I Really Am Merciful...

I will break their bones one by one, sever the tendons in their hands, tear off their fingernails, and kill the people they love most right before their eyes...

The man's words surfaced in the girl's mind once again.

But this time, they brought her more than anger. Above all, they brought fear.

This madman wasn't joking. He truly intended to do it.

The girl stared at the man before her, her eyes nearly bursting with rage. Utter terror and hatred consumed her every thought.

She raised her gun and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Bang! Bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang!

Bullets poured out, as though giving vent to the hatred and fury in her heart.

Click, click!

Only when she had emptied the magazine and could no longer fire did the girl stop.

She panted, staring at the completely unharmed man before her.

The bullets fell from the protective shield.

The drone behind Jonas retracted its pale blue shield of light. He seemed entirely unbothered by her actions, merely watching the scene with interest.

Amau Sueko quickly crouched down, reaching for Knight's gun.

But a bullet from the drone struck her hand with pinpoint accuracy, knocking the gun out of her grasp.

The bullet pierced her palm. She grunted in pain as blood spattered, then collapsed to the floor.

Jonas walked up to the girl and said softly:

"The Destiny Organization deployed thirty-four people. Including Mr. Ian, whom you killed... that makes thirty-five."

He slowly paced around the girl sprawled on the floor, then continued:

"Every last one of them is dead."

At those words, the girl began trembling uncontrollably.

"Just now, Mr. [Demon Samurai] was beheaded with a single slash... To be honest, he really was a troublesome opponent. Even with twenty-seven gunshot wounds, he nearly injured one of my subordinates."

A memory surfaced, and a burly man of few words appeared in the girl's mind.

He had been one of the few members of the organization who came from the same place as her.

"I suppose he was your... fellow traveler?"

Seeing the girl bite down hard on her lower lip, Jonas shook his head with a smile and said:

"I could tell he really wanted to rescue you. A pity, though..."

-A pity he never even caught a glimpse of you before he died.

"You win, Jonas."

Amau Sueko gritted her teeth, looked at the man before her, and said:

"I admit it. My stupidity got them killed..."

Before she had even finished speaking, the girl before him had already lost the will to fight. Her voice was filled with bitter resentment:

"Kill me..."

Even knowing that Jonas was doing all this to break through her psychological defenses, Amau Sueko still couldn't ignore what had happened.

These people had all died trying to save her.

No matter how she tried to console herself, the guilt in her heart continued to mount.

Amau Sueko could see no possibility of defeating him. Defeat him? She couldn't even summon the thought of resisting him anymore.

The more I resist, the more people will die because of me.

The girl had sunk into utter despair. She would rather Jonas simply shoot her dead.

But Jonas had no intention of letting Amau Sueko off so "easily."

"Kill you?"

As though he had heard something funny, Jonas bent down and looked into her eyes.

"I won't kill you."

"You'll live on, bearing the guilt of these deaths."

"You'll spend every day in torment, wanting to kill yourself but unable to do it."

"You'll torture yourself to ease your guilt. Self-harm will become your only outlet."

Jonas's words were like a demon's whispers. With every sentence, she curled up a little tighter, as though trying to escape his words.

After a pause, Jonas said:

"They all died so that you could live and return to the Destiny Organization."

"And if you return to the Destiny Organization alive... will you kill yourself...?"

Yes. That's exactly how it should be.

"You should live."

-Live a life worse than death.

From the very beginning, Amau Sueko's role had never been merely that of bait.

Jonas hadn't spent so long laying his plans just to wipe out a single task force from the Destiny Organization.

Just as he had said, Amau Sueko would return to the Destiny Organization.

Every other member had died, yet Miss Amau, the hostage, had walked back unscathed...

The seed of suspicion would be planted. People would question Jonas's motives and Amau Sueko's intentions. Suspicion would lead to persecution, and persecution would lead others to protect her.

Those who trusted Amau Sueko and those who doubted her would split into two camps.

No one could keep conflict buried forever, and suspicion would undoubtedly tear them apart.

This was precisely the outcome Jonas wanted.

Move with the tide, strike with the tide, and leave no trace...

It was an open scheme, and the Destiny Organization had no choice but to play along.

Miss Amau Sueko was that seed.

Getting her teammates killed? What did a little setback like that amount to...?

Jonas believed that Amau Sueko would pull herself together again someday.

And once she regained her fighting spirit and prepared to rally, only to discover that the entire Destiny Organization had fractured because of her, what expression would Miss Amau wear then?

At that thought, Jonas couldn't help laughing.

A moment later, he looked at Amau Sueko, sprawled unconscious on the floor before him, and pity crept into his eyes.

He pressed a hand to his temple and opened a communications channel.

"Come to the Alt Branch Building, fourteenth-floor corridor. There's an injured person here who needs help."

After ending the call, he couldn't help shaking his head again, chuckling as he murmured to himself:

"I really am merciful."