A young woman dashed through a narrow, dark alley, her platinum-blonde hair swaying with each stride.
Sweat and dirt streaked her pale skin as a group of threatening men pursued her relentlessly.
“Go after her!” one yelled.
“This way!” another shouted.
“Ugh...!” Isabella gasped as she ducked quickly into a narrow gap between the alley walls, her face tense with panic and urgency.
“Damn it! Where is she?!”
“She couldn’t have gone far! Split up and find her!”
Once the alleyway fell silent, she sighed softly. “I let my guard down.”
I knew they were after me, but I never imagined even the Owls would get involved. At this rate... my life will be at risk.
She glanced down at her chest, biting her lip. Her Stigma had stopped glowing. The mana she once controlled as effortlessly as her own limbs was now utterly unresponsive.
“I can’t even contact anyone.”
There was no telling how meticulously they had planned for this. Even her phone and other communication Astral Relics were completely useless.
With the entire city of Rome within their encirclement, her only option was to stall for as long as possible.
But I can’t even use my mana... How am I supposed to escape with assassins closing in from every direction?
She grimaced, clenching her fists tightly.
Although the odds were stacked against her, she had no choice but to run for her life.
She squeezed her eyes shut, reluctant to consider the possibility. A quick death would be the best-case scenario, but it was more likely she would face a fate worse than hell.
Keeping low, she moved carefully. Fortunately, she knew the layout of the gypsy village well.
If I can take advantage of the maze-like alleys and slip away—
“There she is!” someone exclaimed.
“Get her!” another shouted.
Three men sprinted toward her.
“Dang it!” Her face twisted in frustration as she spun around and took off.
She darted through the narrow alleys, weaving between the tightly packed buildings. The deeper she went, the more her nose stung from an indescribable stench.
Her breathing grew ragged, every step feeling like another heavy weight had been dropped on her shoulders. Without mana, she felt unbearably sluggish.
The men leisurely pursued her and burst into mocking laughter.
“Hahaha! You’re so slow.”
“Well, well! There you are!”
Despite her desperate attempt to buy time by weaving through the gypsy village, she was eventually caught.
“I was sweating bullets at first, but this was easier than I thought!”
“Haha! Of course! She’s under the Curse of the Purple Shroud.”
One of the men gripped her slender arm tightly, grinning wickedly.
“Let me go!” she yelled, thrashing wildly. She tried to wrench her arm free, but with her mana sealed, it was useless.
“Shut up, you bitch!”
The man harshly slapped her.
Her head whipped to the side, her cheek red and swollen.
She bit her lip and glared at him with venomous eyes. “How dare you...?”
“Haha! Don’t look at me like that, please.” He stuck his tongue out mockingly. “Keep that attitude up, and I might just make your death even more painful.”
He savagely grabbed her delicate neck and licked his lips.
“Ack!” Isabella grimaced in pain, clawing desperately at the arm crushing her throat.
The man instinctively jerked back, stumbling a step. But when he realized her nails couldn’t even leave a scratch on him, he grinned smugly.
“Haha... Hahaha! Wow, this curse thing works like a charm!”
“Pfft, idiot. You still flinched like a wimp, didn't you?” another man mocked.
“The fuck did you just say, motherfucker?”
The two men snarled at each other, their tempers flared. Their carelessness had created a brief opening for Isabella.
This is my only chance. I need to escape now...!
Ignoring the burning pain in her throat, she raised her leg, aiming to drive her heel into a weak spot and make a break for it.
“Hey, hey. Quit your bickering and keep a tight grip on her,” the third man called out.
“I’ve got her locked down—”
“Huh? What’s this bitch up to?” Another man noticed her movements before she could land her kick. The group exchanged amused glances.
“Ha! Even in this state, you’re trying to escape?”
“Guess you do live up to your reputation.”
“Now, now. No need to look so down, missy.”
“Your life’s just about to get real fun!”
Their eyes gleamed with lecherous intent as they scanned her from head to toe.
Her consciousness began to blur. Fear slowly seeped into her, making her tremble ever so slightly.
Not yet. There's still so much I have to do... I can't let it all end . Not in vain—
A surge of blue lightning flashed before her eyes.
As if an enraged god had cast down divine punishment, blue lightning rained from the sky, engulfing the whole area.
“Aaaahhhh!” one of the men shrieked.
“W-What the hell?” another stammered.
A spear wreathed in blue flames danced violently between them, cutting off their escape and leaving them frozen in place. The blazing weapon tore through them mercilessly.
In mere seconds, the three men were reduced to dismembered corpses strewn across the ground.
Isabella’s eyes widened as she struggled to process what had just happened. “Huh?”
