Chapter 301: Don’t let him die
The Death Scare was an ability that forced a person to confront their deepest fear whenever they looked at Luke.
And at this moment, the one Gorrem saw standing before him was his deceased father.
His face turned deathly pale as he collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air, his entire body trembling uncontrollably. Every trace of the confidence he had worn moments ago vanished without a struggle.
The same man who had stormed the Chief’s residence and beaten him without the slightest hesitation was now on the verge of wetting himself.
"What did you do to him?" Agram asked as he pushed himself to his feet.
His battered body failed him. His legs buckled, and he crashed back onto the chair.
Luke didn’t even spare him a glance. His attention remained fixed on the broken man before him.
Drawing his dagger, he crouched beside Gorrem and clamped a hand over his mouth.
Shlink.
The blade carved a deep gash across the man’s ankle.
His eyes bulged in agony.
"MFFFHHH!"
Luke’s expression remained ice-cold. Grabbing Gorrem by the head, he slammed his forehead into the man’s face.
Bang!
The impact snapped Gorrem’s head backward, sending the back of his skull crashing against the wall.
Only then did Luke remove his hand from the man’s mouth.
"Now," he growled, his voice devoid of warmth, "tell me your plan before I decide how to kill you."
However, the first words that left Gorrem’s mouth were not the answer Luke wanted.
"HELP!"
The desperate scream echoed through the residence.
A heartbeat later, several armed men stormed into the room, each carrying unmistakable killing intent.
There was no doubt they were Gorrem’s men.
Luke glanced over his shoulder.
Then he disappeared.
The intruders froze, their eyes darting across the room in a frantic search.
SLASH!
SHLINK!
SWISH!
Crimson arcs flashed through the air.
Before anyone could react, Luke was standing in front of Gorrem once more, his dagger dripping with fresh blood.
THUD.
THUD.
THUD.
Gorrem’s eyes slowly widened.
One after another, the bodies of his men crashed onto the floor.
Each corpse was headless.
"W... What..."
His trembling gaze rose to Luke as his fingers twitched instinctively.
An illusionary blade condensed in midair and shot toward Luke with a piercing shriek.
Luke calmly lifted his foot.
At the same time, he poured more strength into his body.
THUNK!
CRACK!
"AHHHHHHH!"
Gorrem’s scream tore through the room as Luke’s heel crushed his ankle into a mangled mess.
The illusionary blade shattered into countless fragments before it could even reach him.
Gorrem writhed across the bloodstained floor, clutching at the ruin of his leg. Sweat poured down his face as every breath came out in broken gasps.
Luke stepped forward and seized Gorrem’s shattered ankle and twisted.
"AAAAAHHHH!"
The scream echoed through the room.
"You have one chance," Luke said quietly. "Talk."
Gorrem only shook his head, tears spilling from his eyes as he fought to endure the pain.
Luke released the ankle.
For a brief moment, Gorrem thought it was over.
Then the dagger flashed.
Shlink.
Another deep cut opened across his opposite thigh.
Blood immediately soaked through his clothes.
Gorrem convulsed, his body curling instinctively around the wound.
"Pl-Please...it hurts please.."
Luke crouched before him.
His emotionless eyes reflected his own messed up face.
"This won’t be enough to make you remember."
Luke suddenly grabbed Gorrem’s wrist.
Crack.
The bones snapped beneath his grip.
Another scream erupted from the man.
Agram lay against the chair, watching in stunned silence. Even after everything Gorrem had done, the sight before him made his stomach churn.
Luke remained utterly emotionless.
Sensing the man was on the verge of losing consciousness, Luke uncorked a vial and forced half its contents down his throat. It was just enough to keep him awake.
"Talk to me," Luke said coldly. "What’s your plan?"
He knew his family was safe inside the house. Every entrance was protected by the traps he had painstakingly laid.
Which meant this wasn’t an immediate attack.
They had planned something else.
Gorrem sucked in a ragged breath, his eyes wandering as he struggled to stay conscious.
With the last of his strength, he whispered, "Manbaru... he’s... Mila’s mate..."
"!!!"
Luke’s eyes widened.
He staggered back a step.
Manbaru.
The same man who had slipped through his fingers the previous night.
The same man who had led the masked assailants.
Relief had kept Luke calm because he believed no one could bypass the traps surrounding his home.
But someone who had watched him set those traps from inside the house...
...would know exactly how to avoid them.
"Fuck!"
He shot to his feet.
Pulling out two potion vials, he thrust them toward Agram.
"Drink one. It’ll heal you. And whatever you do, don’t let him die." His gaze hardened. "Did you hear me? Don’t let him die."
Agram nodded silently and accepted the vials.
By the time he looked up again, Luke had already vanished from the room.
Turning toward the unconscious Gorrem, Agram let out a slow breath.
"You picked the wrong man to cross, Gorrem."
.....
Luke’s mind was blank as he sprinted toward Roxanne’s house.
Only one thought echoed through his head, over and over like a desperate prayer.
Please be safe.
Please... be safe.
He had been a fool.
He had underestimated them.
Of course they had a way to lure everyone out of the house. Otherwise, Gorrem would never have dared attack the Chief so boldly.
And now...
Because of his own carelessness...
His family was in danger.
"Tch! Transfer more stats to Speed. Now!"
The world dissolved into streaks of color as his surroundings blurred past. Wind screamed in his ears, but it wasn’t enough.
He wasn’t fast enough.
He had to get there.
He had to.
"Ah!"
Luke barely managed to stop himself as he reached the house.
His eyes snapped toward the front yard.
The sight before him stole the air from his lungs.
A body.
Lying motionless.
A woman.
Surrounded by a pool of her own blood.