45. Slum Patrol (3)
My body was bound in an instant by red chains.
The mist filling the upper floors of the tower had transformed into chains of blood. There was no time to dodge. Rene smirked triumphantly at the sight of me trussed up like a turtle in a trap.
"What? You were acting all confident, but that's all you've got?"
Rene gripped the end of the chain in her hand and yanked. The chains tightened around my body even more.
"I won't kill you easily, you bastard! Let's see that shitty face of yours first..."
With that, she yanked off the hood of the robe I was wearing.
In that moment, Rene's gray eyes widened.
"Ho. What's this? Not bad-looking at all. No, this level of handsomeness is rare even in the imperial capital."
I saw a flicker of lust in those ashen eyes. She stuck out her tongue and licked her red lips lasciviously.
She didn't look much older than me, but she seemed like a witch who was quite the man-eater.
Unlike the innocent Rozette, she had no intention of hiding the lust inherent in a witch's blood.
"Nice. This'll be fun to play with. I'll keep you up all night as my sex slave... and use all those torture tools I bought last time..."
While Rene was ogling my face, I subtly tested the strength of the blood chains binding me—Blood Chain.
'Just as I expected. This crap can't bind me at all.'
A skilled blood mage, especially a witch versed in black magic, receives a portion of the blood from the demon they've contracted with.
But that demon's blood held no power against the blood of Lucifer flowing in my veins.
'The rank difference is too vast from the start.'
My father, Lucifer—the previous Demon King and eldest son of the demon royal line—possessed blood closer to the purest essence than any other demon.
Blood so potent that one could contract with multiple archdemons. And that blood of Lucifer's flowed in me.
For a brief moment, I accelerated the mana flowing through my Mana Heart. The Orhain cultivation method. A 3rd Tier polyhedral Mana Heart.
Torrents of mana surged through the channels between its facets.
My body moved faster than my senses could perceive. Before the thought to move had even finished forming, I was already behind Rene.
And I delivered a kick to her back.
"Kuhk!"
Rene screamed once more from my attack. She nearly collapsed to the floor but barely steadied herself and turned to glare at me.
"Wh-what? How did you break the Blood Chain?"
"Even a kid's knot from the neighborhood would be tighter than your chains. Only an idiot couldn't untie that."
"You smug bastard!"
Unable to hold back at my taunt, Rene swung her hand.
A pitch-black arrow shot toward me without any incantation. Casting magic without chanting meant she was a highly skilled mage.
But I casually deflected the magic arrow with my sword. Perhaps from growing accustomed to Lucia's speed, it looked sluggish enough to yawn at.
"Damn it! I fired that without even chanting! Who the hell are you?!"
I closed in on the flustered Rene again. Realizing the gravity of the situation, she bit her pinky finger and scattered the blood into the air.
"Baron of Darkness!"
The blood drew a pentagram magic circle and incantation in the air. She was drawing on the power of the demon she had contracted with.
Near the magic circle, numerous droplets—no, blood droplets—began floating.
'Blood bombs, huh.'
Getting caught in the explosion of that blood magic meant your body would be torn to shreds without even a corpse left behind.
That was the origin of her moniker, Rene the Fragmenter.
And even as an explosion spell, this black magic operated on entirely different principles from elemental magic like fire or wind.
Rene's magic was still 3rd Tier. Yet that single blood explosion spell earned her an evaluation one rank higher.
Her low rank in the Execution Squad was only because the other members were so formidable. In time, her standing would rise.
But she'd picked the wrong opponent. Her prized blood magic was still just black magic at its core.
The demonic hierarchy was divided more strictly than human ranks. The demon she'd contracted with was nowhere near my level.
'A mere baron's demon can't touch me. That's her misfortune.'
I moved swiftly and swung my fist at the magic circle Rene had summoned.
Crackle—
The magic circle shattered outright. Her explosion spell was canceled before it could even begin.
"Wh-what happened? Divine power?"
I too was an ordained holy priest. With Agnes's Rosario, I could wield a trace amount of Jedin's power.
"No. Physical force."
But the power that shattered Rene's black magic wasn't divine. Physical force—no, more precisely, the inner energy of the demon royal line.
Rene unleashed blood magic and other black spells in succession, but none landed on me. They were all nullified before me.
I hadn't used divine power, nor black magic. Rene looked like she'd seen a ghost.
"What kind of freak are you?! Tch..."
Rene glanced toward the window where she'd been sitting.
'Planning to run, huh.'
Of course, I had no intention of killing Rene today. I planned to let her go on her own.
She had high utility value going forward. A black mage was bound to bend to my will inevitably.
And if properly tamed, she'd make an excellent spy to uncover all the Execution Squad members.
'I need to brainwash her in advance.'
There was a perfect method for that. The mid-tier darkness spirit Teneb. And the evolved incubus trait one step further.
Using those, I could implant a powerful suggestion in Rene. But to do that, I couldn't let her go just yet.
Suggestions took hold best when body and mind were weakened. So Rene needed to take a few more beatings from me.
'Haven't taken her Soul Dagger yet, either.'
I nullified every black spell she cast in rapid succession. Sheathing my imperial sword, I deliberately used strikes to corner her.
