For an hour, Tokino walked at a steady pace. Whenever a Novusian mage stood nearby, her rapier flowed red. She relished over one man who kicked down a cane-walking elderly. The ground absorbed copious liquids behind the woods.

Eventually, more of them caught wind of her actions. Any respect they had for her years ago disappeared. They ordered a kill-on-sight. Luckily, they tracked her downhill. “Stop in the name of God Law! Refrain yourself, or we’ll take you down, Mrs. Minagawa!” More mages stood by and prepared for any attack.

She did not express rage. She cocked her head and smiled intently at them. All the while, her sword still flowed red. Her heart bounced with every cull. She had never felt so happy seeing such colors in a long time.

She sat on a nearby bench and cleaned her rapier. Then, an idea popped into her mind—a gruesome one. She could even see it happening before her. Her anticipation reached a summit. She chuckled with tears rolling down. “Nice to see you again… Mama….” Rage clad her entire that day despite otherwise.

She continued walking uphill to the village head’s home. Residents nearby sweated over her uncanny smile and droopy eyes.

The village head met up with the elusive CEO of Alessandro Inc., Airi Hakkyō. He hoped he could reason with her and even gave her a glass. “Spare half of my home,” his eyes remained stern. “Surely, my people can benefit from your business. The highways don’t have to bury us. Our culture.”

She sat at his table and twirled her glass. Her face looked as if a complicated request thrust upon her. “Hmmm… I don’t know. Your land is valuable, you see. It’d be horrible for tourists to make fun of your beautiful home.” She got off. “But you know what? You may have a point.”

He saw her oddly walking toward him. She smirked and licked her lips; her hips swayed as she moved closer. He felt no arousal whatsoever from it. In anything, she looked like a bloodsucker. Utterly unnerved, he backed away against a wall.

She twirled her index finger around his chest. “I’ll give you a deal you can’t refuse, young man. And what a young man you are for such a position.” She gave him a promise. Alessandro Inc. would leave the village unscathed in exchange for mass advertising.

“W-Why!?” His eyes narrowed. “My people want peace and prosperity. Not flashy billboards that never turn off!” He pushed her away. “You make me sick.”

She glared briefly but smiled. She stood close again. “Oh, that’s not the end of the deal.” She slowly moved her hand. “From now on, you’ll have a grand time down here.” Her tongue neared his neck.

“Stop!!” He quickly punched her in the shin. Being inept with magic, it only did moderate damage. Unexpectedly, Airi giggled. He did not know what this meant until his vision turned blurry. He lost his sense of balance and fell on his back.

She moved on top of him and licked his neck. “I told you… It’s a deal you can’t refuse. Be careful with beverages next time.” She moved to his ear. “I know you don’t want this, but I don’t care. It’s your fault for being so handsome.” She threw the belt away. “I’ll start with my mouth.”

Hours later, the village head went outside and called his people’s attention. Everyone knew him as an inexperienced leader who still stood humble and confident. As such, they raised eyebrows hearing his stutter.

“I-It has come to my consideration—that a quarter of our b-beloved home—would be left alone. S-So, I hereby accept Alessandro Inc. as a part of it. T-They’ll grant us—immense growth i-in return.” He sweated bullets.

The villagers immediately doubted his words. They did not feel betrayed. Instead, they despised the company even more than ever. Blackmailing was the last straw. “He would never say that!”, “Yeah! He loves us!”, “Go fuck yourselves, you parasites!”, “Get out of our home!”

Airi could hear their animosity louder and louder. She felt zero control over them. Her eyes narrowed, and she hyperventilated. After a finger snap, Novusian brigade mages stepped in to end the disobedience.

She smiled and sighed upon seeing the uppity folk discarded in mounds. “That takes care of it.” She turned to the village head. “I admire your people’s loyalty, young man. Sadly, they needed correction.” She went back inside his house.

In complete disarray, he slowly walked down from the porch. Past the corpses, he fell to his knees and bawled. He repeatedly hammer-fisted the ground with his hands. Hopeless and despair clad his being every second. He felt shackled.

The mages stood by in pity but did not ease his pain. The CEO gave them more laborious tasks. They needed the three highways built faster than the recharging stations. If any disobedience occurred again, they would now end it for good.

Thirty seconds in, he still bawled on the ground. However, he did not hear their footsteps anymore. He heard flesh getting stabbed faster than he could imagine.

Eventually, he heard footsteps again. As he looked up, he got startled and dragged himself backward. A bloodstained woman knelt before him. He stopped moving and closed his eyes. He turned away in pure fear—but she whispered.

“It’s alright. I’m here to save you all.” She walked past the confused village head and went inside the house.

In the hallway, Airi walked with heavy steps. Her frustration peaked that no one bent the knee. “Fuck you… Fuck all of you!” She cursed them five more times. “I do and get what I want. Who are you to question….” She banged the door behind her.

She threw the wine bottle she contaminated. However, she did not hear it break. She heard it placed on the office table.

“I’ve been waiting, Mama,” one said from afar. “Honestly, I’d rather not call you that. I have a new one that I love with all my heart. So, how does ‘Ugly Bitch’ sound?”

