The iron bars of the cage were ice-cold, while the damp, rotting straw beneath them made the skin itch.
The handcuffs dug tightly into their wrists, occasionally producing a dull metallic clink.
Byakuran leaned lazily against the iron bars, gazing through the narrow gaps at the twinkling stars in the pitch-black night.
He tilted his head toward the person beside him.
“Lahar, you really screwed me over this time. It looks like the first mission failure of my life is going to happen because of you.”
“Sorry… It’s all my fault for dragging you into this situation with me.”
Lahar sat there dejectedly.
His normally straight back was hunched over, and his entire body seemed to have been swallowed by the shadows as he wallowed in deep self-blame.
“Come to think of it, I don’t understand something. Why did only you, a member of the Council, come to arrest this dark guild? If there had been a few more people accompanying you, they wouldn’t have been able to ambush and capture you before you even left the village.”
A flash of resentment crossed Lahar’s gloomy eyes.
“Because the higher-ups don’t think it’s worth the effort. Although Pandemonium is cunning and has escaped several times, they’ve only caused minor disturbances so far and haven’t posed any major threat. The Council’s conclusion is that there’s no need to waste additional resources on them.”
Lahar gave a self-deprecating smile.
“I don’t agree with them. The damage they’ve caused is real. Just because the scale is small, they choose to ignore it. I can’t accept such a careless decision.”
“That’s why I applied to the higher-ups to conduct the surveillance alone and requested assistance from guild mages. That way, I wouldn’t be using additional Council forces, while we could still continue pursuing them…”
“Oh…”
Byakuran dragged out the word, gently knocking the back of his head against the iron bars.
“I understand. The intention was good, but unfortunately, we ended up getting captured.”
“Now, all we can do is see where these guys are taking us. We’ll deal with things one step at a time.”
Byakuran spoke cynically, looking completely resigned to his fate.
However, several faint sounds of a roulette wheel spinning had quietly echoed in his ears.
Click.
Click.
Click.
Click.
Byakuran lowered his gaze toward the heavy magic-suppression handcuffs around his wrists.
For the moment, he chose not to touch them.
He would wait and see what happened.
After walking for a long time, the forest gradually became less dense, and a faint glow of firelight appeared in the distance.
They had finally arrived at the dark guild’s temporary encampment deep within the forest.
The cage was unloaded at the edge of the camp.
Several of the subordinates still hadn’t recovered from their fear of Byakuran.
Even after carefully setting the cage down, their fingers trembled slightly.
One of them couldn’t help but approach the guild master and whisper nervously:
“M-Master, what should we do with these two?”
“Quiet. Let me think.”
Mard Geer didn’t answer immediately.
His gaze lingered on Byakuran’s face for a moment before turning toward the road they had come from.
At the time, everything had happened so quickly that he had smoothly placed the magic-suppression handcuffs on the two captives and ordered his men to transport them.
But now that he had calmed down and recalled the terrifying magic power Byakuran had released, Mard Geer still felt a chill run down his spine.
That magic power had been far too terrifying.
It had almost felt tangible.
If possible, he really didn’t want to keep this ticking time bomb anywhere near him.
But throwing them into the wilderness and allowing this monster to wander around somewhere outside his sight was even more unsettling.
He wouldn’t be able to eat or sleep peacefully.
As for killing them…
If he killed such a young and talented mage, the guild behind him would undoubtedly launch an endless pursuit against Pandemonium.
Mard Geer looked at Byakuran again.
The boy’s expression remained calm, and his eyes were completely unruffled.
This brat surrendered far too easily.
Mard Geer swallowed hard and forcibly suppressed the trace of killing intent that had surfaced in his heart.
He suspected that the magic-suppression handcuffs were completely useless against this monster!
The boy was probably only pretending to be restrained because they had hostages.
He was deliberately acting obediently because he didn’t want to act recklessly and endanger them.
If Mard Geer really tried to kill him and forced the boy to drop his act, everyone present might not even be enough to stop him.
But he couldn’t keep dragging this out, either.
The instincts he had developed after years of escaping danger were warning him that if he continued hesitating, something bad would definitely happen.
Damn it…
I’ve always been cautious.
How could I have been stupid enough to let my impulse get the better of me?
Why did I have to come out personally to test my newly increased power?
Could the price of gaining more power really be a drop in intelligence?
Mard Geer was caught in a dilemma.
In the end, he decided to prioritize his own survival.
He took a deep breath and put on the dignity of a guild master.
