Chapter 198 198 The White Rouge*

[OP: ]

In the heart of Killington, one of the major cities nestled in the northeastern expanse of the great Barnacle empire named after the great magician that founded it, the bustling streets painted a vibrant portrait of urban life.

The sprawling metropolis, characterized by grand architecture, imposing spires, and ornate structures, was a testament to the opulence and power that emanated from one of the empire's core, a city-state of peace, magic, and trade.

It was regarded as one of the trade centers of not just the empire that it was part of, but, also the Theocracy and other connecting points of the Freedom Alliance.

It was a fine place with towering hexagonal walls made of special, enchanted stones, filled with a population of over a few hundred thousand, and, homed by countless common people who had relatively common lives.

Their days in the city were, as usual, pretty normal and not so exciting, and since the lives, they lived comprised mostly of working for the wealthy merchants or aristocrats and earning a good enough living to afford happiness, the citizens of the city spent their days with their family and workers, did their work, the normal activities, and engaged in the natural activity of shopping..

As the day faded into evening, the fine market street, adorned with colorful stalls and artisan shops, still bustled with activity. Shimmering lanterns cast a warm, inviting glow, and the air was infused with the scents of exotic spices of different nations and the cheerful chatter of both locals and visitors.

It was a perfect sight for one's eyes, a perfect sight from the point of view of those who did not know the truths hidden behind the finely crafted mask of stability.

However, as one's gaze shifted away from the lively market street on some uncommon day and ventured deeper into the city's labyrinthine back alleys, the scene of smiling families, happy citizens, or the good times, took a harrowing turn.

"N-No! Please! I beg of you..! Noooooooo!"

"Spare her! At least her! Please!"

"You demons! How can you.. ahhhhhh! Nooooo!"

"Hehehe, stay still you bitch. Or you will go to hell like the others as well." The debut release of this chapter happened at N0v3l_B1n.

"Kekekekekeke~. Muhahahahahaha~!!! This is it~!"

Here, the grandeur and vibrancy of the city faded, replaced by a grim underbelly that thrived in the shadows.

"Yes. We have secured a new shipment. We will send the rest after taking our share. Yes, yes.. we will make sure to maintain the quality of the products."

In the narrow and dimly lit back alley, dilapidated structures loomed overhead, casting a foreboding shadow over the cobblestone pavement.

The echoing footsteps of the market street had faded into an eerie silence. Here, women, their faces etched with fear and despair, were being accosted by a group of sinister, disreputable figures, their intentions malevolent and sinister, some of them obviously forcing themselves onto the seemingly powerless women.

"Ahhhhhhhh!!"

"Nooooo! Noooooo! Please! Stop!!"

"My.. my husband.."

The women, their dignity stripped away, knelt on the cold ground, their eyes filled with a mixture of terror and defiance.

Men, monsters, standing before them with lustful, hungry expressions, glaring down at the powerless things that they had managed to secure as the new products on this another fine evening.

"Just shut the fuck up and do as we say~! Who knows~? We might just take you ourselves if you do a good job pleasing us~. Hehehehe!"

In a dark alley, left with only a few pieces of tattered clothing on some parts of their bodies, covered in filth and dark dust.. they were being touched by the animals that had abducted them, their children.. their daughters.

As the light of evening's twilight crept into the alley, it illuminated the heartbreaking sight of children, crying softly and clutching their mothers who lay either unconscious and covered with the bodily fluids of these monsters, or, looking at the others, praying for salvation.

"Aghhhhhhhh!"

"Kehehehe. Yes~. Scream~. Hahahahahahahah~!"

-Slap!

"Stay. Still. Can't you even understand this simple thing??! You dumb bitch!"

-Slap!

"You. You are next."

"Noooooo! She's just a child!"

"Kekeke, looks old enough to me though."

"You monster! Demon! Leave her! Nooooooooo!"

-Dhum!

"Stay there. And wait for your turn. Or, do you want to join us? Hun~?"

The juxtaposition between the fine market street filled with light, smiles, and happiness and this grim back alley of the dark truth of humankind painted a picture of the city's stark contrasts, where opulence and cruelty coexisted in an unsettling harmony maintained by the one percent of city's population that owned more than what the ninety percent of the citizens could ever possess.

