Under the veil of night, the outer regions of Stormerga fell asleep, leaving only guards, bandits, drunks, and prostitutes in the dark, empty streets. A faint breeze whistled over the great walls, and hidden by the intense darkness of the poorer regions, a shadowy figure leapt under the great wooden structure and landed heavily on the inside of the wall.

His blue eyes took on a blood-red hue, and the uneasiness that gripped his chest guided him through the narrow streets as the mana in his body exploded, propelling him forward with no less speed than a racehorse's gallop.

The unawakened citizens of Stormerga who were still awake saw nothing but a blur, an elusive shadow breaking through the darkness with inhuman speed, while the awakened, though able to keep up with the figure's speed, quickly retreated as they felt the intensity of the mana and murderous intent unleashed by the figure.

That figure was Ethan, of course, and after a few seconds, he stopped in a dark alley full of garbage.

Below him was a wooden cover leading to the Stormerga sewer, and from there he heard two male voices.

Feeling his bond with Victoria guiding him in that direction, Ethan drew his sword, his face cold and unchanging as he lifted his right foot, gathering all his mana in his legs before dropping it under the manhole cover.

There was a thunderous crash, and the ground gave way beneath Ethan's feet, collapsing onto two thugs patrolling the sewers.

"What the fuck?" one of the thugs yelled as he drew his sword, but in the next moment, two piercing whistles echoed, followed by pitiful screams and low thumps as two bloody pumpkins fell to the ground.

Before the shards of the wooden lid that littered the air had even begun to fall, Ethan was gone.

His heavy footsteps echoed through the sewers, along with the whistles of his sword slicing through anyone unfortunate enough to cross his path.

He didn't ask if they were bandits or not; he didn't even care; his mind was clouded; his blood burned with deep anger; and the only thing that mattered to him was getting to Victoria and eliminating anyone who was brave or unlucky enough to get in front of him.

After leaving a trail of more than a dozen dead bodies, Ethan finally reached his destination, and his connection to Victoria indicated that she was only a few hundred meters away.

In front of him was a wooden door big enough to fit a giant through, with a structure so solid that it could probably withstand a shot from a ballista.

Despite this, Ethan was undaunted, holding his sword tightly and maintaining a wide stance, his feet firmly planted on the ground as he prepared.

Gathering all his mana in his arms, he spread it over his sword before finally striking.

A bang echoed through the sewers of Stormerga, and the door shuddered but held firm with only a large horizontal gash in its frame.

"What the hell? Someone trying to break in?" A surprised voice sounded as hurried footsteps echoed from behind the door.

Ethan could hear clearly as the thugs drew their weapons and gathered behind the door.

"It's just a kid, and he seems to be hurt. I think we can handle it!" One of the thugs spoke after opening one of the hatches and looking at Ethan's bloodied figure, not even knowing that the blood on his body wasn't his own.

"Fuck! Didn't you feel the force of that attack? I'll call Mr. Gobini; we won't be able to hold it off on our own!" Another thug shouted before running off.

"Mr. Gobini... Huh?" Ethan muttered, his already angry eyes blazing with even more fury.

"So you're the bastard who dared to hurt one of my women!" he roared before attacking again.

The dragon blood in your body burns with hatred and begs for the death of your enemies; deliver the blood, despair, and steel to them. Make them regret touching what is yours, and you will be rewarded.

A bang echoed farther down the sewers, and the doorframe shook before finally collapsing in front of Ethan.

The thugs behind the door took a step back, their faces quivering with fear and remorse.

There were more than fifteen of them, many in the middle levels of the awakening stage, and two of them at the peak of the awakening stage.

However, under Ethan's cruel gaze and the terrifying aura he radiated, none of these bandits had the courage to step forward.

After a split second of staring at each other, one of the thugs tried to speak: "Wait! You want Mr. Gobini? We can..."

Unfortunately for them, Ethan had no intention of talking, and before the bandit could finish his sentence, a slash of crimson mana appeared from Ethan's blade, quickly silencing the bandit.

"Die by my sword..." Ethan muttered, his sword glowing with energy, as he prepared for another attack.

"That's the only thing any of you will do!" Ethan roared as he swung his sword, another blast of mana being launched at the bandits as they struggled to dodge, with one unfortunate one letting out a pitiful scream as his ribs were broken and his torso split open by Ethan's attack.

His body barely had time to fall to the ground before another pitiful scream echoed through the sewers and another lifeless body crumpled to the ground.

The bandits began to run, but Ethan did not stop. Every second an enemy fell before his blade, every breath sent a cut, and a pitiful scream echoed as lifeless bodies piled up at his feet.

Even the warriors at the peak of the awakening stage could barely withstand three blows before they fell.

Just over a minute into what could be considered a one-sided massacre, Ethan found himself alone again, his heavy breathing quickly stabilizing as he tried to control his emotions.

"Just a little longer, hold on, and I'll find you." Ethan murmured, feeling his connection to Victoria pulse more strongly than ever before he began to move again.

***

"Do you have any idea who that could be, Miss Eve?" The thug accompanying Eve asked, his face clearly concerned.

"I don't know, but the mana is agitated." Eve spoke while biting her lip. She had confidence in the ability of her father's men to stop any enemy other than the count's men, but still she was unable to erase the fear in her heart.

"Miss Eve, there's something approaching." The bandit's words were cut off, and all Eve saw was a faint beam of light emerging from the darkness, cutting the throat of the man accompanying her.

"E-Ethan?" she said in a shaky voice, trying to grab the weapon at her waist as she realized the source of the attack.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

A strong hand grabbed her face and lifted her into the air before dropping her to the ground.

A loud crack sounded as Eve's skull hit the ground, her brain crushed by Ethan's grip and her face reduced to a bloody mass of eyes and teeth.

"What a waste..." Ethan said and didn't even take a second look at Eve's body before continuing on his way.