The massive mobile fortress lurched. The ground had suddenly subsided. One of its colossal legs plunged deep into the earth, forcing the unstoppable advance to a grinding halt.

  "What the hell!"

  The Loan Shark spewed curses at the sudden impact. He seemed flustered, his peak pleasure interrupted in an instant.

  Simultaneously, a searing rage bubbled up. How dare someone interrupt the King’s entertainment? He was the monarch of an invincible fortress, possessed the right to destroy everything in his path, and his procession was supposed to be unimpeded.

  But his fortress remained stuck. Even as the joints of the trapped leg shrieked with mechanical strain, it could only flail uselessly.

  "Damn it! Find a way to fix this, now!"

  The Loan Shark barked irritably at his subordinates. But there was no immediate solution. The crew moved frantically to resolve the issue based on emergency protocols, but it would clearly take time.

  "Grrr..."

  The Loan Shark growled instinctively. As always, he felt a visceral annoyance whenever things failed to proceed in order. He wanted to wield one-sided violence and make people fear and worship him. If he were seen being hindered by some resisting brat, the masses might lose their awe.

  The mere thought fueled his fury. He wasn't supposed to be treated this way. He should have been able to march forward without any interference. To be rendered immobile like this—it was pathetic.

  He couldn't stand it.

  He knew who had done this. He knew who needed to be punished. He was a King, and those who committed insolence before a King had to be penalized.

  But he had no immediate way to strike.

  Even as rage clouded his mind, the Loan Shark maintained a shred of rational judgment. He coldly calculated his options to punish the traitor while his fortress was pinned down.

  Soon, he found the answer.

  "Order the fortress blocking the outskirts to come here."

  The Loan Shark commanded. The rats trying to escape could be hunted down and killed later. For now, killing that hooded bastard was the priority. Seeing the brat's movements, one fortress didn't seem enough; he would simply use another.

  The distance wasn't great. While the other fortress made its way here, buildings would crumble and more people would die out of his sight—a minor disappointment. But that disappointment could be quelled by capturing the hooded brat and listening to his screams.

  His subordinates executed the order with emotionless hands.

  "Just wait until I catch you," the Loan Shark muttered, not hiding his murderous intent. Knowing the time to fully unleash his wrath was approaching, he simply bit his lip and waited.

  Hahyeon had faced many who charged at him with a murderous frenzy. They were individuals who surrendered their bodies to madness to destroy everything in their path.

  Dealing with such people was dangerous. Without the right knack, one could be crushed under a one-sided beating. However, Hahyeon knew the weakness of that blind aggression. Through numerous life-and-death struggles, he had learned his own way to neutralize them.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Now, most berserkers were no match for him. While subduing them was a chore, he had mastered their patterns. His confidence was rooted in experience and remained unshakable.

  Of course, there were exceptions.

  In the fight against his cursed brother, Haeun, Hahyeon had been utterly demolished. But that was an unavoidable result of the difference in Tools. Since then, having learned new skills with Jihyeon’s help, there was nothing he feared.

  Or so he thought.

  But today, Hahyeon met his match. He had never imagined that two people—far stronger than he anticipated—would appear at once.

  Normally, Jihyeon would have helped. But Jihyeon was currently busy fighting that damned mobile fortress. Hahyeon had to face them with his own strength alone. It was a grueling battle that pushed him to the point where he could barely breathe.

  They were strong.

  It would have been easier if they were just consumed by uncontrollable rage. But these men, who maintained distance and aimed for clean hits with their fists, were a bad match for Hahyeon.

  Consequently, Hahyeon took a one-sided beating. Although his Tool made their attacks less painful, it didn't stop his stamina from draining. Maintaining focus alone was exhausting, especially dodging fists that moved faster than an ordinary person could see.

  Thanks to Jihyeon’s special training, he could somewhat read them, but his vision blurred every time a punch connected. When they targeted his eyes, the pain was dizzying. Only the power of his Tool, which instantly healed even severe ocular damage, allowed him to continue.

  How much longer could he hold out?

  One relief was that Hahyeon’s fighting allowed the police to retreat safely. If they had stayed, they would have been slaughtered. The chaos and the mobile fortress’s power would have turned unarmed officers into mincemeat.

  If Hahyeon hadn't blocked them, there was no telling how many would have died today. Even so, the streets were already thick with the smell of blood and rot. But like Jihyeon, Hahyeon couldn't take responsibility for things beyond his reach. He simply did his best within his limits.

  THUD.

  Another fist slammed into his stomach. They seemed trained in martial arts, aiming for his vitals far more accurately than Hahyeon’s wild swings.

  "Kh!"

  Hahyeon forced down a scream. Instead, he grabbed the attacker's arm and slammed him to the ground. The man would get back up, but it would deal some damage.

  "Huff... huff..."

  Hahyeon gasped for air. With every movement, his muscles screamed in protest, and his lungs burned for oxygen. This was the most agonizing fight he'd had since his final battle with his brother.

  The only saving grace was that they weren't using other weapons. Hahyeon shuddered to think what would happen if they used every cruel means imaginable to neutralize him. They hadn't gone berserk, but they seemed to only follow orders. They were the kind of drones Jihyeon had described before.

  "Damn it, there's no way I'm losing!"

  Hahyeon shouted, steadying his breath. It was a declaration that he would never accept defeat. He had no intention of playing the hero. Still, these bastards were connected to those who ruined his life and killed his brother.

  Then, there was only one thing to do: fight.

  "Come on, you bastards."

  Hahyeon taunted the two men with an oath. They showed no emotion, lunging at him with the same mechanical precision.

  It felt like fighting machines. But because of that, Hahyeon finally felt he was catching onto their pattern. He swung his fist while dodging. He couldn't dodge perfectly, but his own attacks began to find their mark.

  "ARGH!"

  A scream finally escaped him. Hahyeon backed away, stinging from the pain. But he had made the other side retreat just as much.

  "Fine, let's see this through to the end!"

  Hahyeon yelled to psych himself up. Maybe Jihyeon would come to help, or maybe a chance would appear if he just held out. Either way, he tightened his grip and plunged back into the fray.

  Yerim watched the fight with a heavy sigh. This was a dangerous place, but it was impossible to look away from Jihyeon’s battle.

  He had succeeded in halting the mobile fortress that seemed indestructible. Though it came at a high cost, getting this far was entirely thanks to Jihyeon.

  But simply stopping it wouldn't be the end. Something stronger was needed. Yet, Yerim had no idea what that was.

  "So that's why he talked about the equipment..."

  Yerim muttered regretfully. If she had the device Seok-yeong mentioned—the one that allowed the use of Tools without side effects—she could have contributed. But now, she had nothing. All she could do was watch.

  Fortunately, the police had withdrawn. Except for a few helping with the evacuation, they were safe. But would that be enough? Too much blood had already been spilled. The city was being systematically destroyed, leaving only grief and tears.

  "Sigh..."

  Seok-yeong’s words kept echoing in her mind. Her helplessness in the face of this unprecedented disaster weighed heavily on her. But now was not the time to regret what she lacked. Even if she was sidelined for now, the police would fulfill their duty the moment an opportunity arose.

  So, she endured and waited for her moment. There was still plenty of work to be done.