The Raid (2)

I gave it some thought.

A chaotic, all-out battle would be difficult for two reasons.

First, even if they were injured, they still vastly outnumbered us. Second, it would be impossible to single out and spare the key executives in the middle of a free-for-all.

That meant we had to pick them off one by one.

The boss was last. He was badly injured, but he was still an A-rank. To be safe, we would all take him down together.

Next were the executives. They were either guarding the boss or commanding the regular grunts. Dealing with them would be the main challenge.

First, Kim Hee-an was set. He needed to identify the executives for us.

Then, we had to separate the executives from the boss and the other members. That was Park Se-hyuk’s job. He would transform into his werewolf form, and Kim Hee-an would lure the executives out by claiming a monster had appeared.

The organization was severely weakened and their boss was badly hurt, so a good number of executives were sure to come out to protect him.

But they wouldn’t come alone. They’d definitely bring some grunts with them. And frankly, Park Se-hyuk and Kim Hee-an wouldn’t be enough to handle them all.

So we would add Lee Jin-ho, the projectile user. He would lie in ambush and provide support by throwing his projectiles while Park Se-hyuk and Kim Hee-an were fighting.

I actually considered adding Namgung Yoon and Park Eun-su to that team as well.

The problem was, that would leave me to deal with all the regular members by myself.

Of course, since I’d be alone, if things got too hairy, I could just drop my transformation and incinerate them all with my flames…

Wait.

But… can I actually kill people?

Just as I was about to get lost in that thought, I was met with fierce opposition from my guild members.

Letting their inexperienced Guild Master face that many people alone? It was out of the question.

Of course, I had an ace up my sleeve, but I couldn’t explain it to them, so I kept quiet.

Well, I wasn’t entirely quiet. It was just that one question—

Can I really kill another person?

—was the only thing echoing in my mind.

Still, the planning had to continue. Kim Hee-an needed to get back soon. If they came looking for him and found us instead…

But assigning Namgung Yoon and Park Eun-su to me would leave the team handling the executives too vulnerable.

It was a clear disadvantage stemming from their sheer numbers.

(At this, everyone shot Kim Hee-an a dirty look.)

Truthfully, I had another option besides dropping my transformation and wiping them out with flames.

A contingency I’d prepared just in case.

The aphrodisiac.

According to Kim Hee-an, they were already under the influence of a poison that dulled the senses, an aphrodisiac (the other guild members, unaware of the full story, stared at him like he was insane), and another poison that tangled the mana in their bodies.

The executives might be able to resist, but the E and D-rank grunts would be heavily affected.

I could then use my ‘Authority – Lust’ to add another layer of aphrodisiac effect, lower their mental defenses, manifest my horns, and use the enhanced ‘Devil’s Whisper’ to hypnotize the entire group.

That would lead to a much more peaceful outcome than incinerating them all.

I’d set it up as a ‘nice to have, but no big deal if not’ kind of plan, but now it was proving to be crucial.

There was just one problem with this plan, too.

If I cast the hypnosis with other guild members nearby, I had no idea how it might affect them.

No matter how I looked at it, I had to do this part alone.

But since the guild members were so anxious, I came up with the idea of a reserve team.

Namgung Yoon and Park Eun-su would stand by and join whichever group needed them most.

I would be the one to give the signal.

If I signaled that I was fine, they’d go help Park Se-hyuk’s team. If I signaled for help, they’d come to me.

The signal would be a magical firecracker, filled with Namgung Yoon’s flames, launched into the sky.

And once one team finished their task, they would immediately go to help the other.

Finally, we’d all take on the boss together.

With the plan settled, all that was left was to carry it out.

*

The enemy was just beyond.

I wondered if the other five were doing okay.

Were there any holes in our plan?

There had to be. Now that I thought about it, there were far too many.

We hadn’t established a signal for an emergency retreat, for instance. We didn’t have precise intel on the enemy.

The plan was full of holes.

But it was too late to back out now.

No matter how much I cursed Kim Hee-an, the die had been cast.

The only silver lining was that in our world, trying hard actually increased the odds of the die landing on a high number.

I slipped off my robe.

The Nephthra Suit I wore underneath was revealed.

I wouldn’t be taking the suit off.

It could protect me from minor wounds, and I had no idea what was about to happen. More importantly—

I was plenty alluring even with it on.

I kept my horns retracted for now.

