Chapter 15: Escape

With terrifying unpredictability, the deranged woman suddenly stepped forward, her leg slipping elegantly between Ren’s thighs. Before he could react, she shifted her weight and straddled him, sitting squarely on his lap.

Moving with slow, maddening grace, she traced a single, delicate finger down from his chin, sliding over his Adam’s apple, and trailing lightly down his chest toward his stomach.

The moment Ren realized she was trying to seduce him, sheer instinct took over. He thrashed violently against his bindings, throwing his shoulders forward in a desperate attempt to shove her off.

Startled by his sudden resistance, the woman jumped up, her seductive smile vanishing in a flash. Her face twisted into a mask of pure, unhinged fury.

She lunged forward, her pale hands aggressively grabbing a fistful of Ren’s straight black hair. She yanked his head back violently.

"Agh!" Ren winced, a sharp spike of pain shooting across his scalp.

The woman pulled his face inches from hers, her glowing purple eyes wide and filled with lethal intent. "If you do not obey me..." she hissed, her voice vibrating with dark, crushing pressure, "...I will kill you right here, right now!"

’She is completely out of her mind,’ Ren thought, his heart hammering against his ribs. What kind of twisted obsession drives someone this crazy over a body they haven’t even seen in years?

With a sudden, violent shove, she let go of his hair, sending Ren’s head snapping back against the wooden chair.

But then, just as quickly as her rage had flared, her expression shattered. The fury evaporated, replaced instantly by wide, sorrowful eyes brimming with frantic worry. Her bottom lip quivered as she reached out, her hands gently and apologetically stroking the very hair she had just violently yanked.

"Oh, darling... I am so sorry," she whimpered softly, her voice sickly sweet and entirely devoid of genuine guilt. "Did I hurt you?"

’If I stay trapped with her for even one more minute, I’m going to die,’ Ren screamed in his mind.

He frantically darted his eyes around the room.

The towering, eight-foot-tall Apex Aberrant remained absolutely still beside the altar. Its glowing crimson eyes were locked onto Ren, a grotesque, bloodthirsty grin stretching across its plated jaw.

’Damn it. How is this crazy bitch controlling an Apex-tier monster?’ Ren thought, staring blankly ahead as the woman continued to affectionately stroke his hair.

Even if he somehow managed to slip his bindings and sprint for the door, there was no way he could outrun the beast. One stride from that towering aberration would easily cover three of his.

Damn it all, Ren cursed internally, the sheer impossibility of escape pressing down on his chest.

Should I just pretend to play along? he wondered. Submit to her completely... give her what she wants...

Ren shook his head slightly, immediately discarding the thought. ’No. Absolutely not.’

His eyes drifted over the woman’s stunning figure. She was breathtakingly beautiful—the kind of woman most ordinary men would willingly risk their lives to sleep with. But what kind of fool would willingly surrender himself to a deranged psychopath who commanded a flesh-eating monster? The risk was astronomical.

He let out a shallow breath.

’Maybe I can just pretend to be sweet to her. Flirt back, convince her to untie me, and the second I have a window... I bolt.’ It was a desperate plan, but it was the only one that seemed remotely possible.

’But what if she demands I prove it right here on the altar?’ Ren swallowed hard, his cheeks flushing slightly as intrusive thoughts crept into his mind. It had been a long time since he’d entertained any romantic thoughts, both in his past life as Elian Alcaric and since arriving in this brutal world.

Just as the suffocating despair threatened to consume him, a massive explosion shattered the silence.

BOOM!

The towering wooden cathedral doors were violently blown off their hinges by a massive sphere of crimson magic. The heavy oak shattered into thousands of jagged splinters, sending a thick cloud of dust and debris billowing into the silent nave.

Ren coughed, his eyes watering from the sudden dust cloud.

The deranged woman instantly stopped stroking his hair. She stood up straight, pivoting sharply toward the ruined entrance, her purple eyes narrowing into deadly slits.

Through the settling dust, a striking figure emerged. It was a woman wearing an elegant, off-shoulder crimson dress. A wide-brimmed black hat rested atop her flowing silver hair. In the palm of her raised hand, a volatile sphere of bright red magic pulsed with intense, crackling energy.

Right behind the silver-haired woman stood Ryu, Reika, and Miku, their weapons drawn and their stances locked for combat.

"Liora..." the deranged woman growled, her voice dropping into a hateful, demonic register.

"You guys..." Ren breathed, a sudden, blinding rush of hope surging through his chest.

Moving faster than the eye could track, the silver-haired woman dashed forward. With a flawless, spinning heel kick enveloped in red mana, she struck the deranged woman square in the chest, sending her skidding backward across the polished marble floor, far away from Ren’s chair.

Capitalizing on the opening, Miku sprinted forward like a blur. Her twin daggers flashed in the dim light, effortlessly slicing through the thick leather straps binding Ren’s arms and legs.

"Run! Get out of here!" the silver-haired woman shouted, dropping into a low combat stance as she faced the deranged woman.

Ren didn’t need to be told twice. He surged out of the chair, sprinting back toward Ryu, Miku, and Reika.

