Shin had memorized the manor's layout. The massive estate had separate buildings for guards, servants, and stables, providing an easy escape if needed.
Peering through the guardhouse window, he spotted a commotion. Inside, Salene, a female guard, was bound to a pole, naked and bloodied while her tormentors jeered. Squad Captain Woodson grinned as he waved a letter in front of her.
"Thought you could get away with this, huh, Salene?" he sneered.
Salene's eyes widened in horror as blood trickled down her face. "No! That was for my brother! Please, Sir Woodson, you have to believe me!"
Woodson ignored her, tossing the letter into the fire. Salene screamed as the flames consumed it. The guards howled with laughter.
"You bastard! I just wanted to go home to my family!" she sobbed.
Woodson smirked. "Oh, I'm a bastard, am I?"
A burly guard stepped forward, slamming his fist into her gut. She gasped for air, her body convulsing. Before she could collapse, ice-cold water doused her, forcing her back to consciousness as violent shivers wracked her body.
"You should be grateful that you were given the honor of serving a noble, royal family, you stupid bitch!" Woodson roared, his face inches from hers, his breath hot and foul. He backhanded her across the face with brutal force, the impact echoing in the confined space.
Salene's head snapped to the side, her vision blurring, but instead of cowering, she turned back to him, her eyes blazing with defiance. At that moment, she spat in his face, a final act of rebellion.
That was Shin's cue.
The door burst open as he stepped inside, the night air trailing in with him. The laughter died, every pair of eyes snapping toward the intruder. He exhaled slowly, gaze unreadable.
"Gentlemen," he said calmly, his voice a low, dangerous rumble that cut through the silence. "I'll be crashing this party.".
Before they reacted, he lunged at the nearest guard, snatching a sword from his belt and slicing his throat open in one swift motion. Blood sprayed against the wooden walls, the scent of iron thickening the air.
Woodson barked, "Get him!" His voice, though still commanding, trembled with a flicker of fear. The situation had spiraled out of his control.
The guards scrambled. One rushed forward, swinging wide. Shin sidestepped and countered, his blade gliding through the man's throat. The guard fell, clutching at the gaping wound.
A second attacker lunged with a dagger. Shin caught his wrist and twisted, snapping the bone. The dagger clattered as Shin's knee shattered the man's nose, sending him sprawling across the blood-slick floor.
Another came at him, sword raised. Shin parried, redirected the strike downward, then kicked the man's knee inward. The guard crumpled, his scream cut short by a blade to the neck.
The fight turned chaotic. Shin weaved between desperate strikes, his blade dancing through flesh. A sword whistled past his ear; he ducked and elbowed the attacker's sternum before slicing his hamstring. The man collapsed, shrieking, until Shin silenced him with a thrust to the heart.
Salene, still bound, watched in awe. She had seen men fight before, seen death, but nothing like this. Shin wasn't just killing—he was dismantling them with chilling precision. Every movement, every strike, was designed for efficiency. The guards never stood a chance.
Relief flooded her. She realized she was safe, truly safe. The nightmare that had gripped her for so long, the beatings, the humiliation, the hopelessness, was coming to an end before her very eyes.
He was death itself, walking among them, and for once, he was on her side.
The final man hesitated, sweat dripping down his brow. His grip on his sword trembled. Shin stared, daring him to act.
With a panicked cry, the guard lunged. Shin sidestepped, slashed his Achilles tendon, and sent him crashing down. His scream echoed before Shin ended him with a stab to the skull.
Silence fell, broken only by the drip of pooling blood. A single torch flickered, casting grotesque shadows against the walls.
Shin caught a falling sword mid-air and hurled it at another attacker. It struck true, the last body joining the pile.
Only Woodson remained.
Terror flashed across his face. He dropped his sword, raising his hands. "I yield! Please, spare me!"
Shin ignored him and strode toward Salene. As he reached for her restraints, Woodson snatched his fallen sword and lunged.
"DIE!"
Shin moved faster. With a single stroke, he severed both of Woodson's hands. The captain froze, staring in horror at the stumps where his fingers once were. Then the pain hit.
A guttural scream tore from his throat. Blood poured onto the stone floor in thick, crimson pools.
Shin sliced through Salene's bindings. "Can you stand?"
Groaning, battered but determined, she took his hand and pulled herself upright. He handed her the sword he's using. She gripped it tightly before turning to Woodson, who whimpered at her feet.
"You raped and murdered my precious Diana," she growled, voice trembling with rage.
Woodson's face contorted in sheer panic. "No! Please wait!"
Salene did not wait.
She plunged the sword into his gut, twisting it as his bloodcurdling screams filled the room. Again and again, she stabbed, years of pain and vengeance fueling her strikes. Even as Woodson begged, her blade did not falter.
When it was finally over, when the last flicker of life had faded from his eyes, she stepped back, panting, her chest heaving with exertion and adrenaline. Blood dripped from her trembling hands, staining the floor a dark, crimson red. She stared down at his lifeless body, a broken husk of the man who had once held power over her, and a grim satisfaction washed over her.
"Rest in peace, you bastard," she spat, her voice devoid of pity or remorse.
Then, as if the weight of it all finally struck her, she sank to the ground. Laughter bubbled up, then turned into deep, heaving sobs. "Diana...my beloved... you may rest in Elysium now."
Shin knelt beside her, offering a cloth. "Are you all right?"
Salene sniffled, wiping her face. "Yeah... I'm okay."
Shin shook his head, his gaze sweeping over the carnage. "We're not out of the woods yet," he said, his voice firm. "Can you walk? Can you fight?"
Gritting her teeth, Salene forced herself up. She rummaged through a chest, retrieving a potion. The liquid mended some wounds, but as she checked herself, she suddenly realized she was still naked. A deep blush spread across her face.
"Sorry!" she yelped, scrambling to dress.
Shin turned away, giving her privacy. Once clothed, she faced him again, more composed, though the flush still lingered on her face. "Thanks for saving me, sir Shin."
"Don't thank me yet," he replied. "I need your help. We're getting everyone out. Or we're killing every last one of them tonight. No one walks away."
Salene's eyes darkened with determination. "What do you need me to do?"
Shin met her gaze, his eyes intense. "Lead the insurrection," he said, his words ringing with authority. "Show them these people are powerless when good men and women fight back. Let them bear arms and take their justice. This place is built on the suffering of the innocent. It's time to tear it down and build something better on its ashes."
Salene considered his words. She glanced at her bloodstained blade, the weapon now a symbol of her liberation and her vengeance. Finally, she nodded, her decision made. She knelt before him, a gesture of fealty and commitment.
"I swear on my name, on the memory of Diana, I will use my sword to smite the wicked," she vowed, her voice ringing with conviction. "My blade is yours to command."
Shin rested a hand on her shoulder before helping her stand. "Here's what we must do."
They planned. Salene would rally the oppressed, turning their rage into a storm of vengeance. The rebellion would be loud, furious, unstoppable.
For the first time in years, Salene felt hope.
Little did she know, Shin was using her as a shield, ensuring she absorbed Thomas's wrath while he moved unseen toward his true target.
Justice was coming. The old order would be shattered, and a new era would begin, forged in fire and blood.