167 GANGSTA REBORN
"Our fight isn't over, Mendiace. It won't end until every last one of your gang is dead," Li-San declared coldly.
Mendiace clenched his fists, his expression twisting into a crazed grin. "Hahaha… You think you can kill me? I'll end you right here!" he roared, forming a powerful spell to attack Li-San.
But before he could form the spell, a dagger pierced his side.
Another shadowy figure stepped out from the darkness, and then another. Mendiace found himself surrounded by powerful assassins. His odds was impossible. His movements slowed as more blades found their mark.
Assassins from the Temple of Assassin.
Mendiace fell to his knees, his eyes wide, gazing at the starless sky above.
"Jeez…" he whispered, his final word hanging in the still air as his lifeless body collapsed to the ground.
The Koresh Guild of Brothers was no more.
------
[Few days ago in the Temple of Assassin]
"Are you sure you want to represent us in negotiating with the Cho In An gang? They're not exactly pushovers," Deacon of Death asked, eyeing Leo with skepticism.
"I have to do this to ensure the Koresh Guild of Brothers is completely wiped out in Sodom City—and to bring some benefits to the temple," Leo replied, his voice steady and confident beneath his mask.
"Fine, but if I give you the signal, you stop," the Deacon said, his tone final.
Moments later, a man was escorted into the temple, blindfolded. He was positioned before the altar, and the blindfold was removed, revealing his identity.
"Li-San of Cheju, why have you come to us?" Leo asked, his voice calm but authoritative.
His masked face made it impossible to tell who he was. He stood in the shadows, indistinguishable from the other deacons.
"We seek permission for vengeance against the Koresh Guild of Brothers from the Temple of Assassin," Li-San said, his voice firm.
"They killed our men and humiliated us by hanging our brothers' bodies in the city square, mutilated. This is a grudge that can only be settled with their complete annihilation."
"And why come to us for this?" Leo asked, his gaze unwavering.
"Sodom City is far from Cheju Mountain. We didn't bring a large force with us, but we have enough to finish the job but," Li-San explained. "We need the cooperation of the Assassin Workshop and for Sodom City not to interfere with our fight."
Leo's expression remained unchanged. "Why should we help you? Your people killed many of ours in the ruins of Sodom. That grudge is still fresh in the minds of many in the city," he said coldly.
Li-San paused, pacing as he considered his words carefully. Finally, he spoke, "What do you want from us?"
Leo exchanged a brief glance with the Deacon of Death, who stepped forward.
"Our organization lacks a direct trade route to Cheju Mountain. It's been a long-standing goal of ours to establish trade between our two cities," Deacon of Death proposed.
Li-San looked him over before nodding. "Fine. I respect straightforward people. If you help us destroy the Koresh Guild of Brothers, we will allow all future trade from the Assassin Workshop to flow freely."
Leo stepped forward, his eyes hard. "There is one condition," he said, his voice cutting through the silence.
"What is it?" Li-San asked.
"There must be no survivors among the Koresh Guild of Brothers. We must ensure that," Leo declared, his tone unwavering.
Li-San's gaze sharpened and surprised. "The Assassin Workshop will help us fight them?"
Leo looked once again at the Deacon of Death, who nodded. "If we're going to be partners, there's no reason for us to sit idly by while you fight, if any of the Koresh Brothers survives, they would not leave the grudge if they found out we helped you," he said.
Li-San smiled, a rare flash of approval crossing his face. "Good. I like doing business with smart people."
Leo's gaze didn't waver. "None of them must survive."
"Of course," Li-San agreed, his voice steady. "We'll see this through."
Li-San was escorted away, blindfolded once more, and the doors of the temple closed behind him.
As the room quiet down, the Deacon of Death turned to Leo, with a knowing look in his eyes. "Was this your plan all along? To use the Cho In An gang to wipe out the Koresh Guild of Brothers?"
"There was that thought but the plan came together along the way," Leo said, his voice calm but edged with satisfaction.
"And now we have a free trade route to Cheju Mountain, while also eliminating our enemy in the city with the help of a powerful clan for free. You're devilishly clever," the Deacon said, his admiration clear.
"There's no reason to make losing business deals. We have to win, and win the most, and sacrifice very little for it," Leo replied, his eyes gleaming with ambition.
"Indeed. After this, no local forces will be strong enough to threaten the Assassin Workshop in Sodom City," the Deacon agreed, a satisfied smile tugging at his lips.
Leo nodded. "Yes. And this will just be the beginning."
-----
[In the jungle outside Sodom City]
The forest was a macabre scene, with lifeless bodies scattered across the ground like discarded dolls. Creatures prowled hungrily, their eyes glinting with anticipation. Ravens tore into flesh, ripping out eyes from their sockets, while hounds shredded limbs, feasting without mercy.
Amid the chaos, something stirred. A single, mangled hand emerged from the pile of corpses.
A man, disoriented and battered, crawled out of the blood-soaked pile. His body was broken, wounds gaping, yet miraculously they began to heal before his eyes.
"What the hell is happening to me?" Mendiace muttered, his mind a swirling fog.
His thoughts were fragmented, disjointed, as he gazed at the gruesome scene around him. "This is... this is too fucking real."
As he stumbled to his feet, trying to make sense of his surroundings, a figure appeared before him, a translucent apparition hovering in the air.
"Welcome to the Realm of Sins," the apparition intoned, its voice eerie and hollow.
Mendiace narrowed his eyes. "What the hell kind of storyline is this?"