“Jack?” Dora frowned, narrowing her eyes at him,
“I didn’t expect to see you here of all places. What exactly are you doing with those… weird monsters?” Her gaze shifted toward the Fox Monsters, her brows knitting together as she studied them closely.
There was something eerily familiar about them, something that triggered a memory. Then it hit her—they looked just like the creatures she and Aether had fought before.
“Huh? Have your ears gone deaf, old hag?” Jack shot back, tilting his head as he peered down at Dora and the others, his expression laced with mockery.
Dora’s lips twitched violently in irritation, while beside her, Mary let out a soft giggle.
“Tsk, what the hell are you giggling at, you damn bitch? Stop laughing and capture him already!” Dora snapped.
Mary stifled her giggles, her amusement quickly vanishing as her crimson eyes flickered ominously. She locked her gaze onto Jack, preparing to take control of his mind.
“Nope, nope, nope~” Jack chimed playfully, shifting his position on the mechanical fox he was sitting on. The machine reacted instantly, leaping around erratically, making it nearly impossible for Mary to lock onto him and use her ability.
“Tsk.” Mary clicked her tongue in frustration, her eyes narrowing as she watched the Mechanical Fox Monster dart around at an incredible speed. “Damn thing is fast… I can’t keep up with it,” she muttered under her breath.
Dora, meanwhile, observed the scene with surprise. ‘He can actually control that thing?’ she thought, genuinely taken aback. ‘How the hell did he manage to do that? Just what kind of trickery is this?’
Jack, still grinning, spread his arms theatrically. “Anyway, ladies… before we get too carried away, allow me to introduce my friends properly,” he said, just as he jumped off the Mechanical Fox.
In the next second, the creature lunged forward—straight at Dora.
“Fuck this!” Dora cursed as she swung her fist with all her might, striking the mechanical beast square in the face.
Though she knew this thing wasn’t as strong as an elephant, dealing a lethal blow to something like this was damn near impossible… without using Arcane energy of course!
Mary clicked her tongue again, her annoyance deepening as she watched the real Fox Monsters begin to circle around both her and Lia, their movements calculated and predatory.
“Dear, stay behind me and watch carefully. See what your mother is capable of—” Mary began, ready to put on a show, when—
“I don’t see Aether anywhere…” Lia suddenly murmured, her tone tinged with concern. She glanced around, scanning the area, searching for any sign that Aether had been here.
Mary froze for a moment, then blinked, ‘Even now, she’s looking for that damn servant? Argh! How far have you fallen, Mary~’ she mused bitterly, her lips pressing into a tight line.
It was almost painful to realize that her standing in her daughter’s heart was slipping—over some random, worthless bastard at that.
‘Motherfucker… I swear, I’m gonna kill him next time,’ she thought darkly, gritting her teeth as her killing intent surged.
The Fox Monsters growled in unison, their deep, guttural snarls filling the air as they fixated on the blurry figure—Mary.
“Grrrrlll!”
“Grrllll!”
Mary arched a brow, “Huh? What’s with all the noise?” she muttered in an indifferent tone. Before the monsters could lunge at her, she drove her bare fist straight into one of their open mouths.
Pufff!
Nnngggffff!!
The monster flinched violently, a muffled, pained growl escaping it as its massive tongue was suddenly yanked out—ripped from its mouth entirely.
Chucckkkk!
Thud!
The beast’s lifeless body collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud, twitching for a brief moment before going completely still.
Mary stood there, gripping the severed tongue like a prize, her lips curling into a wicked grin. She casually lifted it, displaying it to the remaining monsters, letting them see exactly what had just happened.
The Fox Monsters snarled even louder, their fury intensifying. It was clear now—they weren’t experiencing fear. If anything, they were becoming more aggressive.
‘Strange… they’re not backing down? Are they under some kind of control?’ she speculated, her gaze shifting toward Jack, who was watching the whole scene with an amused expression.
“Lia, dear… why don’t you go have a little fun with Jack? Teach him a lesson—show him that even if he’s a so-called chosen one, he still needs to respect royalty~” Mary said in a sweet, almost sing-song voice.
Lia nodded without hesitation. In the blink of an eye, she shifted into her bat form and darted toward Jack.
The moment the monsters saw the bat, their instincts kicked in, and they lunged at her, their jaws snapping, trying to tear her out of the air. However—
“HOW DARE YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT TOUCHING MY DEAR!!” Mary’s voice rang out, booming across the battlefield. A sharp, blood-red sphere shot forward at an alarming speed, piercing straight through the mouth of one of the monsters. The beast let out a guttural, gurgling cry before crumpling to the ground in a grotesque heap.
Dora glanced at Mary, who was fully immersed in the fight now, a gleam of sadistic pleasure in her eyes. Letting out a small sigh, Dora refocused on the massive Mechanical Monster standing before her.
“Well then… looks like you’ve got all my attention now,” she murmured, a grin slowly spreading across her lips. Reaching into her storage, she pulled out a handful of Arcanium metal balls—something she had kept just in case they ever had to face another creature like the Elephant.
With a flick of her finger, Dora shot the metal ball straight at the Mechanical Monster. The moment it made contact with the creature—one designed to absorb arcane energy—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted as the arcane energy within the monster surged wildly, causing its body to jolt and spark uncontrollably.
“Arrhh!” The Mechanical Fox Monster groaned in pain, its metallic body trembling from the force of the blast.
Dora smirked, twirling another metal ball between her fingers. “Yeah? Now you’re feeling it, fucker?” she taunted, her tone laced with amusement as she casually played with the remaining metal balls in her palm.
