Isela watched the bustling crowd with an expressionless face.
People braving the rain to set up tables, hang banners, and carry food.
Everyone was working hard to celebrate what was happening today.
‘I wonder who they're celebrating for.’
Isela rolled her eyes, trying not to show her mixed emotions.
They were celebrating her engagement, but she didn't want anyone to be genuinely happy for her.
She knew she had no choice. She was her father's only blood relative.
She was someone who had no choice but to be tied together through a political marriage.
Still, she didn't want to conform to reality. Everyone can dream, right?
She met a man who had the same idea.They felt attracted to each other and wanted to move forward.
But was it a dream after all?
A daydream that would be swallowed up by reality, a blur just out of reach.
In the falling rain, Isela could not even show her sadness.
Vaguely, she wished that everything in this place could be swept away with the rain.
-thud.
A thick hand rested on Isela's shoulder.
It was a father's hand, full of greedy flesh.
“What is it?”
The voice was surprisingly cold.
“I have come to see how you are, for the engagement ceremony is about to begin.”
Islow paid no attention to the coldness in Isela's voice because his hot ambition for the upcoming celebration outweighed it.
“Don't worry, I'm not foolish enough to ruin an occasion like this.”
“Yeah. Whose daughter are you?”
Isela clenched her fists in silence at Islow's proud tone.
Her father, Islow, was more delighted with the North Blinders becoming stronger through her than with his daughter's joy.
A boss working to grow the organization doesn't sound bad on paper but for that, he has committed countless betrayals, and in the end, he even betrayed his subordinates who truly believed in him and followed him.
More than a father's concern for his daughter's falling in with the wrong man, it's his fear of having his position threatened.
‘Coward.’
Isela muttered in a low voice, not wanting anyone to hear.
She was speaking to Islow, but she was also speaking to herself.
After all, she was no better than he was, unable to do anything in a situation like this, forced to sit there like a puppet.
A group of people came into Isela's view.
Beneath a banner of guests, a group of well-dressed people.
'Those are the.......’
The betrothed's family.
‘They're known to the outside world as a military-oriented news outlet for the defense industry's new weapons.’
It's literally just a mask they're wearing.
I doubt Islow is stupid enough to have such a close relationship with someone from the media.
Islow didn't tell her the truth, but Isela could see it coming.
‘Those people are actually military-related, defense contractors to be exact. They develop, make, and sell weapons.’
It made sense that Islow would want to befriend them.
She couldn't imagine how powerful the underworld mafia would become if they joined forces with defense contractors.
They'd already lobbied officials with tons of money, and since they were ostensibly a news organization, Tirna couldn't legally stop them.
In the shadows, out of sight, out of mind, two great forces of violence had joined hands.
And she is being sold for that to happen.
'I wish I could just drop everything and run away.’
She realizes that she is a coward because she cannot.
Islow went to greet the guests and made some small talk.
The mobsters gathered around were chatting amongst themselves.
They're dodging the rain, burning cigarettes, and laughing about what's so funny.
Their faces were so carefree that it was hard to believe they were the same men who had just betrayed and killed their former allies.
The sight of them sent chills down Isela's spine.
She knows her family, the North Blinders, are mafia.
Violence, she says, but on the more extreme end of the spectrum, murder.
Still, she believes they have some sort of recognition.
It's a harsh world.
Even if they ostracized others, they would certainly trust their colleagues.
But the reality was different, and they were more tolerant than Isela had realized.
‘Or maybe I was just foolishly naive.’
Soon, a celebration would be held to announce the engagement of the two families.
Isela took a deep breath to calm her emotions.
She hoped this time would pass quickly.
Boom!
The door shattered, plunging the noisy celebration into silence.
Everyone stared at the shattered door.
It was Devin and Mork, two of the North Blinders' action leaders, who flew through the door like a car and landed in the backyard.
Their appearance, despite being quite capable, was truly miserable. Their faces were so mangled that it was difficult to recognize them.
Who did this?
The assembled eyes turned to the broken door.
Two figures slowly walked out of it.
“Uh, what?”
“Am I looking at the wrong thing?”
The mobsters who recognized them muttered as if mesmerized by something.
It was inevitable.
The nearly dead Mr. Balud was walking toward them, weapon drawn.
“Mr. Balud? You came all the way here?”
“You're crazy. You're out of your mind. Did you come here to die?”
“No. What's that next to him, a knight?”
As shocking as Balud's appearance was, Osian, who came with him, was no less so.
If nothing else, he wore armor that seemed out of place here.
Even the armor itself glowed white in the rainy weather.
The mere fact that he showed up with Balud in that armor was enough to make anyone think he was out of the ordinary.
Whether everyone thought so or not, Balud walked to the center of the courtyard and looked around.
“So, everyone, you've gathered here.”
His gaze fell on Islow.
Islow's eyes widened at the sight of Balud, and his cheeks flushed.
“Bah, Balud, how could you be here?”
“You speak as if I've come where I shouldn't be.”
“You've come to die!”
“To die?”
Balud snorted lightly at Islow's words.
“What kind of fool doesn't realize his life is precious?”
“You, you......!”
A vein stood out on Islow's forehead at Balud's taunt.
Gone was the Balud who had always kept his head down, his face expressionless.
Now he was a wounded beast, a beast that would bite the nape of your neck if you touched it wrong.
But there was something else that mattered to Islow.
His uneasy eyes turned to the gathered guests.
“Well, well.”
Someone chuckled at the absurdity of it all.
