Pest Extermination (4)
Lulu fought desperately even after Woo Suho burned to death. Everyone who laid eyes on the Vampire's transcendent beauty fell under his spell, yet Lulu summoned a hazy fog to obscure her vision and continued battling the enemy.
"Let go! Let go of me!"
Though still a student, Lulu possessed strength on par with a 4th Tier Mage. She was one of the Academy's most promising talents, a future star whose skills would not disgrace even the Clocktower. A mob of street thugs would have been child's play for her, but she stared in horror at the Vampire's constitution that rendered her desperate resistance meaningless. Like Jason in the arena, the Vampire nullified every spell. Did magic simply fail against these anomalies?
"That's enough struggling."
The Vampire performed a miracle. Yet unlike Lulu and the other mages, it was no miracle born of magic. Just as Woo Suho could return from death, the Vampire freely conjured fire and wind from his hands. He wielded magic without using mana at all.
"Bell's magic is always fascinating to watch."
"I was about to say the same."
"You mean spell, not magic."
When the Vampire growled with icy eyes, his apparent mage allies swallowed hard and panicked.
"S-sorry. We misspoke."
"There won't be a second time. Watch your mouths."
Lulu collapsed to the ground. Her mana was completely depleted. She had unleashed every spell she knew, yet none could overcome the Vampire. What do I do now?
It wasn't just the Vampire. Mages who seemed to be his allies lined the area. None looked as powerful as him, but each appeared to be at least 3rd Tier. Why had they come here? The reason is obvious.
Clare stood dazed, relieved that the Vampire had returned to life. Lulu, drained of all mana and slumped on the floor, was simply the highest-value hostage. The daughter of the Lord of Sayang. The younger sister of the Clocktower's master. That alone made her a prime target for suspicious individuals.
I got so caught up in the anomaly that I forgot my own status for a moment...
Lulu's gaze drifted to Woo Suho. He was dead. But death could never stop him. He would surely perform the same resurrection miracle he had shown in the arena. Still, he was a cold man. Quick to calculate gains and losses, he never acted without personal benefit. A blunt pragmatist who lived by profit and reason—that was Lulu's assessment of him.
He was targeting the Vampire, but now that he knew the Vampire stood surrounded by countless mages, he was the type to abandon the plan without hesitation. She had spent considerable time with him, yet unlike the kind Kang Naram, she could never claim to be close to Woo Suho. She had tried again and again to grow closer, but he never opened his heart. From the start, she was someone who could offer him no real help. He had no reason or value in saving her.
I'm done for.
She recalled the scene in the arena. The sight of him trampling over countless copies of her own corpse as he advanced on Jason had resembled a demon. It had been terrifying. Everyone feared pain and death, yet he possessed no such fear. Both Lulu and Jason had been frightened by Woo Suho's mad appearance. He had transformed into an unspeakably grotesque monster and devoured Jason in a single bite. The courage she had mustered to approach him afterward had bordered on miraculous.
Sis... I'm sorry.
Lulu had one goal: to make her sister, who had cared for her since birth, happy. Libertas, master of the Clocktower—the once-in-a-millennium genius who had reached the pinnacle of magic at a young age. Libertas had become a mage to protect herself and Lulu after they lost their parents and wandered the slums as children. She stole books from bookstores to learn magic, all to avoid starving and to keep her little sister safe. Once her reputation grew, the Clocktower's master invited her inside, where her talent blossomed into the kingdom's strongest mage. It took only a year before she was named the next master.
Lulu was the genius's younger sister—a girl of ordinary talent who admired, respected, and loved her brilliant sibling. Unlike Libertas, who had survived a harsh, feral life, Lulu had lived comfortably under her sister's protection. Seeing how busy Libertas was every day, her sister wanted Lulu to live differently. She secured an Academy invitation so Lulu could make friends her own age and gifted her the status of the Clocktower master's sister, something few could even imagine.
