"T-this..."

Ruina saw the heads of Algar and Ferd, the two bodyguards that were under the command of Arthur Wolfson, the Student Council President of the Obelisk Academy.

Arthur Wolfson, on the other hand, was cut again by Freya — who calmed down after some time after she beheaded Algar — so that he wouldn't be able to move with his condition due to the Intrinsic Effect: Desolation, while Reinhardt of the Apollon family was groaning in pain and was lacking the strength to move, barely hanging to his life due to excessive bleeding of his tongue.

"If I were you, I wouldn't resist, so stop thinking of a way to escape, it's all painted in your pretty face."

Amelie took out something from her Dimensional Inventory, and then toss it to Ruina, who was standing from a distance.

"Mana Nullifier?"

It's a handcuff that's used to restrain criminals, but with Azalea's authority as the "secret" owner of the Black Market known as Thorn of Rose, Russell had purchased them with her help for quite an amount.

Russell took out one, as well as Freya, then they put it on to Reinhardt and Arthur respectively.

"Aren't you going to put it on yourself?"

Amelie retracted her gaze from Russell and Freya, then looked back to Ruina, who was staring at a gray in color handcuff on the floor that was emanating a blue aura with a little magic circle carved on it.

"W-where did you get them? It's standard military equipment used against criminals! Y-you! Are the three of you undercover in the academy?!"

Ruina became cautious, still not picking up the Mana Nullifier.

"That's a ludicrous thing for you to say."

Russell's cold voice interjected as he and his younger sister dragged Reinhardt and Arthur's weakening bodies and lined them up together, causing Amelie to form a faint smile before she added...

"Ruina... last chance, are you going to put it on yourself, or we'll do it by force?"

Ruina contemplated what had transpired before she slowly picked up the Mana Nullifier and put it to her wrists.

Click-!

At that moment, the gray-colored handcuff that's made of a metal called E-Alloy or Enhanced Alloy that's discovered Post-Emergence had its blue aura intensified and Ruina felt like she became a normal human that only existed Pre-Emergence.

"That's a wise decision."

Russell spoke as he slowly approached her after she walked near the kneeling Arthur Wolfson — who was in disbelief; and Reinhardt – who couldn't even speak, shot glares towards him.

...

"Ruina, tell the guards in any way, standing by the door outside not to disturb anything inside at the moment."

Russell ordered her, while Reinhardt and Arthur looked at her with eyes that were begging her to inform the guards.

The distance between the trio who were kneeling was about a meter apart; Arthur Wolfson was kneeling in the middle with his hands on his back that's on handcuffed; Reinhardt Apollon was on the left side, while Ruina was kneeling on the right side of the battered Student Council President.

Ruina looked at Russell with her disbelieving crimson eyes as she pricked up her brows despite her situation.

He took a measure that even though the inside of the VIP Room was under the Trait: Nihility, the two guards outside might still come in out of nowhere.

"I see... you think I'm crazy, right? These two clearly are eyeing you to report what's happening inside, but even though you scream from here, they won't hear you."

"Y-you motherf*cker!"

Arthur Wolfson, after an unknown period of time, interjected.

historical

Russell crouched down in front of Arthur upon hearing him.

Smack-! Smack-!

Russell slapped him on his right cheek, and his left cheek.

"Y-you-"

Smack-! Smack-!

He repeatedly slapped the battered face of Arthur, causing Ruina to have her crimson eyes to dilate; Amelie, on the one hand, was grinning in the spectacle as if she wanted to do it, and on the other hand, Freya was just looking in front of her as though her world was somewhere else.

"I'm not talking to you, so shut your filthy mouth, or else you'll be the same as that bastard on your left."

Arthur looked at Reinhardt and noticed that his mouth was bleeding, he then realized that Reinhardt's tongue was missing.

"...Y-you won't get away with this! Do you think you will be safe after this!? You bunch of first ye–!"

Bam-!

"When you are told to shut up, just do so S-I-R Arthur."

Amelie – using the Staff of the Lost Shade (Growth) – had slapped him so hard, causing a few numbers of his white teeth to fly off.

Ruina – who was watching everything from the side – looked at Russell before she asked with curiosity.

"You... why are you trusting me that I won't tell the guards outside if you let me go there?"

"Hmm... I see, don't get me wrong, I don't trust you, but... it's the only way you'll get to live.

"Apart from that..."

...

Russell crouched down in front of Ruina and whispered something to her ears that couldn't be heard by everyone inside.

Ruina's crimson eyes dilated and her lips trembled upon hearing the words of Russell. Amelie and Freya, as well as Arthur and Reinhardt, became curious about what he said because Ruina's expression turned into something they wouldn't expect in this situation.

After her trembling lips, it turned into a wide smile.

...

"Freya, can you gag Arthur's mouth first, he might scream the moment the door opens even slightly."

Russell asked his younger sister, in which she nodded in response Everyone in the VIP Room was tainted with blood, especially because of the blood that gushed out from the necks of Algar and Ferd when their heads were cut off.

After a few seconds, Ruina, with her hands on her back, stood up and approached the door; she then slightly opened it, causing her crimson eyes to peek outside through the small gap.

The two guards who were on standby reacted and saw her.

"Don't disturb us in any way possible unless it's an emergency."

The two guards — who couldn't clearly see what was happening inside due to party lights — nodded at her words.