They worked in the shadows, pulled strings, and gathered riches and treasures after burning the lives of the common folks, after extorting them so effortlessly that it became the only visible truth that the world is aware of.

However..

In the realm of humanity, where corruption taints the purest intentions, where darkness threatens to eclipse the light, and where the presence of evil casts its long shadow, a constant and timeless truth prevails: the emergence of a hero, a knight of vengeance, is an inevitability.

"Hmmm? What is.."

"Aghhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"Blood! Blood!"

"Holy father! His dick! Blood!"

"Who..?!"

"Hnnnn? That.."

Whether hidden in the darkest alley of the grandest empire or standing boldly in the brightest square of the most sinister city-state, this enduring archetype is a beacon of hope that flickers even in the bleakest of circumstances.

"Everyone! Prepare for battle! It's an Ambu-, aghhhhhh!"

"Hello! We need backup in area 12-B! We are under attack!"

"Yes! The same white armor and blue cape! The description matches! This is him!"

"Code red! Tell the boss to come here personally! CODE RED!!!"

"Aghhhhhhhhh!"

In every corner of the world, where injustice reigns supreme, the hero's arrival is a testament to the indomitable spirit of the human heart, a symbol of unwavering valor, and a force of justice that refuses to be extinguished.

"Mama? Who is this person?"

"Mave! Close your eyes!"

"Children! Don't look!"

"Yes.. that's the one mommy told you about, remember?"

"The white knight that fights with a black sword, the hero of vengeance, the White Rouge that kills the sinners.. he really exists."

"The hero came to save us, mama!"

Amidst the shadows cast by the approaching night, a solitary figure, adorned in pristine white, materializes like a beacon of hope.

In his grasp, a sword as black as midnight, yet his heart radiates a golden light, the embodiment of unwavering courage and resolve.

A blue cape billows behind him, the flag of justice unfurled. In a chaotic alley, he thwarts the menacing intentions of a criminal mob, rescuing women and children from their clutches.

With his noble spirit, he offers them protection and solace, and a bow of apology for the horrible losses they had suffered.

However, his quest for righteousness does not wane even with his eyes full of fury.

With determination etched across his face, he leaves the sheltered innocents in the hands of safety and confronts the remaining criminals, a force of retribution against the darkness that threatens to consume their world.. the world, that he cherishes so much.

Rumors about him float in only the cities of the empire, however, after this night, that will change..

"The White Rouge.. quite a name you have built up, Rudiguer Green Vaskinson. It certainly is quite impressive, and funny for someone that's in the top ladders of the world politics."

The next alley he moved to after rescuing the children and women, instead of encountering the remaining mob of the human trafficking cartel, he was met with a bloody alley full of corpses of strong men, and, two unknown figures that he had seen for the first time in his life.

"Ah, no no mister. Don't even think of doing something stupid. We are only here to have a little talk, nothing more. I believe you will be happy to have a chat over a green tea?"

"We know what you want, mister. So, I suggest accepting her request would be a great idea."

They wore strange white and black clothing and even stranger white and black masks.

However, even with the light of the evening still illuminating this secluded alley, he could see something in those sinister, glowing pair of eyes.

"Lead the way."

They somehow knew about his identity and he knew for a fact that the two of them were far stronger than they looked.

Just the fact that when he was about to attack the two of them earlier, he felt a kind of threat to his life from the blue-eyed individual that he had not even felt from an army of opposing nations combined.

He knew had he made even a slight mister, he would have at least lost a limb or two even before he could blink his eyes.

He knew just by looking at them, and in those eyes.. they weren't something he could go again, much less run away from.

"Sure thing. Please, follow us."

They wanted something from him, they weren't related to this mob of human traffickers as well since he could tell just from the way they were brutally tortured before their deaths, that they hated these kinds of people.

They said they knew what he wanted, and, if it was true and if it was them, it was better to hear them out before deciding on anything else..

The fate of not only his identity as a hero of justice but also the fate of the world's stability might just stand in this conversation.