“It seems you aren’t as arrogant as the setting — rumors say.”
Hell slightly turned his face. The crimson “V” flowing on his mask seemed to flicker under the reflection of the campfire. He appeared to glance at Luna briefly, his gaze hidden behind the cold white mask, making it difficult to discern his emotions. Then, he spoke slowly, his voice remaining flat.
“If you practice well in the future, your strength will surely reach a higher level.”
He paused for a moment, appearing to weigh his words before continuing in an almost instructional tone.
Luna did not notice the slightly abrupt word “setting” in Hell’s speech; her mind was completely occupied by her own predicament. Hearing his words, which sounded like guidance, she merely twitched the corner of her mouth in self-deprecation, revealing a bitter and desolate smile.
“Heh, you make it sound like… I even have a future,” the girl said in a low voice, filled with a sense of helplessness.
In her heart, she had already sentenced herself to death.
The man before her wearing the “V” mask was an Adjudicator of the Eternal Night Gospel, an executive of a heinous villainous organization. The words and actions of T earlier had already proven in a bloody fashion that there were no ‘good people’ in this organization, only varying degrees of evil and madness.
Even if this V before her might not be as impatient and shameless as T in viewing her as a toy to vent his desires, it was absolutely impossible for her to have a good end. What awaited her might be even more cruel experiments, darker imprisonment, or some other unimaginable fate.
At this thought, a deep sense of despair, like a cold tide, completely submerged Luna. Resistance seemed futile, the hope of escape was slim, and even a verbal confrontation seemed hollow.
The girl closed her eyes in despair, her thick eyelashes casting faint shadows on her pale cheeks, cutting off the light from the campfire and seemingly severing all hope for life.
Farewell, the mentor who taught her combat and responsibility.
Farewell, the upperclassman who always looked after her and fought by her side.
Farewell, the companions who trusted her and strove alongside her.
The path ahead might be covered in thorns and devoid of light. Perhaps… Luna could no longer walk with them.
However, at this moment of near-deathly silence, Hell’s voice rang out again, breaking the heavy stillness of the warehouse.
“You can rest assured.”
Luna’s tightly closed eyelashes flickered slightly, but she did not open them.
Hell’s voice was neither fast nor slow, reaching her ears clearly.
“I have no intention of harming you. At least… not for now.”
He paused for a moment, seemingly observing Luna’s reaction, before continuing his explanation.
“The reason I tied you up was because I feared that after you woke up, you would be emotional, uncontrollable, and perform some irrational actions. After all, your aggressiveness… I witnessed it just now.”
Halfway through, he proposed a condition.
“As long as you promise me that you will remain quiet, not attempt to attack or escape, and cooperate obediently, I can untie the ropes on your body.”
Finally, Hell added a sentence that seemed remarkably humane.
“After all, you don’t want to keep… lying on the ground like this, do you?”
Luna sneered in her heart.
‘Rest assured? No intention of harming me? Who are you kidding!’
‘This must be the flowery language this cunning fellow is using to lower my guard. How could I possibly believe a villainous executive would be so “kind”? Actively releasing the restraints is no different from letting a tiger return to the mountain; how could he be so stupid?’
However, she truly had no room for resistance right now. Being tightly bound, her Mana was strangely suppressed by more than half; she was completely like a fish on a chopping block.
‘If… if this V really has a lapse in judgment, or is overly confident, and unties the ropes… even if my Mana hasn’t fully recovered, even if there is only a slim chance, I must seize it. Pretending to be submissive and waiting for an opportunity is better than waiting for death in this completely passive state.’
Thus, after quickly weighing the pros and cons in her mind, Luna slowly opened her eyes. She tried to make her gaze appear calm, even carrying a hint of resigned compromise, despite her inner heart being filled with thoughts of striking back at any moment. She looked at Hell’s back as he remained focused on grilling meat and spoke in a voice that sounded somewhat dry but steady.
“Fine… I promise you.”
Hell did not seem surprised by her answer, nor did he turn around to confirm her expression. He merely raised his right hand casually and gave a light wave toward Luna.
In the next second, the Dark Silver Ropes—which were tightly wrapped around Luna’s wrists and ankles, biting into her flesh—instantly loosened all their restraints as if suddenly endowed with life or responding to some silent command.
They fell from her body like living Black Spirit Snakes, and the moment they touched the cold concrete floor, their color darkened and faded rapidly.
Finally, they turned into a few wisps of Shadow Elements so thin they were almost invisible, disappearing without a trace with a whoosh as they seeped into the ground, as if they had never existed.
Her body suddenly felt light, and the intense feeling of restraint vanished instantly, replaced by a tingling, prickling pain brought about by the re-circulation of blood.
Luna was stunned. Her pale gold eyes snapped wide, filled with disbelief.
‘Is this guy… serious? He really untied me?!’
Before she could think deeply about whether there was a deeper trap behind this, her survival instinct and the desire to counterattack instantly overwhelmed all doubts.
Relying almost entirely on muscle memory and strong willpower, she endured the soreness and numbness in her limbs, performed a somewhat stumbling but quickly stabilized roll, and scrambled up from the cold floor.
Standing firm on both feet, the long-lost sense of freedom made her heart race.
Luna quickly moved her stiff and numb wrists and ankles while simultaneously using her mind to try and sense the source of her Mana. Although that sluggish feeling still existed and the flow of Mana was far from its usual smooth and surging state, at the very least… it was no longer completely blocked. She had a sliver of power she could mobilize.
‘A great opportunity!’
The thought flashed through her mind like lightning.
Without hesitation, a sharp glint flashed in Luna’s eyes.
She thrust her right hand forward, her five fingers forming a hollow grip. She forcibly mobilized the portion of Mana that had just reconnected within her body, causing the air around her to vibrate slightly.
“Hum—”
Two Floating Turrets, sleekly designed and shimmering with ghostly blue energy circuits, instantly materialized out of thin air on either side of her.
The muzzles quickly adjusted, flashing with the dangerous light of stored energy, firmly locking onto Hell’s back, which remained turned toward her and seemingly defenseless.
Preemptively strike and win in one blow.
However, just before Luna could issue the attack command and pour out the accumulated energy—
Hell didn’t even turn around, nor did he make any defensive or evasive movements. He merely spoke a sentence in that voice so steady it made one’s skin crawl.
The voice wasn’t loud, yet it acted like an invisible shackle, instantly locking the intent to attack that Luna was about to unleash. It caused her entire body to stiffen, and even the light from the ready-to-fire Floating Turrets froze.
“You Goddess Angels pride yourselves on being partners of justice, the swords that protect order…”
Hell slowly moved the grilled meat skewers away from the fire. No hint of mockery could be heard in his tone, yet it carried a flat questioning that pointed directly to the heart.
“…And yet, are you this untrustworthy?”