Even though the image of that first rocket being cleaved in half was still fresh in his mind, Zagu was like one of those gamblers in his own casino who'd gone mad from losing too much—too far gone to stop.
Those gamblers would eventually stake themselves on the table, and now, his fate was the same.
Death awaited either way.
So—what if?What if the next one actually hit?
"Pointless."
Zoro swung his blades, cold expression unchanging as the rocket split apart midair.
The warhead separated cleanly and exploded behind him, flames and shockwaves rolling across the hall.
Out of the corner of his eye, Zoro noticed Ren vanish from sight—charging straight toward the sniper. Seeing that, he stopped paying attention.
Bullets were nothing. They couldn't harm his employer anyway.
"I don't believe it!"
Zagu's eyes were bloodshot as he slammed another rocket in place and yanked the trigger.
Boom—!
Zoro cleaved it in a single stroke, frowning as he strode forward. "I already told you—it's useless."
"I don't believe it!!"
Boom—!
Another flash of steel, another explosion split apart.
"I don't believe it!!!"
Zagu pulled the trigger again, only to watch helplessly as the rocket was bisected yet again.
He tried to reload, but just as he locked another shell in place—
A silver arc of light flashed past. A heartbeat later, an arm and half a rocket launcher clattered to the floor.
"Ah!"
Zagu screamed and fell backward, face twisted in pain and rage. "Where are my men!? Where the hell are my men!?"
"Don't bother shouting," Zoro said with disgust, pressing his blade against the man's throat. "Even if you scream yourself hoarse, no one's coming to save scum like you."
Crack—!
A sharp snap echoed. Across the hall, Ren had twisted the sniper's neck and even gave the corpse a few vicious kicks.
The thought of his broken bamboo dragonfly gadget made his heart bleed.
Damn it, that hurts!
"Bullshit!" Zagu shouted hysterically. "This isn't all of the Bloodhand Gang! The elites haven't even arrived! You haven't won—I haven't lost!"
He had signaled his men from the very start.
So why hadn't anyone shown up!?
"Save your breath. They're all dead," Ren said, shaking his head as he walked closer. He pointed toward the inferno outside.
Through the blaze lay a path carved open by a sword. The twin doors at its end had been split apart, now lying in ruins amid the fire.
Clearly, Zoro's handiwork.
And he'd come from outside.
"If you're talking about the people in the manor or the ones rushing here from outside… you'll only meet them again in the afterlife."
That single sentence shattered Zagu's last hope.
Zoro didn't particularly enjoy killing, but his employer was clearly of a different breed.
The small building where Jick's group had been stationed was filled with corpses—each one finished off by Ren himself.
So, Zoro figured the man wasn't wrong.
Zagu would be squeezed dry for every last coin, and then Ren would likely slice him down with that same calm, casual tone.
Ren was… odd like that.
"H-how could this be…" Zagu murmured, face pale.
"That's how it is, Mr. Zagu," Ren said, nodding in agreement with Zoro.
That was why he had taken care of the enemies inside the hall at the start—Zoro had gone outside to handle the real threat: the reinforcements.
By now, those elites assigned to Jick's squad would've returned.
Once they heard the explosions, they'd have rushed here immediately.
So, Ren sent Zoro to wipe them all out.
At the same time, it gave Ren a chance to test his own combat performance.
Judging from the results—it wasn't bad at all.
"Who the hell are you people?" Zagu demanded, trembling. "Why attack us!? I've been running my business quietly! I didn't provoke you! Why slaughter us!?"
Ren tilted his head slightly, a cold grin spreading across his lips. "Interesting question. But I'd rather ask you something."
He leaned in close. A golden radiance flared from his body, so bright that Zagu squinted through tears.
"What did those poor souls whose organs you stole ever do to you? What about the hostages you executed? The travelers you robbed and killed?"
He was referring to the Bloodhand Gang's ledger—the one detailing all their sickening deeds.
In this lawless land, Zagu's crew had done too many unforgivable things.
That was why Ren had no trouble convincing Zoro to help him.
"You came to uphold justice?"
Zagu stared wide-eyed, unable to believe it. "Do those people have anything to do with you? Why stand up for those weaklings!?
They can't even afford to pay someone like you!"
Typical mindset.
Ren's smile didn't fade, but his eyes were colder than an iceberg.
He looked down at the trembling man clutching his severed arm and said in a voice devoid of emotion, "No. I didn't come to uphold justice. I came to show kindness—to deliver some warmth to the community."
"What the hell does that mean!?"
Zagu's eyes bulged like copper bells.
He didn't understand, but he was shocked. Showing kindness—by annihilating nearly the entire Bloodhand Gang?
What kind of twisted kindness was that!?
"Your version of kindness is wiping us all out?"
"Oh? You don't get it."
Ren tilted his head, then snapped his fingers as if enlightened.
He crouched down, grabbed Zagu by the throat, and lifted him up. The young man's calm smile was the last thing Zagu saw before terror swallowed him whole.
Ren's words came like the whisper of a devil:
"Destroy you—what's it to you?"
If Zagu had acted with self-righteous superiority before, then so was Ren now.
Kindness, warmth—those were just words.
Whether they contained genuine goodwill or pure destruction had nothing to do with the recipient.
It depended entirely on Ren's will.
So—destroy you. What's it to you?
"—!"
Zagu's pupils dilated. Behind the youth, he could almost see a demon wreathed in black smoke.
But the blinding golden glow that burned his eyes dismissed that illusion completely.
Golden light all over me—how could I be a demon?[Innocent.jpg]
Zoro stood in silence.
He knew his employer kept calling himself "a good person," but at his core, Ren was a very strange man.
He struck ruthlessly, rarely left survivors, and his work was never what one would call noble.
He chased money, not ideals.
The way he called himself a "good person" felt more like a habit—or maybe an attempt to rewrite something deep inside.
In any case, he was strange.
But Zoro didn't want to dig deeper. In just over two months, he'd be leaving to continue his training anyway.
Once the debt was paid, they'd go their separate ways… well, perhaps "friends" was the better word. He would miss the good booze.
"Well then," Ren said lightly, dropping Zagu's limp, purpling body. He rested his sword lazily against the man's neck. "Now that we've clarified the situation, let's talk about compensation for tonight's community service."
"I don't ask for much—just everything you own. That's fair, right? I'm a very generous man."
Zagu's face twitched as he croaked, "Even if I hand it over… you won't let me live, will you?"
(End of Chapter)