She hadn’t summoned him.
And yet, there he was.
The white tiger was no longer rely standing on the battlefield. No, he was soaring, locked in combat high above them. The entire roof had beco a vast, endless battleground, stretching far beyond the physical space of the room.
This shouldn’t be possible.
Even though she had created this isolated space, it should have had limits. And yet, Beom moved as if the sky itself was his playground.
Es exhaled, steadying herself. Not now. She could analyze this later.
Turning back to the woman, her eyes glead with renewed interest.
"Let’s exchange sothing else," she said smoothly, stepping forward.
The woman’s brows furrowed in wariness.
Es crouched down beside her, gaze drifting over the scattered bodies sprawled on the floor. A slow, deliberate smirk tugged at her lips.
"How about this?"
She straightened and took a step back, her voice dropping into sothing almost playful—almost deadly.
"I’ll start counting down from five. If you don’t give the information by then... I’ll tear each of them apart. One by one."
The woman’s breath hitched.
Es rolled her shoulders, stretching her fingers as she looked down at her.
"Five."
"Four. Three."
As Es counted down, her fingers curled slowly, deliberately. Then, without breaking rhythm, she crouched down, tilting her head as she inspected the n sprawled on the floor.
A flicker of fear passed through one of them. The others remained impassive, their faces unreadable—but beneath that, there was no panic. No pleading.
They knew their leader well.
She was not the type to surrender.
And she certainly wasn’t the type to sacrifice valuable information for them.
Loyalty and efficiency—that was all that mattered to her. Not their lives.
They had accepted their fates long before this mont.
Es continued her countdown.
"Two."
Before she could reach one, the woman suddenly spoke, her voice raspy but steady.
"Even if you kill them, you know I won’t give you the information."
Es’s lips twitched. A slow smirk ford, followed by a sharp exhale—Pfft.
Then, without warning—
"Ha ha ha."
She covered her face briefly, her laughter spilling out, soft at first, then growing, echoing in the closed space.
The woman’s brows furrowed in confusion. What the hell was she laughing at?
"What’s so funny?" she demanded, irritation lacing her tone.
Es exhaled through her nose, shaking her head.
"Well, well, well..." She straightened, amusent dancing in her eyes as she gazed down at the woman.
Then, with a lazy shrug, she added,
"Who told you I was going to kill these four?"
The woman froze.
Her lips parted slightly, but no words ca out. A trickle of confusion crept into her features.
"What?"
Es’s smirk deepened.
"I said, I will kill them."
And with that, she pointed to the floor.
The woman’s face turned pale instantly.
A shudder ran through her body.
Es watched as realization dawned—slow, creeping, suffocating.
"No..."
But it was already too late.
The ground beneath them groaned, cracks spreading like veins as Es’s fist made contact. The impact sent a deep tremor through the floor, widening the fractures until—
BAM!
The floor shattered.
A gaping hole yawned open, revealing a hidden passage below.
Es took a step forward, peering down into the darkness. Then, she turned to the woman, her voice carrying a lazy drawl—
"You see, I normally don’t kill children..." She tilted her head, watching the woman’s trembling form. "But if it’s for my family?"
Her fingers curled around her gun.
Click.
The sharp sound of the magazine locking into place echoed in the space.
"I wouldn’t hesitate."
The woman’s breath hitched.
A tremor ran through her as she stared at the hole, her pupils dilating in pure, unfiltered horror.
Because beneath them, hidden away where no one—not even her most trusted people—knew, was her most precious secret.
Her daughter.
Maria.
Her five-year-old daughter.
The woman’s body shook as she gritted her teeth, desperation clawing at her throat.
"You... you cannot do this." Her voice wavered, but her eyes burned with panic.
Es rely raised a brow, tilting her gun downward, the barrel pointing toward the darkness below.
"Of course I can."
Her words were calm. Unbothered.
The woman’s nails dug into her palms as she clenched her fists, her breathing unsteady.
"You also have children," she rasped, grasping at anything, any reason to stop what was about to happen. "How could you—?"
Es’s lips curled into sothing that was not quite a smile.
"Co on." She scoffed.
Her golden eyes glead with amusent.
"You know so much about . Don’t you even know...?"
She leaned in slightly, voice dropping to a whisper—
"I’m a cruel and rciless person."
Es’s smile vanished, her expression turning to ice. Her voice dropped to a cold, biting tone, each word carrying the weight of her fury.
"You see, I have not even held my child in my arms."
Her grip on the gun tightened.
"And right now? I’m in a really, really pissed-off mood."
The woman flinched, her breath uneven.
Es took a slow step forward, shadows flickering across her face as she continued.
"Today, I touched their drawings." Her voice wavered, not in weakness, but in restrained rage. "Do you know what that did to ? The thought that my children don’t even know their mother is alive and well? That I never got to see their first steps?"
Her golden eyes burned.
"Do you know how much anger is boiling inside ?"
The woman swallowed hard, her lips parting as if to speak, but no words ca out.
Es exhaled sharply, her jaw clenched.
"Right now? I could kill anyone. I could burn this entire world to the ground for my children."
She let the words sink in before leveling her gaze at the woman once more.
"And the thought—" Her voice turned deadly quiet. "The thought that because of you, they were in danger? That because of you, they might have died?"
The weight of her fury pressed down like an iron hand.
"That alone is enough reason for to kill. Not just you. Not just your trusted aides."
Es tilted her head slightly, her gun lowering ever so slightly toward the hole in the ground.
"But even your child."
The woman’s body went rigid.
The color drained from her face, her pupils constricting as pure, unfiltered horror gripped her.
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