Rain poured inside the office. A sticky rain with the metallic scent of blood.
The smell of blood was strong enough to make one frown, but Yulia stared ahead blankly.
– Thud Thud Thud
Blood droplets scattered like a sudden downpour.
Beyond the crimson mist, two figures could be seen.
One of them was One.
And the other…
“Hoo.”
A familiar breath.
A familiar resonance in the voice.
Yet, the tone and manner of speech were entirely different.
A black silhouette murmured in admiration, holding something long.
“Your arms are quite pretty. Your fingers are long, too.”
The mist cleared.
Only then did the scene before her eyes become visible.
One was bewildered, clutching one shoulder.
And in front of her, with a twisted grin…
‘…Ortega.’
The eyes, shining with a sinister red hue, were so malevolent that they almost made one forget that this body belonged to Lloyd.
“Ah, the scent of human blood is so fragrant.”
Ortega brought the arm he was holding to his mouth.
It was the severed arm of one, cut just below the shoulder.
His tongue touched the pale skin.
With a slurping sound, his tongue slowly licked the abandoned arm.
From the symbol of the Blood Cult, down to the wrist, the back of the hand, the palm, and finally, the fingertips.
No one in this place dared to interfere with Ortega as he relished his meal, his eyes closed in pleasure.
Even the original owner of the arm, One, was merely staring at Ortega, as if her soul had left her body.
One.
When it came to strength, she was someone who could rival those in the Empire, not just in Easton.
From the moment Yulia stepped into the office, she could feel it clearly. The gap between them was not small by any means.
‘I couldn’t even detect the spell.’
Yulia’s ability was originally focused on dispelling magic.
Her Arcane Eyes allowed her to reverse the flow of mana, a fundamental ability. Of course, her mana detection was not just ordinary—it was tens of times better than that of an average mage.
And yet…
She failed to notice the spell that recreated the nightmare One had unleashed. She only felt that the flow of air was strange.
‘…I was careless.’
Of course, this was One’s territory. Considering that she could have cast the spell in advance, it wasn’t too disgraceful to be caught off guard by someone so powerful. But still…
Clench.
Her palm hurt from how tightly she was clenching her fist.
The pain was fine. No, the pain was necessary.
Because this was the kind of spell Yulia herself should have dispelled.
She should have assessed the situation more sharply and warned Lloyd.
She should have prevented something like Ortega taking over Lloyd’s body.
She had been vigilant, over and over again.
Praying that Ortega would not awaken. That the disaster would not repeat itself.
‘…’
At some point, Yulia had started praying every night.
Even though she didn’t believe in any god, she would kneel next to her bed.
And with her hands clasped together, she would pray.
Please.
Please do not let something that would lead to killing Lloyd happen.
With a blurred vision, Yulia looked ahead.
Ortega and One faced each other.
Would Lloyd be able to return?
If not, she might have to kill him before Ortega regained full strength.
— Boooom!
A massive explosion echoed.
The library behind Ortega exploded, sending books and wooden fragments flying.
Each piece was as sharp as a dagger, no different from throwing knives.
As the daggers rained down behind him, Ortega swung his hand.
– Thud! Thud! Thud!
Dust momentarily rose.
And as if nothing had happened, the fragments settled on the floor behind Ortega.
Each one had been cleanly sliced in half.
Hah.
A twisted grin spread across Ortega’s face as he shook his head.
“She’s a girl with quite the taste for fighting.”
“…What are you? You’re different from when you entered my spell and now.”
One’s mouth finally opened, struggling to form words.
The initial confidence was long gone, and she now looked like a cat with its fur bristled in the presence of a predator.
Ortega’s voice dripped with mockery at the sight.
“Oh, don’t think too much about it.”
Step Step.
With each step Ortega took forward, One retreated one step back.
“You simply made a mistake. You know how, sometimes, you might get swept up by a carriage on the road or buried under a collapsing building? Think of it like that.”
“What on earth…”
“Even I wouldn’t have guessed that such a monster was hiding inside this weak boy. Hey, he might look feeble, but he has a very thick wall around him. Hahaha.”
Thud.
One’s back hit the wall.
She had no more room to retreat.
Ortega stopped right in front of her.
“You’re lucky. Your flimsy little spell was what brought me out. Even though your method of waking me was crude, I’ll give you special praise.”
“…I made a mistake.”
One’s apology caused both Yulia and the village chief to widen their eyes in shock.
She wasn’t someone who would bow her head so easily.
But her reaction wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.
