Morder looked upward, narrowing his eyes to see clearly what was inside the suspended cages. They were a variety of creatures—different in shape and size.
"Seems even monsters live in humiliation here…"
His feet moved through the streets of the city that had sunk into the depths of the Abyss. There was no sign of life anywhere.
"A prison, an asylum, and now an abandoned city. Seems the ones who designed this place have no sense of structure." His expression carried a mocking tone.
As he continued walking, he heard voices of people talking at the end of the street.
"Damn…"
He looked around until he spotted a house with its door broken. He moved it—almost letting it fall—but managed to hold it and return it to its place.
Morder leaned against the door, listening to their footsteps… until two knights stopped and sat on an elevated platform of a ruined house.
"Man, we've executed more than a thousand people since the Diamond Mountains incident."
"I haven't slept for four days because of the operation… all because of that white-haired bastard."
"You know what's annoying? We couldn't even catch him… it's like he vanished into thin air."
Morder listened to everything they said about him—and about what happened in the Diamond Mountains. He rubbed his chin, muttering to himself:
'As expected… all of this is because of me. Seems the mongrel you're talking about has planted fear in your hearts.'
The knight continued speaking as he sharpened his sword:
"Even the monsters didn't escape the general's wrath… he punished them in the most horrific ways…"
"You know, I'd rather have my skin flayed alive than be imprisoned like this… it's like they're offering them as sacrifices to nightmares."
The knight sighed deeply, removing his gloves and looking upward:
"I want to see the sun… if only I could cross that gate and reach the kingdom floating in the sky."
The other knight placed the blade against his comrade's neck.
"Hey… don't forget we're being watched. Don't even think about bringing that up again."
He added in the same tone:
"Enough talking. Let's go to the hospital, get clearance, and get out of this dump."
Behind the door, they had no idea someone cunning was listening… a terrifying smile forming on his Crimson lips.
"A lot of information… for free. Seems it's my lucky day."
He pulled the dagger from his pocket and moved the door aside, watching the two knights walk away. As he observed them, an idea crossed his mind.
Morder stepped out of the house and began moving swiftly between buildings, hiding within the shadows. One of the knights suddenly stopped and looked back.
"What? Why did you stop?"
"I think I heard footsteps… not ours."
He scanned cautiously until his companion hit his shoulder, laughing.
"What's wrong with you? Seems that talk about a hidden kingdom made you scared of your own steps."
The knight lowered his head.
"Let's go back… I just want to sleep… and forget the nightmares of this world."
As they walked, Morder followed them from a short distance… waiting for the right moment to strike.
'The right moment to execute them hasn't come yet.' Morder muttered.
They reached a place where four streets intersected. They took the right path, but just a few meters before entering the next area, Morder appeared behind the knight who was sharpening his sword.
He grabbed his neck tightly and drove the dagger into it, tearing it apart… the other knight couldn't comprehend what had happened.
Morder lunged at him as well, but the knight managed to evade the strike.
Morder stared at him with half-lidded eyes.
"Why not drop your pride and die?"
The knight drew his sword, pointing the blade at him as he spoke sharply:
"What a coincidence… finding the one who caused all this. This will be—"
He didn't finish his sentence—Morder was already beside him, his fist crashing into his face, sending him into the wall of a nearby house.
Morder didn't stop at one punch… he unleashed a storm of blows despite having only one arm.
Before he could strike again, the knight's blade pierced through his palm. Pain surged through his hand—if he kept resisting, it would likely be severed.
He pulled his hand back quickly and tried to drive the dagger into the knight's neck, but failed—the dagger shattered upon colliding with the sword.
"A fool like you thinks he can kill a knight like me? What nonsense."
Holding his torn hand, Morder glanced to the side and spotted the fallen knight's sword… a wide smile spread across his lips.
The knight noticed what he was looking at and charged, aiming to sever his head. Morder rolled at full speed, grabbed the sword, and hurled it like a meteor—driving it straight into the knight's chest and pinning him to the wall of a fish shop.
Morder stood up, panting, and approached the body, trying to pull the sword free. But the knight still clung to it, bleeding from every part of his body.
Morder let go of the sword and instead pulled out the blade lodged in his own body.
"I don't have time to waste on a filthy rat like you…"
He stabbed the knight in the stomach, then split him in half… wiping the blood from the blade onto the knight's clothes.
"Now, the hard part of the plan is done."
He looked toward the knight whose head he had severed, approached him, and stripped off his armor. Morder put on the new clothes, then took the helmet from the other knight and covered his head.
"Man… how do they even see through this helmet? It's suffocating my vision."
Before continuing his path, Morder glanced at the sleeve covering his severed arm. He placed two fingers on his chin, thinking of another trick.
He lowered his body, slit open the armored glove, then inserted the other knight's sword along the length of the sleeve.
"I don't want to jinx myself… but I'm a genius."
He continued moving cautiously through the streets of this bleak city. Despite his near-perfect disguise, he still felt uneasy—afraid of being exposed somehow.
"Hey, you."
Before he could take another step, a knight called out to him from behind. He froze in place, not moving an inch.
The knight called again, but there was no response… until he approached him.
"What's wrong with you? Can't you hear me calling you?"
Morder scratched the back of his head and replied:
"Sorry, I drifted off. Tell me, what do you want?"
"Doesn't matter. Come with me to this house—I've got something I need you to take care of before you head to the hospital."
Morder followed the knight. They both entered the house… and inside, there was a man bound in iron chains, his body subjected to the harshest forms of torture.
The knight raised his sword—its blade was broken.
"I found this bastard here. Don't know how he got this far from the prison. I'll leave his execution to you—my blade's broken from all the executions."
The knight stood by the doorway, waiting for the execution.
Morder was now in a situation similar to what had happened in the cathedral… there, he was forced to kill for blood. Here, he was forced to kill to avoid being exposed.
He raised his sword, staring at his reflection in the blade, then shifted his gaze to the exhausted prisoner's face—the one who had endured the worst kinds of torture.
'The same choices… I'm always placed in situations where I'm forced to cut someone's throat for no reason.' His teeth clenched tightly.
'But… what if I reverse the roles… and change the rules?'
Morder turned and walked toward the knight, who was looking upward, smoking his pipe. He touched the knight's shoulder. The knight slipped his pipe into his pocket as he slowly turned, saying:
"Did you execute him already? That fast? I didn't even hear a scream or—"
He didn't finish his sentence—shock struck him as he saw the prisoner still alive.
"What are you doing? Why didn't you kill that pig?"
Morder grabbed the knight's shoulder and spoke in a deep voice:
"You know… I've had enough of taking orders."
"What do you mean?"
Morder swung his sword swiftly—before the knight could react, his head fell to the ground near his feet. Morder kicked it away.
The prisoner was in shock, unable to process what happened. He spoke, his lips trembling:
"W-why… why did you do that?"
Morder tilted his neck slightly, resting the sword on his shoulder:
"Don't think I helped you out of mercy… I just don't like taking orders from pigs."