The leaves rustled in the cold morning air.
As the thick fog spread across the forest, the sound of birds chirping grew fainter.
It was utter silence.
However, then a single figure walked out from the fog, shattering the silence as his footsteps echoed across the trees.
He wore a high-collared jacket with gold buttons and a wide-brimmed hat that cast a shadow over his face.
Hidden below his jacket, sometimes revealing itself, was a scabbard with katana slipped inside.
The katana had a beautifully crafted hilt with dark hearts and intricate patterns etched into the blade.
The blade was black in color; it was as if it were made from obsidian, reflecting no light.
As he stepped out of the forest, he saw a looming town in the distance, shrouded in fog.
Clang, clang—however, there were echoing sounds coming as people talked, blacksmiths hammered, and horses trotted inside the town.
It was clearly a very bustling town.
The man slightly lifted his gaze, still not showing his eyes, but somehow he managed to read out a sign that was several kilometers away.
“Hightown…” He said with a deep voice and began walking towards that town.
As he crossed a path that was surrounded by golden wheat, he saw townspeople wearing thicker clothing that kept them safe from the cold, but most faces were gloomy as it wasn’t the greatest weather.
The man silently walked past them and entered the bustling town.
“…” He silently looked around and casually weaved past the running children and busy market stalls; no one managed to touch a single part of his body.
After a while, he came across a small cafe tucked away in a quiet corner of the town.
He stepped inside, away from the cold air, and walked towards the counter to place his order.
“What may I get you, sir?” The beautiful barista asked with a warm smile.
“Coffee in black.” The man said, and without waiting for the barista to register his words, he walked to the corner table, where he sat down and put his wide-brimmed hat on the seat beside him.
“Mmh.” He combed his black hair back with his fingers and took a deep breath, then he opened his eyes.
The nearby customers froze after seeing his eyes, not able to raise their cups to their lips.
It was as if they had all frozen like statues!
The man leaned on the chair, gazing out of the window at the foggy streets.
The window happened to reflect his intense, red eyes staring back at him.
“Here, sir.” The beautiful barista came to the table with a cup of steaming black coffee.
As she smiled, she happened to catch a glimpse of the fiery red gaze and instantly froze.
She wanted to look away; she wanted to turn her head; she wanted to walk away, but she couldn’t!
The man took the cup of black coffee and brought it to his lips, taking a slow sip, not even once looking at the frozen barista and other customers.
It was as if they were nothing but flies to him.
After a while, he finished the coffee and asked. “Where is the mayor’s house?”
The barista struggled, but finally, she managed to utter words.
“H-h-help…”
“I asked you a question.” The man tapped his finger on the katana’s hilt.
The barista’s eyes widened as suddenly blood filled her vision.
Her left arm separated from her shoulder and dropped to the ground.
She felt like crying and screaming out of pain, but she couldn’t.
Her tears still flowed, mixing with the blood on the ground.
“Where is the mayor’s house?”
This time, he asked every customer.
As they were frightened by what happened to the barista, they answered truthfully.
“I-I-I-in the three-story building at the end of the street.” One customer stammered. “I-It is surrounded by a white fence with black gates!”
The man closed his eyes, took the wide-brimmed hat, put it over his head, and then left the cafe.
As soon as the door closed, the customers were again able to move.
The beautiful barista fell on her knees, screaming her lungs out.
“G-get some help!” One of the customers shouted. “S-she will die of blood loss soon!”
While a panic ensued in the cozy cafe, the red-eyed man, with his eyes closed, slowly approached the three-story building at the end of the street.
Its black gates were guarded by two metal-armored guards who kept their chins high with pride.
As the man approached the gates, the guards glanced at him before suspiciously squinting their eyes.
They had never seen him before, and it didn’t look like he was just casually crossing the street.
It definitely looked like he was walking to the mayor’s house.
“Halt, state your business!” The guards unsheathed their swords, attracting attention from nearby townspeople.
They didn’t think much of it and treated it as an ordinary procedure.
However, then the man tapped his katana’s hilt, and the two guards froze.
He walked past them, opened the black gate, and approached the front door.
The townspeople frowned and wondered what that was about, but when they turned to the guards, their eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
The guards heads were cleanly cut off, but the heads were still on top of their shoulders, their expressions frozen in a look of pure terror.
At the small cut, blood flowed down their armor, drenching the ground beneath.
It didn’t take long for the townspeople to scream in horror.
After the red-eyed man opened the front door, he looked towards the second floor, where the mayor of Hightown stood with a white-as-sheet face.
The mayor’s trembling voice barely escaped his lips as he whispered. “R-Reinhardt.”
“Your time’s up.” Reinhardt coldly whispered as he entered the empty house; all the servants and the mayor’s family members had already escaped. “You loaned money from me to build this town; now I am here to collect what is rightfully mine.”
“C-cursed…” The mayor whispered through trembling lips. ‘I-I didn’t expect him to remember a debt from fifty years ago!’
“Do you have the money or not?” Reinhardt asked with his eyes still closed.
“P-please, give me a few more years.” The mayor stepped down the stairs, his legs shaking. “A-as you can see, w-we have a lot of refugees, and that burns money. L-let me help them first, then you get your money.”
“I told you.” Reinhardt slowly neared the katana’s hilt with his left hand. “Fifty years. Not a single day more.”
“P-please!” The mayor fell to his knees, begging with all his might.
“You built this town with my help; I can also take it away from you.” Reinhardt opened his eyes with a slam, and after the mayor saw those fiery red eyes, he froze.
However, the mayor was by no means weak and managed to at least utter a few words.
“P-please… t-they are innocent…”
“It wouldn’t be my first time killing the innocent.” Reinhardt’s voice oozed with venom. “You have till the end of this day to enjoy the fruits of your success. 𝒪𝗏𝓛xt.𝑪𝗈
“When dawn comes, this town will stop existing. Don’t even think about evacuating; I would rather not have to go hunt all of them individually; that is rather tedious.”
With the door blasting open, Reinhardt left the house with his jacket fluttering in the wind.
The mayor lowered his head and slammed his fists on the floor.
“I shouldn’t have borrowed from him.
“Why did I do that?
“I am such a fool!”
Not even once did the thought of fighting Reinhardt with his small army cross his mind.
He didn’t even think about asking for help from players.
No matter what he did, Hightown’s end was near.
He knew he couldn’t do anything about it.
Therefore, he sat there in silence, crying and remembering the good old days.
“That fucking undead bastard!”
The red-eyed man, Reinhardt, had lived many centuries and seen countries and kingdoms fall to ruins.
He had even taken part in shaping history, and without him, the world might be a different place.
Whether in good or worse, it was unknown.
His identity as a vampire had already made him an enemy to many, but he had embraced his true nature and thrived in the darkness.
His name, Reinhardt, was widely recognized, both in respect and in fear.
He was a red-ranked outlaw with a bounty of 11,845,999 silvers.
His title caused many to exclaim in awe and respect, and he was the goal of every inspiring swordsman.
His title—The World’s Strongest Swordsman.