Balud's gaze snapped to him. Beneath the banner, a young, clean-cut man grinned in amusement.
“I've been bored out of my mind because my father said it was important, but I never thought I'd get to see this.”
Adrian Blackstone.
He opened his mouth, and Islow blurted out an excuse.
“Eh, Adrian. Just hear me out for a second.”
“What are you talking about? You couldn’t even handle one of the organization’s hunting dogs properly, so what’s the reason he ended up here causing trouble?”
Islow's face contorted into a grim line.
Even with two mouths to feed, he couldn't make excuses. This was all his fault, after all.
‘You damned bastards, how the hell did you manage the mansion!’
Islow's fury was directed at his own men.
It wasn't that they'd let their guard down, or that they hadn't done their best.
They were simply too strong.
On top of that, it was raining like crazy. The non-stop pounding of the rain drowned out the commotion from the front gate to here.
“What the hell are you guys doing? We need to get this cleaned up!”
At Islow's command, the mobsters drew their pistols from their holsters.
Adrian stepped in and stopped them.
“No, thank you.”
“Adrian, what are you talking about?”
“I'm just saying, I'm a little intrigued. It's better to have something to look forward to than a boring engagement party, right?”
Adrian's gaze had been on Baud all along and he immediately noticed what Balud wanted.
How could he not when Balud's red eyes were fixed on his fiancée, Isela.
And Isela's gaze is the same. Her eyes are wide open, as if she's witnessing a miracle.
She tries not to show it, but the clenched fists and the slight nibble on her lip are telling.
“Well, I suppose it's not surprising that something like this would happen to you, given that you were forced into this relationship because of family business, but it's not pleasant to have to face it, which is why I'm here to help.”
“Do, help?”
“Why would I want to dirty my father-in-law’s hands on such a happy day? Don’t worry, the person I brought will handle it quietly and neatly.”
Adrian snapped his fingers.
Then the man in the suit who had been waiting beside him stepped forward, head bowed.
Islow's expression brightened.
He was relieved that the Blackstone family's sharpest sword had been called upon.
The man in the suit stepped out into the rain.
He threw off his coat as if it were a hassle.
He removed the gloves from his hands and rolled up the forearms of his shirt to reveal a sleek metal body.
It was Blackstone Armor's latest and greatest combat prosthetic and the combatant who wore it was Max.
He walked out slowly, intent on killing Balud but Max did not reach Balud.
A knight in white stood in his way.
“Hmm? What are you?”
Max was displeased that Osian had interrupted him.
Regardless, Osian stood before him and gripped his sword.
“There's nothing more disgraceful than an outsider interrupting an important meeting like this.”
“What?”
“So, outsiders among outsiders. Let's have a fight.”
Max chuckled at that.
He wondered what this maniac in armor was going to say now.
Max glanced back at Adrian.
At the unspoken question of what to do with this guy, Adrian nodded.
Max balled his prosthetic fist into a tight fist as the order to deal with him fell.
“I don't know what the hell you think you're doing, but your arrogance has gotten the better of me, and I'm sure you'd have lived a little longer if you hadn't had to deal with me.”
“Are you going to fight with your mouth?”
Max clenched his fists at Osian's taunt and took a stance.
Max's piercing gaze swept over Osian.
‘Full body armor. It's made of some kind of special material, I'm guessing it can stop most bullets, which is why he can stand tall.’
And he'd gotten past the manor's security to get here.
Max despised the mobsters of the North Blinders, but he didn't discount their skill.
If they could get past his defenses, there had to be a reason.
In other words, the knight in front of him might look like a madman, but his skills were real.
'He's got a sword, not a gun. If he's not carrying it for show, he's at least a master swordsman. The sword itself doesn't show any signs of modification, but it never hurts to be careful.’
Max steadied himself and took a step forward.
‘I'm going first!’
With his fists clenched, he sprinted forward as the mobsters were watching in awe.
'Crazy. What kind of speed......!’
‘He's that big and moves like that while wearing a heavy prosthetic.’
Meanwhile, Max, who had gotten close to Osian, threw out his right fist.
It was a straight punch that followed like a bullet with a rush.
-Thud.
A stake protruded from the back of Max's right fist.
Even bulletproof armor wouldn't stop a fist that could pierce steel plates, and a vicious weapon.
‘That's it.’
Just as Max was thinking that, a pure white flash of light flashed before his eyes.
Max saw a pure white star soaring, its hot heat evaporating the falling rain as it rose high…and then he realized that his fist had been sliced down his forearm.
The cut surface of his prosthetic hand, made of a special material, burned brightly.
Before Max could panic at the sight, he extended his left arm.
-Snap.
The prosthetic on his left hand shifted and a large gun barrel popped out.
Without a second's delay, it fired a large-caliber bullet that could pierce an armored vehicle.
-Boom!
Osian, who had already grabbed his shield, blocked the incoming bullet.
The large-caliber bullet hit the shield and was deflected, slicing through the air.
Max teased his leg. His leg was also a state-of-the-art prosthetic.
It was dangerous if he got close. Max's plan was to get as much distance as possible and then gnaw at him from the outside.
But Max's plan was just a thought.
The approaching Osian swung his Starlight Sword sideways, slicing his prosthetic leg off below the thigh.
Max tried to steady himself against the ground with his one remaining arm and back away from the fall but the approaching Osian kicked his hand away, crushing it instantly.
Limbless, Max flopped to the ground like a frog.
“Sleep......!”
The Starlight Sword stabbed him in the heart, the essence of life, something no machine could replace.