“…!”
From somewhere, a faint scream echoed.
Sarah, just barely regaining consciousness, suddenly felt an inexplicable tightness constricting her body. She instinctively twisted and turned, but her limbs wouldn’t budge, as if bound tightly by some invisible force. Sensing something was wrong, she slowly opened her eyes. As her vision cleared, muffled voices nearby drifted into her ears.
“Yeah, that’s what I’m saying. Why are you blaming me? If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have even noticed those bastards slipping away. Damn, this sucks.”
The voice was familiar—somewhat naive yet bright—but Sarah’s face twisted with disbelief. She was sure she’d heard it just a few hours ago. Yet, the crude words didn’t match the tone.
“Hah. Listen to this guy talk. Hey, it’s not that you messed up, it’s just that you took way too long. People even started saying you were doing it on purpose to screw us over.”
A rough voice joined in. Sarah swallowed hard. Though different from before, it was another familiar voice—one she could never forget. To her, it was the voice of her mortal enemy.
But instead of burning hatred, a deeper question gnawed at her mind. Why was his voice suddenly here? Where was this place? What had happened to her?
“If you’d gone just a bit further, you’d have hit the Northern Continent. You know that, right? You were there two years ago. It’s crawling with monsters.”
“Oh, so you’re the expert who set up this camp, huh?”
“Hey, man! Do you know how much tension built up getting here? But we still had time to blow off steam.”
“Alright, alright! Do you think I came here because I wanted to? It’s all because of that woman. She’s so suspicious and sharp… ugh!”
At that moment, a sharp blow struck the top of Sarah’s head. She groaned and lifted her head to see Arnold scowling down at her. Her eyes widened in shock, and Arnold’s gaze sharpened in surprise.
“Ah, Arnold?”
“Oh? You’re awake?”
Their voices overlapped as they stared at each other.
But it was only for a moment. Then a cold smile crept onto Arnold’s lips. Sarah felt her mind spiral into confusion. No matter how many times she blinked, his sneer remained.
…No. Maybe he already knew. Sarah wasn’t a fool. She was clever and sharp. After hearing their conversation, she had a near certainty about one possibility—one she just refused to admit.
“Arnold… why…?”
“Ah, so you heard, huh? I was gonna play it cool when you woke up. What a shame~.”
“But you told me you were going to find our friends!”
“Oh! Those friends?”
Arnold grinned and strode over, grabbing a handful of Sarah’s hair and yanking her close. Despite the roughness, a strange unease crept over her.
He dragged her outside the tent.
“Don’t worry. We found your friends, alright.”
With a sly tone, Arnold forced her chin up and whispered in her ear.
A moment later—
The dread Sarah felt became reality.
The sun hung high in the sky, warm rays bathing the land. A gentle breeze stirred the dew-laden forest.
The scenery was peaceful. But what unfolded within the woods was anything but.
Hundreds of screams and cries filled the air—a living hell painted in vivid detail.
“Ahhh! No! Please, no! Help me!”
“Hahaha!”
On one side, four or five men surrounded a young woman clutching a baby—the same woman Sarah had seen earlier. Tears streamed down her face as she desperately moved her hips, trying to resist. When her pace slowed, one of the men would lift the baby high, shaking it cruelly. The woman shook her head, crying out in despair, but kept struggling. The men chuckled darkly.
Her husband was long dead—a cold corpse with a gaping hole in his chest, lying nearby. He had fought bravely against the outlaws approaching his wife and child but was overwhelmed.
Nearby, a boy no older than ten lay naked beneath a female outlaw, who was mercilessly pressing down on him. The boy didn’t resist, flinching with each blow. His vacant eyes stared blankly at his sister’s lifeless, torn face.
Elsewhere, the lawless marauders committed unspeakable acts—murder and lust without restraint.
“Ah… ah…”
Sarah tried to scream, but no sound escaped her throat. Was it because she finally understood? Because hope had vanished? Or was the shock simply too great? Her trembling lips refused to move. Only ragged breaths escaped.
“Heh. Nice expression you’ve got there.”
Someone sneered nearby.
Turning her head, Sarah’s face twisted in disgust.
“Long time no see, Sarah Jane.”
A burly man with a scruffy beard chuckled.
“Joffrey…!”
Sarah gritted her teeth. But Joffrey swaggered closer, bent over with a smirk, and brought his face near hers.
“I told you, didn’t I? No matter how hard you try, you’re still in my palm.”
“…”
“So, how does it feel? To end up like this.”
“Spit!”
Sarah spat fiercely. The saliva clung to her upper lip, but Joffrey didn’t wipe his smile away. Instead, he licked it up with a look of delight.
“You and your sister Vivian… why do you both live such miserable lives?”
He caressed Sarah gently, as if handling something precious.
“I’ll kill you… I’ll kill you all…!”
“Kill? You should’ve accepted my offer earlier. Just give me your body whenever I want, and I’d treat you like my concubine. You’d live comfortably. How about that?”
As he spoke, Joffrey hastily pulled down his pants. His eagerness betrayed how pent-up he was.
