Villain Hides His True Color

Chapter 67

Large cartels such as the Chinese Triad and the Russian Mafia had a number of affiliated groups beside their direct members.

While they dominated large areas, crime was systemized by their 2nd and 3rd string members as subcontractors on smaller matters.

And like them, the Red Blood Alliance, who controlled half of Kowloon, also managed a considerable number of affiliated groups.

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The day after the church incident, affiliated groups under the control of the Red Blood Alliance were visited by direct members of the organization.

Bang–!

“Fuck! Trash it all!”

Members of Red Blood Alliance began throwing things at random after arriving.

Seeing this, the boss who was in charge of the place rushed out and pleaded.

“W-wait! What’s going on all of a sudden…I’m sure I paid the tax last month. I-if it wasn’t enough, take this here and calm down.”

Sometimes men who came to collect tax would pocket some for themselves, so he thought that was the case this time.

However, when the members of Red Blood Alliance saw the stack of money, one of them spoke grimly.

“Am I hearing this right? You’re really testing your luck.”

“Wh-what are you talking about?”

“Now that our Red Blood Alliance brothers are dying day by day. Huh? What the hell were you doing here while we were shedding blood?”

“Th-that’s…I don’t have to fight because I’m not in the Red Blood Alliance like you. Also, we don’t have many weapons either…”

“Bullshit! You think I believe that? If you work for us, you’re all part of the Red Blood Alliance. We’ll give you guns, so you have to come out and fight starting tomorrow.”

“H-how the hell can you do this?!”

Originally, the power struggle between Red Blood Alliance and Blue Mage was implicitly agreed to be fought only among direct members, but Vlad, who had completely lost his mind after the cathedral incident, had ordered all the small affiliated groups under him to mobilize.

And naturally the bosses of the affiliated groups protested.

“Vlad! If you do this, our organization will become independent of the Red Blood Alliance.”

“Th-that’s right! No matter how big the Red Blood Alliance is, you can’t manage this large town by yourself! Please respect us a little bit more!”

It could be said that the power of a cartel depended on the tax collected from the 2nd and 3rd string groups.

The tide of war would immediately tilt if all of these affiliated groups went over to Blue Mage.

Therefore, from the standpoint of the Red Blood Alliance, this kind of threat couldn’t be ignored.

But…

“Then, I’ll just have to leave no stones unturned!”

Crunch–!

“Keuhok!”

Vlad went to those who opposed him and crushed their heads one by one. He took his axes dripping with blood and asked.

“Huu…fuck! Whoever doesn’t want to join, tell me now.”

“…”

“No? If not, you’ll join the war from today. If you object later, be ready to have your skull cracked.”

“…We understand.”

It wasn’t an act without consequences.

In fact, Vlad knew very well that his actions would raise their defiance.

After acting recklessly like this, even if the war ends, it would be difficult to lead the Red Blood Alliance normally like before.

However, in his mind, there was no thought of such a distant future.

All he wanted was revenge.

“That fucking Chris…I’ll make sure to cut him into pieces.”

Vlad, who had forcefully gathered troops, finally began his bloody revenge.

“Kuaaaak! Y-you fucking cowards!”

“N-no! P-please spare me…Keuook!”

Scenes of horrific murders that even veteran cartel members frowned upon.

Vlad attacked Blue Mage members by all means, breaking the unwritten rules of Kowloon.

And…

“Crazy son of a bitch! Where is he now?”

Seeing the indiscriminate attacks, Chris could no longer stand still.

Since the other person had taken out a knife, he must hold a knife in the same way.

“Damn it! Gather everyone! Those who don’t want to join, bring them to me!”

It was no longer meaningful to weigh the pros and cons of the war. It had become a matter of life and death.

And in order to survive, it wasn’t the time to be saving money.

“Hongir! Help us like last time!”

“I’ll charge you more this time, are you okay with that?”

“…Damn it! I don’t care what it is, just kill all those fuckers.”

“Hmm…good. Leave it to me.”

The fight between the two cartels, which had begun as a minor dispute, had turned into an all-out-war in which the entire Kowloon was involved.

As if it was hell on earth, both sides continued to slaughter one another.

“Die! You red son of bitches!”