"Huff... kuhk... you brute..."
Abdomen, face, cheeks—I pummeled her like she was a boxing sparring partner, beating her with glee.
Of course, her robe had defensive spells, so punches alone wouldn't kill her.
But for a sadist like her, getting joyfully beaten by a man—this situation alone brought unprecedented humiliation. And beyond that, creeping fear.
Sure enough, her face was draining of color, turning pale.
"Hic... you bastard! I won't let you live pretty!"
She scattered even more blood into the air. In an instant, Blood Fog filled the space, blocking all vision.
But my heightened senses clearly revealed where Rene was heading.
The window she'd been sitting at moments ago. She planned to escape through there.
'Pointless.'
Her escape attempt would fail. I sensed someone ascending the tower stairs.
Unaware of my thoughts, Rene finally moved. She'd cast Haste or something—her speed was tremendous.
I deliberately let her go. Her spirit would break more once this escape was blocked.
The red mist reached the window.
Right then.
"Not on my watch, you filthy bitch!"
A pink afterimage far outpacing her speed appeared. Lucia blocked Rene with her sword.
***
It was lightning-fast, a mere flash.
Anyone without exceptional dynamic vision wouldn't even grasp what happened.
At best, they'd see red and pink afterimages clashing in midair.
But I saw every moment.
Rene, using mist form and Haste to slip away from me swiftly. Under the acceleration magic, she reached the window in a split second.
But Lucia, who had rushed up the stairs and burst in, was faster. She blocked the window and aimed her sword at Rene.
"You trash... how dare you target Count Yulian!"
Lucia glared at Rene with fury-filled eyes and shouted.
"Count! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
I was unharmed. But from pummeling Rene so enthusiastically, her blood had splattered all over me.
And Lucia seemed to misunderstand at the sight.
"Already wounded... to make a noble count bleed... no, to even threaten the count... you vermin witch!"
It was just like her reaction at the secret gambling den. Lucia went into overdrive.
Like when she'd punched that guy spouting nonsense at me right out of there.
A killing intent absent from her usual round eyes filled them completely.
'Terrifying killing intent.'
It was a lethal gaze unimaginable for a Pantheon cadet.
Blood truly couldn't lie. If I bore the blood of the lion, Lucia bore the blood of the tiger called Orhain.
It was a relief that gaze would never turn on me—it sent chills down my spine for a moment.
"Who the hell are you?"
Rene shouted in panic, but Lucia remained silent.
Instead, her imperial sword—Cecilia, now reforged into a one-handed estoc—thrust relentlessly at Rene.
She cornered Rene again. Rene was already a mess from me.
Under Lucia's sword strikes, her witch robe shredded into rags.
Cuts and gashes multiplied across Rene's body, blood flowing from them.
Lucia spoke in a voice cold as ice.
"You don't need to know who I am. And I saw it below this tower. A 4th form gate was open. All tonight's mess is your doing?"
"So what if it is? Don't make a fuss over a few dead bugs!"
"You're insane. Do you have any idea how many innocent residents died because of you? I'll kill you myself!"
"Pfft, chill out. From your outfit, you look like Imperial Guard or something. Why didn't you do your job properly before?"
"Shut your filthy mouth, you dirty witch! And you dared touch the count. Don't expect an easy death!"
Unable to contain her rage, Lucia bit her lip hard.
Her arriving here meant she'd successfully evacuated the residents. But even though I'd handled the beasts, there hadn't been time to kill every monster.
'So she couldn't save everyone. There must've been casualties.'
And as a slum native, Lucia couldn't tolerate Rene's atrocities—her anger must be boiling over.
That's why this event was the main one from Lucia's perspective.
Without my intervention, it would've claimed three-digit innocent lives—a trauma-inducing catastrophe for her.
And the rage from this incident became her growth motivation.
'This time, I killed all the beasts, so damages are basically zero.'
But Lucia was even more heated than in the original—more than original, even.
From the circumstances, Rene had clearly attacked me. It seemed to trigger her yandere side.
Unaware of that, Rene said,
"And why are you overreacting like this? Just because I touched that one guy? Oh, I get it. You're that knight's fucktoy, right? Or is he yours? That's why you're pissed I touched him, huh?!"
True to her cunning nature, Rene provoked Lucia in reverse. With me blocking other exits, she aimed to rattle Lucia's composure.
"Don't insult the count with that filthy mouth!"
But it was like poking a beehive. Mana blade formed on Lucia's estoc.
With speed several times her usual, she assailed Rene.
Rene couldn't even breathe.
'In Demon King Slayer, Lucia was no match for Rene. Impressive.'
If my presence was the driving force behind her growth, that was excellent. Rene barely avoided lethal wounds, but her injuries mounted.
And if I, just watching, joined in—Rene's defeat was certain.
"Goddamn it. No choice. I was saving this for 4th Tier..."
Rene drew a dagger from her bosom. An eerie blue light glinted on its blade.
'Good. Finally drew it.'
The item I planned to take from Rene today: the Soul Dagger. She smeared her blood thickly on the dagger and shouted.
"My baron! I offer my blood and vengeful souls!"
The tower space with the three of us was engulfed in pitch-black energy. A magi utterly different from her previous black magic.