As soon as he finished speaking, Kayden lunged toward Priya, pinning her to the ground in one swift motion. His body pressed over hers, and in a flash, his hand caught a falling leaf mid-air.
Priya’s chest rose and fell as she stared up at the cold and indifferent man. Then, with a sudden shove, she pushed him away and shouted angrily, “What are you doing? Are you taking advantage of me? I didn’t think you were this kind of person!”
Standing up, Priya straightened her clothes with a huff and said, “Hmph! When I was giving you a chance to take advantage of me, you didn’t want it. And now that you can’t, you’re trying to? I don’t understand what my sister sees in you.”
She pointed to the leaf in his hand and continued, “What’s with that leaf? Are you trying to tell me someone just tried to kill me with a leaf or something?”
Kayden’s eyes scanned the surroundings, ignoring her question.
“Hey! I’m talking to you, why aren’t you answering me?” Priya pressed, her tone growing more annoyed. “What, are you just trying to take advantage of me? Is that it?”
Kayden remained silent, but before he could respond, a bone-chilling voice echoed in the air.
“Well, isn’t this interesting.”
In an instant, a woman appeared before Kayden like a ghost, her movement swift and sharp. She looked plain, utterly unremarkable, which explained why Kayden hadn’t noticed her earlier amidst the crowd. But Kayden was almost certain-it had been her. She was the one who had tried to kill with a leaf.
A leaf, used as a weapon to kill. That was where her true terror lay.
If Kayden hadn’t pulled Priya down, that leaf would have pierced straight through her body.
Realizing the danger, Priya instinctively hid behind Kayden, trembling as she stammered, “W-who is she?”
“An assassin,” Kayden muttered, his expression dark. Then, enunciating each word, he said coldly, “Since you’re already here, why not come out? Stop playing hide and seek.”
As his words fell, two men emerged from the shadows, joining the woman. Like her, they were plain-looking and unassuming.
Kayden scanned the three of them, his gaze sharp. “So, you must be the remaining three Great Veterans of the Golden Threshold Society: Emberwing, Florascend, and Tidebreaker.”
“Heh, not bad. You’re at least smart enough to know who we are,” the woman said with a cunning, sinister smile.
The man standing to her right sneered and said, “Alright then, how do you want to die?”
“That’s not fair!” Priya shouted, mustering her courage. “Three of you against one? Isn’t that bullying?!” But no sooner had she finished yelling than she shrank closer to Kayden.
Florascend, standing on Kayden’s left, chuckled darkly. “Well, look at this feisty little girl. Pretty too. Not bad. We’ll kill your man first, and then I’ll take you for some fun.”
Tidebreaker, the gaunt man on their right, grinned wickedly. “Let me handle her. It’s been so long since I’ve touched a woman.”
Kayden’s patience ran out. His voice was cold and direct. “Enough nonsense. Here’s your chance. Go back, kill your master, and bring me his head. Kneel before me for three days, and I might consider sparing your lives.”
Florascend stomped his foot, fury written on his face. “You’re insane! We’ve spent our lives bullying others, and no one has ever dared to bully us! You-”
Before he could finish, something pierced his body. It was the very leaf Kayden had caught earlier.
Priya screamed, nearly jumping out of her skin, terror gripping her as she watched Florascend collapse.
“Too much talking. If you’re not willing, then shut up,” Kayden said coldly. Without even glancing at Tidebreaker, he raised his hand. From his palm, a broken blade flew out, cutting through the air and embedding itself in Tidebreaker’s stomach.
Priya was still frozen in shock from Florascend’s death when Tidebreaker fell. Her legs felt weak, and she released Kayden’s arm instinctively. Was this man even human? How could he kill so casually, without even a second thought? Was something wrong with the world-or was it just him?
“Your turn,” Kayden said, his icy gaze locking onto Emberwing. “What’s it going to be? Do you want to die, or will you take me to destroy the Golden Threshold Society?”
Emberwing’s face twisted with fear. She could hardly breathe. Two Great Veterans, dead in mere moments. This man-was he even human? Killing seemed as effortless to him as breathing. Even in this bustling, civilized world, they wouldn’t dare to act so recklessly.
Seeing her hesitate, Kayden’s voice grew darker. “Don’t bother telling me you’re unwilling. Don’t even think about playing tricks. I will kill you and then wipe out your Golden Threshold Society myself. You have no room to argue.”
“Death or life. You have only one choice.”
Emberwing gulped hard, her voice trembling as she said, “I don’t want to die. I’ll take you. I’ll take you.”
This man wasn’t human-he was a demon, a merciless demon. Compared to him, everything they had done seemed like child’s play.
Kayden’s expression didn’t soften. “No,” he said coldly. “You hesitated. Your answer was uncertain. Deep down, you’re already plotting how to kill me the moment we reach your base. Or perhaps you’re thinking of warning them in advance, aren’t you?”
His words struck like a knife, cutting straight to the truth. Emberwing’s hesitation had betrayed her thoughts, though she hadn’t expected him to see through her so completely. It felt as if she were standing naked before him, with nowhere to hide.
“You’ve killed too many innocent people. You’ve done too many evil deeds under the protection of your organization. You don’t deserve to live. Consider my earlier offer a joke.”
“N-no! What are you doing?” Emberwing stammered, her previous arrogance replaced with abject fear. She trembled violently, her voice barely audible.
“I’m sending you to reunite with your comrades. Aren’t you all one big family?” Kayden’s voice was as cold as death. With a push of his palm, the broken blade flew back from Tidebreaker’s body, returning to his hand.
Then, with another flick, the blade shot forward again.
A sharp whistle cut through the air, and Emberwing collapsed to the ground.
Kayden retrieved the blade without a shred of hesitation, his movements precise and cold.
Priya stood frozen, her mind blank. In the span of just a few moments, three lives had been snuffed out before her eyes.
“W-where are you going?” she finally managed to ask as Kayden turned to leave.
“To destroy the Golden Threshold Society,” he replied without looking back.