Chapter 704: A monster wearing human skin

Elion tilted his head. "Are you stupid or what? I already told you I want your life. Now, be good and let me cut off a few limbs. I have a very greedy arachnid for a bond, and she needs to be fed, though I suspect your flesh might simply spoil her appetite."

He paused before adding, "Actually, you know what? It won’t do to dismember you while everyone’s watching. We wouldn’t want to make a mess of the camp, either."

By then, William had managed to get to his feet and started running up the slope. A moment later, however, he was sent flying out of the depression, tumbling onto the ground and rolling several times beneath the pale moonlight.

Elion followed without a change in expression.

This should have made him feel good; his old tormentor was at his mercy, after all. However, he felt nothing of the sort. Unfortunately, it wasn’t nearly as satisfying as he had imagined.

’Maybe if I torture him a bit, I’ll feel better.’

Even though he had taken this outside the camp to avoid the others’ prying eyes, they still followed. Rina hurried after him, making another attempt to get him to stop.

"Wait! Elion, think about what you’re doing!" she shouted. "What do you think the academy will do when they find out? Or the other nobles? The Dawncrest family!"

Mira pulled her back, shaking her head. "Please, just let him do what he wants. You won’t be able to stop him once he sets his mind on something like this, especially where William is concerned. You have no idea how long he’s waited for this moment."

Rina opened her mouth to speak, looking toward the other second-years for help.

She was a noble herself, though not from a particularly influential family, and she understood how poorly the nobility would take the killing of one of their own, with the culprit being known.

But then, this was Elion. What could they really do to him?

He was affiliated with the vampires and, if the news was true, would become their prince consort one day. Who was she to stop him from doing as he pleased? Just look at what had happened to Duke Dawncrest.

Seeing that she was the only person determined to stop him, Rina sighed. It was supposed to be her duty to ensure everyone in her cohort stayed alive, but Elion’s grievance with William wasn’t going to allow that.

’Damnit! Why did this have to happen to someone in my group?’

She didn’t even want to imagine how Xavier would react when he heard they had watched his brother get killed without stopping it.

Then again, everyone here would have stood by and allowed it to happen. Perhaps he would never find out, as long as they all kept their mouths shut.

"What did that poor idiot do to my bond?" Kali asked curiously, folding her arms over her chest. "You’d have to be very stupid or very brave to make an enemy of Elion."

Maya raised a brow at the way she spoke, giving the arachnid woman a curious look.

’When did she suddenly become an Elion admirer?’

"Argh!"

William had barely managed to push himself onto an elbow when Elion’s boot struck his side, sending him rolling across the hard ground again.

His cry broke into a painful cough, and he curled around himself, desperately trying to protect his body as Elion followed at an unhurried pace.

"Get up," Elion said coldly.

William tried.

His trembling hands scraped against the ground, but before he could get a knee beneath him, another kick knocked him onto his back.

He stared up at Elion with wide, tearful eyes, his lips moving around pleas that were becoming increasingly difficult to understand.

The cold smile on Elion’s face only widened.

Rina took a step forward, then stopped when Mira caught her arm. She looked toward the others, searching for someone willing to intervene, but no one moved.

Even the second-years who had been quietly mocking Elion earlier stood rigidly beside one another, their expressions grim.

"P-please," William gasped. "Elion, please—"

Elion placed a foot on his forearm, pinning it to the ground, then crouched beside him. He took hold of one trembling finger, regarding it for a moment before looking back at William.

A bone-chilling, sharp crack was heard a moment later.

"Ahhhhh!"

Isolde flinched and turned her face away. She had only just managed to calm herself after what had happened, and the sound sent a cold tremor through her body.

The second crack echoed before William’s first scream had faded, quickly followed by another without pause.

Snap!

Crack!

Elion snapped William’s fingers one by one, ignoring the desperate apologies spilling from William’s mouth.

William struggled to free himself from the cruelty, but every attempt to pull away only made Elion press his foot down harder, his unreasonable strength cracking bones with just his foot.

By the time he got back to his feet, William was sobbing so violently that he could barely breathe. Elion stepped over him, wearing the same cold, almost crazed smile as he watched William try to crawl away.

"Do you remember what you did to my dear Aria?"

William shook his head frantically, then nodded, seemingly unable to decide which answer might save him. "I-I’m sorry! I’m sorry!"

"You’re sorry?"

Elion’s boot came down.

The crunch that followed the motion made Rina squeeze her eyes shut. William’s scream rang through the darkness, climbing so sharply that Cody stumbled backward, his face turning a sickly shade of white.

Elion broke the other leg before William could catch his breath to even scream again.

"Damn..." Makho whispered, turning away with a wince.

Maya had gone silent. She had seen Elion cut through powerful monsters without mercy, but William was no monster; he was another person, just like them. What could he have possibly done to deserve such cruelty?

The worst thing about it was how slowly and patiently he carried out the whole affair, watching William’s face as though he were waiting to find something in it.

He brandished his beautiful blade, its gleaming edge catching the moonlight menacingly.

"Which arm was it?" Elion asked quietly. "Do you remember?"

William stared at the blade, his mouth hanging open. He tried to pull his arms against his chest, but the sword moved before he could hide them.

A single stroke severed the first limb, and it fell to the ground with a resounding thud.

Rina shuddered, pressing a hand against her mouth as William’s voice rose into a broken, desperate howl as he began writhing on the ground like a worm.

She couldn’t keep looking at the gruesome sight. Beside her, Mayumi had turned her whole body away, while Isolde lowered her head, her shoulders trembling.

Elion regarded William for a moment, then swung again.

The second arm fell, and the screams gradually lost their strength, replaced by pained gurgles and wheezes.

For a while, the only sounds were William’s ragged breathing and the quiet wind moving over the barren ground. Blood darkened the earth beneath him, and his frantic movements slowed until he could barely lift his head.

Rina glanced back reluctantly, letting out a shuddering sigh.

’At this rate, he’ll bleed out.’

The thought brought a terrible, guilty sense of relief. She wanted it to be over. She wanted the screaming to stop, wanted everyone to return to camp, wanted to stop standing there while someone under her care was being torn apart.

"Don’t die on me just yet, I’m not nearly done with you yet."

Elion lifted his empty hand. A small bottle appeared between his fingers, its contents shimmering with a vibrant green light.

Mira’s grip loosened around Rina’s arm as understanding dawned on her.

"Elion...?" He couldn’t be thinking of doing what she suspected...

He didn’t answer. Crouching beside William again, he uncorked the bottle and forced its contents into his mouth. William coughed weakly, unable to resist, while the luminous liquid slipped between his trembling lips.

A gentle green glow spread around his body.

Rina stared as the bleeding stopped. The wounds closed beneath the green radiance, and the severed limbs began restoring themselves with horrifying speed.

New arms formed where the sword had taken the old ones, while his broken legs straightened and his fingers returned to their proper shape.

Within moments, William lay whole again.

"!!!"

’What is he doing!? And that potion!’

It had to be an Epic-grade healing potion, at the very least!

Something so potent could have saved a dying companion or restored a crippled warrior, and Elion had used it on William simply because he wasn’t finished torturing him.

Even Mira swallowed, a chill passing through her as Elion rose and gave his sword another small, casual swing.

William looked down at his restored hands before looking up at the cruel man standing over him. The brief confusion on his face collapsed into an even fiercer horror.

Maya felt her stomach clenching uncomfortably.

’He’s a monster wearing human skin...’