. Felix quickly grabbed one of them and pulled him in front of him. The place where the guard now stood was exactly where Felix was a moment ago. The axes fell, and the guard didn't even realize he was dead.

The axes chopped the man in two without slowing down. Blood splattered on the wall as the severed torso spun in the air before crashing down in a puddle of gore. The blow was fierce and deadly, granting the man a painless death; only a look of disbelief remained on the cadaver.

The men were stunned by the death of their comrade. They shuddered when looking into his dim, lifeless eyes. Felix took the opportunity to dispatch two more using the daggers hidden in his sleeves, throwing them with perfect accuracy right into their throats. They clutched at their windpipe as blood flowed through their fingers; their bodies hit the floor with a thud. Blood dyed the room's wooden floor, permeating its recesses with a pungent smell of iron.

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Enraged, the boss pursued Felix around the room, swinging his massive axes wildly. Despite his imposing body, the man carried himself with uncanny agility. He cleverly used the momentum of his axe swings to accelerate his body toward his prey. Felix nimbly avoided his strikes by using the guards as human shields. Typically, it would be nigh impossible for one person to defeat more than a dozen opponents, but Felix had cleverly used their numbers against them.

Felix's opponents were mere bandits and thugs. They couldn't hope to hold any formations for long. Felix led the boss around the room; their formation quickly crumbled as the guards tried desperately to avoid their boss's wild swings. With their formation in disarray, Felix took the opportunity to reduce their numbers even more. He quickly disarmed one of the guards of his sword before cutting down another, simultaneously avoiding the boss's blows.

The situation quickly devolved into controlled chaos. Men screamed as they were cut down. Limbs flew and littered the ground as the strikes rained; one man chased, and another evaded. Contrary to the gruesome sight, a smile was plastered on Felix's face, sending shivers down the remaining men's spine. They hesitated, praying to not be the latest victim to dye the merciless metal red.

Felix danced on this macabre stage amid a rain of blood. The sword in his hand reaped the lives of men as they stood before him. Sofia watched the gruesome scene as if enthralled. She had suffered at the hands of these men, but more than revenge, she found beauty in their demise. This thought shook her to her core, and she looked away.

While the battle raged, Sofia stealthily approached the back of the room where Felix's blade rested. As much as she tried not to point attention to herself, she could not do so completely. She had almost reached the blade when one of the guards noticed her and cut off her path. While she did train to fight somewhat with her brother, it wasn't her primary area of expertise, especially with an armed foe. Her only saving grace was that her opponent was merely trying to subdue her.

The man reached out to grab her, but she quickly ducked under his arms, pulling him forward. Then she turned her back towards him and used the momentum of his grab to send the man, who was easily double her weight, flying over her shoulder. She had practiced this technique with her brother countless times, almost making it instinctual, and its delivery was virtually perfect. The man left the ground momentarily before crashing down, back first, unto a table, shattering it.

The man lay unmoving; shards of wood pierced his skin as hot liquid marred the wounds. The man groaned before trying to rise; Sofia wouldn't let him. She stepped her whole weight on his chest. The man reached for her ankles, struggling for breath. She raised her remaining foot and swung it like a pendulum, aiming straight for his jaw. The blow hit its mark, dislocating the bone. The man's brain rattled from the inertia, and he fainted.

Sofia gasped for air. This ordeal had taken a lot from her. Although the motion seemed easy, to send a man of this size flying required such precise movements and intense concentration from her that it left her exhausted. Unfortunately, such focus left her completely open afterwards, and another man circled around her and caught her in his grasp.

Once the boss noticed Sofia was caught, he started laughing. Felix grabbed one of the guards, holding his blade to the man's throat. Felix made sure to keep his back to the wall, facing the group before him.

The room became silent; only the boss' laughter echoed. With a grin on his face, the man said, "Ha! Ha! Ha! Despite how strong you are, your weakness is just as apparent. Are you willing to risk it all just for that woman?!"

Felix stared at him, a mask of stone on his face. He shrugged, digging the blade into his prisoner's neck. Warm blood flowed along the cold edge. The boss frowned, and with a rise of his hand, the man holding Sofia tightened his grip. A short yelp escaped her lips as pain shot through her arms. Fear flashed through her eyes, but she soon steeled her resolve. Felix noticed and sighed.

"To do dumb things despite knowing how dumb they are is only human."

The room grew noticeably colder. The boss's smile dissipated, only to be replaced by scorn.

"Humans?!" the boss asked. "How are you related to the Empire and these pathetic worms?!"

Felix's eyebrows rose in surprise. Despite his long years abroad, his hometown remained the same. Prejudice had always been an integral part of the Kingdom. He hoped the war would have changed that, but society does not change easily.

"What's with the name-calling? As I recall, you and all of those in this room are descended from them."

The boss's expression darkened, anger noticeable on his face.

"We may have been related at some point but have evolved way beyond them, becoming something much greater than they ever were. Do not insult me further by comparing me to something so weak."

"And yet, six years ago, the war ended without a victor," Felix said. "Can you still claim they are inferior?"

The boss lashed out.

"If it wasn't for that traitor, the Kingdom would have won!"

Felix didn't respond, as any further words were useless. The man tried to regain calm while the remaining guards surrounded Felix. Felix's mind raced to escape this predicament until the boss spoke again.

"We will find your relationship with the Empire sooner or later. Now, let go of your weapon unless you want something to happen to her."

Sofia frowned, and conflicting emotions welled in her heart. Her carelessness had led to this moment. She blamed herself, but a small part of her felt otherwise.

If he's genuinely related to the Empire, I... she thought.

She clenched her fist in frustration. The war had left many victims, her included. She wavered between what she owed him and her desire for revenge. Felix sighed and lowered his blade. He looked around the room, weighing his options. No matter his choice, his chances of success were less than ideal.

After a moment of hesitation, the blade finally left his hand.