“Bullshit…! Ugh?!”
Sarah tried to shout, but a sudden, foul sensation filled her mouth. Joffrey had shoved his discarded underwear into it. The stench was overwhelming, making her gag. She trembled as a shadow loomed closer.
“Really now. Planning to be the boss?”
“This stuff takes a day or so to wear off. And I deserve some fun. I’ve wanted to hold her like this for so long.”
“Oh, sure. Do as you please. But be careful—last time Vivian bit someone and castrated him.”
“That’s why I gagged her. Heh heh heh heh heh!”
Joffrey’s face twisted with excitement as he pushed Sarah down. Other outlaws gathered, snickering and watching. Arnold was among them. Sarah looked sideways in disbelief, desperate to shout or ask questions.
“What are you staring at, you dumb bitch?”
But Arnold only sneered coldly, watching. At that moment, the last thread of hope Sarah clung to shattered like a bubble.
Crack!
Joffrey’s hands tore through Sarah’s pants without hesitation. A sudden rush of cold air exposed her most private parts. Tears welled in her eyes. Overwhelmed by shame, she bit her lower lip hard. Disappointment, anger, self-blame, regret—all stormed through her.
We were almost there.
We had come so far.
We should have kept going.
But now… now…
“Ha… this is killing me.”
Joffrey paid no mind, mounting her with renewed enthusiasm. Sarah’s eyes went blank, staring emptily at the sky.
Then—
Suddenly, confusion flickered in Sarah’s eyes. The once bright sky had darkened. A single bird circled overhead, glowing with a golden light.
Rumble, rumble!
Not only that, but gathering storm clouds crackled with bursts of golden electricity.
“Alright! Then let’s start Sarah Jane’s virgin initiation… wha—what’s going on?”
Joffrey, who had been shouting excitedly, paused, tilting his head in confusion. He glanced up at the strange sky and flinched.
At that moment—
Crash! Crash!
Thunder shook the heavens again.
Cracklezzzzzt!
Countless bolts of lightning rained down explosively, spraying yellow light as they struck, blanketing the entire forest.
Like divine punishment unleashed from the heavens, the lightning plunged straight down to the earth in a torrential downpour.
Thunderclaps roared, chilling to the bone, as the earth itself seemed to grind beneath the impact.
The lightning struck with terrifying speed—and with deadly precision—each bolt targeting a single outlaw.
“Krrrrrrrrrraaaack!”
“Aaaaargh!”
There was no time to react. The thunder tore through the air, followed instantly by the outlaws’ screams echoing everywhere.
“Huh…?”
Sara barely managed to steady herself, a tingling sensation coursing through her body. Then she froze in shock. Joffrey—the one who had been on top of her just moments ago—was now nothing but charred ash, blackened and crumbling in an instant. He had been struck by lightning. Yet Sara felt only that electric thrill, completely unharmed.
Frantically scanning her surroundings, Sara swallowed hard.
Flames flickered. Strangely, the lightning’s fire burned only on the bodies of the fallen outlaws scattered about.
Some outlaws still stood, but perhaps stunned by the sudden onslaught, they all seemed frozen in place, staring blankly up at the sky.
Of course, Kim Soo-hyun wasn’t about to let that moment slip by.
Yes. At last, the rescue team summoned by the angel had arrived.
“Ha ha ha ha ha ha!”
A rough laugh echoed through the forest. Shadows darted through the underbrush like hawks in pursuit. Their speed rivaled the lightning’s first strike as they swiftly tore through the foliage and descended upon the outlaws.
The first to charge was a towering man who burst into a wild grin and slammed his spear down with all his might right into the heart of the outlaw group.
Boom!
The earth itself seemed to shatter under the devastating force, sending a cloud of dust billowing as the stunned outlaws were crushed beneath the blow.
Crack!
A brutal explosion ripped through the air. A group of outlaws, struck by an invisible force, erupted all at once. Flesh and blood splattered in every direction—not just crushed, but blown apart as if hit by a bomb.
“An… ambush!”
One outlaw who had managed to regain his senses tried to shout a warning.
Thunk!
But he never got the chance. An arrow curved through the air from somewhere, piercing straight through his mouth and out the back of his head. He collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
“Who’s next~? Heh heh heh!”
The giant man who had charged in first spun his spear with a menacing grin. His bloodshot eyes gleamed with deadly intent as he scanned for prey. Now that the situation was clearer, the outlaws began to panic and retreat.
But did they realize what was coming? Cloaked figures in gray robes silently emerged, stalking forward from the very direction the outlaws fled.
No—figures appeared slowly from all directions: north, south, east, and west.
“Th-this is…”
Amid the chaos, Sara whispered, her voice trailing off as she looked around in stunned disbelief.
From the ground, thick black smoke began to rise, swirling with an ominous energy.
And then—
“Come forth, Pierre!”
A woman’s strong voice rang out.
“You, the mad jester of the Fourth Legion’s blazing flames!”
Her clear, commanding call echoed through the forest.
At last, the signal for a one-sided massacre had been fired.