The white-masked man continued his journey out of the narrow alley. He left the two adventurer corpses behind him, lying on the wet trash. He stepped back onto the tense main street of Dark Town.
He ignored the fearful stares from residents hiding behind dirty windows. He walked calmly, his footsteps echoing clearly on the stone street, toward his next destination.
He arrived in front of the Iron Fangs Gang’s headquarters. The stone building was now more heavily guarded. Four guards stood in front of the sturdy wooden door.
"Stop!" one of the guards shouted as he saw the masked figure approach. His eyes widened. "You litle shit!? Isn’t that you!"
The masked man stopped walking.
"It’s Starfall!" the other guard yelled, his voice frantic. "fuckk, it’s Starfall!"
The four guards drew their swords and ran forward to attack.
The masked man snapped his fingers.
Click!
Four pitch-black shadow spikes erupted from the shadows of the four guards themselves. The spikes pierced them from behind, penetrating their leather armor and chests. The four of them froze. Their eyes widened in shock. They collapsed forward, falling to the ground with a soft metallic clang.
The masked man stepped over their bodies and pushed the headquarters’ door open.
Inside, the main hall was filled with dozens of Iron Fangs Gang members. The air was thick with the smell of sweat and steel. They were preparing, sharpening weapons, and shouting orders. They all stopped. Their activity ceased instantly. They turned when the door opened and saw who had entered.
Total silence filled the room.
"He... he’s here... the bastard," one of the gang members whispered.
Lieutenant Vargo, who was receiving a report from his men, turned around. His face hardened with rage when he saw his boss’s killer.
"BASTARD!" Vargo roared. "YOU! YOU DARE COME TO OUR DEN?! EVERYONE, FINISH THIS BASTARD!"
"Finish him!"
"You dog!"
"Die, you bastard!"
The man simply raised one hand. Instantly, shadows shot up from beneath him and pierced ten men in front of him. Short screams were heard before they fell.
All the remaining men hesitated. It was then they all realized that the person they were facing was perhaps not Starfall.
Lieutenant Vargo began to back away slightly. His jaw tightened. "Bastard! Who are you?!"
Several of his men also looked terrified, seeing the masked man’s power. In their hearts, they knew this was the last moment of their lives. In a few minutes, they would be dead.
"I am Starfall," the masked man said.
He then slowly raised one hand.
Click!
Instantly, all the shadows in the room came to life. The shadows from the tables, the shadows from the chairs, the shadows from the pillars, and the shadows of every gang member themselves shot upwards. Dozens of pitch-black shadow tentacles filled the room.
Before anyone could even scream, the shadows had already stabbed toward their throats.
The tentacles continued to pierce, tear, and entangle. Everyone in the room was trapped. One gang member was lifted into the air, his body crushed by coiling shadows. Another was stabbed through the neck by a shadow spike that erupted from the wall. Several who tried to run were pulled back by their own shadows.
"Nooo!"
"Help me!"
"I’m sorry!"
"Agh! No! nooo"
"fuck this shit man!"
Screams of pain, the sound of tearing flesh, and the clang of weapons falling to the floor filled the air for several seconds. Then everything became silent again.
The walls and floor of the room were now wet with red blood, and also human bodies.
Vargo was the only one still standing. He had managed to cut through several tentacles with his axe. He stared in horror at his surroundings. All of his men were dead, lying in pools of their own blood.
"What is your goal," Vargo whispered, his body trembling violently. "This power... Who are you... what is your goal? Wh-Why!"
The masked man walked slowly toward him, stepping over the corpses. "I am Starfall," he said.
"Nonsense!" Vargo raised his axe for a final attack.
But before he could swing, his own shadow on the floor had raised its "hand." A shadow dagger, identical to the one that killed Kail, was now pressed against Vargo’s neck.
"This isn’t your fault," the masked man said. He stopped in front of Vargo.
Sst!
The shadow dagger sliced. Vargo’s head fell to the floor.
The masked man looked around the room, now filled with corpses. He nodded slowly. He then took a black card with white writing from his pocket.
[Bayren]
[Age: 33]
[Level: 99]
[Status: Active]
[Class: Assassin]
[Level Up Status: 78%]
[Requirement for Level 100+: Kill many souls using another’s identity (%)]
"Not yet, huh," he muttered.
Bayren then put the card back in his pocket and walked out of the Iron Fangs Gang’s headquarters, leaving total destruction behind him.
The surrounding streets were now silent. No one dared to approach him. He walked casually, his black cloak swaying gently.
His steps halted when he saw an old man who was visibly trembling as he watched him. The man was so frightened his body seemed stiff.
Bayren slowly walked closer to the man. "Are you an adventurer?"
"I... I-I... a m-merchant," the man answered, trembling.
Bayren then continued walking past the man. "Go home, It’s too dangerous here."
The old man collapsed weakly where he stood. After Bayren had walked far away, he let out a huge sigh of relief and ran off, terrified.
Bayren arrived in front of a larger, rowdier tavern, "The Creaking Door." This was the headquarters of the Wild Dogs Gang. Loud chatter and rough laughter could be heard from inside. They were clearly celebrating the fall of their rivals.
The masked man kicked the creaking wooden door, smashing it to pieces.
BRAK!
All conversation stopped. Dozens of Wild Dogs Gang members who were drinking and gambling turned toward the shattered doorway. There, surrounded by wood dust, the figure of "Starfall" stood.
"Who..."
"It’s him!"
"He killed Kail, and now he’s come here!"
"It’s that Starfall!"