A Born Weapon of War-Karen Nocturne

Karen sipped his tea slowly, savoring this rare moment of peace.

He closed his eyes slightly, as though to better listen to the sounds outside, or perhaps to meditate.

When he opened them again, the cold glint in his eyes flared, and a red gleam appeared.

"They're here," Karen murmured, the corners of his mouth lifting into a faint, scornful smile.

He set down his teacup and slowly rose, the Cane Sword at his waist swaying gently with a crisp clink.

The front door burst open, and a squad of assassins charged in with their guns raised.

They spotted Karen by the sofa at once and opened fire.

Bullets flew toward Karen like rain, but he nimbly slipped through the gaps between them, easily dodging volley after volley.

In an instant, Karen reached the assassin at the front and effortlessly snatched his gun.

"You can't even keep hold of your own gun. What kind of assassin are you?" Karen snorted. As the other assassins watched in shock, he used the stolen gun to punch four or five bloody holes in its owner.

One assassin aimed his gun at Karen and frantically pulled the trigger.

Karen shifted, vanishing from the spot in an instant and leaving only an afterimage. The bullets passed through his phantom outline.

A moment later, he appeared beside that assassin. The blade of his Cane Sword darted out like a snake's tongue, striking the assassin's wrist with pinpoint precision.

The gun hit the floor with a sharp clatter.

Without pausing, Karen followed through with a side kick that sent the assassin flying into the wall, striking it so hard that it shuddered violently.

Another assassin rushed him from the side, brandishing a dagger whose blade gleamed coldly in the dim light.

Karen smiled faintly and leaned back until his body was almost parallel to the floor, cleanly evading the dagger. At the same time, he swung his Cane Sword in a flash of cold steel, knocking the dagger straight out of the assassin's hand.

Then he turned sideways and lightly drew the hilt of his Cane Sword across the assassin's neck. Its sharp edge instantly sliced through the skin, and blood spurted out as the assassin collapsed with a gurgle.

Karen flicked his Cane Sword, splashing a few drops of blood onto the faces of the assassins ahead. Their faces went pale with terror.

What kind of monster was this? They couldn't follow his movements at all.

And what kind of blade was he holding? A single light stroke had killed a man!!

"Are you curious about the blade in my hand?" Karen held up his exquisite blade, its intricate patterns gleaming in the light.

Karen introduced it proudly. "You have a good eye. This blade of mine is the legendary Cannonball Knife. In terms of sharpness, it's among the very best of all weapons."

"The shell it was made from pierced my body when I was a child. I kept it as a memento, and when I became an assassin, I specifically used it to make my very first weapon..."

While Karen chattered excitedly, the remaining assassins exchanged nods. Then they raised their guns and fired together, sending another torrential rain of bullets his way.

Clang, clang, clang-

Karen swung his Cane Sword, sparks erupting with every collision between blade and bullet and showering onto the floor. He knocked down every bullet that could have hit him.

"Oh dear. There's a price to pay for interrupting someone... and the only thing you can offer in compensation is your life..." Karen's eyes flashed red, and every flash meant another assassin's life was about to end.

In battle, Karen's body seemed to become a bolt of black lightning, darting through the assassins' attacks.

His Cane Sword seemed alive in his hands. Every swing whistled through the air, and every attack struck its target with perfect precision.

The assassins crumbled instantly under his assault. Before they could even react, they had already been finished off.

Karen easily dispatched the first wave of enemies.

"So that's it for the first wave. The next opponents should be a little more interesting," Karen said quietly. His voice was calm; the fight had been nothing more than a warm-up to him.

Standing outside, the assassins' leader listened to the screams coming from inside, his expression growing uglier by the moment.

Every scream belonged to a man. There were no women's screams, which meant they had failed to complete their mission.

He waved at those behind him. "You lot, go!"

At the Phoenix Organization's base, its leader was holding a meeting.

Just then, a senior member asked, "Leader, Lord Black Nightmare is our organization's best assassin. Is it really all right for him to take on this protection assignment alone?"

"I heard he'll be facing not just a huge number of assassins, but someone on the assassin rankings, too. Can Lord Black Nightmare really hold out?"

The leader smiled faintly at this and shook his head, an inscrutable look flashing through his eyes. "Heh, heh, heh. You don't understand how terrifying that fellow is..."

"He isn't an ordinary person... no, I should say he isn't human anymore."

"You've only just joined the organization's senior ranks, so you may not understand what makes him so terrifying. That fellow has abilities no human could possess!"

"Living in the sewers from childhood, feeling his way through the darkness, gave him the ability to see at night like an owl..."

"To survive, he drank polluted water and ate food riddled with bacteria, developing a body immune to every poison..."

"Evading his pursuers and turning the tables on them honed his extraordinary perception, unmatched speed, and terrifying explosive power..."

"Karen Nocturne-that fellow is a born weapon of war!!"