Mae-Bi landed quietly, his gaze steady.
No one rushed to help Yuri.
No one reacted with pity.
And that, right there, was the Demon Cult.
No matter how high you climbed, the moment you stumbled, they would step over your body without hesitation. Praise turned to mockery, and silence weighed heavier than any blade.
Yuri had once been a top-tier assassin. Even in Mae-Bi's previous life, she rose to become the leader of the Second Division — and died tragically on a mission too difficult for her rank. He hadn't known her well. She never looked at him twice.
After all, he'd been a disgrace back then.
A grown man leading a bunch of kids... barely hanging on as the leader of the Fifth Division.
He looked to Rak.
Smart. Cold. Silent.
Rak wasn't foolish enough to challenge him now — not after seeing what happened to Yuri.
But still... how could someone that smart let his entire team die back then?
Mae-Bi didn't understand the full answer.
But he understood Rak's weakness: pride.
He chased perfection — and perfection would get him killed.
He turned back to the squad.
All eyes were on him now.
Focused. Listening.
"Now that things have... settled," Mae-Bi said, "let's get to why I called you here."
His voice cut through the air like a knife.
"We've been assigned a mission by the Lord himself — to retrieve a pill. I haven't been given the departure date yet, but make no mistake—this mission is life or death."
One boy in the back raised a hand. "Wait... death?"
Mae-Bi nodded. "Yes. If that pill goes missing or gets stolen, the Lord will send us on a permanent vacation."
"...Like, a break?"
"To hell," Mae-Bi said flatly.
The boy went quiet.
"That's why I'm telling you now — if any of you still have a grudge against me, hold onto it. Take it out on me after the mission."
He scanned them again.
"But don't get stupid. Don't mess this up for everyone else."
"YES, FIFTH SQUAD LEADER!" they shouted together.
Mae-Bi nodded.
"Dismissed."
In perfect sync, the squad disappeared, each one vanishing into the shadows with well-trained Veil Steps.
All except one.
Jin.
He grinned and walked up beside Mae-Bi.
"You were cool just now."
"Really?"
"Yeah," Jin chuckled. "You're officially cool."
He paused, eyes narrowing slightly.
"But... seriously, who the hell are you?"
Mae-Bi raised his hand and tapped his left shoulder.
"This isn't one of those reincarnation stories, Jin. Wrong genre."
Jin barked a laugh. "Right, right. Still..."
His smile faded, replaced by something heavier.
"This mission... it's going to be bad. You know that, right? Did you hear the rumors about the Ten Thousand Venoms Empress?"
Mae-Bi nodded once.
"Yeah. I did."
••••••
Meanwhile...
Yuri lay on the clinic bed, the scent of disinfectants and incense heavy in the air. Her body ached, but the deeper sting was in her chest — pride shattered like glass.
She hated herself.
Hated the weakness that let Mae-Bi beat her.
Hated that she now had to rely on someone else to stand again.
Worse still — the one who'd carried her here... was Rak.
Of all people.
She clenched her fists.
Did he do it out of pity? Was that it? Does he think I'm some broken doll?
The curtain rustled.
In stepped the one person she hated almost as much as herself.
Dok Yun.
"Ahh, you again?" he said cheerfully, his voice soft and oily as he entered with a tray of acupuncture tools. "Didn't you come in just yesterday, young lady?"
She bowed slightly, as expected.
"Greetings, Royal Doctor. I... got into a small fight with my squad leader."
Dok Yun raised an eyebrow. "Mmm. The Fifth Squad Leader, right?"
Yuri nodded. "Yes. It was... him."
She bit her lip. Even speaking it felt like betrayal.
"Oh my," Dok Yun purred, his eyes gleaming. "Such clean contusions, precise internal bruising, deep but not ruptured — this is a masterpiece. That boy has talent. I've never seen work like this..."
He reached out, fingers brushing gently across her side where the bruise sat beneath her ribcage.
Yuri flinched.
"Sir..."
"Ahem. Forgive me. I'll begin treatment now," he said, though his voice betrayed the amusement of someone too used to ignoring boundaries.
He pulled out a set of glinting silver needles.
Yuri's face paled.
"No... not the needles again..."
"An assassin afraid of acupuncture?" Dok Yun tilted his head, delighted. "You handle poison blades but tremble at a little healing?"
"When it's a blade, I'm in control," she muttered. "This... is different."
He chuckled darkly. "Fufufu... don't worry, little killer. This won't hurt much."
He leaned in, whispering as he selected a needle.
"Let me just... feel that soft, bruised skin... that tender sweat-stung flesh. Let pain bloom into something divine..."
Yuri's eyes went wide.
"NO. No, no—!"
Outside, Rak stood still, hands behind his back.
He heard her scream echo faintly from the clinic walls — the same word repeated in panic.
But her Qi was stable.
She wasn't in danger.
So he turned, and walked away.
She'll survive. That's what we do.
His mind was elsewhere now.
On someone he didn't want to survive.
Mae-Bi.
I'll watch. I'll wait. And I'll find out what you really are...