[9] The Emergence of Brutal Deer

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Midnight.

Two villa guards stood at their post in front of the estate's grand gate.

"Yaaawn…" One of the guards let out a long yawn, his half-lidded eyes barely staying open.

"Psst… Are you seriously getting sleepy?" his partner whispered sharply.

"Of course! It's the middle of the night, and I barely got any sleep!" the first guard grumbled in irritation.

"Tch, stop with your bad habits! Do you think gambling every night will make you rich!?"

"Ah, shut up," the man scoffed, shooting his partner a lazy glance. "Besides, this is an elite district. We're not the only ones guarding this place—there are more stationed at the main gate of the area!"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it…" The other sighed heavily. "Haah, sometimes I wonder how I ended up like this."

"Eeh? Relax. You know our master just bought a new 'toy.' Once he's done ruining her like the others, we can have our turn."

"Tsk, you do it then." His partner grimaced, looking utterly disgusted—but not moral enough to refuse outright.

"Hoho… Don't be shy! You have no idea how fun it is to play with them however you want!" The first guard boasted shamelessly, his voice filled with sickening pride.

The other merely listened, sighing deeply, clearly uninterested in hearing the same disgusting stories again.

But suddenly—

"Hey… Who is that?"

The guard stiffened, his eyes focusing on a nearby streetlamp outside the villa gates.

Standing beneath the dim light…

A figure clad in black, a longsword strapped to his back, and a deer mask staring directly at them.

My blood boiled.

Tonight… would not end peacefully.

I took a silent step forward, my shadow shifting beneath the streetlight.

The guard who had been boasting about his vile deeds swallowed hard, an uneasy feeling creeping into his gut.

"O-Oi… Who are you?"

I said nothing.

I simply stood there, letting the silence consume the space between us.

The air grew heavier, as if something terrible was about to unfold.

Then—

CRACK!

A small stone rolled behind the guards, hitting the ground with a soft noise.

Instinctively, they turned.

That was their mistake.

I moved.

SLASH!

One clean cut.

My blade sliced through the air, severing the jugular of the first guard in an instant.

Blood gushed violently, spilling onto the ground like water from a broken jug.

His eyes widened in horror, his hands clamping onto his torn throat as if trying to hold onto his fading life.

"GAAH—!"

Before he could scream—

THUD!

I kicked his body backward, sending him crashing onto the pavement before his cries could alert the others.

The second guard stood frozen, his face draining of all color.

"M-Monster…"

His trembling hands reached for his sword—

Too late.

I slammed the hilt of my blade into his chin, sending him staggering backward. His teeth shattered, his body writhing in agony.

"Ghk… A-Agh…!"

I loomed over him, my masked face bathed in the dim glow of the streetlamp—a shadow of death itself.

"I won't kill you…" I said coldly. "But I won't let you speak, either."

I drove my blade straight through his knee.

"AAAAAAAAAGH!!"

His scream pierced the night, his body convulsing in unbearable agony.

I didn't care.

With a single motion, I ripped my blade free and strode toward the grand entrance of the villa, leaving the bleeding, broken man behind.

The chaos had begun.

As I slipped inside, I moved swiftly, silencing the patrolling guards one by one.

Blood stained the once-spotless marble floors.

Some of them never even saw me coming before their lives were snuffed out in an instant.

The once-quiet villa was soon filled with muffled cries and panicked whispers.

"We have an intruder!"

"D-Damn it! S-Someone's killing us—AARGH!!"

Another body collapsed, blood splattering against the pristine white walls.

I stepped past the lifeless corpses, not slowing down for even a second.

I could feel the fear in the air.

The smell of blood had begun to poison the atmosphere.

They were starting to realize something was wrong.

But—

It was already too late.

I continued down the main corridor, my eyes searching for the Owl-Masked Man's quarters.

But then—

Someone appeared before me.

A middle-aged man, dressed in a pristine black suit, stood blocking my path.

Black leather gloves.

A longsword sheathed at his waist.

His gaze was cold, his stance unshaken—as if he was no mere servant.

I stopped in my tracks, analyzing him.

Knights still existed in this era.

Most of them were for show, merely ornamental relics of the past.

True warriors were rare—most knights served aristocrats and noble families, more as status symbols than actual combatants.

But this man…

He was different.

"You are far too rude for a guest," he spoke in a soft yet piercing tone.

His hand slowly unsheathed his sword, the steel gleaming under the golden chandelier light.

I raised an eyebrow and let out a quiet sigh.

"And you're far too polite for someone working in a place this rotten."

The man smirked faintly. "Perhaps. But even so, I must ask you to stop here."

SHING!

Without warning, he lunged at me, his blade slicing from the side with remarkable speed.

I tilted backward, evading his strike by mere inches.

'Fast.'

Not just fast—his technique was razor-sharp, precise, and disciplined.

He wasted no movement—every step was deliberate, every attack was calculated.

I immediately unsheathed my sword, deflecting his next strike.

CLANG!

Sparks scattered as our blades clashed.

He pushed me back, then followed up with relentless slashes, giving me no time to breathe.

I dodged, parried, and countered, but—

His movements were too refined.

Too clean.

Every strike was measured, every step was optimized.

The exchange of steel lasted only seconds, but the air between us was already thick with tension.

The corridor echoed with the ringing of metal, our swords dancing in a deadly exchange.

His every attack threatened to lock me down, restricting my movements, closing off my space.

And that's when I realized—

He wasn't just a mere guard.

"Not bad," I muttered, my breath slightly heavier.

"You're not bad yourself," he replied, his tone eerily calm.

We locked eyes once more.

Then, in a single breath—

We moved.