Chapter 43: Deal
"Your creations are quite magnificent, Talobo."
Hearing those words, the small man grinned from ear to ear.
Wiping away the blood smeared across his face, he said to the only other living person in the room, "Modifying humans is old news now. It’s better to create something new—these golems, who can actually make a difference."
His gaze shifted toward the massive figure standing in the center of the lab, the creature’s shadow swallowing the broken floor beneath it. Pride swelled in his chest as he smirked. "This will help me reach my goal. Even Valkyrie will kneel before this. And when everything settles, I’ll bring her back here—back to this lab—and use her blood to my heart’s content."
He licked his lips at the thought, hunger gleaming in his eyes.
Ever since he learned about Emma’s blood, his mind had been overflowing with possibilities.
That divine essence—so pure, so potent—was unlike anything he’d ever studied. The mere thought of its potential made his heart race.
But it was limited. He had only a small amount, provided by the woman who now stood across from him.
Once he captured Emma, though, he would have all he needed. He could mass-produce miracles—creations that would shake this world and reshape it according to his will.
"By the way, Talobo." The woman’s voice cut through his thoughts. "You said both Aether and Nyx would be useless against this being... but what about unconventional sorcerers?"
Talobo frowned, irritation flashing across his face. "What do you mean?"
The woman shrugged casually, her grin sharp. "I mean, those wild ones—the sorcerers who don’t follow rules or systems. The academy you’re targeting... has one, doesn’t it?"
Talobo groaned, waving her words off. "I don’t know who you’re talking about. And if I haven’t heard of him, then he’s not worth my attention."
The woman didn’t reply. She simply smiled—a slow, wide, almost mocking grin that stretched from ear to ear.
And now... standing amidst the ruins of his life’s work, Talobo finally understood that smile.
He had been a fool. A blind, arrogant fool.
Every single one of his creations—his golems, his masterpieces—were crushed before his eyes as if they were made of paper.
Seventeen golems. Each one crafted through countless sleepless nights, refined through blood and brilliance. All of it... gone.
Talobo’s breath came in short bursts, his mind numb as his trembling gaze fell upon the figure standing in the wreckage.
William.
The blond man stood there, calm and unbothered, arms crossed as if the being before him was not something to feel alarmed about.
"You’re one persistent bastard," William said, his tone almost lazy, "After escaping death once, you should have started a new life. Should have adopted a few children or something...but I forgot a pig can never stay away from the mud."
Talobo felt small under that gaze, smaller than he had ever felt in his entire life.
If William had arrived earlier, this entire mess would never have happened.
And now, facing the man he once dismissed as irrelevant, Talobo realized too late—
—some monsters didn’t need to be created. They were already walking the planet.
*Step*
The sound echoed sharply.
As William took a step forward, Talobo flinched like a cornered rat. "Wait! Don’t kill me! I—I have something to share! Information! I can give you information!"
William’s grin widened. "Do you really think I’d kill you before taking everything inside that little head of yours?"
The words froze Talobo in place.
Then it hit him—this boy could *read minds!*
Panic rushed through his veins. His trembling hand darted into his pocket, pulling out a small knife. Without a moment’s thought, he drove it toward his own neck—
—but the blade bent like soft metal before it could pierce his skin.
"Huh?" The Mad Scholar stared in disbelief, his eyes wide.
"Man, you never learn," William sighed, his tone half-annoyed, half-bored. With a flick of his hand, he pulled Talobo toward him using telekinesis, planning to restrain him and dig through his mind later.
But before he could, a sudden force cut through the air—
*Slash!*
William’s telekinetic arm shattered midair, and Talobo dropped to the ground with a thud.
"Hmm?" William frowned, his golden eyes narrowing. Someone was interfering. Someone strong enough to push back against his power.
"Show yourself," he demanded, his voice low and sharp. His senses spread out like a web, scanning the forest around them.
Emma, watching from a distance, felt a chill run down her spine. This time, William wasn’t joking. He was actually on guard.
For a moment, there was only silence—the kind that made the wind sound too loud.
Then William lifted his foot and slammed it hard into the ground.
**DOOOOOOM**
A deep tremor followed as psychic waves burst out in all directions, flattening the trees like a storm of invisible blades.
"Quite the hasty one," a calm, feminine voice called out as a figure leapt gracefully from the forest, landing before the destruction could reach her.
She wore a red shroud that covered her face, only her crimson lips visible beneath the hood.
She stood near Talobo’s curled-up body but didn’t seem interested in protecting him. Her posture was relaxed, her presence confident—almost careless—as if what William just did barely mattered.
William raised an eyebrow, still on alert. "And who might you be? His financer?" he asked, nodding toward the trembling Scholar who had folded himself into a ball on the dirt.
The woman’s lips curved slightly, "You can say that, and I am disappointed now."
William tried twice to probe her mind, but each attempt slid off like rain on stone.
Distance alone couldn’t explain it—this felt different. There was a shield here, neat and cold, like someone had wrapped their thoughts in iron. William’s brow tightened.
The woman tapped her fist against her palm, calm as if playing with a toy. "I have an offer for you," she said.
William snorted. "Trying to recruit me?"
She laughed softly. "Oh no. We are not worth recruiting you." Her tone carried a hint of something darker, and Emma’s face tightened at the implication.
’Could she know who William really is?’ Emma wondered, alarm prickling through her. Natalie and Kevin shared the same look—confused and tense—but kept still.
The woman turned her head toward the trembling Talobo and tilted her chin. "How about a deal?" she suggested. She reached out and gestured to the broken, curled man. "I hand you this one."
Talobo let out a high, terrified shriek. The woman’s lips curled into a small, unreadable smile as she finished, "...and in return, you promise me you will kill me one day."