They all stood with the same expression etched on their faces—shock, fear, panic. Their eyes occasionally darted to the gaping hole created in place of what was once a wall, before shifting back to Ryan, and a shudder ran down their spines.
"I have nothing personal against you. This isn't an act of righteousness but strictly business," Ryan spoke with a measured tone. He was in control, and he knew it. He was a great actor, and he could play the role of a killer easily, however, this time he wasn't acting.
"They have something I want, which they have offered to give me in exchange for your slow deaths, and it just so happens that I also require some real combat," Ryan looked at each of them before his gaze shifted to their swords that lay against the wall.
"Grab those," Ryan instructed Ruck, and with a nod, he shuffled over to the swords, grabbing each one with both hands, the legion guards watching in silence and fear. "Give them one each," Ryan instructed.
With a confused expression but a nod of understanding, Ruck did as instructed, handing each of the five guards a sword, to which they swiftly took it before Ruck promptly moved back to the side of Ryan.
"So your deaths aren't pointless. I'll give you a chance to die fighting. For me, I get the real-life combat I require, and for you... Well, you die fighting... with honor? Or whatever bullshit values you all hold dear in this world."
Fear and confusion mixed in the hearts of each of them. They stood in place, their traits of pride and arrogance suffocated by the terror they felt. It felt almost absurd, a person barging into their home and threatening them so confidently, however, they saw what he did—these were no mere threats.
"Listen," the dark-haired man began, managing to speak calmly as he slowly approached Ryan. "How much were you paid?" The man asked, releasing the sword from his grip. "Just tell us the amount." He stood before Ryan, using every ounce of courage he could muster.
"And we'll give you doub-"
Blood splattered across the room. No one, not even the dark-haired man, had seen Ryan move, yet in his hands, he held the lower jaw of the man, ripped straight from his face.
The man would scream if he could, but he only had half a mouth, tissues and bloodied flesh hanging out from what was left of his face. He could make no sounds, yet his eyes showed the cries of pain muffled within himself.
"Too much strength?" Ryan wondered as he held the lower jaw of the man in his gloved palm. He turned to the rest of them, beads of sweat racing down their faces and pupils dilating in utter terror as they tried to comprehend the brutality they had just witnessed.
"I apologize. This is my first time doing this," Ryan turned his gaze back to the man whom he held his jaw in his palm. "Well, you can't fight like this, can you?... I'll finish you off first." Hearing Ryan's words, for a moment, a gleam of relief seemed to flash in the man's eyes.
Then Ryan's hand shot towards his arm, instantly breaking it in two, the man's bone piercing through his flesh as it stuck out from his skin. The man screamed, unable to articulate it, a reaction trapped within his own mind.
"Surely you didn't think I meant quickly?" Ryan gripped the exposed bone within his gloved hand, then with a definitive gesture, he snapped the bone. The man's eyes and face contorted as he felt indescribable pain.
However, Ryan's assault was far from over. His hand shot towards the man as he thrust his bone through his shoulder. Gripping on both ends, he began to twist the bone around the man's shoulder slowly. The dark-haired man began to vibrate violently in pain, his head shaking rapidly, and his scream still nothing but air from his throat.
Then suddenly, his eyes shot backwards turning white as he went into shock and then unconsciousness. Ryan gripped his shuddering body by the shirt. "That wasn't enough," Ryan sighed as he drew the bone out from his shoulder and stuck it deeply into the man's neck, blood spurting from it in excess as Ryan let his body drop to the floor.
"His death was fairly quick. I won't make the same mistake with the rest of you."
Swords clattered to the ground, their bodies trembling as they watched the most inhumane way they've ever seen a person die. This did not look like justice—this was an act of evil far greater than they thought themselves capable of.
"Please don't do this. Please, we'll do anything, give anything... We would leave and never come back," the woman's voice trembling and desperate.
"I did say this wasn't personal... But in retrospect, it seems I do hate people like you far more than I realize."