“How dare you smurf bastards act up!”

Bang–!

Bang–!

Whether it was night or day, screams were heard throughout Kowloon.

Bodies littering the streets became infested with flies, and the smell of acrid gunpowder lingered in every alley.

An unprecedented large-scale power struggle.

It was no exaggeration to say that the bloodshed from this war was more than any other since the establishment of Kowloon.

How many days had it been?

The two groups, after having repeatedly killed one another, at last, had gathered for the final battle.

A large construction site skillfully engineered.

Originally, Kowloon Tower, the symbol of the Kowloon Group, should have been built here, but now there were only those in red and blue staring each other down.

At a first glance, the figure was easily between 2,000 to 3,000 people.

It seemed as if all the young men of Kowloon were gathered here.

And at the head of the two groups were Chris and Vlad.

Damn it! Where did he gather so many people?

Chris frowned as he watched the closely lined Red Blood Alliance camp.

He had mobilized all the forces with the feeling of squeezing a dry towel, but now that he saw it, there was not much difference compared to the Red Blood Alliance.

Perhaps Vlad had gathered all the forces he could mobilize too.

Fuck…We must win by all means this time.

The war so far had been a series of fierce battles.

For a moment, if the situation was favorable, they were defeated in the next battle.

On the contrary, when he thought they had lost, they would somehow win the next battle.

A state of perfect balance as if it was intentionally coordinated by someone.

In the midst of such an ebb and flow, Chris had no choice but to cough up everything he had.

Especially in order to keep the dreadful monster on the other side in check, he also had to hire a capable mercenary, so each battle had cost a huge sum of money.

Not only that, the money he had poured out wasn’t enough, so recently, he had even taken out all his savings meant for retirement.

As a result, the current financial situation of Blue Mage could be said to be dire.

Fuck…he’s greedier than I am.

Chris turned slightly and looked at the wolf standing beside him.

Hongir’s long snout was tore apart and he was gasping as if he was enjoying the current situation.

Looking at it, he felt as if his insides were burning.

In fact, he had proposed to settle the war here because he had no money to pay Hongir if the war was prolonged any longer.

And as expected, it was the same for Vlad.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have accepted my offer.

He was already at his limit.

In other words, winning the fight here today was the same as becoming the ruler of Kowloon.

Afterwards, he would be able to gradually recoup the money he had lost so far and someday grow into a larger cartel than it is now.

When that day comes…I’ll make him throw up the money he took first.

He looked at the wolf and thought as such.

Suddenly, from the Red Blood Alliance camp, something loaded with mana flew towards him at a high speed.

Swiiik–

?!

A sharp sound that cut through the wind. Sensing the extraordinary energy, Chris turned his waist reflectively.

And at that moment,

Crunch–!

The head of the man standing behind him burst into pieces.

Blood and flesh splattered from all sides as a small throwing axe fell on the spot.

And thus, the man who had been with Blue Mage for many years had died a vain death.

Chris looked up, and in the distance he could see Vlad grinning.

At the same time, cheers erupted from the Red Blood Alliance camp.

“…You son of a bitch!”

Chris immediately cast wind magic.

In response to his will, the blade of wind cuts through the heads of Red Blood Alliance members in an instant.

Thud–!

Five heads fell to the ground at once. Blue Mage members, who had witnessed the scene, burst into cheers while Vlad glared at Chris fiercely.

Their eyes met in the air.

After a short time, suddenly, Vlad reached out his finger and pointed at Chris, then he slowly clenched his hand into a fist.

Soon after, he began to walk forward without saying a word.

It was an action that made no sense at all. Thousands of members that were gathered here tilted their heads at the unexpected turn of events.

But Chris, perhaps aware of what Vlad had meant, grimaced and walked toward him.

Next to them was the giant wolf and the monster wrapped in shadow.

As they reached a distance where their voices could reach each other, they stopped at some point as if it was planned.

“…Vlad. What the hell do you have to say now? Are you going to surrender?”

Chris asked with irritation. Vlad smirked before answering.

“Huu, you remember the sign.”

“Fuck! Of course, that’s my sign.”

Actually, the gesture Vlad had done a moment ago was one of the hand signals Chris had created when they were friends in the past.