“Although we’re a dark guild, we’re still people who keep our promises. How about this? I’ll go notify our men in Red Apple Village to release the villagers. You guys stay here and watch them. Once I release the villagers, kill these two.”
One of the more cunning subordinates nervously raised his hand.
“M-Master, how about… I go to Red Apple Village and release the villagers?”
Another member, who looked much more honest and straightforward, immediately added:
“Master, can’t you just contact them through the communication device and tell them to release the villagers? Why do you have to go there personally?”
“Ha?!”
Mard Geer’s eyelids twitched.
“Are you the guild master, or am I the guild master? How dare you question my orders?”
“N-No! I wouldn’t dare!”
“That’s enough! You stay here and watch them. Keep the communication line open. I’ll go and give them the order personally.”
With that, Mard Geer abruptly turned around and strode away.
He was already preparing to run.
“Swish—”
At that moment, a sharp rustling sound suddenly came from a large tree not far away.
Byakuran’s gaze shifted slightly.
His eyes swept toward the treetop. Get faster updates on g.com.
A figure wrapped in a pitch-black cloak was standing there.
The next second, a clear yet bone-chillingly hateful girl’s voice rang out from beneath the hood.
“It’s you, right?”
“The guys from the rumors who summon demons everywhere…”
“You summoned a demon in the village church. You’re the ones responsible for me being possessed!”
“You really made me search everywhere for you!”
“Unforgivable!”
Before her words had even finished, the figure violently leaped down from the treetop.
She swung her fist through the air with murderous intent, aiming directly at the fleeing Mard Geer.
Her raised arm was pitch-black from the shoulder down, with deformed, elongated fingers and curved nails resembling sharp hooks.
It was unmistakably the arm of a demon.
Mard Geer, who had been preparing to escape, was startled.
The black magic power within his body suddenly erupted.
In his haste, he transformed into his demon form once more and raised his claws to block the incoming attack.
“Where did this brat come from?”
Mard Geer stared at the somewhat familiar black demon arm in front of him.
His previously panicked heart suddenly stirred.
“Wait… This arm…”
“So it’s that defective demon from before.”
The girl beneath the cloak let out a heavy breath.
“It really is you!”
Her voice trembled with rage.
“You caused me to become possessed by a demon! You turned me into this monster!”
“It’s all because of you!”
“Heh. You should feel honored.”
Mard Geer sneered.
“Demons are the ultimate evolutionary goal of humanity. You’ve become a higher life form that has transcended ordinary humans.”
“You should be thanking us!”
“What kind of joke is that?!”
The girl’s expression instantly became ferocious.
She lunged forward.
Her fist tore through the air with a short, muffled boom and slammed directly into Mard Geer’s crossed arms.
Bang!
The force knocked him half a step backward, his hooves scraping two deep marks into the ground.
“You turned me into a monster!”
“You destroyed my family!”
“You made us homeless!”
“I’ll definitely finish you off!”
The two immediately engaged in a fierce battle.
However, as the fight continued, the sense of danger that had been gnawing at Mard Geer’s instincts grew stronger.
It felt as though something terrible would happen if he allowed the battle to continue.
His expression became increasingly irritated and frightened.
No. I have to finish this quickly!
“Heh. Don’t underestimate me, you demon brat!”
A ruthless expression appeared on Mard Geer’s face.
From behind his ferocious demon body, a pitch-black tail suddenly extended.
The tail rapidly expanded in midair before transforming into an enormous, ink-black fist.
It slammed viciously into the girl’s abdomen.
Bang!
The girl’s petite body was sent flying as though she had been struck by a cannonball.
Her back crashed heavily into a thick tree trunk, shaking the bark loose in large chunks.
She let out a painful groan before sliding helplessly to the ground.
The hood covering her head was blown away by the force of the impact.
A cascade of white hair spilled down like a waterfall, revealing the face of a young girl.
Although her face was stained with dirt, she was still exceptionally beautiful and pure-looking.
…Is this Mira?
Inside the iron cage, Byakuran remained silent as he stared at the white-haired girl who had suddenly appeared.
With her distinctive white hair, demon arm, and her age, there was no doubt about it.
She was the future “She-Devil,” Mirajane.
But why had she appeared here?
“What is this disgusting thing?”
Mira wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and glared at Mard Geer’s slowly retracting black tail.
“Heh. Don’t put me and you in the same category.”
Mard Geer puffed out his chest.
The black Cursed Energy within his body erupted violently, causing the surrounding firelight to dim.
He sneered.
“The demon inside your body is nothing more than a defective, low-grade demon that we discarded.”