"Ren, are you alright?!" Reika asked frantically, her hands glowing with orange flame mana.

Ren gave a sharp nod.

"AHAHAHAHAHA!"

The deranged woman’s shrill, unhinged laughter echoed off the high ceiling.

Behind her, the massive Apex Aberrant let out an earth-shattering roar. The sheer sonic force of the beast’s cry generated a shockwave of wind that whipped their clothes and hair violently backward, forcing the squad to brace their boots against the stone floor just to stay standing.

"Liora! Return my man to me, and I will ensure your death is at least quick!" the deranged woman smiled, pressing a delicate finger against her soft red lips.

The silver-haired woman—Liora—gritted her teeth. "That is enough, Vora! Stop this madness!"

"Stop? What do you mean?" Vora laughed hysterically, her expression snapping from amusement to ice-cold fury. "Why should I listen to your naive, pathetic words, Liora? I am doing this because I am free! I choose my own path!"

Vora’s purple eyes flared with terrifying intensity. "And you have absolutely no right to dictate my life!"

She raised her hand, her tone dropping to an icy whisper. "Don’t force me to use violence, Liora~"

Vora snapped her fingers.

The towering Apex Aberrant roared once more, its massive legs flexing as it prepared to launch a devastating charge directly at the squad.

"Run!" Liora screamed, throwing her hands forward to cast a defensive barrier.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The beast charged, its massive footsteps cracking the stone floor with every stride.

Panic surged through the group, but Ren’s mind went entirely blank, entering a state of hyper-focused calm that only someone accustomed to high-stakes crises could achieve.

System! Construct!

[CONSTRUCTION PROTOCOL ACTIVATED]

[TARGET OBJECT: GREEN SMOKE GRENADE (TACTICAL)]

[COST ANALYSIS:]

CHAOS MATTER (CM): 8 (For alloy casing and reactive chemical payload)

CHAOS POINTS (CP): 6 (To stabilize chemical reaction prior to detonation)

[HOST RESOURCES:]

Available CM: 2,481

Available CP: 798

[PROCEED WITH CONSTRUCTION?]

[YES]

Ren mentally confirmed it.

Instantly, a cold, cylindrical metal object materialized in his palm. It was lightweight, with the distinct, metallic click of a safety pin locked in place. The faint, sharp scent of sulfur leaked from the seams.

[CONSTRUCTION SUCCESSFUL!]

[ITEM OBTAINED: GREEN SMOKE GRENADE MK-I]

[SPECIFICATIONS:]

TYPE: Visual Obscuration / Tactical Distraction

EFFECTIVE RADIUS: 5 Meters

DURATION: 120 Seconds

CHEMICAL TRAIT: Pungent and highly irritating to ocular membranes.

USAGE: Pull pin, throw, detonate in 3 seconds.

[REMAINING RESOURCES:]

CM: 2,473

CP: 792

[SYSTEM WARNING:]

[NYX SEAL REACTING TO SYNTHESIS]

[NYX SEAL: 82% → 83%]

A sharp, static shock bit into Ren’s fingertips—a physical warning from the System. He ignored the pain, his fingers gripping the cold metal of the grenade.

Without a second thought, Ren hooked his finger through the metal ring, violently yanked the pin, and hurled the canister directly at the charging behemoth.

"Move! Now!" Ren roared, grabbing Liora by the wrist and shoving Ryu, Reika, and Miku toward the shattered doors.

Two seconds later, the canister hit the floor directly in front of the beast.

PSSSSSH!

The grenade detonated, rapidly expelling a massive, violently expanding cloud of thick, pungent green smoke. The chemical payload filled the air instantly, blinding the corridor.

The Apex Aberrant plunged straight into the cloud. A second later, it let out a horrific, agonizing screech. The chemical irritants burned mercilessly into its multiple crimson eyes, causing the beast to thrash wildly, its claws tearing blindly at the pews and pillars around it.

Through the billowing green fog, Vora simply closed her eyes, maintaining a terrifyingly calm, radiant smile on her face.

"Oh... so you want to play hide and seek?" she giggled, her voice echoing sweetly through the smoke. "Very well. I will play with you."

She began to walk gracefully out of the cathedral, completely ignoring the enraged, blinded monster thrashing behind her.

Ren glanced back over his shoulder as he sprinted out the doors. The smoke grenade had worked flawlessly, but a deep, primal chill ran down his spine as he watched Vora walking flawlessly through the blinding chemical fog with her eyes completely shut.

"Pick up the pace!" Ryu yelled, leading the charge out of the cathedral gates and onto the dark cobblestone road.

From the collapsing cathedral behind them, Vora’s hysterical laughter pierced the night air.

"You seem to be forgetting something!" her voice boomed, amplified by dark magic. "This is my dimension! No matter where you run, no matter where you hide... you can never escape me!"

As they sprinted down the dark road, Ren looked back one last time. Vora had cleared the smoke, her glowing purple eyes snapping open. Right behind her, the towering Apex Aberrant smashed its way out of the ruined cathedral walls, its blood-red eyes locked squarely on their fleeing backs, burning with unhinged, bottomless bloodlust.