Lulu was grateful for Libertas's consideration and always felt guilty. At first Libertas had joined the Clocktower solely to protect her, but now she had risen to a position where she could no longer guard only Lulu. She bore the heavy duty of safeguarding the Solis Kingdom's peace and prosperity while advancing the art of magic. While Lulu smiled brightly with friends at the Academy each day, Libertas's dark circles grew deeper.
That was why, on the day Libertas told her about the anomalies, Lulu had realized her sister was suffering because of them and wanted to help however she could. Even if it meant pushing herself, she wanted to lighten Libertas's burden and repay everything her sister had done. That was why she had spoken to Woo Suho in the arena. Wanting to become a great mage hadn't been a complete lie—becoming one might ease the weight on her sister's shoulders. She simply hadn't been able to speak honestly because the man before her was unpredictable and terrifying, and she lacked the courage to risk him mocking her true feelings.
"Bind her!"
Where had everything gone wrong? Because she had been far more foolish than her sister. If she had just stayed still like Woo Suho once told her, things might have turned out at least half as bad. It was infuriating. So infuriating. Being captured by these people and becoming a burden to her sister was utterly pathetic. She felt wretched.
"Hic..."
"It's fine to cry."
The Vampire personally bound Lulu's body, his lips curling in a vile smirk.
"I love nothing more than watching the women I drain weep."
Revealing his twisted aesthetic, the Vampire grabbed Lulu by the hair and dragged her away, then tossed her into the carriage like luggage alongside Clare. Lulu strained every muscle to escape, but the ropes binding her were artifacts that suppressed the user's power. Moments later, exhaustion and crushing fatigue washed over her. The carriage lurched into motion.
"Target secured safely."
"That took longer than expected. We can finally return to headquarters."
"I'm just glad we could help Bell."
The mages were enthralled by the Vampire. They hadn't gathered with the intention of aiding him from the start. One of them spoke up.
"The Twisted Tower will continue to move for Bell's sake."
The Twisted Tower was a small criminal group that performed illegal magic in the Solis Kingdom. Its mages had fallen head over heels for the Vampire the moment he appeared. They surrendered everything—liver, gallbladder, and all—to his transcendent beauty. The leadership had long since been handed over to him, and they now followed as loyal devotees.
The carriage led by the Twisted Tower headed away from the Academy.
"I'll begin feeding now."
The carriage stopped. The Vampire, who had been walking outside, climbed in. With another lurch, the carriage resumed moving. His crimson eyes fixed on Lulu. The color was repulsive.
"S-stop!"
Lulu thrashed, but the Vampire drove his fist into her stomach.
"Khhack!"
Lulu went limp. The Vampire leaned in to bite her pale neck. Just as she was about to surrender and close her eyes—
Vrrrrrr. Vrrrrrr.
A vicious chainsaw roar echoed from outside. The Vampire halted his meal and looked out the window.
"Jason?"
It wasn't only the Vampire. The mage driving the carriage and the ones guarding its sides all heard the terrifying engine sound. Blocking their path stood the chainsaw killer. Bloodshot eyes glared through the hockey mask. A radio spoke in place of his voice.
"Beg. For. Your. Life."
In a voice like boiling metal, he delivered his death sentence. There was no mercy in his stance.
"I'll handle this."
The chainsaw killer strode forward. The youngest, most hot-blooded mage among them stepped into his path.
"Beg for your life?"
He snorted. He clearly had no idea the chainsaw killer was Woo Suho, the man who had just burned to death moments ago.
"Leave it to me. I'll teach this ignorant bastard some manners."
He conjured flames once more. The roaring fire began to burn the chainsaw killer. The mage watched with a triumphant expression—until his eyes filled with horror. The flames died out. The killer stood exactly as before, calmly looking down at him.
The chainsaw moved.
"Aaaaaaaaagh!!!"
A piercing scream rang out as blood sprayed in every direction. When the killer stepped on the bisected corpse, the radio played a voice—the voice of the man who had just died.
"Beg. For. Your. Life."
The chainsaw killer's body had grown even larger than before.