“But the demon inside my body is a carefully selected high-grade demon!”
“My level is far above yours.”
“You’re simply not worthy of being my opponent.”
“Blah, blah, blah!”
Mirajane gritted her teeth and forced herself back to her feet.
“Go to hell, you disgusting monster!”
She roared and charged forward once more.
She agilely sidestepped Mard Geer’s wildly swinging tail, then stomped hard against the ground.
Her entire body shot into the air.
With all her strength, she threw a heavy punch straight at Mard Geer’s face.
Bang!
The tremendous force knocked Mard Geer’s head sideways and sent him staggering backward several steps.
“You annoying piece of trash!”
Mard Geer was completely enraged.
His humiliation turned into fury. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
With a roar, his body burst forward at astonishing speed, surrounded by a black aura.
He tore through the air and drove his fist into Mirajane’s abdomen with all his strength.
Bang!
Mirajane was sent flying backward once again.
She crashed heavily into the ground.
Mard Geer looked down at the white-haired girl, who was lying there in pain and temporarily unable to stand.
He spat in disgust.
“Bah! What a waste of my time.”
He couldn’t be bothered to pay any more attention to the crazy girl who had suddenly appeared.
Turning around, he prepared to leave the encampment.
“Crack—”
“Clang!”
The crisp sound of something shattering, followed by metal striking the ground, suddenly echoed through the silent forest.
Mard Geer’s entire body froze.
He slowly turned around.
His gaze landed on the iron cage that should have been holding the two captives.
Byakuran was already standing.
At some point, he had risen to his feet and was leisurely loosening his wrists.
The supposedly unbreakable magic-suppression handcuffs had been reduced to fragments scattered around his feet.
Lahar stood beside him, completely dumbfounded.
Then, his expression transformed into one of wild joy.
The dark guild members surrounding them were even more stunned.
They stared at the scene as though they had just witnessed something impossible.
As expected…
This brat had been acting the entire time!
Extreme panic caused Mard Geer to completely lose his composure.
He screamed hysterically:
“Light guild brat! What do you want?! Don’t forget that I still have hostages in my hands!”
“Hostages, huh…”
Byakuran casually kicked the broken handcuffs aside.
His voice was so calm that it sounded almost mocking.
“Why don’t you contact your people in Red Apple Village right now?”
Mard Geer’s heart skipped a beat.
What did this brat mean?
Why does he want me to contact them?
What happened over there?
“And…”
Byakuran raised his head.
His gaze passed over Mard Geer’s shoulder and landed somewhere behind him.
“Turning your back on your opponent during a battle isn’t exactly a wise decision.”
“What?! Could it be—”
Mard Geer’s expression changed drastically.
A chill rushed from the soles of his feet all the way to the top of his head.
He immediately turned around.
A pitch-black demon fist was already filling his vision.
It was rapidly expanding within his pupils.
“Bang——!!”
The punch slammed directly into Mard Geer’s face.
The terrifying brute force instantly crushed and distorted his cheeks.
His entire body was launched off the ground like a broken kite.
Blood sprayed from his mouth as he crashed heavily into the soil.
He lay there, unable to get back up.
The resulting cloud of dust rose into the air.
Several seconds passed before it finally settled.
“Don’t underestimate me, you bastard!”
The white-haired girl remained in her punching stance.
Her body was covered in injuries, and she was panting heavily.
Although she looked disheveled and her face was filled with anger, her eyes were extraordinarily bright and spirited.
Until this moment, the dark guild members standing nearby had remained frozen in shock.
Finally, one of the quicker-witted members snapped out of it.
He hurriedly grabbed the communication device, intending to contact their accomplices in Red Apple Village and continue threatening the captives with the villagers.
Beep.
The communication connected.
As though grasping at the last remaining straw, the subordinate roared hysterically into the device:
“Quick! Turn the image toward the villagers! If anything happens on our side, take action immediately!”
The image on the other end slowly rotated.
The picture gradually became clear.
However, what appeared before everyone’s eyes wasn’t a group of terrified villagers.
Instead, it was a sight that sent chills down their spines.
Another Byakuran was sitting casually on top of a small hill made entirely of unconscious dark guild members.
He tilted his head slightly.
Then he waved at them with a cheerful smile.
The remaining dark guild members went weak at the knees.
Their faces were drained of color.
Their eyes held nothing but bottomless despair.
Inside the iron cage, Byakuran tilted his head as he looked at the completely broken-down group of dark guild members.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
Under the darkness of the forest, that smile looked exceptionally sinister.
He brought his hands together.
“Wood Release—”