As they returned through the woods and were about to bypass the shanty town, Leonardo’s eyes flickered in the dark and his senses quietly enveloped the area.

Originally, he had intended to return Fino home as it was already late, but it seemed like the rabid dog lashed out again. Pausing in his tracks, he turned around and silently led Fino into the shanty town.

Most of the people had already returned from the city, but the camp still looked like a ghost town. If it weren’t for the few hundred life signatures caught up by his Vita senses, he might also think it was empty.

People were eerily quiet here, and tended to their own business. Few had the energy to waste on evening social activities. Even if there was an incident or other, few would pay attention to it.

Such as in this case, where Luca towered over a ragged trio by a broken-down shack. Even from afar, he could hear his hoarse shouting and threats, causing Fino to pause in fright and Leo to glare over with a hint of wrath. Ever since that night, he became more and more irrational when it came to Luca, so something about this just made him snap.

Drawing closer, he could hear a girl’s pleading voice. Probably the oldest among them, she was nonetheless a 13 year old runt, whilst her brothers were even younger. It thus came as no surprise that they could only passively endure Luca’s bullying.

“I told you and your whore mother to vacate this place yesterday. Did I fucking stammer or what? Or did she think I’d forget about the look she gave me?”

“Mister,” the girl pleaded earnestly while hiding her fright, “my mother is currently in the city. We’ll collect our things in the morning and leave then.”

“And where am I supposed to sleep tonight, huh? I already told you to scram the fuck out. This place is mine now…”

It seemed like their negotiations were going nowhere, and the girl finally lost her eloquence and nigh broke down into tears. Her brothers were already hugging amidst sniffles in the background.

Luca seemed to take great pleasure in it, and as a devious grin plastered around his face, he generously reconsidered his offer.

“Well, it isn’t to say you can’t sleep here tonight. You can just join me, heh. We’ll have ourselv—”

“You still have what it takes to sleep with a woman? Wow.”

A crisp, mocking voice interrupted his delusions as Leonardo walked out, shooting Luca’s lower half a meaningful glance. He wasn’t afraid of antagonizing the boy anymore. Having reached Virtus 2, he could already use magic to some extent to increase his combat prowess.

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“Oh. It’s you, brat! I didn’t even go looking for you and you’ve come seeking death?”

Shifting his self-pleased grin for a hateful grimace, Luca didn’t need further provocations and lunged at Leonardo with clear murderous intent.

“Heh. For a beaten eunuch… Your expression is just too distasteful, and your mind still too vicious. Seems a rabid dog can’t be taught to be well-mannered.”

Playfully smirking to further antagonize the beast, Leonardo seemed entirely unprepared even as Luca drew closer and closer.

What little audience was around could already foresee the outcome of such a fight. The attacker was clearly bigger in both age and weight, whereas the smaller runt was stuck in place, likely frozen in fear. At least, that was their estimation when Luca’s fist drew closer and closer to Leo’s face.

Yet, just as it seemed contact was all but unavoidable, Leonardo took a single but crucial step sideways. It was minute, with his feet not even leaving the ground. He merely slid sideways like a serpent, brushing alongside the outstretched arm.

Then, the snake bit — Venomously, with great lethality and unconstrained destruction.

This time, Leonardo would show no mercy. With his chi reserves increased, he pummeled his liver again. This time, even nature was on his side as the surrounding winds seemed to join his punitive effort. Manipulating the velocity of his fist simultaneously as he struck, he used Elemental magic to effectively triple his usual kinetic force.

A single thump resounded as they made contact, and then eerie silence.

Luca’s face twisted and various colors seemed to surface across it, before finally culminating in him vomiting blood and sputtering phlegm through his mouth and nostrils.

It looked really disturbing, and it quickly became apparent this critical strike was fatal to the boy. No one knew quite what happened, particularly since it was dark and only silhouettes were visible. Most just assumed he was stabbed, because he dropped in one anticlimactic hit.

Drawing closer to Luca who had collapsed on the ground by now and was still gurgling in vain, he ignored his death rattle and leaned in to whisper.

“I have never killed anyone before, you know…

“Ever since I was seven, I started to train for it. Various lethal killing blows surfaced in my mind like a spell, and I knew then and there that I was special somehow.

“I was called to kill — to be a messenger of death.

“Even disregarding Jesus’ teachings and what not, I figured it might be difficult to face this quandary… I thought I would be repulsed by it, — afraid even.”

Looking up and down at Luca who was still suffering untold amounts of pain as his ruptured organ slowly brought about his demise, Leonardo seemed strangely calm and unhurried.

“You made it strangely easy. If there was one person in this whole world I could kill and never feel guilty thereafter, it is probably you, Luca.”

“We grew up together, and despite seeing what a vicious bastard you were over the years, it was never my problem… Not something I had to deal with.”

“Perhaps, it is this very inaction that allowed scum like you to fester and spoil unhindered.

“Had I given you a good beating when you were younger, perhaps you’d be reciting evening verses in the chapel like a good christian boy.

“But, I didn’t… and it’s too late for regrets. Now, I have to kill you, lest others continue to suffer from my inaction.

“It’s really strange how karma works. I read much about it, but never quite understood it - until now.”

“In a sense, you taught me many lessons.”

Laying a hand across his forehead, he gently closed the boy’s unwilling eyes as if with boundless compassion.

“Thank you. May your next life be better.”