Mae-Bi scanned the treeline.
His squad was hidden in the branches, perfectly still — not a single breath wasted.
They weren't trembling.
Not one of them ran.
They were waiting.
For him.
They believed in their squad leader — or at least, they wanted to believe.
And that was enough.
Even if some of them still doubted, it was his burden now.
Responsibility didn't come with comfort. Only weight.
Below them, ten masked assassins moved in. Their figures merged with the shadows, but their eyes glowed faintly — predatory, unblinking, like a pack of wolves closing in on a wounded deer.
Rak watched from the side, tension crackling in his jaw.
"Damn... there's more than I expected," he whispered. "Ten of them. Do you think we can take them?"
Mae-Bi looked at him.
"No."
Everyone stiffened.
Even the leaves seemed to stop rustling.
Mae-Bi let it hang for just long enough—
Then grinned.
"Kidding."
Jin groaned softly. "Not funny, man..."
But Rak's frown deepened.
Mae-Bi's smile vanished just as fast.
System.
[Online.]
"Find the one in command. The real threat."
[Searching...]
[Target located: 63 meters northeast. Camouflaged. Stationary. Watching.]
Mae-Bi narrowed his eyes.
So that's it. The leader's not attacking because he wants us to waste energy first. A classic cult tactic: Let your pawns bleed the enemy, then swoop in for the clean kill.
Predictable.
But effective — if your opponent was stupid.
Mae-Bi turned to Rak, who stood just a few branches over.
"Hey Rak."
Rak glanced over. "What?"
Mae-Bi's smile returned — wider, and dangerous.
"You ready to fly?"
"...What?"
Before Rak could react, Mae-Bi grabbed him by the collar and hurled him.
Straight toward the advancing assassins.
"WH—MAE-BIII—!"
"MOVE!!" Mae-Bi barked.
The squad didn't hesitate.
The moment Rak crashed into the enemy formation, the squad exploded into motion — leaping in all directions, vanishing into the forest.
"RAK!!" Yuri screamed.
She spun around, eyes burning. "You idiot! What the hell did you do to him?!"
Mae-Bi didn't answer.
Behind him, the squad started muttering — their confusion bleeding into anger.
"He threw him... right into the enemy..."
"Does that mean we're next?"
"Yeah... maybe we should've followed Rak instead of this psycho."
Jin stepped up quickly, grabbing Mae-Bi by the arm. "Mae-Bi—what the hell was that?!"
Mae-Bi turned slightly, his expression unreadable.
Then he laughed — dry and hollow.
"I guess I panicked," he said, scratching the back of his head. "Just... scared, you know?"
Jin stared at him.
"...That's not funny."
It wasn't.
But the rest of the team had already stopped moving.
Yuri folded her arms, blocking the path.
"You think we're going to move forward without Rak? Dream on."
"Right," another snapped. "You're the lazy one. You always were. And now we're supposed to trust you? We should've followed Rak—he took training seriously. He wasn't a coward."
Mae-Bi stood silent for a moment.
Then looked down.
"I see..."
He looked back up, his face calm — but the warmth in his eyes had vanished.
"I won't stop you," he said. "But don't blame me later. I have my reasons for throwing Rak. Just... believe in me. Even if you don't understand yet."
The squad stared at him, unmoved.
Their silence was louder than any insult.
A distant whistle echoed through the forest.
A warning.
The enemy was closing in.
"Tch," Mae-Bi clicked his tongue. "I get it. Stay here, then."
Without another word, he turned and vanished, leaping between the trees, alone.
So this is how it ends, he thought, wind rushing past his face.
I didn't want weak loyalty. I wanted soldiers who would trust me with their lives. If they don't believe, they're dead already.
His thoughts were interrupted.
A presence behind him.
A flash of Qi.
He twisted mid-leap—only to see someone keeping pace beside him.
Jin.
"You?"
Mae-Bi raised an eyebrow.
Jin grinned, his eyes serious.
"I thought you were staying with them."
Jin shrugged.
"You're an asshole, Mae-Bi. But your eyes back there... they weren't scared. They were focused."
Mae-Bi stared at him for a beat, genuinely surprised.
"...You're a weird guy, Seori."
"Yeah," Jin said. "Takes one to know one."
They vanished into the forest together, the sound of pursuit rising behind them like the breath of a beast.
"I can't believe you guys trusted that idiot," Yuri growled, her tone sharp as a blade. "That arrogant, manipulative bastard — and you followed him?"
The squad glanced at one another in silence, the weight of guilt slowly spreading across their faces.
Yuri stepped forward, voice rising.
"Now you understand, right? Why strength doesn't make a leader? We grew up together! You all know Mae-Bi was the slowest, the dumbest, the laziest one among us!"
No one replied.
"Fine. We're saving Rak. But this time," she said, narrowing her eyes, "I lead. I'll show you why it should've been me from the start."
The squad nodded, some embarrassed, others too ashamed to argue.
"Yeah... she's right. She knows what she's doing."
"Following her will be smarter than that traitor."
Yuri smirked inwardly. So easy to sway. Fools.
But first — Rak.
Suddenly—
Whizz—Whizz—Whizz!
Shurikens exploded from the trees, zig-zagging through the air.
"MOVE!"
They leapt, ducked, flipped—blades flying past, nearly slicing flesh. One thin needle caught Yuri's cheek, carving a small line across her face.
She froze.
Eyes wide.
The pain triggered something deeper.
[FLASHBACK – AGE 8]
A blood-soaked wooden house.
A blade too heavy for her hands.
A body.
Then another.
And another.
A family — motionless, limbs twisted.
And her — the only one alive.
The only one holding the sword.
"YURI!"
A voice snapped her out of it.
Yeon-Mi, a slim, serious girl with twin daggers, rushed beside her.
"Snap out of it!" she shouted. "Don't freeze up now!"
Yuri shook her head, sweat cold on her skin.
"Right... Don't separate! Stay together!"
"Got it!"
Then—
Silence.
The trees bent.
And from every shadow—figures emerged.
Assassins.
Their Veil Step wasn't just trained — it was mastered.
Stage Three. Maybe even Stage Four.
They moved like wind over glass — behind the team before anyone sensed them.
"What the—!?" One of Yuri's teammates gasped—
Before a fist smashed into Yuri's ribs and sent her crashing through a tree trunk.
BOOM—
"YURI!"
She hit the ground, coughing blood, limbs trembling.
Her arm was broken. She knew it.
These aren't just assassins. They're trained killers.
Real elite squads...
But why would they attack us?
Then—
A slow clap echoed through the forest.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
From the dark came a figure. Muscular. Shirtless. Teeth too sharp, too white.
Hair wild, eyes red and gleaming like burning coals.
Yo Gun-Sik.
Third Squad Leader of the Blood Blade.
"Such loyalty. Such chaos. Just like kids fighting over a broken toy."
He licked his thumb and grinned. "Cute."
Yuri stood up slowly, one arm hanging limp, the other supporting her balance.
She gritted her teeth.
"Yo Gun-Sik..."
And beside him—
Her eyes widened.
"...Rak?"
He stood there.
Looking away.
"Didn't I tell you not to touch Yuri?" Rak said quietly, fists clenched.
Yo Gun-Sik raised an eyebrow... then slapped Rak across the face, hard.
CRACK!
"Quiet, brat. You're the one who told me to kill them, remember?" He leaned forward, licking his lips. "Now where is Mae-Bi, hmm?"
Yuri's face went pale.
What...?
Rak... betrayed us?