Under the bright illumination of the pale moon, amidst the forest on a clearing near a mountain side. Zara fought against the tides of angry men. Each bandit lunged at her, hoping to bring the beast down, but all failed miserably. No warrior in their ranks could compare to her—she was too nimble, too agile. Every one of her movements was precise, each attack a lethal strike meant to take a life. Yet, despite her incredible prowess, she was slowly being surrounded by the myriad of blades. Her dual swords, though deadly, were beginning to show signs of crumbling under the relentless onslaught. In fact, her weapons had shattered a few times already, only to be replaced by those taken from the fallen.

Wounds, bruises and cuts tore on her skin. Veiled by the blood of her slayed opponents that carpeted her path towards the mansion.

Still, it was clear the bandits were adapting to her tactics.

"Just tire her out! She can't keep this up forever!" one of them shouted, rallying his companions.

Their strategy had shifted. They began charging at her in waves, then retreating before she could retaliate, constantly rotating fresh fighters into the fray. A relentless cycle designed to wear her down. The effect was noticeable—Zara's kill count began to dwindle as fewer bandits dared to stay in close combat with her for too long.

Zara frowned slightly, displeased by their cowardly yet effective tactic. Her opponents were starting to frustrate her, but her attention was caught by a shadow flitting in the distance. She noticed the glint of a blade and a separate skirmish breaking out on the other side of the battlefield. Shouts and grunts of pain echoed from that direction.

A smirk crept onto her lips.

'Not too bad for a fool.'

Satisfied, she turned her focus back to the bandits swarming around her, her crimson eyes glowing with lethal intent.

---

Meanwhile, Kaiser lurked in the shadows, backstabbing an exhausted bandit who had just fought Zara. His blade went cleanly through the man, but the act still left him with an uncomfortable feeling. Killing wasn’t new to him anymore, but there was always something slightly off about it. Yet, hesitation wasn’t an option in this world. He had learned that lesson quickly—and painfully. Without his immortal body, Kai would’ve never survived long enough to understand this brutal truth: either kill or be killed.

His heart, which was never particularly soft, had only grown colder and harder in this savage world.

Just as his latest kill collapsed, his actions didn't go unnoticed though. Another group of bandits spotted him. Their angered shouts filled the air as they lunged at him, weapons drawn. Thankfully, their numbers were smaller, allowing Kai to handle them with brute strength. His swordsmanship was far from refined—he lacked technique, and his movements were unpolished—but his slashes were swift and powerful enough to tear through their flimsy armor. His much faster than before, letting him deliver a swift slash before they could dodge.

With a basic understanding of vital spots like the heart and neck, Kai managed to bring down a few of them before darting back into the shadows.

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From the safety of his cover, he continued circling toward the mansion, killing chosen stragglers in his path.

As he crept closer, Kai’s eyes wandered toward the mouth of the cave where he left the captives. Noticing the group of prisoners, to his surprise, a greater number of them had seized the opportunity to run for their freedom than he had expected. Banding together, they moved as a team, fully aware that the bandits would not let them escape easily. Kai watched for a moment, recognizing Gabriel among the escapees.

Gabriel, his fellow student seemed like a different person now. His expression was grave, devoid of friendly demeanor, replaced by a grim determination as he fought alongside the others. Chains were wrapped around his fists as a makeshift weapon and he was using a boxing style that suggested he wasn’t a novice in combat. His movements were surprisingly fluid, each punch precise and effective. It seems his educated in combat to some degree, holding back this violent side of himself until now. The other prisoners alongside him were decent fighters too, wielding whatever weapons available against the bandits blocking their way as they pushed through.

The few bandits left at the cave mouth struggled to contain the escaping prisoners, and it became clear they needed reinforcements. But those reinforcements would have to come from the main battlefield—where most of the bandits were focused on Zara.

Kai smirked as he realized what this meant. Zara’s relentless assault, combined with the prisoners' uprising, was working perfectly to thin the bandits' ranks and divide their attention. The overwhelming force pressing against Zara was now weakening, creating the perfect opening for him to hasten his pace and slip into the mansion.

***

Staring through the large window of the mansion from his office on the second floor, a heavyset man with brownish skin frowned deeply. His hands were clenched behind his back, frustration evident in his furrowed brow. From this vantage point, he could see the chaos unfolding below—Zara, the beastly woman, was slaughtering his men like cattle, and it was starting to hit him where it hurt.

"That damn woman... can't she just die already?!" he growled through gritted teeth, his rough voice laced with fury. Each life Zara claimed was like another crack in the empire he had painstakingly built through years of crime and mischief. And what made it worse? He knew, deep down, that he couldn’t face her in a fair fight. Despite his reputation as a warrior, he wasn’t foolish enough to go toe-to-toe with a beast like her.

He glanced at the clock on the wall and spat. "I can’t even enjoy the two darlings I’ve been keeping for myself after a full week of hard work because of that b*tch. What horrible timing..."

One of them was reported to be extremely beautiful too, his subordinates saying she's the most flawless woman to have ever lived. Sadly, his busy schedule refrained him from even getting a glimpse of her.

Suddenly, a knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. His already prominent forehead veins bulged even more.

"What now?! Didn't I say I was busy!" he roared, his irritation bubbling over.

Zara wasn’t just slaughtering his men—she was dragging his reputation through the mud. The word would spread soon enough that the so-called *King of the Slums* couldn’t protect his own turf. His carefully cultivated status would crumble, and that terrified him almost as much as Zara herself. He knew that the only way out was through underhanded tactics. He had planned to wait it out, let his men tire her until she was on the brink of exhaustion. Only then would he swoop in, deliver a killing blow, and salvage what little dignity he had left.

But the knock persisted, and the voice that followed made his blood pressure rise even more.

"I'm sorry, sir," came the nervous voice of his subordinate, "but we need your command. The escaping slaves are harder to contain than expected. The minimal forces we have guarding them aren't enough. Should we send reinforcements or keep focusing on suppressing the beast? Please, sir, we need your leadership!"

His subordinate was indirectly asking for extra hands—his hands. As the strongest amongst them, the man who ruled this gang, it was his responsibility. But the thought of facing Zara now, still fueled by her beastly strength, made his stomach churn. Yet, if the slaves escaped, he’d lose a significant amount of profit. That would be another huge hit to his operation.

He sighed, weighing his options. Both choices were terrible, but one of them might save his reputation.

"Send reinforcements to deal with the slaves," he finally muttered, resignation in his voice. "Tell them I’ll take care of the damn beast myself."

His jaw clenched as he made his decision. Sometimes, you just had to take a gamble in life. That’s what made things exciting, after all.

"How long has it been since I last fought?" he mumbled, turning away from the window and walking toward the door.

"Understood, boss!" the subordinate called back.

However, as the man opened the door, expecting to see his lackey ready to run off with the new orders, he was greeted by an entirely different figure. A young man stood in the doorway, his expression dark and unreadable. Before the boss could even react, the young man's sword flashed in the dim light, slicing into his hand he used to push the door open, as if the intruder had already anticipated his move.

The fat man staggered back in shock, clutching his bleeding hand. His eyes widened in disbelief.

Kai, standing at the threshold with a grim smile, stared him down.

"Hi there," Kai said, his tone casual but menacing. "I’m looking for someone. And was hoping if you could help me."