And the meaning was ‘let’s talk for a second.’

Vlad was a terrible learner matter how much Chris had taught him, so he wondered why he had done such a thing out of the blue.

They, who only saw each other as enemies, had already buried their past memories decades ago.

Fuck!

Suddenly recalling his childhood memories, Chris cursed in his mind.

The one in front of him was just an enemy. It was already a path of no return.

“By the way, I never thought you would really come if I called you…You must have gained a lot of nerve in the last few years, Chris.”

“Hmph! I didn’t expect you to accept my offer to fight here. Just like the past, you don’t have the ability to learn.”

Perhaps because Vlad had recalled what had happened at the cathedral the other day, but his expression became distorted.

However, not long after, he burst into laughter.

“Do you remember? The dream we used to talk about.”

“…What are you saying all of a sudden?”

“When I thought I’d end it with you today, I suddenly remembered. What we used to say every day when we were beggars.”

“…We said we’d get to the top of this place one day.”

“Yes, we did. Well…Now that the dream is just around the corner, don’t you think it’s amazing? Hehe.”

Chris certainly felt nostalgic when he heard it.

He had only wanted to survive when he was a child, but after becoming a little stronger, he had focused only on being the boss of Blue Mage.

And now he has arrived here. As Vlad said, there was only one step left to the top of Kowloon.

But…

There was only one spot at the top. There can’t be two suns under the same sky.

“Today will be the day I cut my ties with you. I’ll absorb your Red Blood Alliance and use it well.”

Vlad smiled insidiously.

“Haha…Is that so? The way I see it, the game is already over.”

“…What does that mean?”

His expression was unusual, so Chris didn’t think it was just a bluff.

***

[ Translator – Yasi ]

[ Proofreader – Karane ]

***

An ominous alarm rang in his head when he saw the confidence in his eyes.

No way…A trap?

That was what he had thought when he was about to cast a magic spell.

But suddenly, from the Dark Specter standing next to Vlad, a shadow came out.

“Damn it!”

He tried to respond somehow, but the darkness approaching was too fast.

His whole body was instantly surrounded by the shadow as the world became twisted.

The bleak construction site had turned into a dark space where nothing existed.

From the darkness, Vlad walked out slowly.

Looking at his proud smile, an uncontrollable anger rose within him.

“Vlad! How dare you trick me!”

“Hahaha! I learned all this from you, so who is to blame?”

He didn’t expect the simpleton Vlad to have prepared such a trap.

In fact, he could have predicted this much, but he had let his guard down for a moment when Vlad had suddenly brought up the story of their childhood.

I can’t believe he’s using psychological warfare…

Perhaps he had underestimated him too much. However, it was always too late for regret no matter how soon a person realized it.

He couldn’t come up with a solution to this situation now. On top of that, he didn’t see if Hongir had entered this space.

It was simply the worst situation possible.

Fuck…I have no choice but to do it myself.’

He was going to use mana to quickly cast a spell. Now was the best time while Vlad was caught off guard.

However, for some reason, his mana didn’t respond to his will.

?!

Chris had a perplexed look on his face. And seeing this, Vlad laughed loudly.

“Euahaha! Looks like you’re having trouble. I’m glad I hired the Dark Specter.”

“What the hell is this…”

“Hehe…To be honest, I don’t know, but the Dark Specter did it. In this space, it’s hard to use magic unless you’re a transcendent.”

“I-impossible…”

Chris had heard that there were people with various abilities outside Kowloon, but he didn’t think there would be such a ridiculous ability.

Except for the mana of a mage, there really was nothing left at their disposal.

All that remained was hope. He could only hope that his subordinates had noticed this unexpected change and come to his rescue.

But as if Vlad knew what he was thinking, he grinned and spoke.

“It would be best to throw away your false hope quickly. I’m sure by now our members are already attacking yours.”

“Ah…”

There was really nothing he could do. There was no way he could beat Vlad when his mana was sealed.

Before he knew it, Vlad was approaching him with a sharpened axe in hand.

“I was going to chop you into pieces while alive, but…For old times’ sake, I’ll just cut off your arms and legs in moderation and then kill you. Hehe…”

Vlad raised his axe with a sadistic smile.