The monster let out a furious growl, its mechanical joints creaking as it crouched low.
“Grrrrlll!” Without hesitation, it launched itself toward her.
Meanwhile—
“So, this is where we finally settle our scores, huh, Jack?” Lia murmured, taking slow, deliberate steps forward. In her grip, she held a thin, blood-red sword, its edge gleaming ominously!
Jack frowned, “Scores? What the hell are you talking about?” His brows furrowed deeply as he stared at her. As far as he could remember, he had never fought Lia directly.
So why was she looking at him like he was her mortal enemy all of a sudden?
“Oh? Have you already forgotten?” Lia’s voice held a slight hint of surprise, but soon, her lips curled into an amused yet annoyed smile. “Of course… for people like you, a mere servant isn’t even worth remembering—let alone Aether.”
“Aether?” Jack’s frown deepened. Why the hell was she bringing him up?
“Yeah, bastard… That day… You might have forgotten it, but I haven’t,” Lia seethed, gripping her sword tighter, “That day when you beat him during the flag game… You sick bastard!”
Without another word, she lunged forward, her sword cutting through the air as she aimed straight for him.
“W-Wait! What?” Jack’s eyes widened as he barely registered her words before instinct kicked in, and he immediately jumped back, avoiding the strike just in time.
Tang!
Her blade struck the ground with a sharp, metallic clang. Slowly, she flipped her hair back, her crimson eyes burning with unrelenting fury.
“That day, I made a promise… I swore I would get justice for him,” she declared, her killing intent growing stronger with every word.
Jack gritted his teeth, frustration flashing across his face. “I don’t fucking understand you, you crazy woman!!” he shouted as he dodged again, barely avoiding another lethal strike.
Lia, however, only grinned, her movements growing sharper and more aggressive. She attacked relentlessly, her sword slicing through the air with precision.
Jack barely had a moment to breathe before Lia lunged at him again, her blood-red sword slicing through the air like a flash of crimson lightning.
CLANG!
“Shit—!” He gritted his teeth, stumbling back as Lia pressed forward, her attacks becoming faster, more relentless.
“You’re just running, Jack! What’s wrong? Can’t even fight back?” Lia sneered, her voice dripping with mockery. Her eyes gleamed with uncontained bloodlust as she twisted her sword in her grip, its red glow intensifying.
Jack narrowed his eyes. “You crazy bitch… you’re actually trying to kill me over some dumbass flag game?” He clicked his tongue in irritation, sidestepping another one of her deadly slashes.
“You don’t get it, do you?” Lia’s voice was laced with venom as she spun mid-air, bringing her sword down in a vertical arc.
Jack’s instincts screamed at him.
He ducked.
WHOOSH!
The blade barely missed his neck, slicing through strands of his hair instead. A shiver crawled up his spine. If he had reacted even a fraction of a second later… he’d be headless right now.
Lia’s grin widened as she caught the flicker of fear in his eyes.
Jack’s breathing was ragged, his muscles burning from exertion. He was fast—but Lia was faster. Every time he moved to the counter, she was already a step ahead, pressing her attack mercilessly.
Then—
A sharp pain shot through his leg as Lia’s blade grazed him, drawing blood. His foot faltered. That single moment of hesitation was all she needed.
In a flash, Lia was on him. With a swift, brutal strike, she knocked him off balance. Jack crashed onto his back, gasping as he crawled backwards, his body aching. Lia’s cold, indifferent gaze bore into him as she stepped forward, pressing the tip of her sword against his throat.
Jack froze…
“Any last words?” Lia asked, her voice devoid of emotion.
Jack clenched his jaw, staring up at her before exhaling sharply,
“Yeah…”
Then—he grinned.
In a split second, he reached into his coat and pulled out a sleek black gun.
“BANG~”
BANG!!
The gunshot rang out, echoing through the desolate place.
The bullet pierced…. Empty space!
“Are you okay, baby?”
Mary’s voice was filled with worry as she cradled Lia protectively, her expression tight with fear. She had moved in an instant, snatching her daughter out of harm’s way before the bullet could find its mark.
Lia blinked, still trying to grasp what just happened. She wasn’t scared—no, that wasn’t it. Instead, she felt something was off.
Her gaze flickered to Jack, her frown deepening.
‘Was that… a mistake?’ She thought even though she was practically before Jack… but the bullet didn’t shoot at her!
Jack’s face twisted in frustration, “Fuck! I missed it!!” he cursed, his teeth grinding together. He had her—she was right there in his grasp! If not for that damn woman interfering at the last second…!
Just as he was about to make his next move—
“Enough!”
CRACK!!
“ARRHHH!!!”
A sharp, sickening snap filled the air as a wave of pain exploded through Jack’s arm. His gun clattered to the ground. His vision blurred for a second before he realized what had happened—
Dora had caught him.
Her grip was ironclad, her expression unreadable as she twisted his arm back mercilessly, breaking it in one swift motion. Jack let out a choked scream, his face contorting in agony.
“Where is Victor?” Dora’s voice was quiet—too quiet. But beneath that calmness, there was something else—something deadly.
Jack sucked in a breath, his entire body shuddering from the pain. His vision darted past her, past the battlefield, and his stomach dropped.
The fox monsters—slaughtered. Their bodies lay in a grotesque, bloody mess.
And the mechanical monster?
Flattened. Completely crushed and broken!!
Jack let out a dry, broken chuckle. “Hah… haha… Hah…” His lips curled into a twisted grin.
Then, suddenly—
“MASTER!!”
Meanwhile,
“I fall in loveeee~ with youuu~~” Victor lying inside the cube comfortably lying down on the bed as he whistled~
