Immediately after defeating Binchi, Ryu stormed into the Five Black Stars hideout.

Rondy had mentioned that there were four other leaders in the Five Black Stars. With Binchi gone, there were four left.

He had warned them through Rondy once, but as expected, they weren't the type to obey.

He thought that showing them his power would make them understand they couldn't win, but after seeing Binchi's mind, he realized it would be useless.

He seemed to be convinced that he could always win by using underhanded tactics, and deep down, he truly believed that dishonesty was the ultimate power.

And in a way, that wasn't entirely wrong.

This was an organization that would routinely kill the families of those who didn't obey, making it look like an accident.

He had managed to save the children unharmed this time, but there was a possibility that they could be harmed when Ryu wasn't watching.

An eye for an eye, that kind of approach would only result in more victims on his side. His opponents had nothing to lose and nothing to protect.

They had reached a paradoxical and destructive value system, obsessed with destroying what others held dear, even willing to sacrifice their own lives for it.

He had thought about checking their minds first, but after reading Binchi's thoughts, he realized that there was no other solution than to eradicate them before they could cause any harm.

Ryu infiltrated the hideout.

He used his Divine Eye to locate those present and stopped their carotid arteries.

The underlings collapsed before they even saw Ryu.

Ryu advanced without any obstacle, like a lone traveler through an empty field.

He forced open even locked doors with his immense strength, without question.

Finally, he reached the innermost room.

He sensed three beings with a powerful magical aura unlike any he had encountered before.

These must be the leaders.

The door was locked, but he smashed it open, breaking through the door halfway. The door was completely detached and fell to the ground.

The three men's eyes focused on Ryu as he entered with a loud crash.

Gaeta: "Who are you?!"

Ryu: "My name is Ryujeen. Haven't you heard of me from Rondy?"

Gaeta: "So you're Ryujeen. You're younger than I expected."

Ryujeen is currently 16 years old. For a human, he is not particularly muscular. He is no longer a child, but he still looks a little young for an adult. It's inevitable that he'll seem a bit young.

Gaeta: "Did you come to join us? Where's Binchi?"

Ryu: "Binchi is dead."

Margo: "What?! You mean... you killed him?!"

Ryu: "That's right. He didn't understand our demands."

Gaeta: "Demands?!"

Ryu: "Yes. I have some questions for you too. Depending on your answers, you might die."

Margo: "Interesting. Give it your best shot if you can!"

Margo drew his sword. But Gaeta stopped him.

Gaeta: "Let's hear what these demands are, just to be sure."

Ryu: "I assume you've already been warned by Rondy?"

Margo: "Now that you mention it, where did that Rondy guy go?"

Gohn: "Did that bastard run off on his own?"

Gaeta: "The warning was that we should stay away from you and your associates, right?"

Ryu: "That's right. If you don't get involved, I won't be interested in you. But that Binchi guy kidnapped the children from the orphanage. He didn't seem to show any remorse, so I had to kill him."

Gohn: "You defeated Binchi... It seems the rumors were true. Interesting. You're a worthy opponent."

Gaeta: "Hold on. So, you're saying that if we promise to withdraw and never interfere with you again, you'll let us live?"

Ryu: "That's right. If you actually keep your word. It seems that Binchi was planning to get away with it and kill the children later, so I had to kill him. What about you guys?"

Gaeta: "Alright, we'll withdraw. We won't touch you or your associates ever again."

Margo: "Gaeta?!"

Gaeta: "Did you think we'd do that?! You can't survive in the underworld if you do that!"

Ryu: "So, you're just like Binchi, after all."

Gaeta: "Yes, an eye for an eye. We get revenge twice over. If we can't win by force, we have to do whatever it takes, even if it means ambushing them, burning down their houses, killing their families, doing anything to make them eat their words in the end. We have to do whatever it takes, even if it means sacrificing ourselves."

Ryu: "Oh, dear."

Ryu shrugged.

"Then I guess I'll have to exterminate you."

Margo: "You think you can get away with that?"

Margo drew his sword and attacked Ryu. But suddenly, Margo's arms and legs were severed from his body, and he fell to the floor.

Ryu was standing behind where Margo had been. He had stopped time and cut off Margo's limbs.

Since he didn't use Dimensional Slash, but his magical sword Fragarach, Margo wouldn't be able to revive himself even with healing magic.

Gohn: "?!... What happened?!"

Gohn was surprised because he couldn't see Ryu's movements at all.

Gohn hastily reached for his sword, but it vanished from his hand. He realized that Ryu was holding his sword. Ryu had stolen it by teleportation.

Gohn: "There were so many of your men here just now!"

Ryu: "I put them all to sleep. They'll die soon if I leave them be."

Gohn: "Give me back my sword. That's cowardly. Fight me with your sword like a man!"

Ryu: "You're no match for me."

Ryu threw the sword back, Gohn caught it and immediately unsheathed it, ready to fight.

But Ryu was already behind Gohn, holding his sword against his neck.

Gohn: "Impossible… You're so fast, I can't even see your shadow."

Of course he couldn't see him, because Ryu had stopped time and moved.

Ryu: "It's over."

Ryu's magic sword severed Gohn's head.

At that moment, Ryu's precognitive ability activated, and he sensed Gaeta launching a thunderbolt fireball.

Ryu immediately opened a subspace. The thunderbolt was sucked in and stored in the subspace.

Gaeta: "What the…?!"

Ryu: "I'm returning it."

Ryu opened the subspace exit above Gaeta's head. The thunderbolt, sucked into the subspace, shot out and struck Gaeta, who fell, pierced by his own thunderbolt.

Gaeta: "Was Rondy right? You're someone we shouldn't have messed with."

He should have listened to Rondy.

Gaeta: "Looking back, it wasn't a good life. But I'll take you down with me!"

A terrifying amount of heat erupted in an instant, and the hideout exploded. It was the self-destruction magic that Gaeta had prepared for his own death.

The explosion was powerful enough to blow up the entire hideout.

Of course, Ryu, who had foreseen the danger, had safely teleported away.

The explosion was so powerful that the building was completely destroyed, leaving nothing but a vacant lot where the Five Black Stars' hideout once stood.

Thus, the Five Black Stars, the second criminal organization in the slums, was destroyed.

— — — — — — — — — —

To be continued

Ryujeen destroyed the Five Black Stars, but meanwhile, a major incident occurs at the Adventurer's Guild?!

Don't miss the next episode!