"Bang!"
A deafening blast erupted from the cannon barrel, but in this extremely noisy bar, few people would pay much attention to the roar.
Wisps of black smoke drifted from the barrel. The shot Ogre had fired could easily shatter half of anyone's body.
Having been outmaneuvered, Ogre vented his fury, even beginning to lose control and turn the barrel toward Seryu before him.
"Stop, you beast."
A voice Ogre could hardly believe reached his ears.
[Alucard System · Vampire Physique!]
Despite taking the shot head-on, Lin Feng was still alive and well.
For some reason, the skin and muscle tissue on Lin Feng's chest, which should have been blown apart, kept healing. His flesh continually regenerated, as though he were immortal.
Looking at Ogre, Lin Feng even began to feel somewhat nauseated. What displeased him most was that Ogre had actually aimed the muzzle at Seryu-
What a selfish, despicable man!
"Ughhhhh! Aaaaaah!!!!!!"
Beside him, Seryu had almost completely lost her reason.
Ogre, the teacher she trusted deeply and regarded as a father, was actually the evil man who had murdered her parents.
This revelation shattered the values of justice Seryu had upheld for more than a decade.
She had even intended to follow her teacher Ogre's advice and have her body converted into machinery.
All this time, to better find her own Teigu, Seryu had also been undergoing "compatibility improvement experiments," willing to consume her own life to become stronger.
She had never imagined that all of this was a lie.
Rage, terror, devastation, pain-countless negative emotions surged up, leaving Seryu completely unable to control her actions.
"Calm down a little. Form Transformation-"
Half of Lin Feng's body collapsed into a black shadow, which formed an enclosed wall around the distraught Seryu.
Venting inside was Seryu's only option now. Otherwise, the berserk Koro she summoned might bring the bar crashing down in an instant, killing countless people.
Having restrained Seryu, Lin Feng quickly turned his gaze toward Ogre.
"I saved your life earlier to repay you for nurturing me. I think that should make us even."
Lin Feng spoke coldly.
"But you owe so many people their lives. I wonder what you'll use to repay them?"
"Shut up!"
Ogre raised the cuff of his left sleeve. Beneath it was an automatic rifle capable of continuous fire, its body well concealed beneath his coat. It seemed he had prepared this long ago.
"Ratatatat!!!"
The automatic rifle sprayed bullets wildly, but Lin Feng's face showed only fearlessness and disgust.
"Form Transformation."
In an instant, Lin Feng's legs dissolved into a black shadow. It split into four long, narrow strands, firmly restraining Ogre's hands and feet so he could not move another step.
"To think you were a Teigu user... you damned bastard..."
"I'm no Teigu user. Do you remember this?"
Lin Feng's lips trembled slightly.
"Familiar Summoning-"
A thick blood mist drifted into the air, and an enormous figure emerged from it.
Four feet planted on the ground, eerie double pupils, a wild, rank odor, and a sinister sense of death-
Ogre realized this was the hellhound that had saved him from Akame's sword last night!
Only now did Ogre understand what Lin Feng had meant by "saved your life."
With his hands and feet restrained, Ogre no longer had the slightest chance of escape. He could only make one final struggle like a cornered beast.
"Heh... even if you kill me, do you think you can escape? Nobles come and go here... everyone knows me. Once they find my corpse..."
"Shut your mouth."
Lin Feng no longer wanted to waste words on Ogre.
Extending a black shadow from his right hand, Lin Feng filled the corner booth with it, preventing the savage sounds of his hound devouring its prey from attracting passing customers.
"Eat... drag him into the abyss!"
Warm saliva dripped from the hellhound's jaws.
In the terror of death, in the final moment of his life, Ogre saw only two rows of sharp fangs like steel spikes and a gaping, bloody maw.
After an unknown amount of time, Ogre had passed entirely into the hound's belly.
Seemingly still unsatisfied, the hellhound licked up the last of the blood on the floor.
A faint bloody odor lingered in the air, yet not a single bloodstain or bone from the corpse could be seen.
A faint dark-red glow rose in Lin Feng's eyes, and the hellhound and the black shadow enclosing Seryu vanished without a trace.
The Seryu before him was no longer the cheerful, lively girl she usually was.
Her eyes were lifeless as she stared blankly into the emptiness before her.
Her legs lay limply splayed on the floor, without any strength left.
"Lin Feng, tell me, was it really Teacher Ogre who killed my parents? Was it? Heh..."
Without a word, Lin Feng spread the evidence Akame had given him across the table. He knew Seryu only wanted to hear him say no.
But Lin Feng had to make Seryu face the cruel reality.
All this time, fighting alone and forlorn, she had relied on the endless sense of justice in her heart.
She had once sworn to spend her entire life repaying Ogre's kindness.
Who could have imagined that what had sustained her through all her struggles was nothing but a lie?
"Cry, but don't hurt yourself."
Lin Feng hoped to see Seryu live as her own person.
One could say that Lin Feng could accept any path Seryu took, except for two he could not tolerate.
The first was continuing to be deceived by Ogre and spending her life carrying out someone else's will.
The second was hurting herself and betraying the hopes of those who loved her.
"Your parents probably wouldn't want to see you like this."
At Lin Feng's words, shame, guilt, and a deep sense of helplessness surged into Seryu's heart.
Her gaze finally regained a little of its own spirit from the emptiness, and then those eyes, as warm and lustrous as jade, filled with tears.
Leaning against Lin Feng's chest, Seryu sobbed loudly.
Meanwhile, Lin Feng used one hand to shape this small world temporarily cut off from everything outside, supporting Seryu with the other, hoping she would overcome this ordeal as soon as possible.
Perhaps it would take months, perhaps a year, perhaps ten years, or even a lifetime.
Even if there were only a single moment in her life when Seryu could let go and forgive her former self, everything Lin Feng had done would be worth it.
The night was beautiful, but not even a glimpse of it could be seen from the corner booth in the bar.
Only by stepping out of this beautiful yet confining space could one see the dull yet necessary truth.