NOVEL NEXT Chapter 71: Sweet Revenge...
Who's next?"
Aleron's voice was calm, almost soothing, as he glanced at the crowd in front of him. The people stared back, their eyes wide with a mixture of shock and fear. The tension in the room was suffocating.
He stood tall, his long, jet-black hair hung past his shoulders, and his pale face was carved with a regal, emotionless expression.
"Him!" the woman blurted out without hesitation, her voice trembling with urgency. She had short, curly brown hair plastered to her sweat-slicked forehead, and her trembling hands clenched tightly at her sides.
She knew any delay might cause the others to choose her instead, which would lead directly to her death.
The young man she pointed at flinched as if physically struck. His slender frame trembled and his skin turned ghostly pale.
Just as he opened his mouth to plead or protest, a scorching wave of energy surged through his body. In the blink of an eye, his form ignited and disintegrated into fine ashes that scattered into the still air.
Aleron didn't say a word. He simply glanced at the remaining eight workers, his expression indifferent. The woman wasted no time and pointed to another person, a young lady with trembling hands and tear-filled eyes.
She was petite, with raven-black hair tied into a messy braid and skin that looked almost translucent under the cold lighting.
When chosen, her face twisted in disbelief. Her gaze locked onto her friend, the one who had just chosen her. The betrayal sliced deeper than any blade.
A tall young man standing nearby observed the shift in the group dynamic. He was lean and angular, with sharp cheekbones, sunken eyes, and a scar tracing down the right side of his jaw. A sharp gleam flashed in his eyes, cold and calculating.
He didn't appreciate the growing instability. This woman, if left unchecked, could become a variable that ruined everything—perhaps even sealing his fate.
With that thought, the moment Aleron finished disintegrating the girl, the tall young man acted.
Just as the woman opened her mouth to speak, a flash of metal pierced through her throat. The surgical blade gleamed under the dim lighting, and blood spilled across her neck like a blooming crimson flower.
"Urgh…" she gasped, eyes wide with pain and betrayal. Her face paled instantly. She coughed violently, blood dripping from her lips, and turned slightly to meet the cold, unfeeling gaze of the tall young man.
"Sending your coworkers to die one after another… That's not the way of the Genesis Coil," he said softly. He slowly pulled the blade free, causing her body to twitch as her breath faded and her life slipped away.
"How fascinating," Aleron said with mild amusement. His eyes lingered on the tall young man, noticing the raw greed, fierce hunger, and overwhelming desire to survive burning within him.
"We need to summon our beasts. We can't let him keep playing with us. He's just toying with us all!" the tall young man shouted, his voice charged with urgency. He activated his origin energy and summoned his beast.
His words jolted the others out of their paralysis. The remaining five, their eyes igniting with a desperate spark, hurriedly activated their summoning slots. One by one, their contracted beasts appeared beside them, filling the room with growls, roars, and flickering energy.
Aleron merely watched with a calm smile, unhurried. Hidden in the shadows, fine metallic threads began creeping across the floor and walls, converging quietly toward every metal object in the room.
Within a few seconds, Aleron had full control over all the metal in the area. With a single thought, he could end their lives in an instant. Yet he held back. There was still more to be seen.
Suddenly, the tall young man roared and charged toward Aleron. The others followed, rallying behind him. But just as they neared, the tall man veered off course. With terrifying precision, his surgical blade slashed sideways, driving straight into the heart of the man beside him.
Bang!
The victim, a burly worker with a square jaw and short-cropped hair, was thrown backward, his body crashing hard against the wall before sliding down, lifeless. The man's summoned beast, a fiery red salamander, spun violently and whipped its massive tail at two others nearby. They were launched into the air and slammed brutally into the opposite wall with a deafening thud.
Aleron remained still, watching the carnage unfold like a stage play. His expression never shifted, only the corners of his lips lifted in a mildly amused smile.
The tall young man stood over the fallen body of his first victim, eyes gleaming with madness. He repeatedly stabbed downward, the surgical blade flashing again and again.
The young man on the ground choked and gagged, blood filling his mouth. He clawed at his attacker, trying to escape the grip holding him down, but it was far too late. His breath grew faint, his limbs slackened, and his eyes rolled back as his body gave up.
The tall man didn't waste a second. He turned toward the two remaining coworkers. They were still stunned, frozen in place.
Bang!
His blade found its mark again, this time slicing into the neck of the female survivor. She collapsed instantly. Before the last man could even scream, the salamander's tail swung out once more, smashing him into the nearby wall with a loud crack.
Silence followed.
The tall young man stood amidst the carnage, blood splattered across his uniform, breathing heavily. Slowly, he turned and looked toward Aleron.
"Master, you need not dirty your hands. This servant has taken care of them all," he said with a polite bow, his tone calm and respectful.
Aleron turned slightly, his silver eyes narrowing as he regarded the man. Internally, he sneered. There was no loyalty here, only survival instincts masked with flattery.
"That's good," Aleron said casually. Then he asked, "Are there any other Genesis Coil branches nearby?"
"Yes, there are. I can show them to you, if that pleases you, Master," the man replied quickly, abandoning all pretense of pride.
Aleron shook his head slowly. "Just tell me where they are. I'll find them myself."
The man hesitated, his gaze flickering with worry. He sighed softly, unsure if revealing the information would earn him mercy or a swift death.
After a long pause, he answered evenly, "There are a few more branches. If you keep heading north, you'll find a mountain range. Tucked deep in that region is a secluded location where another branch is hidden."
He turned and pointed to the direction of the distant peaks, offering more details as he spoke.
Aleron listened carefully, noting each location the man described. Once he finished, Aleron gave a slight nod and offered a faint word of praise.
Then he asked, as if making small talk, "Tell me, how does this machine operate?"
The young man glanced nervously at the machine in question. It was the same one they had used earlier, in a failed attempt to eliminate Aleron.
After a few seconds of silence, he offered a quiet prayer in his heart, then said, "You can operate it by pressing these buttons here."
Aleron stepped forward, studying the buttons closely. As the man explained the functions, Aleron nodded, absorbing the details.
When the explanation ended, he smiled faintly and gestured toward the metallic bed in the corner of the room.
"I want to try the machine myself," Aleron said softly, his tone unreadable. "But I'll need someone to assist me."
"What?" the man faltered, staring at Aleron in disbelief. After a brief pause, he added, "I... I can't do that. This is beyond me… It's too much."
Aleron's expression darkened. His eyes turned colder than ice.
"In that case, you are no longer useful to me," he said plainly.
Panic surged through the man's body. He turned toward the machine, teeth clenched and face pale.
After another moment of hesitation, he made his choice.
Silently, he climbed onto the cold, metallic bed.
Aleron watched with quiet amusement as the man lay down, the machine's dull glow casting eerie shadows across the room.