They created a sense of unease, so I would save them for the moment lust reached its peak.

I saw a large boulder up ahead.

The enemy was right behind it.

I knew, even without seeing them.

I could feel the faint presence of their white flames.

Unlike normal flames, these were flickering violently, their average size far from stable.

That must be the aphrodisiac at work.

If things went south, I could just incinerate them all with my flames, but…

…could I really bring myself to do it?

“Haaa…”

Time was pushing me forward…

*

“Those Black Turtle motherfuckers.”

Who knew they’d launch a surprise attack at dawn.

We barely managed to win, but the boss is hurt, the vice-boss is dead, and the execs… is a single one of them even in one piece?

If we get hit again now, we’re finished. I don’t care about anyone else, but the boss has to make it.

Of course, the Black Turtles are the only crew strong enough to take us on, but still… A monster just had to show up, and a few execs took some guys to go hunt it down.

I thought you said there weren’t any monsters here, you morons.

This whole organization is a mess, but if the Turtles are really wiped out, maybe things will be fine once we take their territory.

…God, I feel drowsy.

And suddenly… I’m rock hard.

What the hell?

Am I about to die or something? Is this that survival instinct crap? They say babies are still born in the middle of a war, but it’s not like my wounds are fatal…

Ah, I wanna fuck.

Ugh, my head’s all fuzzy. Did they say they put extra painkillers in the potions?

Just then, my eyes fell on the junior member’s crotch.

Damn, he’s packing, the little bastard.

“Hey, what’s with you?”

“Sir?”

“Full of energy, are we? All your seniors are dying over here, and you’re just standing there all lively? Huh?”

“Ah, I’m sorry, sir!”

“If you’re sorry, then—”

Just then, someone emerged from behind the distant boulder.

Who was that?

…A woman.

What the hell? No one’s supposed to be in here—

And she was wearing a purple, skin-tight suit. Her figure… her breasts, her hips… they were just—

Shit.

No wonder I was so horny today. Is this fate? A woman—and a fucking gorgeous one at that—just appears out of nowhere! Goddamn it!

Just you wait right—

“Hold on.”

Even from a distance, her beautiful voice struck my ears like a hammer. Her voice was gorgeous, too. I couldn’t help but imagine what she’d sound like moaning beneath me.

“There are too many of you…”

Huh?

I finally looked around and saw that every other man was staring at her, just like me.

“Hey, what do you want!” “That bitch is mine.” “Who the hell just said she’s theirs?” “Hah, she’s so fucking hot.” “Hey, how old are you!”

A murmur rippled through the crowd, quickly escalating into a cacophony of shouts and curses.

Fuck, what are they all talking about?

That bitch is mine.

Her breasts, her cunt, her lips, her hips, her ass, her hands, her feet—all of it—

“Enough.”

Silence.

Everyone waited for her next words.

She tilted her head, and the corners of her lips slowly curled upward…

Wow, that smile…

The moment I saw it, my heart began to pound like a drum.

“…Yes, I think one will be enough… Just… one.”

One?

One person out of all of us? Did that make any sense?

…

…But she’d give it up for that one person, right? Huh? If there was only one man left, she’d do it with him, right?

I glanced around. Everyone’s eyes were filled with menace. Hah, these fucking bastards.

My right hand instinctively went to my belt.

“Has everyone more or less understood?”

A knife settled into my hand as if it belonged there.

Everyone else, get the fuck out of my way—

“Now, kill each other.”

—because that bitch is mine.

The tip of my knife plunged into the junior in front of me, and at the exact same moment, the bastard’s blade sank into my gut.

*

Hm… what was that?

The hypnosis worked far better than I’d expected.

Then again, what could a ‘slave’ of lust possibly do before its ‘master’?

In any case, a scene of utter carnage unfolded before me.

“Die!” “She’s mine!” “You son of a bitch!” “Drop dead!” “How dare you!”

It was pandemonium.

I couldn’t tell if the hypnosis had taken hold that easily, or if this violence had been lurking just beneath the surface all along. They immediately drew their weapons and began stabbing one another.

Low-rank Awakeners tended to be Enhancement-types rather than Magic or Transformation-types, so most of them fought with their bodies or with weapons.

Blood sprayed everywhere.

“Aargh!” “Die!” “Gah—!” “Kuh.” “Ghk—.”

Soon, the battlefield was filled with screams and groans.

