You Die Here Today
Kael had crossed the distance in an instant and sent the woman who tried to kill Elia and Asili flying. After listening to Asili’s explanation of the situation, he let out a shaky breath and muttered a single sentence.
“You die here today.”
Kael never used harsh language in front of Elia. Especially not words like killing someone. Elia had seen him every single day for years, yet this version of her father was one she had never witnessed before.
“Dad……”
The face that always smiled at her was now blank like her own, yet it burned with unmistakable rage. His grip on the sword was so tight his hand trembled, and every muscle in his body twitched as though ready to lash out at any second.
“Damn it, run—!”
The woman with the twin daggers seemed to sense the killing intent rolling off him. She abandoned any thought of fighting and spun to flee, but before she could take a step, five arrows slammed into the ground directly in front of her.
Kwa-ga-ga-gang—!!!
They were thinner than a forearm, yet they struck with the thunderous impact of a siege ballista. When she looked up toward the direction they had come from, she saw Luina perched at the top of a tall tree, staring down.
“Mom……”
Having already confirmed her daughter was safe, Luina’s gaze—like Kael’s—was fixed solely on the woman. It carried a thick, sticky bloodlust so deep Elia could not begin to measure it.
For the first time in her life, Elia saw the terrifying, hidden sides of both her parents. A small shiver ran through her. Yet beyond that fear, a profound sense of relief bloomed inside her chest. These were her mother and father, revealing such faces only because they wanted to protect her. With the two of them standing guard, nothing in the world felt capable of harming her.
While Elia basked in that reassurance, Kael glanced back at her. He raised the sword he had lowered and spoke quietly.
“Asili, cover Elia’s eyes.”
“Yes, as ordered.”
The moment the words left his mouth, Asili moved so fast she seemed to vanish. She slipped behind Elia and placed both hands over her eyes. The world went black in an instant.
“Huh? Dad? I’m fi—”
“I don’t want you to see this, so stay just like that for a little while. It will be over soon.”
Kael’s gentle voice cut off Elia before she could finish. Then came the sound of a blade slicing through the air. Right before the wet noise of flesh parting, Asili’s mana sealed Elia’s ears.
In a world of perfect darkness and silence, Kael and Luina began their revenge.
* * *
Crunch—!
The sword pierced her heart in a single thrust.
“Ugh…!”
Cali only coughed up a mouthful of blood. Even the heart that had been twisted and torn was already regenerating; Kael could feel the blade being enveloped by newly grown tissue.
“As expected, the regeneration is outstanding. It feels even stronger than the ones I fought seven years ago.”
“H-how do you…?”
Kael had only mentioned “those from seven years ago,” but Cali’s shocked expression showed she had realized exactly who he meant. After all, the only underworld figures he had clashed with in those seven years were Benjamin and Sherda. It wasn’t hard for her to connect the dots.
She clearly hadn’t expected to be lumped together with the pair who had died in prison. Panic flickered across her face as she wondered whether information had leaked from Worst.
Of course, Kael had no intention of answering her questions kindly.
“That’s not what you should be worrying about right now. You should be worrying about whether you’re going to die.”
“Kyaaaaaah!”
He ripped the sword free from her regenerating heart and, in the blink of an eye, carved her entire body into pieces.
Shred-shred-shred—!!!
Blood sprayed in every direction as Cali was butchered. He had deliberately targeted the most painful areas, so her screams tore out like her throat was being ripped apart. Yet even after being reduced to dozens of chunks, her body began to reconnect like slime, regenerating at a monstrous speed.
Having perfected the demon regeneration factor and layered the berserk factor on top, her recovery already surpassed the demon king’s executives he had seen in the past.
The only ways to kill someone in this state are to burn the entire body to ash so they can’t regenerate… or wait out the ten-minute limit.
Kael already knew how to deal with Worst’s enhanced agents thanks to his game knowledge. He also possessed the means to reduce Cali to cinders right now.
But he had no intention of granting her an easy death.
Thud-thud-thud—!!!
“Kuh…! Keh…!”
Luina seemed to share that sentiment. Dozens of arrows now protruded from Cali’s throat and lungs. The woman was indeed regenerating, but with her windpipe and lungs pierced, she could only gasp and choke.
Kael quickly twisted and yanked the arrows free before she could pass out from lack of oxygen.
Crack—!!!
