Chapter 239 Kill and Take -6
Chapter 239 Kill and Take -6
The elven residential district of Waris.
Narsha, following Jiha at a brisk pace, grumbled.
"Wait, slow down a little."
"Are you bragging about your short legs?"
Narsha stood just over 140cm, so her stride was naturally short. Though her head was even smaller, giving her a long-limbed, full figure that belied her height.
"Is that how a Helper is supposed to talk to me? Fine—don't carry me on your back, but still!"
"What am I, your dad? Walk on your own two feet."
"...Lungtao wouldn't have acted like this."
Narsha let the words slip before clamping her mouth shut. A mix of regret, longing, and loneliness washed over her face. Jiha watched for a brief moment, then turned and strode forward again.
"I'm acting this way because I'm not Lungtao."
"......"
Narsha bit her lip and fell into step beside him. He didn't say anything more, but he subtly adjusted his pace. Just enough for her to keep up comfortably.
A crowd had gathered at the entrance to the elven district. Dozens of elves had assembled upon hearing Jiha was coming: Guason, the elven men, the other members of the Seven Council, and unfamiliar faces. Guason stepped forward as their representative to greet him.
"Lord Jiha, you've arrived?"
"......"
The male elves behind Guason, including the injured members of the Seven Council, hesitated before nodding to Jiha in greeting. Arrogant as they were, they knew the only one who could resolve this situation was Jiha, Leticia's fated companion. They couldn't stop Quority's rampage on their own and had no choice but to seek outside help. And beside Jiha—wasn't that the Dirga with striking pale pink hair, the Unique, Narsha Russellarms herself? Relief spread across the men's faces. Jiha tsked.
"Just so we're clear, this one's just decoration. I'm here to handle this, so don't get in the way."
"What? What did you just call me?"
"A decoration that talks."
"...You—you—!"
"A decoration that stamps its feet, too."
Narsha bristled, but Jiha only teased her more. Guason and the other elves were intimidated by her, yet privately marveled at Jiha's demeanor. The way he handled a Unique so lightly made him seem incredibly impressive.
'These guys are pathetic, but...'
In Jiha's eyes, these elven men were talentless fools who didn't know their place. Still, even fools could be made to fight when he pointed and used as disposable pawns. The more followers he had beneath him, the better for what was to come, so he had no choice but to play along for now.
"Did the other one die?"
Guason looked flustered, and Jiha added,
"You comedians—there should be six of you including yourself, but I only count five."
"...You remember all of us."
Guason was impressed. Jiha's combat skill was outstanding, but his thoroughness was equally flawless. The Seven Council were nothing compared to Jiha in terms of ability, yet he had committed all their faces to memory! The other members looked equally taken aback as one of them spoke.
"Hoakin... is critically injured right now."
"Where's Quority?"
"We'll guide you. This way."
The elves parted to the sides, Guason leading the way and clearing a path. Jiha walked forward with his chest out and head high. As they ventured deeper into the elven district, the number of onlookers swelled. Young elves moving about paused to stare, watching with keen interest to see what would happen. Women, elders, and even children had dropped what they were doing to observe the coming events. Practically every elf in Waris had their attention fixed on Jiha's actions.
'Perfect timing...'
He had intended to use Guason as a proxy to take control of the elves, but before that, a demonstration of his power was necessary. He'd already put on a performance by destroying the Round Table. Now, he'd deal with Quority and show them he was the one who looked after them. A rare case of killing two birds with one stone.
"Here."
Guason stopped in front of a small wooden house. A woman's crying could be heard from inside, making it obvious what was happening. Jiha turned to the elven men who had followed him.
"You're living the easy life, huh? Got nothing better to do?"
"We... tried to stop it."
"We did! We tried to intervene and stop him!"
"She's Hoakin's little sister—she was supposed to get married in a week! But Quority beat her fiancé to death and is now doing this..."
Jiha's gaze was icy.
"If you can't solve it with your own strength, then you borrow it. At the very least, you could have sought out your Unique, Leticia."
"......"
"You didn't call her, did you? You were all panicking because of your idiotic pride, and when Guason said he could call me, your faces lit up, didn't they?"
Their pride couldn't bear seeking help from their own Unique, Leticia, who had gone to Jiha. So they had called Jiha instead.
"Ah, well, I get it. I understand male pride. But flaunting your pride when you can't even protect what's yours... What the hell do you even live for?"
The young male elves' faces colored with shame, but none dared to refute him. Jiha shook his head and spoke to Narsha at his side.
"I'm going in. Keep anyone from interfering."
"You really just want me to watch?"
Narsha looked puzzled. She'd figured he'd brought her, a Unique, into this situation precisely to use her strength.
"You'd only get in the way."
