I adjusted my jaw, wincing at the pain. That guy put everything he had into that one punch.


    ''Are you going to kill him?'' ze asked, picking up on my thoughts.


    Yep, I am going to kill him, I replied. I didn''t care what anyone else thought. No one dares toy hands on me and expect to get away unscathed.


    ''You''re with the group, remember? What happened to keeping a low profile and not letting them know you''re a psychotic killer?''ze''s nagging didn''t even make sense to me anymore. Who''s the real psychotic killer here?


    I never intended to hide the fact that I can kill. My goal was to conceal the fact that I ughtered a group of goons and disposed of their bodies.


    Getting back on my feet, I rxed my body and retrieved the fallen sword. I had infused it with my mana, though I couldn''t reinforce it with fire due to theck of magical prevention inscriptions. However, I could still envelop it in ayer of raw mana and coat it with fire. It would damage the sword, but it was a sacrifice worth making.


    Swing


    I took the position, lowering myself a little and pointing the horizontally towards the bandit.


    Fuu


    Taking a deep breath I rxed my raging heart and ceased all anger from my soul, every minute desire and only one thing was now the goal of this fight.


    "I''ll kill every single one of them." I swung the sword and dashed forwards, I''ve never actually learned a shit about swordsmanhip but I am quite proficient in martial arts so it''s all on my instincts on how I fight as far I''ve seen Ali and Henry fight they fight very systematically and too me it seems quite......not exciting.


    ng


    With a resounding ng, the fiery de collided with my opponent''s sword. I exerted force, pressing forward, but he attempted to evade by leaping backward. In that instant, I swiftly withdrew my strength, moving away from his attack trajectory. Startled, he unconsciously stepped forward, and seizing the opportunity, I unleashed a powerful punch to his cheek.


    A thud echoed through the air as he was sent flying,nding motionless on the ground. A vein throbbed on my forehead, my agitation overriding the pain in my knuckles, which may have suffered a fracture or two. ''Why are these troublemakers socking in motivation when they''re the ones who initiate the fights?'' I pondered.


    ''Princess, perhaps it''s best to leave it be. He''s already unconscious, so there''s no need to let it bother you. Focus on the remaining adversaries,''ze advised, attempting to calm me down but I am already calm.


    Step


    Approaching the unconscious body, I observed him peacefully lying there, his ear and half of his face disfigured and bleeding with crimson-hued blood. Crouching down, I positioned my face near his wounded ear and whispered, "Don''t pretend to be asleep, my friend. I desire a fair and square fight. Rise and face me; I shall give you a chance." I said earnestly.


    "!"Suddenly, his eyes shot open, revealing that this adversary wouldn''t be dispatched with a single punch. Desperately, he tried crawling backward, but to my surprise, my hand moved even faster while I remained crouched.


    "Stab*<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Guh!?"With a swift and precise motion, I swung the sword.


    A sharp stab pierced horizontally, and the bandit''s eyes widened, disying his sense of betrayal. "Don''t tell me you actually believed me," I chuckled, amused by his na?veté. How could he trust the words of someone he had just tried to kill?


    "Ahhhhhhhh!" Pain began to consume him, and he screamed like a madman. Igniting the sword once more, mes engulfed the de, searing its insides. It must have felt like a scorching-hot iron bar being thrust into his chest.


    I smiled at him, realizing it''s better to face a smile than curses in the final moments of one''s life, for I, too, am capable of showing a semnce of humanity andpassion.


    "Ren!" A name echoed from my left, and as I turned, the entire battle scene came to a halt. Banditsy scattered around, and among them, Ali was the one who had fallen. He wasn''t dead, though, as there were no fatal or visible wounds on his body, and he still breathed.


    "What?" I responded nonchntly. It seemed quite risky to engage in conversation amidst a chaotic battle, but I admired Henry''s audacity. It meant he had confidence and didn''t care about the circumstances.


    "Didn''t I tell you not to kill!" Henry shouted, his voice carrying an emotion I disliked... anger.


    "Oh, that!" I twisted the sword, causing the bandit to cry out in pain once again. "You see, I couldn''t hear you because this fellow wouldn''t stop screaming," I jested, but my attempt at humor seemed to fall t as no oneughed.


    ''And you wonder why I call you a psychotic killer,'' ze remarked. How does defending myself make me a psychotic killer?


    "Attack that bastard!"manded the leader of Dreadw, as a few remaining bandits closed in on me, giving the bastard in front of me hope that he would be saved... I didn''t like that at all.


    With a swift movement, I silently drove the remaining sword into his chest, piercing so deeply that only the hilt prevented it from going further. The light in his eyes dimmed as he cast one final nce at hispanions. It was a mncholic sight.


    "Don''t worry, most of them will join you up there. I promise," I whispered softly.


    Tud


    A dull thud marked the corpse''s awkward position, one leg syed in a V shape, a sword protruding from its back, and blood trickling like a thin streak along the de. It resembled a peculiar piece of art, albeit one that adhered to the subjective nature of artistic interpretation.


    Sighing, I rose to my feet, cracking my neck sideways as I surveyed the remaining adversaries. Only three remained, it seemed. Perhaps the others were upied with the ground forces.


    "One done and now three to go." I do love to keep a count.


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