Kr… Aaaagh!

A scream filled with agony escaped Luke’s lips as he felt an intense pain, so severe it felt like it dimmed his vision.

As Luke’s body went limp, he caught sight of red flames erupting from Scarlett’s body, which were then swiftly sucked away into somewhere.

Sator watched this with an amused smile, patting Luke’s head, and said, “Luke, do you see? Every time you scream, the flames of Number 10 grow stronger with its fury. It seems this method is far better than directly inflicting pain. But it’s still not enough. You can produce flames strong enough to burn down the entire lab, right? You should at least show me something like that.”

At Sator’s words, Luke gazed at Scarlett.

Distinctly powerful flames surged repeatedly from her body.

Could it be that, just like Sator said, the intensity of the flames increases with her anger?

If so, at a more heightened emotional state, she might really go out of control just like she did when the lab burned.

Luke recalled the day the lab was set ablaze, remembering the look Scarlett had in her eyes while engulfed in flames.

Her eyes that cried out for help.

She seemed to be suffering from a power that was hard to control.

He couldn’t let her endure that kind of pain again.

To reassure her without alerting Sator, he slowly formed the words silently with his lips.

It’s okay.

Seeing that Scarlett’s eyes flickered and her lips pressed tightly together, Luke could tell she understood.

I’m fine, so don’t get angry like that.

He wanted to convey that message, but it looked like Sator was about to bring over a rod that seemed to conduct electricity.

“-!! -!”

As excruciating pain coursed through him, Luke bit down hard, suppressing the sounds desperately trying to escape his mouth.

Sator, seeing this, scratched his neck and shouted in annoyance, “If it hurts, don’t just hold it in, scream louder! You should be helping Number 10 gather her strength!”

Luke glanced at Sator, who was yelling.

No matter how he looked at it, this man didn’t resemble the one he used to know.

Although he was filled with a sense of superiority, Luke didn’t think he would act like this.

The situation was bound to lead both of them to a terrible end, so he had to think of a way to keep Sator from laying a finger on Scarlett and spoke up.

“…Sator, you mentioned that the family ordered to halt the plan last time, right? That means there’s no longer any support from them. You must have decided to kidnap us for your own experimentation.”

There was no reply, but Sator’s expression was contorted, which gave Luke a rough idea.

With a taunting smile, he continued, “…If Scarlett dies, it’ll mean you’ve failed.”

That hit the mark, and Sator’s expression twisted.

Although he was the target of Sator’s anger now, it was comforting to realize this.

Sator must be torturing him in front of Scarlett to provoke her rage since he couldn’t experiment on her body as he used to.

With no support from the family, it meant he couldn’t create a new test subject.

If he harmed Scarlett and she died because Luke refused to treat her, that would be curtains for him.

Of course, Luke couldn’t allow her to die, but since Sator was unaware of this, he’d have no choice but to lash out at Luke instead.

Ultimately, this meant that as long as Luke could bear it, Scarlett would be safe.

Luke glanced unobtrusively at Scarlett.

She had bitten her lips so hard that blood was beginning to flow.

It was evident that she was suppressing a rising fury to the point where it was almost unbearable compared to her usual expressionless demeanor.

Even during the much worse pain she had endured in the past, she had never shown such a visible change in expression.

She was a kind girl who could feel such rage over the suffering of others.

Surely, the pain she had endured before because of them was far worse than this.

So, for that sweet girl, he could endure this pain without hesitation.

That was the least he could do for his atonement.

With those thoughts, Luke composed himself.

He conveyed silently to Scarlett that he was okay and continued to withstand the ongoing torture.

*

Perhaps it was due to the experience gained from previous experiments, or maybe because Sator had adjusted the pain to a level that wouldn’t endanger Luke’s life, he desperately managed to endure the torture.

The intensity of the flames didn’t seem to increase noticeably compared to the beginning.

And that displeased Sator.

“Luke, because you keep holding back, there’s no progress. It looks like I have no choice but to bring out something I’ve been saving.”

Muttering, Sator scratched his neck and pulled out a container from somewhere.

He drew a small amount with a syringe and waved it in front of Luke, who was bound to the chair and struggling.