She could not recall the last time she heard that voice. She turned and gasped with her mouth covered. She walked with tears. “By the Gods… My sweet, sweet little darling Tokino. Oh, I’ve missed you so— Aaaagh!” A sword to the neck made her fly into a wall. She knelt and slowly looked up.

Even when she attacked her mother, she still expressed happiness. She cast runic arrays on the walls, floor, and ceiling. She walked toward her. “I can’t believe it…” she lowered her rapier. “I’m at a loss for words, Ugly Bitch. You made me hate you even more.” She did a flurry of thrusts.

“Aaaagh!” Her blood flew across the room. She panted, but her demented smile did not disappear. She crawled on the floor. “Oh, my Tokino. How long has it been? When you became a mage and mother, I cried for hours. I never called you because I didn’t want to meddle with your new life. You’ve grown so— Aaaaaagh!!”

She looked down at her. “Shut the fuck up. I don’t have to tell you twice, Ugly Bitch. I hate you—a billion deaths.” She gripped her face. “Before I kill you, answer me this. Why did you want the home of my brother Hokori demolished?”

Airi still panted, and her eyes narrowed in disgust. “Hokori? You mean that untamed, uncivilized beast!? It’s simple, darling. He killed the one man I knew I’d fall in love with forever.

“Ted Manson’s creativity far surpassed mine! Fortunately, the Gods blessed me when I met one of the sibling defectors.” She grinned and chuckled. “Revenge is what we had in mind! Hahahahaha— Aagh!” She felt her grip crushing her skull.

Tokino’s glare worsened. “I have something in mind, too, Ugly Bitch… But it’s not selfish.” She cast runes that suspended Airi midair in a T-pose. “I will save these people. And my brother from the misery you gave him.” For the first time in ages, she pulled out her kitchen knife. “By the way, no one will hear us outside.”

She stripped her naked and began with her back. It dawned on Airi that she was to die an “angel.” The blood eagle torture method commenced. Tokino drew the knife near her spine on both sides; she peeled off the skin.

Airi held back grunting and hyperventilated. As her back ribs got pried open, she smiled. “Hahahahahaha! Wonderful, darling! Wonderful! My love for you removes any agony I feel. Hahahahahahaha!”

The runes on her body halted excessive bleeding. Tokino ensured her suffering was as long as possible. She turned the knife jagged and cut the Achilles tendons. Feet dropped on the floor. Next were the fingers. She yanked out each nail from the root one by one. She removed her limbs and eyeballs.

Airi cackled throughout the experience. Even the flaying did not stop her from declaring love for her daughter. Tokino brought supplies worse than rubbing alcohol. Alongside salt, she doused her exposed flesh in bleach and drain cleaner. She never needed them due to Runic Art—only for this moment.

Her old mother still smiled. Her breathing became faint. “Amazing… Just amazing. Your methods are perfect. So per—” Her tongue got pulled out.

“I said shut the fuck up.” She cut it in one stroke. She turned to her back to sever her lungs. Next, she dissected her organs. All that was left now was the heart.

Airi chuckled. “Tha-s it… dar-ing… Comp-ete the proce-ure.” Her chest now felt lighter. At that point, she no longer breathed.

“Oh… my sweet, sweet, sweet little darling Tokino. I love you—a billion deaths….” Her head sagged with a smile.

She fully embedded the knife in Airi’s empty socket. She wiped the blood off her clothing via runes. She erased any of her actions inside. The village head’s office now looked clean and spiffy.

Outside, Novusian mages suspected the CEO would not come out. They saw their dead comrades littering the area. One walked in front and clapped his hands. “You’ve outdone yourself, Mrs. Hakkyō,” he grinned. “We planned on taking you back to the City of Gods for a trial. Now, there’s no need.” He cast runes over his hands.

Her uncanny smile disappeared from before. She already had her fill and felt annoyed before them. “Stand back, all of you.” She unsheathed her rapier. “I won’t kill. But know the consequences.”

Surprisingly, the man stood unfazed. He clapped again and walked closer. “Hahahahahaha…! You don’t know what you’re dealing with, are you? Giving us some wounds is enough to warrant a year sentence.

“Any Prosperity Triangle citizen is a sibling-in-arms to Coelestis. To turn against God Law is to defy the whole pantheon!” He pointed sharply. “Why do you think I called you ‘Mrs. Hakkyō’? You soil your mother and your husband’s name as you stand!” His comrades shouted in agreement.

Tokino’s eyes lit up, and she sweated bullets. Her heart had beaten faster than any animal that day. Her mind got filled with countless dark thoughts. Like instinct, she released her magical pressure on them. Many vomited on the ground, and some even went into shock.

The man felt like having an anvil on his back. Before long, he also fell to his knees. He looked up and saw her slowly walking. Then, she stopped and dropped her rapier. The pressure ended.

She took deep breaths and cleared her thoughts. “Don’t get the wrong idea,” she looked down. “I’m still angry. But I hate none of you. You’re simply in the way.” She cracked her knuckles. “Let me show you what my brother taught me. I’m not as kind as him.”

Far away, villagers heard endless screaming. Children huddled behind their mothers and went inside. It eventually stopped after five minutes; still, the silence made them sweat profusely.