Ruina walked back, and glanced at Arthur and Reinhardt with an excited expression, causing them to feel confused about the sudden change of Ruina.

"R-Ruina?? Why? Did you just betray us?!"

Arthur's blue eyes shot glares at her while he was gritting his teeth, with seething indignation.

...

"Mr. Student Council President, answer the questions that I will ask, so you will live."

Russell took a stool — from the corner of the VIP Room — that wasn't used due to the numerous couch, places it a meter away from Arthur, then sat on it.

"Hahahaha! Do you think you will get away with this if you let me live?! I'm not an idiot!

"I don't know how the three of you possess such strengths, but you all are still weak-ass brats against high-rank players!"

Arthur said with a wide smile on his face, feeling elated as he thought that these people had made the greatest mistake of their lives by messing with him.

"Of course, we're just an ant to them, but what about you? Something less than an ant because you are in that situation right now?"

Russell rebutted as he scoffed at Arthur's words.

Arthur subconsciously clenched his fists on his back, but before he could answer, Russell added...

"How many people have you enslaved? You see, I never forgive you for manipulating Bailey Clarkson to spread rumors about me and Victoria.

"And spare the words, I know about your skills, and the Ela's Needle is the artifact you need to amplify your control-related skills, right?"

Arthur listened to Russell's words that were spoken, full of certainty, causing his blue eyes to widen in disbelief.

"Y-you have a Status Appraisal Skill?!"

He spoke in anger, but his words just left Russell's ear from the right to his ear on the left.

"Answer the question."

Russell insisted.

"Hahahaha! I don't know, I'm not counting, but probably... more than a thousand??"

Amelie and Freya's eyes constricted upon hearing the laugh, and his answer.

"I see... thank you for your honesty. I can't believe it will come out of your own mouth, at least it saves us some time here even for a few seconds."

Arthur, Reinhardt, and Ruina didn't understand Russell's words, except for Amelie and Freya who planned this thing from the beginning.

"Amelie, give that bastard a Low-Grade Health Potion first, he must be dying from bleeding."

Russell pointed to Reinhardt before he looked back at Arthur, but this time... Russell's expression turned cold and very serious.

...

"Arthur Wolfson... No father, and no mother... Nephew of the Shadow Guild's Guild Master, enslaved people to be forced to work in any other way, but mostly in some mines...

"You wanted to manipulate people, created the Weaver Faction under the permission of the Guild Master of the Shadow Guild; you thought that you can weave the fates of people that would be under you...

"But the truth is that you are a very envious man when it came to other people's achievement or specifically if the person or player successfully made a contract with a Constellation...

"Because... you were so excited that you accidentally made a contract with an Evil Constellation that turned you into that Constellation's puppet. It's also the reason why you are so envious of Victoria when you came to know that she received an offer with a Constellation with a seemingly ancient name even though she's not even done in her second year.

"What a pitiful man... the Evil Constellation must have asked you to enslave a few people per month, but you became drunk with power that you felt like having toys to control whenever you wanted; and if your toys were harm in any way, you'll become hellbent of eliminating the suspect... just like me..."

Arthur's mouth didn't receive any strength to open upon hearing something he wanted to forget in his life; Ruina and Reinhardt looked at Arthur with wondering expressions because they didn't know about the underlying circumstances of Arthur Wolfson's contract.

"I'll kill you... I'll kill you!"

Arthur shouted angrily as his blue eyes seemed to turn slightly red due to the burst of emotion; his veins also bulged on his forehead.

"I'll personally hunt your family! You f-"

Spurt-! Spurt-!

At that moment, Russell beheaded the Student Council President of the Obelisk Academy.

Arthur's blood gushed out from his headless body, it splatted across the VIP Room that was already painted with blood due to Algar and Ferd's dead bodies.

'That's why it's extremely hard to live in this kind of world; the enemies are threatening something very vulnerable.'

Russell didn't voice his thoughts verbally, rather, he looked at Ruina, and then nodded his head; as if Ruina had understood him, she stood up from kneeling and approached Reinhardt.

...

'A-Arthur's dead... W-why is this happening?

'N-no! This must be a dream! I need to wake up!'

Reinhardt – who somewhat recovered his Health Points as Amelie forced a Low-Grade Health Potion in his mouth – had his thoughts turn into a mess as he's staring in fear at Arthur's headless body.

'P-please! Wake up! F*ck! T-this isn't real!

'R-right! These people are weak, this is not real!'

He tried to slap his cheeks, but he was reminded that he was under a Mana Nullifier.

"H-hey... R-Russell, right...? I-I'll do anything. P-please just spare me. I won't talk badly or harm your family!

"W-what do you n-need? M-money? I-I'm a billionaire! I-I can give the three of you a great sum! J-just spare my life... I don't want to die."

As the eldest son of the Apollon family, a noble family that's based in the country, Cassiopeia or the Land of the Nobles, he's a wealthy man at the age of 18.

"Reinhardt..."

At that moment, he heard a voice behind him. It was the voice of a woman he was familiar with.

"R-Ruina...?"

"Reinhardt... I've been wanting to do this for a while because I was very curious about you... how you taste like."

Before Reinhardt could process the words that came out of Ruina's mouth, his scream reverberated through the VIP Room.

"Arrggghhhh!!!!!"

He saw something... like an embodiment of horror. Ruina's crimson eyes had their luster intensified.

She then revealed two, white fangs that were not the size of normal human teeth.