"Hahaha! Lambs to the slaughter!"
As the man's deep, yet playful voice echoed in the dead of night, the bodies of everyone present shivered.
The air itself was vibrating as it congratulated his appearance.
As he placed the giant club he wielded on his shoulder, the beads he wore clattered and danced, bearing on his massive chest.
"Hehehe… look at their faces. They look like sniveling rats!"
As he said this, the hundred or so men that he commanded burst out into laughter.
He wasn't wrong, though.
The moment most of the people who gazed at him were able to fully capture his presence, they were shaking profusely.
Was it because they were surrounded by a hundred people? No… not really.
They could simply be protected like before.
Then what was it? What could cause such fear among the very people that had experienced safe travels thus far?
It had to do with the man who was speaking.
"T-that is… Ogun!"
"What is he doing here? H-how…?"
"This bad… really bad!"
The voices of the scared men reached the ears of the giant dark-skinned man, and he burst out into more laughter.
"Looks like you're not totally blinded by the darkness. You all know how fucked you are!"
More laughter echoed from the men around.
They were all dressed considerably casually. Other than a few Enchanted Items and weapons that they wielded, they looked like mere ruffians.
One could even think they weren't really serious about the plunder and slaughter they were intending on partaking in.
The reason for their lackadaisical attitude towards their gear and even proper defensive measures was due to the colossal being that was their champion.
Ogun; the Warrior of Blood and Iron!
He was one of the Nine Heads of the Mercenary Gang; a savage warrior who craved the blood of his victims and loved the thrill of battle.
His mere presence alone was enough to elicit sheer intimidation, and his power commanded respect.
Even his name was enough to make one tremble.
Even Yuri, the fearless warrior of the KariBlanc Group, was not immune to the pressure he exuded.
"How… did you get in here? W-what happened to the buyer?" She managed to ask while summoning her blade to take a battle stance.
"Oho? This bitch has got some nerve… asking me questions like that…"
Yuri's gaze squinted slightly, showing just how intimidated she was of her opponent.
However, she refused to back down.
"Well, let's see…"
The spiky club that Ogun wielded fell to the ground, causing a gaping hole to form, and debris to scatter about.
The echoes of the earth's destruction caused many to shrink back or even jump in fright.
Still… Yuri maintained her stance.
"If you're talking about that artifact thingy, we swiped it off that guy's corpse after we murked him."
The pink-haired girl gritted her teeth as she watched the ebony man pull out something from his dirty pocket.
It was white and round, and it was covered in slimy-like liquid.
Ogun tossed it towards Yuri, allowing it to roll on the ground as it closed the distance towards her.
"I got to keep that as a souvenir, but you can keep it."
The white 'thing' tapped Yuri's shoes, and she looked down to see what it was.
It was an eyeball.
"You…"
Yuri's green eyes instantly began to brighten in rage, and energy swelled from her body.
It seemed like she totally forgot her fear and embraced the wrath that was slowly consuming her.
No one knew this, except Yuri, Asher, and Lord Blanc himself, but the man whose eyeball was now looking right at her was someone Yuri owed a great deal to.
He was the one who saw her skill with the sword and brought her to the KariBlanc Group.
Yet… here he was—dead.
"I'LL KILL YOU…!!!"
~BOOOM!~
The ground shattered as Yuri rushed towards the man she glared at with such ominous hate.
Her fury knew no bounds as she activated her [Warrior's Mantle]. Pink energy consumed her body, and her eyes gleamed with bright light.
Still she wasn't done.
Her [Berserker] Class had a privilege, among others, that allowed her to attain even more power.
~Rampage~
In exchange for her properly functioning mental faculties, she would be granted an instant surge in power.
Up to triple the amount she already had.
"UROAAAHHHHH!!!" She screamed, unable to properly utter coherent words at this point.
Drool fell from her mouth as she charged, parting the winds that stood in her way.
Within a second, she was able to traverse the several meters that existed between her and her target.
Her muscles enlarged as she tightly gripped her sword to deliver a powerful strike.
However…
~CLANG!~
Yuri's blade was met with the unyielding force of her opponent's spiky club.
Sparks flew as the both made contact, sending a shockwave flying all around them.
"GRRRRR!!!"
She twisted her body and absorbed the shock, rushing to his unprotected right flank to deal another damage, but before she realized it, the club was right next to her blade.
~SWOOSH!~
The thing rose up, pushing Yuri into the air with the brute strength being released by her grinning adversary.
It made her even more enraged.
"DIEEEEEEEEE!!!" She jumped away from the club, nimble like an animal.
She flipped in the air and landed right behind him—her prey—
wielding her blade with the most power she could muster.
~SWOOOSH!~
In one horizontal strike, the sword came crashing down.
And a second later—
"E-eh…?!"
—The blade shattered, all without drawing a single drop of blood from her adversary.
This despair brought back temporary clarity, as her eyes became clear for just a second, allowing for rational thought.
'What just… happened…?!'
Yuri was currently thrice as strong as she would be normally—
which meant her Base Stats had tripled.
She was sure her enchanted blade had made impact, and her swordsmanship skills were her pride.
Yet… after all her efforts… how in the world was she in the current scenario?
Right as she was thinking this, a powerful blow came from the man before her and dug itself right into her stomach.
"PUACK!" Vomit mixed with blood were forcefully ejected from Yuri's mouth as her bloodshot eyes seemed to neatly pop out of their sockets.
"Hahahaha! Pathetic! Did you really think you could win?"
As Yuri's body floated in the air, the man grabbed her short pink hair with one hand and landed another solid hit on her face with another.
That single blow shattered most of her teeth, dislocated her jaw, broke her nose, and squished her face.
… All in one moment!
"G-Gurgh!" She fell to the ground, covered in dirt and too powerless to stand.
Yuri felt her consciousness fading as her brain pounded.
She could hardly feel any pain, but her body wasn't responding to her any longer.
Her swollen eyes slightly popped open as her blurry vision caught the man holding his spiky club as he intended to smash it on her.
That would be more than enough to settle it; Yuri already realized it.
Once the club made contact with her body… she was going to be totally crushed by it, turning into a mix of thick red paste and mangled pink flesh.
She would die a brutal death… just like her victims.
'I don't… want to die…'
As the club descended upon her, Yuri had this one thought.
'Sir Blanc… Lord Asher… anyone… Please save me.'
Unfortunately, the two people she mentioned were nowhere near close to save her.
Still… there was someone who could.
And right as her blurry vision went dark and her consciousness faded, she saw someone appear before her and stop the club with a single hand.
A voice also whispered into the air.
"You've done enough. It's my turn."