Ortega was, after all, someone who had once single-handedly faced the entire Empire. There were few who could maintain their composure in his presence.
“…Please spare me just this once.”
One muttered, almost pleadingly. Ortega’s brow furrowed.
“No, no. There’s no need to apologize. Are you an assassin? Why are you bowing your head so quickly?”
“Yes, just give me one more chance.”
“Woman.”
Thump.
Pressing his hand forward, Ortega grabbed One’s face.
“Don’t ruin the mood. You’re an assassin, aren’t you? How can you be so clueless? Fight. Come at me with the intent to kill; that’s the only way I’ll even begin to find this interesting.”
“But if I do that, I’ll die…”
“Ordinarily, I would have killed everyone by now.”
Ortega glanced around before continuing.
“But I’m in a good mood today. It’s been a while since I’ve been out. And you helped with that, in a way.”
“…”
“So, entertain me.”
No sooner had Ortega finished speaking than One’s expression changed.
The submissive woman from moments ago vanished. She swiftly drew a hidden dagger from her thigh and thrust it at him.
– Thud
Ortega blocked the dagger, aimed precisely at his artery, with nothing more than a flick of his finger.
“Too slow, woman.”
One bit down on her lower lip.
Blood flowed out.
“Interesting.”
Ortega’s admiration was brief.
The blood from her lip suddenly expanded, engulfing Ortega in an instant.
Sssss!
Where the blood touched him, it sizzled as if it had been hit by boiling metal.
And Ortega…
“Blood magic… It’s not that bad. You must have pre-engraved the blood with a spell. Impressive, I must admit.”
Thump, Thump.
Flicking away the remnants of the blood clinging to him, he continued.
“But I’m not fond of the Blood Cult’s blood. You should probably hold back on that.”
“Die!”
Before Ortega could finish his sentence, One charged at him again, this time with a sleek, long sword in hand.
The blade was enveloped in a fierce blue mana, and the village chief’s eyes widened in shock.
“She’s using both magic and aura… How in the world…”
But his words were cut off as the battle continued.
Kwaaang!
With a single wave of Ortega’s hand, One was slammed into the ground.
The overwhelming difference in power was evident.
Ortega lazily stretched his arm behind him, letting out a long yawn.
“If I had known it would be this dull, I would’ve cut off your arm a bit later. This isn’t even interesting.”
Ortega’s bored gaze scanned the surroundings, finally settling on Yulia.
“You, however, might entertain me.”
Snicker.
A twisted grin slowly spread across Ortega’s face, sending a shiver down Yulia’s spine.
At that moment,
— Thud!
Blood splattered across Ortega’s body once more.
One’s eyes were now a blazing crimson, glowing with the frenzied intensity of a Blood Cult follower pushed to their limits—the state known as “Rampage”, where they could unleash every last ounce of their strength before death.
“You must step back.”
The village chief quickly grabbed Yulia and pulled her back.
“I’ve never seen someone of that caliber enter a rampage before.”
It was the same for One.
She hadn’t expected to push herself into such a self-destructive state, sacrificing more than half of her life force.
She had no other choice.
‘What in the h*ll is this monster…’
Even with her vision tinged red, One gritted her teeth. Everything had gone wrong from the moment she accepted Claire’s request. Or perhaps she should have withdrawn the moment she realized how suspicious Lloyd was.
But regrets were meaningless in front of the wall she now faced.
“Raaaagh!”
With all the strength she could muster, One launched her final, desperate attack.
Her sword flew toward Ortega in a lethal strike.
In that instant.
– Shatter!
One felt the strength drain from her body.
No, she felt as if the world itself was splintering apart.
The world seemed to fall away in diagonal shards.
“It wasn’t very entertaining.”
With Ortega’s sigh, One’s shattered body crumbled to the ground.
The blood-soaked floor squelched beneath his boots as he checked the soles, his face twisting in disgust.
“Disgusting.”
Tsk.
Clicking his tongue, Ortega continued to walk forward.
And at the other end…
“Princess Yulia!”
– Thud!
The village chief was thrown against the wall and collapsed to the ground.
Yulia bit her lower lip.
She knew there was nothing she could do at the moment.
Ortega, drenched in One’s blood and wearing Lloyd’s face, stood before Yulia, grinning.
“A descendant of the Arcane Eyes.”
Yulia’s vision wavered.
Yulia’s vision blurred as the pressure on her cheeks intensified.
Ortega had grabbed her face.
“I feel like crushing your skull right here and now.”
His eyes glowed a sinister red.
