After Stealing Hero's Mother, I Reincarnated in the Fantasy World!

Without any prejudice or words, Rain rushed forward, pulling his sword from his storage ring.

Clang!

The imperceptibly black Unknown Sword collided with Bulldog's serrated axe, sending a shower of sparks through the air.

"Kgh...!"

The first collision did not bring Bulldog any pleasant feelings. Numbness ran down his arms from the recoil, and his feet were slightly pressed into the surrounding soft earth.

Taking advantage of his wobbly position, Rain made a feint with his foot, tripping him. He did his best to dodge the tripping, surprisingly deftly curving his massive body.

But at the last moment, Rain's foot changed motion, hitting him right in the stomach.

"Urggh...!"

Taking a couple steps back down the dark, dirty alleyway, Bulldog let out a suppressed sound.

Pretending to gasp, he bent his body low and discreetly gathered dirt from the ground into his palm. As soon as Rain approached, Bulldog threw it right in his face, simultaneously making a blow with his axe to his head.

Swoosh! C-clang!

Rain dodged the dirt, parrying his axe into the ground.

'Cheap trick.'

He knew such tricks best, how could he get caught so easily?

Pressing the man's axe into the ground with his foot, Rain used the hilt of his sword to kick him under his breath again.

This time, the Mad Bulldog actually felt as if he was suffocating and his world was spinning upside down around him. Still, his rich combat experience helped him fend off the next few attacks even in this state.

Taking a couple more steps back from the recoil, his face turned ugly.

Did he lose again in raw power? He, who always overpowered others with his brute force?

"Grrrrr...."

A low growl escaped his mouth, his eyes filled with blood.

The clash continued, causing Bulldog to swear to himself with each blow, gripping the hilt of his bloody axe tighter to prevent losing it.

Finally, through patience and sacrifice, he waited for it. The axe in his hands emitted a faint red glow, casting terrifying shadows on the dark surroundings.

This was no ordinary weapon. Obtained during the looting of one of the Demon Worshippers' cults, it contained the ancient power of blood rituals.

The more blood was spilled in battle, the brighter its sinister glow became and the higher its power became in the hands of the wielder.

Together with Bulldog's skills in psychological games and pre-battle intimidation, it created a perfect combination, first giving him a huge advantage in the beginning and then, with each wound on the enemy's body, it only grew. Until his opponent fell, losing his life.

Over a hundred men had already given their lives in this way, forever buried beneath his feet. As long as the axe was in his hands, he was invincible.

...At least that's what he believed.

But it didn't work this time. The only blood that strengthened the axe now was his own.

Gritting his teeth, Bulldog quickly fumbled for the precious pouch in his pocket.

He might have been called the Mad Bulldog, but he was no idiot. When it came to battles, he would stop at nothing to feel flesh on his axe.

So once he realized that their original capabilities weren't equal, his mind quickly found an outlet in the special powder that he had gotten from Rat.

'Once I take this, I will be able to turn the tide of the battle.'

If it would allow him to chop off this guy's every limb and then enjoy his woman before his eyes, he would gladly experience the side effects later.

With that determination, Bulldog put in all his strength and swung his axe wide.

CLANG!!!

Another wave ran through the neighborhood from the clash of weapons.

Pretending to be thrown backwards, Bulldog pulled out White Powder from his pocket and abruptly threw it into his mouth, roughly tearing open the pouch with his teeth.

'Yeah, that's my win, you fucker!'

Feeling the texture of the powder on his tongue, he shouted in his head and made an effort with his throat, trying to swallow it, but at that moment he felt something was wrong.

His body, which should have been a few meters away from his opponent, suddenly jerked forward on its own, as if it was pulled by something in front of it. When he opened his mouth to say something.....

CRUSH!!!

His face and hard fist collided at high speed.

A satisfying sound reached Rain's ears. At the same time, Bulldog felt the strength leave his jaw and after a moment, two rows of his teeth left his mouth along with the white powder in it.

This was not the end of it.

Swoosh—!

"AAAAAARRRRGGGGHHH!!!!!"

Clenching his toothless mouth, Bulldog stopped feeling his right hand.

'My arm...'

A horrible assumption flashed through his mind, before the sight of his arm pathetically falling to the ground confirmed it.

He didn't have time for regrets – the fist that appeared in front of his face the next second didn't give him the chance to do so.

Crush—THUD!

His large body fell to the muddy soft ground, making a squelching sound.

His instincts were screaming at Bulldog of mortal danger, telling him to get up, so he tried to do so... but because of his lost arm, his body's balance was also lost, not allowing him to control his body as well as before. He failed.

He wanted to try to get up again, but then the blade at his neck cut short all his pathetic attempts.

"Haaaa... haaaa... uggh..."

Gradually, the shock passed and Bulldog fully felt his situation. The emptiness in his mouth and the pain in his shoulder, along with the sight of his arm lying in a pile of garbage nearby, nearly drove him insane.

Rain, still not removing the blade from his neck, rubbed his throbbing temples, chasing away the aching pain.

He had only tried to use [Fading Star Art] to move small objects like swords or daggers before, but now he had to move this carcass.

No wonder his head hurt.

'I kept wondering if I could do this, but it looks like it's still within my limits.'

He didn't want to drag the fight out any further.

Though his bloodline helped him gain the upper hand in terms of strength, Rain wasn't relaxing. And when the bulldog's hand slipped into his pocket, he already knew what that meant. So he acted.

Preventing threats before they became threats was something Rain believed in. Even if it was a garbage drug that didn't particularly change things, he still felt it necessary to do so.

'...But I shouldn't go overboard with it.

Pushing away the unpleasant feeling, he looked at the Mad Bulldog once again.

Although he was still ugly, he looked a little better under his feet than before.

"Now let's talk for a bit."

Squatting down next to his head, Rain looked at the blood next to his body. There was already enough of it to fill several nearby puddles, but it still continued to flow from his cleanly severed arm.

Inwardly praising the Unknown Sword for its superior sharpness and himself for taking the time and enchantments on it for a reason, he turned to Bulldog.

"I don't think you'll live long with this much blood loss, so let's be brief. I ask a question, you answer. Is that clear?"

"..."

"Hmm, I still can't read your mind, so I want to hear the answer."

"Arrrrggghhh!!"

Kicking him in the wound with his foot, RAin leaned closer to him.

"I still can't hear your answer?"

"...Yeshh."

"Fine."

He was beginning to think that having lost all his teeth, the Boss had become unable to speak. Apparently, it wasn't that bad.

"Then I suppose we have something to talk about, don't we?"

Rain patted the pale man on the shoulder with a smile.