“Lord Kuran. We’ll arrive in approximately 10 minutes.”
“How’s the status?”
Surrounded by the pale walls of the Red Scorpion’s headquarters, a skinny man, Kuran, stands in a group of 31 people.
“I think Mariel handled the situation cleaner than expected. After all, she is your daughter, Lord Kuran.”
Kuran’s face contorts.
“She’s the worthless spawn of a whore. Plus, how could she let the artifact be discovered? There’s really no one more useless than that girl.”
“Haha… But she did cut herself open to hide the artifact, didn’t she? Of course… you forced her to.”
“If she hadn’t done that, I would’ve killed her on the spot. Now be quiet, Mute. I know you want to get into that girl’s pants, but I told you clearly that she needs to be sold fresh.”
The man named Mute bends at the waist.
“…I’m sorry.”
With Mute’s apology, silence falls within the room.
Amidst the occasional excited breaths from the organization members, Kuran closes his eyes and recalls what happened four days ago.
The Black Knight barging into their headquarters suddenly.
The Black Knight, who, without drawing his sword, decapitated nearly 300 of his men.
He couldn’t even follow with his eyes.
He couldn’t sense it with magical power.
There wasn’t even time to chew on ‘the drug’.
Even he, the boss of the Red Scorpion, could only watch in despair as his men died.
When only 10% of his men remained, the Black Knight handed them a small piece of paper.
What was written on the paper was simple.
To kill the pink-haired smith known as Hephaestus.
From ways to lure her in to detailed movements laid out.
It was merely an order to take care of a single woman, but it had to be done.
For it was a command from the strong to the weak.
“Whew…”
A deep sigh escaped Kuran’s lips.
Although he had recently been promoted to Platinum, they were the Red Scorpion that had shattered not one, but three Platinums.
He had killed two of them with his own hands.
Yet here he was, decimated by a knight who hadn’t even used his main weapon.
Of course, since only the minor riffraff were killed, there wasn’t a huge loss to the organization, but it was undoubtedly significant bloodshed.
At that moment.
A voice from an organization member running down the stairs from the 4th floor broke his thoughts.
“We have 800 meters to go! However… there are two unreported companions.”
“Are they women?”
“Yes. Both are women.”
“Good.”
Kuran slowly opened his eyes and rose from his seat.
“By any chance—”
Mute cautiously spoke up, gauging Kuran’s response.
“Yeah. If you can take down those two, do whatever you want, whether it’s pounding them or cooking them. But the one with the biggest breasts is mine first.”
With Kuran’s permission, the morale of the organization members soared.
“Cough… Thank you for your generosity, Lord Kuran.”
“But didn’t you say you like Mariel?”
“Ahem, I think of the main dish and the side dish as separate…”
“What a worthless fool.”
“Th-thank you.”
Already, several members started bouncing eagerly, holding their pants.
Kuran himself could feel his excitement rising as he imagined the woman he would have beneath him gasping for breath.
At that moment.
“Shit! Get out here now!”
Mariel’s urgent voice squeezed through the doorframe.
Simultaneously, the man at the front swung the door open.
Creak-
Beyond the open door, a sound like a pumpkin bursting could be heard as Mariel collapsed, frothing at the mouth.
“Kill the pink-haired one first!”
With Kuran’s voice, the man in front hurled an axe at the pink-haired woman.
The axe thrown by the man who took ‘the drug’ sliced through the air with a rough wind pressure.
If an ordinary person were in its path, their skin would tear, and their body would burst apart from the axe.
However.
Clang-
The small girl beside her lightly flicked the axe handle, deflecting the throw.
The redirected axe plunged into the ground, creating a small crater.
“Uh…?”
From the axe thrower’s mouth came a sound full of confusion.
Kuran’s expression also twisted.
The attack from an organization member who had taken the drug was supposed to be capable of tearing through the notoriously tough skin of a Minotaur in one blow.
Yet she deflected it so easily?
Kuran scanned the girl who deflected the axe.
She had black hair framing her eyes.
A massive sword that didn’t match her small stature?
Kuran recalled the rumors circulating around Ursphere.
Rumors that countless adventurers wielded great swords.
The tale of the red-eyed demon who tore apart thousands of monsters that assaulted Loholan and drank their blood.
Not to mention the nightmare from the east.
Rumors that Carpen had bled out after having his neck sliced.
The rumors of the blood-drinking demon.