She rubbed her bruised neck and slowly raised her head. Standing before her was a young man with curly black hair and eyes so deep that they seemed to soothe her very soul.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
“Mr. Oh-Jin...?” She met the gaze of the Thunder Wolf, apostle of the Weaver. “H-How are you here—agh!”
As she tried to stand, her legs wobbled.
Kwon Oh-Jin chuckled softly and reached out, steadying her with a firm grip. “I followed a smell.”
“... Sorry? A-A smell?” She glanced at herself, flustered.
“Pfft! I’m just kidding.”
“Wha—! That’s so mean!” She blushed as she recalled the first time they had met. “I told you, I wasn’t following a smell back then!”
“Haha! I know.” He shrugged lightly. “I was passing by when I heard a scream and came to check it out.”
She teared up as she bowed deeply.
He looked down at her and smiled brightly. “No problem.”
Nice. That was perfect timing.
He had been following her since early morning, concealing his presence with the Black Curtain. His goal wasn’t just to save her—it was to create a debt of gratitude, ensuring she would submit to him in the future.
The Valhalla Guild and I are allies, but I can't freely order them around. Isabella, though...
With her personality, she wouldn’t be able to refuse someone who had saved her life—especially if that person had risked everything to protect her. She would be as easy to manipulate as a puppet in his hands.
He grabbed her hand and said firmly, “Let’s run away.”
Hand in hand, they sprinted through the alley until more assassins appeared.
“Damn it! Who’s that guy?!”
Kwon Oh-Jin’s eyes gleamed as he scanned the assailants, sensing the distinct mana of the Black Stars on them.
It’s the Black Star Society as expected.
But it wasn’t just a handful—he could sense far more lurking in the area.
Just how many of them are there?
The sheer number of assassins surrounding the gypsy village was beyond what he had anticipated.
Four hundred... no, maybe over five hundred? It's strange seeing so many mobilized just to capture a single six-star Awakener, but it works out for me.
This only allowed him to paint an even more perfect picture. He took a deep breath and charged forward, thrusting his spear at the assassins running toward him.
The assassins staggered back.
“Damn it! What the hell is this guy?!”
Their panicked movements hardly suited trained killers, but their skill was undeniable.
As they struggled to deflect his relentless attacks, his lightning grew fiercer, forcing them back—until a sudden, deafening noise rang out.
The assassins flinched, their heads snapping around in confusion.
“W-What is it this time?”
The narrow alley was laced with wires, and blue lightning surged violently along them.
Screams filled the air as thick smoke erupted. The assassins blocking the path collapsed to the ground.
“Wow...” Isabella briefly looked at Kwon Oh-Jin in awe before grabbing his hand and running forward. “There are a lot of forks in the road down this path!”
“I know,” he replied, having already scouted the area thoroughly over the past six days.
He released her hand and approached one of the fallen assassins.Rummaging through the body, he found an Astral Relic flashing red.
I knew it.It must be a communication relic they're using for tracking purposes. In that case... I'm going to turn it to my advantage.
“Mr. Oh-Jin?” Isabella called.
He tied the Astral Relic to the end of his wire shooter and, with a bang, sent it flying.
It's in the hardest place to track now. Unless the buildings are decimated, they'll have to go around in circles for a while.
“Come this way.” He grabbed Isabella's hand and led her into an old apartment building nearby.
“Weren’t we trying to escape?” she asked.
“We'd still get caught in the end.” He had confirmed at least five hundred assassins forming the encirclement, and there were likely more. “We need to hide for now and move again later.”
They wouldn’t be able to completely shake them off regardless, but it was better not to charge straight at them for now.
Isabella nodded and followed Kwon Oh-Jin into the vacant building, where he slumped down onto the floor.
“Phew. Let’s rest here for a bit.” He took off his jacket and laid it on the ground. “You can sit here.”
For a while, the two sat in awkward silence.
Isabella finally decided to break the silence. “Mr. Oh-Jin, why... are you helping me?”
Her trembling eyes locked onto his.
He smiled faintly, then asked, “An act of kindness with the expectation of reward is still kindness, right?”
“... Yes, you did say that before.”
“Then let’s just call this my act of kindness.”
Isabella’s gaze faltered. “But I don’t have anything I can give in return—”
“You don’t need to give me anything. You didn’t help the Gypsies because you wanted something, right?”
“B-But this is different!”
Helping someone out of goodwill was one thing, but risking one’s life to protect someone was entirely different.
“If you insist...” he said, smiling warmly. “There is one thing I would like to ask of you.”
Slowly, he reached out, placing his hand on her trembling cheek.
Focus on her eyes, and speak calmly.
He could weave the atmosphere he wanted as naturally as breathing.
With a soft, steady voice, he muttered, “I’d like you to stay by my side from now on, Isabella.”
Goddamn. That was perfect.