Chapter 324 Burn.

Chapter 324: 324 Burn.

"I will make absolutely sure you never get the chance to defile her! It took time to properly organize this trap. But it was entirely worth the effort.

"I knew you would inevitably betray the master, seek to destroy his empire, and your only hope was conspiring with that impudent fool Bradburn!

"Thus, it was a certainty you would be here tonight. Secretly hiring the Beezness gang to rob the gala. Severing the elevator cable. All meticulously planned to drive you exactly here! For I knew you would attempt to escape down the shaft. And I knew I could trap you on this abandoned floor to finally meet your fate!"

...Huh.

I was actually a little bit impressed. It seemed like Sleer wasn’t just Jester’s passive yes-man after all.

I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised that a Council member had competent staff, but my professional approval of his logistical planning was currently taking a massive backseat to the overwhelming urge to shove a metal filing cabinet right up his ass.

"The second you actually hurt her," I informed him darkly, "I’m going to kill you."

"But as long as I hold her hostage, you will not dare use your magnetism."

"Then we’re at a standoff," I said, catching Lilith’s eye in the gloom.

She gave me the tiniest, brightest little nod.

Oho...

"Wrong again," Sleer cackled, just as a loud, metallic scraping sound echoed from the elevator shaft.

Oh, what now? I looked toward the open doors just in time for Yes Whey to swing himself into the dark office like a massive, roided-out ape, landing heavily on the carpet and straightening up.

"Found you!" he roared.

Oh, just absolutely perfect.

"Not a great time," I told the hero impatiently.

"Ah, but it is the perfect time!" Sleer cackled. "You see, my friend?" he said to the bodybuilder. "Did I not promise you that if you attended this gala, you would have your glorious opportunity for revenge? And here it is! Kill him, my friend. Avenge yourself on the corporate mastermind who orchestrated your brother’s death!"

"What?" I said, turning back to face Yes Whey as the hero loomed in the darkness, his white tank top stretching over his colossal frame. "I didn’t kill your brother! None of my employees did!"

"Liar! I watched the video feed!" Yes Whey snarled. He started moving slowly toward me, looking like a bulldozer shifting into gear to smash through a picket line.

I eased back, ready to start throwing heavy office furniture around, but then remembered Lilith was still a hostage. This was going to be tricky.

But... it was also a management opportunity.

"Figures you’d try and outsource your dirty work to a freelancer," I said to Sleer, continuously moving around to keep Yes Whey’s bulky form between me and the shadow. "Like boss, like henchman."

"His vengeance is well deserved," Sleer hissed.

"You’re assuming he can actually take me," I noted.

"Of course I can!" Yes Whey barked, lunging directly at me.

I saw the ridiculously telegraphed move and ducked under his swinging fist. I heard it smash straight into and through the drywall behind me.

I sidestepped, the wall cracking loudly as Yes Whey’s fist carved through the plaster on the backswing. I bounded back to my feet, twisting around to face him as I kept backing up through the cubicle maze.

Yes Whey spun, his body tense as he slowly stalked forward, crouching to spring. No good openings yet.

"If Jester finds out you’re running unauthorized hits on his prospective hires, you’ll pay a heavy price, Sleer," I said as I casually kept a desk between me and the hero.

"The master will understand my initiative, in time," Sleer hissed, his voice barely carrying over the loud bang of Yes Whey literally flinging the entire wooden desk out of his way.

"I mean, I really can’t blame Jester for looking outside the organization," I added with a casual shrug, continuing my retreat.

My powers subtly pinged off the metal furniture in the dark, giving me a perfect mental map of the room. "No wonder he desperately needs me on the payroll, if this is the kind of shoddy project management he gets from you. Convincing the grieving brother of the guy he murdered to do the heavy lifting? Pretty sad."

"You are the fool!" Sleer snarled. "You have no idea of the master’s true greatness! Of his brilliance!"

"I’m pretty sure I do. I mean, he must—"

I cut myself off as Yes Whey grabbed a nearby metal filing cabinet and heaved it completely over his head.

He bellowed, throwing the heavy steel box right at my face. I dove straight toward him, giving myself a quick boost by repelling my iron boots off a metal support beam in the wall.

The cabinet crashed into the floor behind me. I flung myself low, sliding right between the protein-powered hero’s legs. Yes Whey bent over in sheer surprise.

For his trouble, I kicked him solidly in the face.

"Mrrrf!" Yes Whey bellowed, jerking upright and clapping a massive hand over his face to staunch a suddenly bleeding nose.

That was always the glaring problem with the bodybuilding heroes. They were huge and strong, but they fundamentally didn’t know how to actually fight.

And I fought dirty.

I jumped back to my feet, grinning as I bounced on my heels.

"Fool!" Sleer snapped at the hero. "Just kill him! He’s right in front of you!"

"Plan not working out so well for you?" I asked Sleer, twisting the knife. "See? This is exactly why Jester is trying to hire me as an executive. Clearly, he can’t rely on a middle manager like you to get the job done."

"You dare!" Sleer burst out, completely losing his temper. "The master is brilliant! The master is perfect! You are the disposable fool! I was the one who came up with the plan to frame your employee!

"I was the one who stalked that bank manager and found out exactly when and how you would run the gig! And I was the one who was inside the vault when your pathetic shape-shifter pretended to rob it! Me!"

"And I bet you killed No Whey, too," I said smoothly.

"Of course I did! The master explicitly relied on me! It had to be me who killed this idiot’s brother! Me!"

Yes Whey froze instantly, his eyes going wide in the dark. His blocky head swiveled slowly to stare at Sleer and Lilith. His hands lowered from his face, his broken nose entirely forgotten.

"You... what?"

Realizing exactly what he had just shouted in front of the victim’s brother, Sleer sputtered, "I... I mean..."

"Lilith?" I said invitingly.

"Yay! I totally thought you’d never ask, Milesyyy!" she cheered, her voice completely dropping the terrified hostage act.

Bright, searing pink and golden flames abruptly erupted from the succubus. Her hair and skin were wreathed in a blinding, hyperactive aura of demonic magic.

Sleer let out a high-pitched scream, peeling off her skin like a cheap children’s sticker left out in the rain.

He staggered backward, his flat, angular shape frantically throwing up its arms as he was forced to fill out, the 3D dimensions of his body exposed in the harsh, colorful glow of the demoness.

Before he could retreat into the shadows, Lilith whipped around with terrifying speed. She grabbed him directly by the throat, effortlessly hefting him off the floor.

Sleer gagged, completely trapped in her grip. The demoness’s eyes were glowing like twin suns, and her smile was wide, manic, and entirely unhinged.

"Oh my gosh, you are going to look so incredibly cute in red, bestie!" she squealed, her tail wagging furiously. "Let’s find out how much of you we can burn!"