“Lord Kuran… could that adventurer be—”
Fwhoosh-
Mute’s words couldn’t continue.
The body of the organization member standing by the door burst apart.
Not only that, but the bottom half of the one next to him was shredded.
He couldn’t continue speaking.
The wet squelch filled the room.
“Damn…!”
Snap- Cursed Mute as he chewed on the drug, fiery red magical power surged through his hand.
The magical power, twice as strong as his own, scorched his hand and shot forward.
His target? The girl holding the great sword.
As he witnessed the blazing flames shot forth with impossible speed, a feral grin crept on Mute’s face.
However, that smile quickly vanished.
The full force of the flaming attack was blocked by a silvery barrier, and he witnessed his organization members bursting apart from the sword swing.
With a pill still in his mouth, Mute Snapped- once again gathered his magical power.
Flames far more intense than before blossomed at the tips of his fingers.
Boom-!
It exploded violently.
His target was the robed wizard who unfurled the barrier.
The response of the silvery energy was slow.
This time, it would definitely hit.
It was a shame it might cause burns, but as long as the hole was intact, it was fine, and he couldn’t help but smirk.
“Haha! How dare you, you scum—uh, what the hell?!”
But.
Once again, his grin faded.
The girl wielding the great sword threw a body of the organization member crawling on the ground behind her to block the flames.
The flames, which had sacrificed all her fingertips, extinguished as they detonated a comrade.
And in that moment.
The girl who had come up right before him extended her fist toward Mute’s abdomen.
Mute gasped, concentrating magical power to his midsection.
Layer after layer of magic compressed into a thick barrier around his stomach.
However, the girl’s strength exceeded the magical barrier.
“Ugh—!”
A normal punch, devoid of magical power, broke through Mute’s protective barrier and shattered his ribs entirely.
Yet, the girl’s hand was not unscathed.
Having destroyed the magical barrier with her bare hands, her fingernails were completely ripped off, and her fingers twisted painfully.
Her wrist dangled loosely, blood seeping out.
Kuran sensed this was his chance, and turned to put distance between himself and her.
But.
He couldn’t move.
“Ah, there we go.”
A voice soaked in delight.
Creak- Creak- Crackle- Crunch-
A sound reminiscent of skin being peeled away.
A sound like bones being ground.
A sound like tough flesh being chewed.
His feet were bound.
It made him stop breathing.
Cold sweat streamed down his back.
He forgot to swallow his saliva, letting it dribble out.
Instinct screamed a warning.
A primal urge to never look back.
However, his body disobeyed those commands.
Slowly, his head turned.
His body, legs, and entire being moved to find the source of that sound.
And he saw.
‘It’ tearing at its own flesh.
With bone-exposed hands gripping the edge of the great sword.
Spitting not breath, but blood.
Finally, it decapitates an organization member.
Laughing joyously as it does.
A demon thirsty for blood.
He heard the clash of teeth.
His shaking legs gave way, dragging him down to the ground.
His terrified brain denied reality, stopping all thought.
The crimson eyes gleaming with insanity surveyed the room.
“So… this is how it feels…”
The demon’s mouth opened.
“More than I thought…”
“Ugh, AAAAAAAAAAAH!”
A subordinate rushing from behind.
Fwhoosh-
Bursts apart.
“B-boss! R-run!”
The head of an organization member lying on the ground.
Crack-
Splits apart.
“Damn girl!!”
The body of a subordinate swinging his axe from behind.
Splatter-
Sliced apart.
“Ah… more than I thought… you’re really good…”
As the demon tears apart the remaining members.
It walks toward him with a blissful smile.
Lapping at the blood spattered on its lips.
“Don’t come…”
He raised his hand, shooting ice.
It embedded into the demon’s arm.
Yet it only smiled.
“Don’t you dare come near!”
He fired ice again.
It embedded into the demon’s leg.
Yet again, it continued smiling.
“U-UAAAAAAH!!!”
Ice, fire, wind.
Piercing through the demon’s abdomen, melting the skin, tearing through flesh.
Yet still.
“Hehe… it doesn’t hurt… this is a big problem.”
It grinned.
One step, another step, slowly moving forward, the demon.
Snap- Crackle- Crunch-
Killing his subordinates without remorse.
It gradually.
Drew closer.
And when there was no longer any place to retreat.
Slap-
The demon came to a halt.
“He… why are you trembling? Are you… cold?”
Then, it suddenly sat.
“Shall I cover you up with a blanket?”
It smiled shyly.
