it hurts so much…” As she spoke, she intentionally knit her brows, affecting a look of slight agony.
Yet the smile beneath her eyes was entirely impossible to hide.
Her latent masochistic tendencies seemed to explode all at once, oozing outward bit by bit.
“Or could it be…” “You just prefer it like this?” “Prefer things a little rougher?” Elsa’s legs swayed gently, her toes drawing circles in midair.
Her entire body hung suspended from King Crimson’s hand, swinging casually as if on a playground swing.
She lacked even an ounce of awareness of being subdued.
Rather, it looked like…
she was flirting.
“Heh.
Whatever, I’ll search for it myself.” Diavolo spoke in a flat tone, treating it as a matter of complete indifference.
He turned a blind eye to Elsa’s seductive display; when it came to women, he held not the slightest inclination.
“However, before that…” The very next second, King Crimson’s fingers suddenly snapped closed with lethal force.
*Crack— Snap—* A few sharp sounds echoed out.
The sound of breaking bones was exceptionally clear in the quiet environment, carrying a texture that made one’s teeth ache.
Elsa let out a muffled grunt, her body shuddering violently, yet the smirk at the corner of her lips only deepened.
*Ah…* *So good.* *This feeling…* *Is simply divine.* After temporarily crippling her limbs, King Crimson began to pat her down.
Its fingers reached into her sleeves.
One blade.
Feeling along her waist.
Two blades.
Sliding down along her thighs.
Three blades.
From inside her sleeves, across her back, within the straps along her inner thighs, and even out of hidden compartments in her heels, it retrieved a massive hoard of weapons.
Twin daggers for close quarters, flail-blades for mid-range, throwing knives for long distance, and heel-blades for close-range grappling.
Blades of every shape and size, their edges glinting with a cold sheen, clattered onto the ground, stacking into a miniature mountain.
Standing nearby, Emilia stared in wide-eyed shock, her eyes rounded into circles.
Watching the show from within, Subaru was similarly dumbfounded, his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an entire appa.
“Gah, this woman barely wears any cloth, yet she hid a whole arsenal,” Subaru grumbled internally.
Emilia swallowed hard.
“T-This is way too exaggerated, isn’t it?
Can a single person really hide this many knives?” Just then, King Crimson pinched an insignia between its fingers and pulled it out.
To an outsider, it looked as though it were floating out of thin air.
It was shaped like a dragon with outstretched wings, coiled into a perfect circle.
The dragon’s jaw was parted slightly, holding a deep crimson gem that radiated a warm, gentle glow in the dim light.
It was none other than Emilia’s insignia.
“Heh.
You’re useless now.” Diavolo tossed it casually, the insignia tracing an arc through the air before landing securely in Emilia’s arms.
His tone was icy, devoid of a single trace of warmth.
As if reading Diavolo’s thoughts, Subaru spoke up in distress: “Wait, Boss, are you actually going to finish her off?” It wasn’t that Subaru couldn’t tell right from wrong, but killing someone right after meeting them was still a bit hard for him to accept.
Mainly, his heart was simply too soft.
A normal person in his position would never leave behind future trouble.
“Subaru, wait!
We can call the royal guards, they should be able to handle this!” At the same time, Emilia spoke up as well, her voice laced with hesitation, seemingly wanting Diavolo to stay his hand as well.
Diavolo ignored Subaru, turning his head toward Emilia.
His green pupils were completely devoid of emotion, resembling two bottomless ancient wells.
“This woman is no simple task.
The guards won’t necessarily be able to contain her.
Besides, I have no time to wait for them to arrive.” “But…” Emilia bit her lower lip, unable to bear it.
“Enough, woman!” Diavolo’s voice dropped several degrees colder.
“Go look at the situation inside the warehouse, and you will understand why I am doing this.” “If I am not mistaken, this creature is an assassin from some organization.
A person like this deserves no mercy in death.” Hearing this, Emilia looked at Subaru, then glanced at Elsa, who was still chuckling maniacally, and ultimately nodded.
She turned around and walked toward the warehouse.
She also wanted to know what the situation inside the warehouse truly was.
As for Elsa…
perhaps Subaru was right.
Having sent Emilia away, Diavolo spoke up slowly inside their mind.
“Natsuki Subaru, do not be so naive.” “This is a world neither you nor I understand, riddled with danger at every turn.” “Holding goodwill toward this world is a mistake.” “Take right now, for instance.
If not for me, you and that woman would have undoubtedly died at her hands.” “Although I promised you I wouldn’t kill indiscriminately, a creature like this is an inevitable enemy.” “As you can tell from that insignia earlier, that woman Satella is no ordinary person.
You and I have likely already been dragged into this undercurrent, and holding back in any capacity could prove fatal.” Diavolo’s voice was exceedingly calm, as if stating a plain fact, yet it carried an undeniable force of authority.
“However, if you wish for me to spare her, that is fine as well.
After all, for you and me, death is not the end.” “Furthermore, even if future trouble remains, I have the ability to keep us both alive.” Subaru parted his lips, wanting to argue, yet he found himself at a loss for words.
He knew Boss was right.
But…
To kill someone…
*Muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda muda— MUDA!* Just as Subaru was torn, King Crimson’s barrage had already begun.
Though it only had one hand available, its speed was not slowed in the slightest.
Countless red fist-afterimages, carrying the howling shrieks of parting air, smashed densely into Elsa.
Indecision only invites disaster.
Who knew if Elsa had accomplices?
The longer this dragged on, the more dangerous it would become.
*Bang!* *Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!* A series of dull thuds merged into a single roar.
Flesh and blood flew everywhere, splashing against the walls and the ground, blooming like dark red flowers.
The sound of shattering bones echoed endlessly, crisp like crunching through crushed ice.
In a matter of seconds, Elsa was beaten into a puddle of minced meat.
Not a trace of human form remained, leaving only blood and shredded flesh across the floor, along with a few severed bone fragments.
“Gag…” Subaru said nothing, his stomach churning violently as sour bile surged up his throat.
Too grotesque.
This was way too grotesque.
Immediately after, Diavolo suddenly realized he had lost control of the physical body.
“Brat, this creature isn’t necessarily dead!
Don’t forget what you told me!” Diavolo warned from within, deeply displeased by Subaru’s sudden action.
“Sorry, Boss, let’s just leave it at this.
It’s already turned into…
*that*, she’s definitely dead.
Even if she isn’t, don’t I still have you?” “Right now, I want to go check on Satella first.
She must be feeling terrible.” Subaru’s voice trembled slightly, yet it remained firm.
He simply couldn’t watch any longer.
Even if the opponent was an assassin, even if she wanted to kill them…
To beat someone into minced meat…
Was just too terrifying.
Subaru took a deep breath, suppressing the discomfort in his stomach, and slowly walked into the warehouse.
Ahead lay a faint, gentle light—Emilia’s illumination magic, condensed into a small, warm cluster of fire within the dim building.
Catching sight of Emilia’s back, Subaru recalled the harsh words Diavolo had spoken earlier and hurriedly tried to explain: “Uh, Satella, I didn’t mean to talk to you like that just now, I…” —