The group of five didn't dwell on the strange situation… where a young man, filled with hostility, appeared right after they decided to take the said house for themselves.
Let alone dwell on the oddity of it all, they didn't even notice how light and thin his clothes were, or how his hand was already holding a dangerous-looking dagger.
They simply attributed it all to coincidence, and each of them had their eyes twinkling.
The four men, especially, had their breaths quicken when their gaze landed on the woman standing not too far away.
They had only expected to find a place to rest… but it turned out there was also a beautiful woman waiting?
Already feeling impatient, they were just about to pounce on their prey. But before they could make a move… Christian did.
He was already planning to kill them. But their filthy gazes, directed at Nina, filled with lust, made him more irritated and disgusted than he had expected.
So he decided to be done with them, right here and now… without trying any kind of conversation.
Was it because, unconsciously, he had already started considering Nina… his woman?
He didn't know. But Christian realized.
At some point, without meaning to, he had already become possessive of her.
So, without saying a single word, he moved toward the strongest among the five… and slashed with his dagger.
A head was seen flying. And blood sprayed through the air, dyeing the white world with its vivid red.
Christian had already reached the first mastery stage, after all…
So how could they have even the slightest chance to react?
Not to mention, everything had happened in the blink of an eye.
And so, at this moment, the remaining four, some now stained with blood, finally came back to their senses.
And understood… that they were fucked.
They didn't stop to think about why he was targeting them.
Their minds were blank, focused only on how to deal with this man in front of them.
But the difference in strength… was simply too much.
The gap felt like a wall, cold and immovable.
Even so, they were not entirely without experience.
They were veterans who had fought through many battles, seen many things.
And now, they tried to salvage the situation.
"P-please, spare us! We don't mean any harm," the woman stammered, as soon as she realized the current situation. She raised her hands high in surrender and begged for mercy, her panicked expression and desperate eyes searching his face for even a shred of pity.
But while she pleaded, one of her companions was already accumulating essence in his hand, clearly hoping to take him by surprise.
The woman tried to continue, "We were only—"
But she couldn't finish. She couldn't buy even one more second.
Because Christian's left hand had already found its way to her neck, tightly gripping her throat.
With his other hand, he slashed with his dagger.
And the man who believed himself subtle enough, who thought his surprise attack would catch Christian off guard now that he was supposedly alert.
Found the world turn upside down in his view.
The last thing he saw before he died… was his own headless body falling to the ground.
With the leader and another one out, the two remaining men finally distanced themselves from Christian.
Each moved in a different direction, trying to surround him while preparing their attacks.
But with horror stretched across their faces, and their trembling bodies, they appeared anything but threatening.
Christian, still standing in place, broke the neck of the woman he was holding.
He then threw her body aside like discarded trash, and turned his gaze to the last two men.
They were still preparing to attack, but their bodies betrayed their hesitation.
They didn't seem to have the courage to actually do it.
So, with a mocking expression, Christian asked, "You will not try to run away?"
Despite the cold air biting at their skin, the two men were drenched in sweat.
But they didn't answer. They naturally wanted to run, after all. But they didn't believe the man in front of them would allow that to happen.
They waited for the other one to make a move, to attract his attention, so they could turn and run.
Christian didn't dwell on their silence. He simply started walking toward the closer one.
He didn't rush… he just walked.
And the man meeting his gaze was finally unable to hold on any longer.
He gritted his teeth… and threw the small knife in his hand.
It wasn't a simple throw, as around it, was clearly some kind of aura.
The knife cut through the air with fierce speed and sharp precision, but Christian dodged it easily.
And without pause, he threw his dagger back.
He didn't wait to confirm the kill. Instead, he turned his body and bolted toward the man who had already begun running… the last one left.
In an instant, he caught up.
The man, now panicked, coated his fist in a hardened ice and threw a punch in Christian's direction.
But Christian dodged, and punched him back across the face.
The blow landed cleanly, sending him crashing to the ground with a grunt of pain.
The man clutched at his head, groaning.
But something changed.
Was it because he had already resigned himself to death?
The fear vanished from his face…
And something else took its place… a look defiance.
He tried to fight back.
But, Christian looked at him with cold eyes, not moved in the slightest by his futile struggle, and said, "You know that everything happening now, you're the reason for it, right?"
The man's expression shifted slightly, as if something finally clicked.
As if he now understood the cause of this entire fucked-up situation.
But before he could respond, Christian was already in front of him.
And with swift, practiced movements… he broke his neck.
The man's eyes, filled with unwillingness and disbelief, remained wide open as his body collapsed to the ground.