Upon seeing the ominous black energy swirling inside, Luke inhaled sharply.

That was an item too dangerous to be here.

“I went through a lot of trouble to obtain this, thinking it might help bring forth the witch’s power. Since you’re not fulfilling your role, I have no choice but to resort to this.”

Luke trembled, having witnessed several people die because of it.

Magic.

It was an energy so dangerous that it could give birth to monsters, but in a concentration visible like this, it acted as a lethal poison to humans.

Even the amount in that syringe was enough to kill a person.

Though he knew the danger, Luke asked Sator, who was bringing the syringe toward Scarlett.

“What do you intend to do with that…”

“I was initially planning to use it on you, but when you think of the witch’s power and this magic, it seems like a perfect fit, doesn’t it? My intuition as a researcher tells me this will succeed. I should have tried this first. Then you could have watched the completion of the plan in good health.”

“If Scarlett dies, the plan is finished! Sator, you’ll be left as a failure for life!”

In his desperation to stop Sator, Luke shouted, knowing full well that as a perfectionist, he couldn’t ignore this.

Yet, looking at Sator, who had scratched his neck, his gloves stained with blood, and his eyes shining with madness, Luke despaired.

His white gloves, usually kept pristine, were now dyed red by the blood flowing down his neck, and he looked completely devoid of reason.

Only one thing remained: a madman consumed by insanity.

“Hahaha, Luke. You’re spouting foolish words.”

Sator laughed maniacally while putting on a gas mask.

“I can never fail! Just take a nap for a bit. When you wake up, you’ll see the results!”

As the sleeping gas spread, Luke felt his consciousness fading.

Through his blurred vision, he watched as Sator brought the syringe closer to Scarlett’s neck.

Please, someone stop him.

At that moment,

“Take your hand off my friend right now!”

Beyond his fading eyesight, starlight flickered.

*

Guided by Yoon Si-woo, who had run tirelessly through multiple gateways, they arrived at an isolated building.

“No one’s here!”

“It’s underground!”

As Yoon Si-woo chain-sawed through the locked door, he pointed downwards as he stepped inside the seemingly empty building.

At his words, Sylvia immediately prepared a spell and shot it towards the ground.

-Alf Ad Astra-!!

A massive hole was opened in the floor, and the smoke that had gathered below surged up through the hole as a result of the upheaval.

Realizing it wasn’t ordinary smoke, Yoon Si-woo swiftly switched to the Holy Protector Sword and created a barrier to block it, then jumped down alongside Sylvia.

As the dust and smoke swirled chaotically, Sylvia used her spell to disperse the murky air in the basement.

What lay beyond was a middle-aged man, seemingly tortured and tied to a chair.

And there was Scarlett, slumped over in a cage, with a man in a gas mask holding a syringe to her neck.

Knowing that whatever was in the syringe could be dangerous, Sylvia yelled, “Take your hand off my friend right now!”

At her shout, the masked man’s hand froze mid-motion.

“Well, if it isn’t Miss Sylvia. This complicates things.”

Upon hearing a familiar voice calling her, Sylvia scanned the man’s appearance in confusion.

Silver hair slipping out from under the gas mask, gloves on his hands, and a voice that, though slightly muffled, felt strangely familiar.

Though it seemed unbelievable, everything pointed towards someone she knew, and with a trembling voice, Sylvia whispered, “…Uncle Sator?”

“Yes, it’s me, my dear.”

The man took off his gas mask, revealing a familiar face that left Sylvia speechless.

“Do you know him?”

Suppressing her desire to lunge forward, Yoon Si-woo asked, and Sylvia nodded her head with difficulty.

She was shocked to discover that the one who had kidnapped her friend was a member of her own family, and she bit her lip as she questioned, “……Why did you kidnap my friend?”

Sator smiled as he replied, “Your friend? Oh, are you referring to her?”

Pointing at her most precious friend.

“You probably didn’t know. This is not someone suitable for you to be friends with.”

His answer was, “This girl is a weapon created by Astra, made from the heart of the Angry Witch, the enemy of Astra.”

The overwhelming shock was sufficient to make the previous feeling seem trivial, leaving Sylvia utterly shaken.