Huh? What just happened?
Narumi's eyes widened instantly, nearly bulging in disbelief at what she saw.
Why? Why did Ryuji's head fall from his neck? What was going on? How could this happen? His head had been fine—how did it suddenly drop off?
At that moment, Narumi was completely stunned, frozen like a fool. Her brain, overwhelmed by the shock, almost shut down.
After a while, she regained awareness. Looking at the corpse on the floor and the blood pouring from the neck, she thought she was dreaming. A nightmare.
She couldn't understand why Ryuji had died. And in such a cruel way. How could he die like this? Was she really dreaming?
Trembling, she stepped forward, crouched, and touched the corpse—only to see his head. The head on the ground faced her, still wearing the smile from moments before. The smile that had once made her heart race now, paired with the corpse, was grotesque, chilling to the bone.
Narumi could no longer suppress her fear. She screamed. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh…"
Her shrieks were hysterical, pouring out her terror. It was horrific.
Normally, such screams would have drawn people in. But no one heard her. Kael had already sealed the room with mana.
Soundproofing. Like invisibility, it was a simple but useful spell.
After her hysterical outburst, Narumi finally calmed down. Ryuji was dead. She didn't know how, but he had died in her office. This would implicate her. She had to handle it carefully, without alerting anyone, especially the police.
If accused of murder, she would lose her position as director and possibly face prison. She had sacrificed so much to reach this point—she couldn't let it all collapse.
Wait… She suddenly realized—why hadn't anyone come in after her screams? What was happening?
She quickly stood, scanning the room. Behind her desk, in her chair, sat a boy she had never seen before.
From his youthful face, Narumi could tell he wasn't yet an adult. But instinct told her Ryuji's death was tied to him. He was likely the killer.
Fear gripped her. Ryuji's death was too bizarre. A head simply falling off a neck—she had never seen such a thing. And earlier, the office had only contained her and Ryuji. When had this boy appeared?
Then she remembered—the door had mysteriously opened during her talk with Ryuji. She had thought it was left ajar and blown open by the wind. But now, the truth seemed far more shocking.
Perhaps…
Swallowing nervously, Narumi forced a stiff smile. "This young…"
She stopped herself. She had wanted to call him "young boy," but realizing he might possess special powers, she quickly changed her words: "This lord, may I ask what you require of me?"
Kael looked at her with surprise, impressed by her tact. "You are clever."
Narumi replied: "You flatter me, my lord."
Kael continued: "I'm glad you guessed I came for you. But the plan you discussed with Hirasaka Ryuji—I don't like it."
Narumi's heart skipped. She quickly said: "My plan was meant to serve great figures like you."
Kael stared at her expressionlessly until she grew uneasy. Then he raised his hand and gestured toward Ryuji's corpse.
Narumi clearly saw a shadow rise from the body and land in the boy's hand. The shadow took Ryuji's form. She realized—it was his soul.
But then her heart nearly stopped. She saw the boy tear Ryuji's soul apart and swallow it whole. No burial, no peace.
Narumi's face turned pale, her body cold, breath faltering. She couldn't imagine such cruelty—devouring a human soul directly.
Terrifying.
But it wasn't over. Kael stood, walked to Ryuji's corpse, and released mana. Slowly, he peeled the skin from the body.
As mentioned before, human skin was the best material for refining the Hundred Ghost Banner. Though Ryuji was scum, his skin could still be used. It couldn't be wasted.
The process was gruesome. If Kael hadn't suppressed his emotions with demonic arts, he might have vomited midway. It was torture to witness. Ordinary people couldn't endure it.
After peeling the skin, Kael noticed a strange smell. Turning, he saw Narumi trembling, a stream of warmth flowing from beneath her skirt.
The woman had wet herself in fear.