The First Kill
Chapter 23: The First Kill
The night smelled of rain and blood.
Kim Han stood on the rooftop, his black coat billowing in the cold wind. Below him, the city was alive with neon lights and the distant hum of traffic, but his world was silent.
Aya's voice crackled in his earpiece.
"Target is inside. Third floor. Heavily guarded."
Han exhaled slowly. His fingers tightened around the handle of his blade.
Ryuu Takeda.
The man who had laughed while Han's family was slaughtered. The man who had dragged him into the pit. The man who had enjoyed watching him suffer.
Tonight, he would die.
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A Ghost in the Shadows
Han dropped down silently onto the fire escape, moving like a phantom. He had no armor, no firearms—just his sword and the instincts that had kept him alive.
The warehouse below was a fortress. Armed men patrolled the perimeter, their faces emotionless, trained killers who had no idea that death was already upon them.
Aya's voice came through again.
"You sure about this? You're not the same guy who fought in the pit. These men aren't starved prisoners—they'll fight back."
Han didn't respond.
He didn't need to.
He was ready.
---
The First Kill
A guard stepped out for a cigarette.
That was his first mistake.
Han was on him in an instant. One swift movement—his blade slid across the man's throat. The guard's eyes widened as he dropped to his knees, blood spilling onto the pavement.
Han caught the body before it could hit the ground, dragging it into the shadows.
No hesitation. No remorse.
This was who he was now.
A silent storm.
A ghost of vengeance.
He moved through the warehouse like a shadow, cutting through guards with deadly precision. They never saw him coming—only a whisper of steel before their lives were snuffed out.
By the time he reached the third floor, ten men were dead.
And not a single alarm had been raised.
---
Face to Face with the Past
Ryuu Takeda sat in a lavish office, pouring himself a glass of whiskey. He was older now, but still carried the same smug arrogance.
He didn't notice Han at first.
Didn't even hear him enter.
Only when Han shut the door did Ryuu look up—his eyes narrowing as he saw the figure dressed in black, a bloodstained sword in his hand.
For a moment, silence.
Then—
A chuckle.
"...Kim Han," Ryuu said, swirling his drink. "So, you actually made it out."
Han didn't respond.
"Not bad. Thought you'd rot in that pit like the rest of them." Ryuu leaned back, smirking. "Guess I should've bet on you instead of that poor bastard you crushed in the final match."
Han's grip on his sword tightened.
The final match. The moment he had broken. The moment he had killed to survive.
Ryuu's smirk widened.
"You want revenge, don't you?" he said, sipping his drink. "But let's be real… you and I? We're the same now."
Han's heart pounded.
"You survived because you became a monster. Just like me. Just like Daichi. You think killing me will bring back your family? You think it'll wash the blood off your hands?"
Han took a step forward.
Ryuu laughed. "Go ahead then, Ronin. Do it. Prove me right."
Han's sword flashed.
Blood splattered across the walls.
Ryuu's smirk faded—replaced by shock as he gasped, clutching his throat. His whiskey glass shattered on the floor.
Han watched as Ryuu choked on his own blood, his body twitching, his eyes filled with fear.
And for the first time in his life, Kim Han felt nothing.
No satisfaction.
No joy.
Just emptiness.
Ryuu slumped over his desk. His body still.
Han wiped his blade on the dead man's coat, then turned to leave.
Aya's voice crackled in his earpiece.
"It's done?"
Han stepped over the body without looking back.
"Yes."
---
The Beginning of the End
As Han disappeared into the night, the city continued as if nothing had happened.
But something had changed.
Ryuu Takeda was dead.
Daichi Sato had lost one of his most trusted enforcers.
And Kim Han had taken his first step toward destroying everything.
The hunt had begun.
And he would not stop until Daichi Sato was lying in a pool of his own blood.
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