Blazing Inferno

“Hohoho… look who this is~”

Savage lowered the two charred, terrifying tails that had been raised high in the air.

Those cross-like tails were scorched all over, like roasted scorpions…

As they dropped, they even seemed brittle—

Perhaps… a roasted Flower of Death might even taste good?

But those blackened tails had no beauty at all.

Not to mention the blood smeared across them—sticky, like thick sauce…

The stench of blood assaulted the senses, unbearable—

Like the smell of death itself.

They had harvested countless lives.

Simply being near them filled one with dread.

No one would ever want to approach such a grotesque thing.

“Welcome… to attend… the mass of this black mage!”

Like a mad priest, he clasped his hands together and began chanting,

As if reciting Ashur’s Hymn of Eternal Sleep for the boy lying on the ground.

In truth—

He had already finished the prayer for Eugene.

Now… he was merely waiting for death to arrive.

Boom!

The brittle bricks beneath, corroded by blood, shattered instantly—

Luna’s explosive movement launched her forward like a projectile.

A flash of red light—

And she vanished.

Only the silver-haired girl she had been carrying remained behind.

The girl slept peacefully.

Very peacefully…

Yet tear stains still marked her face.

She knew nothing of what was happening outside her dreams.

Still immersed in sorrow for the dead.

“Hohoho…!”

Like a madman craving death,

Savage laughed wildly at the red streak rushing toward him.

“Watch this!”

He kicked Eugene violently.

The force was so great that Luna could hear the sound of ribs shattering.

“Ugh…”

Eugene was still alive.

That sudden blow left him unable to move.

Just moments ago, he had nearly fallen unconscious.

He knew—

That dizziness was the end.

He would die here, just as the prophet had foretold.

Even if he survived today—

There would always be tomorrow.

The one behind the scenes would never stop hunting him.

So instead of running like a rat—

He chose to face it.

But he never imagined—

The one who had been tracking him all along…

Was Savage.

He should have died peacefully in unconsciousness—

Yet that kick had forcibly dragged him back to awareness.

“Cough… cough…”

He could no longer laugh.

His face was pale—like paper.

Bloodless.

He could feel the blood in his body draining away.

All that remained… was cold.

He knew—

Death was near.

Perhaps in the next second—

He would die in this icy numbness.

“See? If you come any closer, I’ll kill him completely!”

Savage laughed maniacally, like a circus clown.

The red streak stopped abruptly.

Luna forced herself to halt—

Her foot dug into the ground as she stabilized just a few steps away from him.

“Smart! Hahahaha!”

Savage laughed grotesquely.

His lips had split from the strain of his grin.

Blood smeared across his mouth like clown makeup.

His jaw stretched unnaturally wide—

Like a true demon.

“You are…”

He struggled to speak through laughter.

“An idiot! Hahahaha!”

Suddenly—

His two tails shot out like serpents, lunging toward Luna’s head.

But Luna had already seen through it.

With her inner vision,

She could clearly perceive the movement within the tail—

The contraction of muscles—

The trajectory—

The intent.

To her, this trick was nothing more than childish cleverness.

She had already decided her response.

All her energy gathered into her right fist.

That massive, exposed tail—

Was nothing more than a target.

With absolute focus—

She saw the path clearly.

“Ha!”

She struck.

Crack!

The already charred tail—

Was smashed into pulp with a single punch.

“…Are you stupid?”

She said coldly.

Eugene fell unconscious again.

Savage clutched what remained of his tail, howling in pain.

Afraid of losing his bargaining chip,

He secretly cast a pain-numbing spell on Eugene—

Forcing him awake again.

“Come. Say a few words to her.”

“I…”

Eugene didn’t understand why he was conscious again.

But the pain—

Was gone.

As if his wounds no longer existed.

For a moment—

He thought he had reached heaven.

But when he looked down—

At the gaping hole in his abdomen—

He understood.

This was no heaven.

Just the same town.

He was still alive—

Barely.

He couldn’t hear anything.

Only that his wound had stopped bleeding.

He didn’t know—

If it had been stopped—

Or if there was simply no blood left.

The wound remained open.

Unbandaged.

…There was no blood left.

He turned his head—

Looking at Savage.

It seemed…

He was being used in negotiations.

A thought crossed his mind—

Was he… a bargaining chip?

From the tension in the air—

He understood.

One of Savage’s tails had already been shattered by Luna.

Savage pointed at him, laughing wildly.

Grotesque.

Terrifying.

Like a clown with torn lips.

Eugene finally understood.

He truly was just a bargaining chip.

He had already failed to survive until Luna arrived.

Death was inevitable.

And now—

Because of him—

Luna couldn’t act.

“Salrut… Brutus…”

His body began to heat up—

Like molten lava.

He cast a spell on himself.

Just as he had done to Savage—

His body ignited.

He would not allow Savage to escape because of him.

A dying man did not need saving—

He needed revenge.

His fate had long been decided—

A black mage to be burned by the Church.

Even in death—

He would be burned publicly.

If so—

Then let it be now.

He no longer feared death.

There were people he cared about behind him.

People who would stand for him.

Now was not the time to hesitate.

For the sake of the town—

He could not cling to life.

Goodbye…

Boss… Luna…

His body was engulfed in flames—

Yet his lips clearly formed those words.

In these three surreal days—

He had experienced everything.

He had no regrets.

The flames erupted violently.

Even Savage was startled.

He never expected—

Eugene would choose suicide.

Even in death—

He refused to die meekly.

Like a man of fire—

Eugene lunged at Savage.

Panicking, Savage dodged.

The burning figure staggered—

Then collapsed.

Savage quickly cast an extreme ice spell—

Extinguishing the flames—

Freezing Eugene in ice.

In that instant—

Luna moved.

From preparation to strike—

Seamless.

Like a flying blade—

Her punch shot forward.

Savage couldn’t dodge.

Her fist slammed into the granite shield—

Like cracking an eggshell.

In less than a second—

The shield shattered into blue fragments.

And that wasn’t all.

Even though he blocked the direct hit—

He couldn’t escape the shockwave.

He was blasted to the ground instantly.

He struggled to stand—

Blood pouring from his mouth.

“Cough… cough…”

It was over.

His bargaining chip—gone.

And he was no match for Luna.

He remembered clearly—

Her fluid, unstoppable martial arts.

Even standing was impossible against her.

And now—

She was enraged.

His target…

Was never Luna.

He took out his final red orb—

And swallowed it whole.

Instantly—

His shattered body regenerated.

He grabbed Eugene’s frozen body—

Still encased in ice.

“Until we meet again~”

He smiled.

His remaining tail retracted into his clothing.

He tore open a teleportation scroll.

That same warm, sunny smile returned—

“Don’t run!”

Luna suddenly realized—

But it was too late.

He vanished—

Taking the ice with him.

This massacre…

Would now be blamed entirely on Eugene.