Chapter 38: The Patriarch
Cork City was unusually quiet that night.
Standing on the rooftop of the Fields Group headquarters, Haze gazed down at the dark streets and silent buildings, feeling the chill of the night wind.
The calm before the storm.
The Kenny Family had made their move — otherwise, the streets wouldn't be this empty.
The entire area was sealed off.
One had to marvel at how much influence the Mafia held over the normal world... With a single word, even city officials didn't dare defy them.
Woo... woo... woo...
Suddenly, Haze's eyelids flicked open.
In the distance, beams of headlights pierced through the darkness — cars, dozens, no... hundreds of them. Their numbers grew rapidly, tightly packed together.
They came from all directions, flooding in and surrounding the Fields Building.
Moments later, Mafia members poured out of their vehicles — more than a thousand men at a glance. The sight was overwhelming.
It truly looked like an army closing in.
Haze could feel their aura — several Nen users among them.
The Kenny Family specialized in smuggling. Though they didn't have the same wealth as the Firths, their people were known for their savagery and fearlessness.
They were a mid-tier family in the region, infamous for their brutality — a name that even other families avoided provoking.
Without warning, the mobsters jumped from their cars and opened fire at the building.
Simultaneously, heavily armed men appeared from inside the Firth building — and the gunfight erupted.
Gunfire thundered, smoke rose into the night, flashes of light flickered across the battlefield, and screams of death echoed nonstop.
Bullets tore through vehicles, shattering glass and metal alike.
The lush roadside greenery was shredded into dust.
The scene unfolding below was far more vivid and violent than anything Haze had ever seen in the movies of his past life.
From the rattle of machine guns to the chaos of close combat — the battlefield was the crucible of the Mafia.
For ordinary gangsters, this was their chance to rise.
Bloodshed was the essence of gang survival...
Luck and strength determined who ascended and who fell.
Those who relied on intellect were few — very few.
Haze stepped closer to the edge of the rooftop, nearly a hundred meters above ground.
Looking down at the writhing black masses below, he murmured,
"So this... is a true corner of this world."
The darkness of Cork City twisted with smoke and gunpowder — a hymn of carnage and chaos, echoing like a Shura's hell.
"Hehehe... found you!"
A sinister voice broke the stillness.
Haze didn't move. Behind him, a man emerged — crawling out from the shadow cast by the moonlight.
The moon hung high, glowing pale and cold. Its light stretched Haze's shadow across the rooftop — and from that shadow, the intruder materialized.
He licked his lips with a tongue dripping saliva, grinning grotesquely.
His clothes were filthy and unkempt — he looked like he hadn't bathed in months. Even from a few meters away, Haze could smell his stench.
Still facing the moon, Haze spoke evenly,
"The moonlight's beautiful tonight, isn't it?"
The Nen user blinked, confused.
He glanced up at the moon — nothing special. Just a night sky.
Haze unbuttoned his suit jacket, letting the wind whip through his clothes.
"So... are you planning to jump off, knowing you're doomed?"
The Nen user sneered, watching as Haze casually slid his hands into his pockets, eyes half-closed, as though enjoying the breeze and distant noise.
"Our boss wants you alive," he said coldly. "Even if you want to die... it won't be that easy."
Then — Haze suddenly turned, facing him directly.
With a faint smile, he stepped backward — one foot hanging over the edge.
"Try... and stop me."
And with that, he fell — vanishing from sight.
"Damn it!"
The Nen user lunged forward instinctively, reaching out — and just as he was about to grab Haze—
His vision blurred.
He heard a faint whish in the air.
The next moment, his body froze mid-motion — still leaning over the rooftop edge — while Haze landed gracefully behind him.
The man's eyes widened. He looked down — his body was still on the rooftop. But his head...
"He... he cut off my head... in that instant..."
That was his final thought before everything went dark.
The Kenny Family's assault force was overwhelming.