Really…does it end in vain like this?

When he thought he was going to die,

Swiik–!

The arms of Vlad who was raising his ax fell sharply to the ground.

“Huh..?”

Vlad looked at his cut arms with a puzzled look.

Instead of blood flowing from the severed sections, there was just a black shadow.

“What’s this…”

It was difficult to understand the situation. And at that moment,

Again, he heard something being cut.

Swiik–!

This time, Vlad’s legs were cut off. Falling to the ground, he wriggled and screamed like a bug.

“Kuaaak!!”

A horrible scream that gave Chris goosebumps.

But in the midst of this, not a drop of blood came out of his body, doubling the bizarreness.

Wh-what’s going on…?

Chris crouched down and looked around.

Soon, an immaculate woman walked out of the darkness.

She looked down at Vlad who was wriggling on the ground without paying any attention to him.

“That’s a relief. You’re still alive.”

Glossy black hair, beautiful body like a work of art, long pointed ears of an elf, and those red eyes that glistened like jewels.

She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life. However, there was no desire when he looked at her.

Rather, he felt instinctive fear.

Because around her body, the shadows filling this space were reacting.

She’s…the Dark Specter?!

However, it was strange.

Wasn’t the Dark Specter a mercenary hired by the Red Blood Alliance? Why did she cut off Vlad’s limbs?

“Wh-why did you do this…?”

Chris blurted out his innermost thoughts. Soon, the answer to the question came from a completely different side.

“Noona, good job.”

At the very familiar voice, Chris spun his head around.

And standing there was Hongir, the one who had been receiving money from him, smiling brightly.

“Wh-what…?”

He couldn’t make sense of the situation.

Did the Dark Specter switch sides?

However, to say so, the two seemed too familiar with one another.

“Thank you! But…Where’s the reward you promised?”

“…Do I have to do it now?”

“Of course! A promise is a promise!”

“Hm…okay. Come here.”

The woman who had just cut off Vlad’s limbs in an emotionless manner ran to the boy as if she was a puppy that had just met her master.

“Noona did a good job. There, there.”

“Hehe…”

The boy stroked her head with an annoyed look on his face as she flapped her long ears and made a childish face.

That was definitely not something people who had just met would do. It didn’t seem like a normal relationship no matter how he looked at it.

Then…no way…?

He really didn’t want to think about it, but the worst guess came to mind.

With a trembling voice, Chris spoke.

“H-Hongir…You…”

At his words, the boy glanced his way as if he had only remembered.

“Oh, come to think of it, he was still here.”

The boy’s hands spread out toward him. Suddenly, his limbs began to move freely.

?!

He felt as if an invisible thread was controlling his body.

At that moment, he recalled what Snoop had said.

[H-hyung…I-I really didn’t do it. Someone controlled my body!!]

[All the plans went wrong because of you! Tell that lame excuse before the King of the Underworld.]

[It’s true! Trust me! N-no!]

No way…he was telling the truth?

He realized that these two were behind everything.

All the pieces of a puzzle were coming together one by one.

Why Red Blood Alliance members suddenly started to rampage. Even the strange disappearance of Blue Mage members.

Everyone was being played by them!

A place full of crooks and criminals. He couldn’t believe they had been played by a child.

An uncontrollable anger rose. He felt short of breath and his head spinning.

Expressing his anger, Chris shouted.

“H-Hongir!!!! So all of this was because of you!!!”

“I guess you caught me?”

“Ahhh! Ki-kill you! I’ll kill you! I’m going to kill you if it’s the last thing…Heup!”

“Noisy.”

“Hmm!!”

Chris struggled to remove the bind from his lips.

However, all he could do was stare at the boy with bloodshot eyes.

“Well, even if you can’t use magic, I better make sure.”

Crack–!

“Keuuuh!!!”

The joints of both arms were twisted, and the legs were rotated 180 degrees.

“Oh, and ahjussi, you keep calling me Hongir, but you’re mistaken…”

In the midst of the distracting agony, Chris had a thought,

“My name is Choi Noah, an A-Rank hero.”

Of all the people he had met in his life, the boy was the worst villain he had ever met.

____