The vicious arrowheads Luina had carefully chosen tore through Cali’s flesh as they emerged. Flesh dangled from the barbed tips like bait on hooks. The areas around her neck and chest were gouged so horribly it was difficult to look at.
Even so, Kael’s anger refused to subside. Watching her wounds knit back together, he felt a quiet, dark joy at the thought of having a target that could endure the full ten minutes.
If Elia had fallen into Cali’s hands, she would not have simply died. Within Worst, Cali was known for her particularly filthy tastes. She enjoyed toying with corpses after killing, crushing them until no one could recognize what they had once been.
Just imagining Elia suffering that fate made rage boil inside Kael’s chest and twist his insides. Therefore, he refused to let Cali die easily.
He would inflict pain equal to every life she had taken, equal to every torment she might have planned for his daughter. He would keep hurting her until that abominable regeneration finally ran dry, until the berserk factor consumed her and death claimed what remained.
“Hoo……”
Not wanting to waste what little time was left, Kael raised his sword again.
Whoosh—!
The moment he swung, something transparent blocked his path.
Gurgle—
“……Water?”
A wall of water had stopped the blade. It looked like ordinary water of moderate thickness, yet its density was so high the sword could not push through and simply halted inside it.
“Tch…!”
Kael poured strength into his arm until the muscles bulged, finally wrenching the blade free with a violent splash. The moment he stepped back, two figures appeared beside the protected Cali.
Swish—
“This is… quite a mess you’re in, Cali.”
“L-Leader……”
“I will use my heart for her recovery.”
“Thank you, Neila.”
A man with navy-blue hair and dark-blue eyes stood beside a woman with light-sky-blue hair and emerald eyes. Kael knew exactly who they were.
Chain… and Neila.
The leader of Worst and its first executive—the head and the heart of the organization. Their sudden appearance was completely unexpected.
Yet at the same time, it presented an opportunity he had never dared hope for. Without realizing it, Kael tightened his grip on the sword until his knuckles turned white.
If I can kill both of them here… No, even if I can only kill Chain…!
The anger he felt toward Cali for trying to kill Elia was momentarily forgotten beneath a surge of emotion. This was the chance to crush Worst, the organization destined to cause countless deaths and eventual ruin. The leader he had waited so long to face now stood before him.
If he could kill Chain here, he could annihilate the entire syndicate. The man was irreplaceable—the very brain of Worst.
Right here, right now—
Hummmm—
Aura Blade slowly began to coalesce along the sword in his hand. Just before he could unleash a full-power strike, Chain smiled faintly and spoke.
“I’m sorry, but attacking me right now would be pointless. What stands before you is merely an illusion created from mana. Only Neila here is the real one.”
“……”
Kael’s hand froze mid-swing. At Chain’s words, his gaze snapped to Neila. She had already pierced her own chest, pulled out her heart, and was offering it to Cali. It was clearly an attempt to save the woman who would otherwise die from the berserk factor.
The unforgivable act made Kael’s eyes widen. He tried to move, but Chain’s next words stopped him cold.
“Allow me to explain in advance. The water barrier I created is essentially a bomb. It is an overwhelming mass of water condensed with an equally overwhelming amount of mana. Someone of your strength, Kael, could certainly break it. But I wonder—would your daughter survive the aftermath?”
“You son of a—!”
Chain shrugged while casually mentioning Elia, and the fury Kael had set aside for the sake of destroying Worst flared back to life. Yet the threat was undeniably real. He could see the terrifying density of mana swirling inside the water wall—enough to detonate at any moment.
Surviving the explosion alone was possible. By wrapping his body in mana dense enough to form an Aura Blade, he could endure the blast. The same applied to Luina and Asili.
But could they protect Elia while also protecting themselves?
Asili, having overheard the conversation, had already begun to edge away with Elia. Chain, however, had anticipated even that.
“Oh dear. Where do you think you’re going?”
“Ugh…?!”
The instant Asili tried to move, the water barrier visibly rippled. It was a silent warning: one more step and it would explode. Asili froze, foot hovering, then slowly set it back down.
In the heavy silence that followed, Chain looked straight at Kael.
“I have only two requests. Safe passage for us, and a conversation with you. Grant me those, and I swear we will withdraw without incident. Even I know I would lose in a direct fight against you.”
He added with a soft laugh, “If you choose to abandon your daughter and kill me instead, I will die without resistance.”
Chain looked at him again, still smiling that detestable smile.
“So, what do you say? Will you accept?”
From that loathsome mouth came an offer Kael could not refuse.