Their firepower far outmatched the Firths'.
Even with the stronghold's defenses, they couldn't withstand such a relentless storm.
In just minutes, the Kenny Mafia broke through the defenses and flooded into the building.
The Firth's men were either killed or wounded. The survivors retreated — only a few remained.
At the rear, inside a heavily armored car, Goler, the head of the Kenny Family, sat calmly with a purebred cat in his lap.
He seemed indifferent to the chaos outside — even amused, playing lazily with a cat toy.
The window slid down, and one of his subordinates leaned in.
"Boss, they can't hold much Hazeer. Our people have breached the building."
"And the scapegoat?" Goler asked calmly.
"Fuji's already gone to find him."
Goler stepped out of the car. The moment he did, his bodyguards straightened and saluted.
"Boss!"
He smiled faintly at the dark silhouette of the Fields Building ahead.
"Do you know how much money Shieldmaber spent building this place? He dreamed of making the Firths famous in the underworld... Now it's mine."
"Congratulations, boss!"
The gangsters cheered — but none dared approach too close. Only three stood near Goler — all Nen users, his personal guards.
One of them, a young man in a tight leather jacket, said,
"Boss, you guessed right. The girl probably fled."
"Smart move," Goler sneered. "At least she knows when to run."
He stepped forward, his three Nen bodyguards following closely.
Blood stained the ground beneath their feet.
BOOM!
Suddenly — a massive explosion tore through the upper floors.
A wave of heat and light burst through shattered glass as the building's wall exploded outward.
Shards rained down, glittering in the moonlight — and amid them, a human figure fell.
Goler's guards reacted instantly, shielding their boss.
The tremor faded.
The figure straightened slowly, brushing off debris — standing over a corpse that had cushioned his fall.
Judging by the shredded clothing — it was Fukichi, one of Goler's men.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Haze raised his gaze — his eyes locking directly onto Goler and his Nen guards.
The leather-jacketed man swallowed hard.
He could feel it clearly — the man before them radiated an enormous, blazing aura of Nen.
It was like staring into the heart of a volcano.
"Boss... be careful," one of the guards muttered.
Haze's lips moved slowly.
They couldn't hear him — but they could read his mouth.
"Run."
"Protect the boss!" one of them shouted.
"Open fire! Kill him!"
But Haze had already moved.
He blurred into motion — faster than bullets — a streak of light crashing through the Kenny ranks.
Men fell in rows, sliced apart before realizing they'd been hit.
Weapons twisted, shattered, or melted in their owners' hands.
Bodies flew, entrails scattered — it was slaughter.
The leather-jacketed guard grabbed the dazed Goler, dragging him toward the car.
He didn't have time to explain — Goler, a non-Nen user, had no idea what was happening.
But before they could open the car door, the roof dented inward with a deafening thud.
A blood-soaked figure crouched above them, arms hanging loosely.
"Leaving already? Without saying goodbye?"
The guard froze.
His two comrades should have been blocking the other side.
There was no way this man could've reached them so fast...
He turned his head — and his stomach dropped.
His two allies lay dismembered, blood pooling beneath their bodies.
"It's... over."
An hour later.
Upon hearing the news, David the butler, accompanied by Lily, returned from the safe house under heavy escort.
It had ended far quicker than expected. They thought the battle would last until dawn — but it was already over.
When they arrived, David saw Haze standing alone amid a sea of corpses.
The air stank of blood and smoke.
Even the surviving Firth gangsters who had witnessed the fight stood trembling, too afraid to approach.
Above him, the moon glowed faintly — its silver light washing over Haze's bloodstained body and calm face.
To David, the scene was both awe-inspiring and terrifying — beauty and horror intertwined.
That image would be forever burned into his mind.
"David."
Lily's soft voice brought him back.
"Ah..."
He blinked, bowing slightly.
"Miss... don't worry. It's over."
"Our master... is safe and sound."
(End of chapter)