THE DIMENSIONAL MERCHANT
Chapter 84 - 83: Devil in Human Skin

Chapter 84: Chapter 83: Devil in Human Skin

The sound was small, but the impact wasn’t.

The first thug—loud, the kind who barked loudest when backed by numbers—jerked as if yanked by an invisible hook. A bloom of red opened on his chest. His mouth froze mid-curse.

Then he dropped—like trash tossed off a rooftop.

Then came the screaming.

"FUCK! What the hell was that?!"

"He’s got some kind of magic wand—!"

"No, no—THAT’S NOT MAGIC!"

Kael moved forward slowly. Calm. The gun lowered, then snapped up again.

PFFT.

Another dropped—throat shot. The man gurgled, choking on blood, crawling backward as if refusing to accept death.

PFFT.

One through the eye. His skull smacked the stone like a melon dropped from a rooftop.

Chaos exploded. Screams, panicked footsteps. The gang scattered. They didn’t understand. How could they? They’d never seen anything like it. Never heard of gunfire, never watched a man bleed out in seconds from a hole the size of a coin.

Kael exhaled slowly.

After all those years in a damn stone well... still smooth. No jams, no rust inside the chamber. The Soviets weren’t building guns—they were crafting legends.

He tightened his grip, eyes cold.

No wonder half the world still swears by this thing. It doesn’t need polish. Doesn’t care about time. Just pull the trigger... and death comes out.

It felt like it had been waiting.

Waiting to be held again.

Waiting for war.

"Shit—SHIT! GET HIM!" Vera’s voice cracked, shrill. "FUCKING GET HIM!"

A big man with a cleaver rushed Kael.

Kael didn’t move.

The blue ring on his hand pulsed faintly.

A transparent shield shimmered around him.

THUNK—the cleaver struck mid-air and bounced off like it hit solid stone.

Kael didn’t blink.

The rifle barked. A burst of fire spat from the muzzle.

The big man spasmed. Holes riddled his chest like someone had punched through him with invisible fists. He dropped with a THUD, blood pouring like a broken barrel of wine.

Kael pressed a button. The magazine dropped. He caught it mid-air and tossed it back into his storage.

He took another one from his storage.

Click.

The remaining thugs scattered like roaches.

"Please! Kael! No—Boss, don’t—DON’T!"

"WE WERE FORCED!"

"It was Vera! She took the deal! It wasn’t us!"

"Lying motherfuckers!" Vera shrieked, backpedaling. Her blade shook in her grip. "They wanted it too! They all wanted in! I just did the talking!"

"You’re the one who took their gold!"

"You LICKED THEIR BOOTS, BITCH!"

Kael tilted his head slightly, voice cold—but with a ghost of a smile.

"It’s funny. A few minutes ago, you were a gang. Now you’re begging. Pointing fingers. Acting like rats in a sinking ship."

He looked at them with cold eyes. Dead eyes.

"She was your leader, wasn’t she? You followed her. You cheered when she spat on my name. And now she’s the guilty one?"

He took a few steps forward.

"She made the choice, sure. But so did you. Every single one of you. You nodded along. You stayed quiet. You wanted the gold. You thought I wouldn’t fight back. Now you’re crying because I hit back?"

He looked around—at the sweat-soaked faces, the twitching hands, the knees buckling under terror.

"That’s people for you," he said, his voice calm and steady. "They talk about loyalty when the money’s good. Call you brother when they think you’re strong. But the moment things go wrong—they turn. They tear each other apart just to survive. Now you want mercy? It’s funny."

He gave a short, bitter laugh.

Vera’s lips trembled. Her face twisted into something close to desperation.

"Boss, wait... I—I didn’t mean for it to be like this." She took a hesitant step forward. "You and I... we’ve worked together. You know me. I can still be useful. You’re angry, I get it, but—just stop, please." Her voice dropped, soft, honeyed. "We can talk."

Her fingers grazed his sleeve. Eyes widened just slightly. A tilt of the head, a curve of the lips.

"You don’t really want to kill me, do you? I know how to please powerful men."

Kael shoved her to the ground. His stare was cold—like she was dirt underfoot.

"Shut up, bitch."

His voice was colder than winter steel.

"You’re a snake. You’d slit my throat the second my back turned. I may be young, but I know your kind. And I hate women like you."

The barrel of the gun rose once more.

"You all made your choice. I’m just the consequence."

Then the weapon rose.

PFFT. PFFT.

Two more collapsed. One choking, clutching at his neck. Another twitching in spasms.

Blood sprayed across the wall.

Vera saw her moment.

Kael’s eyes shifted—just slightly.

Fuck this.

She turned and ran.

She didn’t care who died. She didn’t even care about the damn coins anymore.

All she knew was—

I didn’t realize he was this scary.

He’s not just strong. He’s a fucking bloodthirsty psycho. He’s killing people like it’s nothing.

His weapons... they remind me of something else. Of nightmares. Of devils. Is he even human? Is he the fucking devil in human skin?

Her feet slammed the stone as she took sharp turns through the narrow alleys of Ginip’s slums.

If I had known he was like this—fuck—I would’ve never taken their gold. I just wanted power...

A bang echoed behind her.

A shot—

It didn’t hit. But it didn’t miss by much either.

The wall beside her face exploded into dust. Brick shards scraped her cheek.

She shrieked, ducked, kept running.

Kael was following.

She could hear his boots behind her.

He’s toying with me. Playing with me like I’m already dead.

She turned a sharp corner, nearly slipped on the loose stone, but kept running. She could feel the air shift. The alleys opened into cracked cobbled paths. She recognized it—the edge of the lower commercial district.

There were several abandoned shops here and she could see some people in the distance.

City guards.

Three of them, in dull armor, standing near a broken cart. One was laughing. Another smoked a rolled leaf. They hadn’t noticed her yet.

Vera froze behind a crooked post, chest heaving.

Huh...? Guards?

Shit. What do I do?

But that bastard’s still coming.

If I stay, I die. If they arrest me... maybe I live.

Fuck it. Better a cage than a coffin.

She stepped into view, limping hard.

"HELP! GUARDS! PLEASE!"

They looked up, startled.

Just then—

CRACK.

Not a loud sound. Almost like a branch snapping behind them.

But Vera screamed.

A bullet tore through her lower leg. Just below the knee. Her scream ripped through the air as she collapsed, blood smearing the stone beneath her.

The guards shouted in confusion.

"Who the fuck—?!"

"Help!" Vera screamed, clawing toward them. "He’s killing everyone! Please!"

Then—

From the alley behind her...

Kael walked out. Calm. The AK-47 in his hand.