"What? Are you calling me wea—"
"Not weak, just reckless. You fight without watching your surroundings. I'll handle the cleanup; you just manage the perimeter."
Without another word, Jiha opened the door and stepped inside. Past the entrance, shoes lay scattered in disarray, and bloodstains marked the floor. The sounds were coming from the living room. Frowning, Jiha headed toward them.
On the living room sofa, a man sat with a woman forced onto his lap. Both were elves. The man's hand was inside the woman's top, kneading her breasts as he pleased. His other hand teased along her thigh, stroking and creeping with invasive intent. The woman resisted, her face streaked with tears, but she couldn't escape his arms, thick as tree trunks.
"P-please, stop. Please, I'm begging you..."
"Ehehehe. Your man to marry just died, didn't he? You're mine now. I'll make you a concubine of Quority Rosen!"
"It hurts... please..."
The beautiful elf woman's face was a mixture of pain, sorrow, and despair. She had been dreaming of her soon-to-be honeymoon, and now that dream lay shattered in grief.
"Please what? Hoakin's glory days are long over. To be a concubine of the great Lord Quority Rosen is a supreme honor! Your family will be blessed for three generations!"
"So a moron finally gets a day to strut around. Too bad it's also the day he dies."
Jiha tsked. The woman and the man both turned their attention to him. The weeping woman looked stunned, while the man's eyes flashed viciously as he glared.
"Haven't seen you in a while, and you've really changed. Did your second growth spurt just hit?"
Quority had become a muscular giant. He was nearly 190cm tall, with arms thick as logs. His once-sleek elven face had transformed into a broad, square jaw with pronounced cheekbones. Jiha wouldn't have recognized him if he hadn't paid close attention to the voice and features.
"Hahaha, you've come here to die!"
As Quority spoke, he squeezed his hand. The woman in his arms screamed in pain, an agony as if her chest were being torn apart—utterly unbearable.
"I didn't originally plan to do this..."
He'd intended to sweet-talk and manipulate Quority, but this changed things. Quority had always been trash, but now he was trash that wouldn't even burn. The change in his appearance made no sense, and his behavior was completely unhinged. A radical shift, like someone deep in drug addiction. It had to be connected to his meeting with Alex.
"Change of plans. If you don't want to die right here, struggle all you want."
"Heh heh heh. You're the one who'll die."
Quority ran his tongue along the woman's cheek as he spoke. Jiha's brow furrowed.
"Sorry to interrupt your big act, but... that's seriously third-rate. Aren't bandit characters who use women as hostages supposed to show up at the beginning of the story?"
"I've changed! Completely changed! I'm not afraid of you anymore!"
Spittle flew from Quority's mouth as he screamed. His eyes were glazed and unfocused—completely deranged. A man growing 20cm taller in such a short time was an impossible change to begin with.
"What did Alex do to you?"
"He gave me power... power to smash everything to pieces."
Quority groped the woman in his arms as he spoke. She whimpered in distress and turned her head away, but Quority only smiled in satisfaction.
"The power to kill anyone I don't like and take any woman I want!"
"I'll just get the details from your corpse. Let's begin."
Jiha wiggled his fingers. Quority might have turned into a hulking brute, but his core identity as an idiot wouldn't change. And with him completely off his rocker...
But Quority's eyes narrowed, and then he hurled the woman he was molesting straight at Jiha. Using a hostage as a projectile.
"......"
No matter how light an elven woman was, she still weighed dozens of kilograms. Catching her would naturally force him into a rigid stance and leave him open for Quority. Faced with the unexpected move, Jiha caught the woman with his hands, summoned his wings, and flew upward. Sure enough, Quority launched himself from the sofa with a low leap, his straight punch slicing through the space where Jiha's head had just been. If Jiha had tried to catch her in place—or ignored her to dodge—he would have been put on the back foot.
"Ah..."
The woman was stunned, bewildered by the sudden flight. Jiha retreated to the kitchen, landed, and released her.
"You're in the way. Get out, now."
"Th-thank you."
As the molested woman tried to flee the house, Quority lunged at her immediately.
"Where do you think you're going! You're mi—"
Smash!!
A dining chair thrown by Jiha struck Quority square in the head. He'd half-anticipated it, ready to throw the moment Quority truly charged for the woman. She, who had frozen reflexively when the madman rushed her, stared at Jiha in shock.
"Get out, now."
"Y-yes..."
Even in the chaos, the elven woman bowed her head to him before fleeing the house. Sent rolling by the chair, Quority sprang back to his feet with a roar.
"Kraaaah!! You bastard, interrupting me while I'm enjoying myself!"
"Even your lines are so cliché it's annoying. If you're going to be an idiot, at least be an idiot with some personality."
Jiha looked at Quority with cold eyes.
"Listen closely to what I'm about to say. It'll let you die comfortably."
It was time to hunt.