Blood poured from gaping wounds. In one spot, I saw intestines; in another… was that brain matter?

Ugh… I don’t have the stomach for this kind of thing.

But still… was this really something worth fighting so violently over?

I was worried the hypnosis would be too weak, so I’d given a strong command, thinking they would just subdue one another…

Even if they were members of a criminal organization, was it right for them to die like this?

*

Slowly, things grew quiet.

The signal flare had already been fired, illuminating the sky.

The reserve team must have gone to help the group dealing with the executives.

There were few people still moving, few whose ribs were even still heaving. And even those were slowly…

…

Right. I should go help the others—

Just as I had that thought, I saw a figure in the distance.

The figure stumbled forward, slowly making its way over.

It seemed to be heading in my direction—specifically for me—so I began to walk slowly toward it.

We stopped at the same time, close enough to see each other’s faces, but not too close. The man said nothing, conveying his intent with his piercing gaze alone.

An aura like this…

“Are you the boss?”

“…I am. I was wondering where everyone had gone. You’ve certainly made a spectacular mess of things.”

“…You flatter me.”

“I take it that monster was your doing as well.”

“I suppose it was, yes.”

The boss. An A-rank Enhancement-type, from what I’d heard. And just as I’d been told, he primarily used a sword.

But what was this?

His leg was injured.

One of his arms was mangled, too.

“Find it amusing?”

He must have caught me staring.

“The sight of a swordsman with an injured leg.”

The boss’s aura was immense, like that of a wounded beast. If not for his leg, I had no doubt he would have lunged at me and torn out my throat.

“No. It’s not amusing at all. In fact, what’s more—”

But why run a criminal organization with an aura like that?

“—what’s truly amusing is that a man who calls himself a ‘swordsman’ is the boss of a criminal outfit.”

“…What?”

A loud laugh erupted from him. The boss was laughing.

“…You’re right. Yes. I wonder when I fell so low. To be on the verge of death, ambushed by a common whore.”

A whore, huh.

I couldn’t exactly… refute that. But it wasn’t important right now.

“Speaking of which, how would you like to work for that whore? It’ll be difficult to take over this place as is, so I’ll need someone to manage it. I’ll even let you keep your position.”

After all, I was planning on letting this organization’s executives continue to run things anyway.

“Hah. Me? Don’t be absurd.”

Fine, your loss.

“Wouldn’t it be better than dying?”

“I’d rather die than work for a whore who’s weaker than me.”

He keeps calling me a whore, doesn’t he?

“You have a point. A swordsman who died with dignity at the hands of a whore is better than one who works beneath her. Wait, is it really better? On second thought, I guess it is. Your entire organization was taken down by that one whore. It would be pretty pathetic if their boss then went to work for her.”

“…And you think you can kill me?”

His fighting spirit flared.

“I can certainly try. But are you sure you won’t work for me?”

An A-rank was too valuable to waste.

“We might get along better than you think. I do my best to give people what they desire, you know? Whatever… that may be…” I smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

“…Not even if I die.”

The boss’s white flame flared for a moment before shrinking back to its original size.

So A-ranks really were different.

Other men’s flames would surge wildly at the mere sight of me.

Then again, there was Yoo Yi-jun… hmm.

But men have trouble getting it up when they get older, don’t they? Their sex drive fades. It’s not that he resisted my seduction, not at all. It’s just a natural part of aging, right? This has nothing to do with my pride. A man’s libido really can decrease with age. Besides, I’m the enemy who just destroyed his entire organization.

“…Then again, it would have been more suspicious if you’d accepted my offer right away. I’d always be wondering when you were going to stab me in the back.”

Those must be sour grapes. It’s not that I can’t have them, I just don’t want them because they’re probably sour.

“Khaha, and you made the offer knowing that?”

“And aren’t you just the same, kicking away a perfect opportunity to stab me in the back?”

“You talk too much. Come.”

“…Very well.”

Fine. If I can’t eat the sour grapes, I might as well poke them.

‘Release Transformation.’

Certain parts of my suit that had been stretched to their limits suddenly receded as my body began to change.

The boss’s wide-eyed stare was just a bonus.

“Wha—!”

On second thought, there was no reason for me to be the one to approach an injured A-rank swordsman.

It wasn’t like there was anyone around to watch.

Ah, right. And soon, there wouldn’t be anyone left at all.