The entire situation exploded the moment Talon lifted Hyun-Ki in the air and threatened to kill him. The guards were so tense that some of them had their fingers shaking on the trigger. But, nobody shot for fear of hitting their leader.
"Let the leader go or we will shoot!!" One of them yelled.
"Oh, you're going to shoot? I might as well crack his neck then." Talon smiled coldly as he increased his grip on the man's neck, making him groan even louder.
"Don't fucking rush it, boy! For god's sake!!" Evan tried to calm the situation. "Talk to him, Sophie. He's going to be the end of us!!"
Sophie had a complicated expression on her face. On the one hand, the situation was naturally not good at all. She was aware of how important Hyun-Ki's existence was. Killing him now won't be optimal and Talon was aware of that.
'Is he simply threatening him? That could definitely be it. Talon could easily kill him if he wanted. What is he trying to do?' She asked herself.
"Ugh... Hahaha, force me? That's quite a barbaric plan you have there. Ugh!! Cough! Cough!"
"... Are you going to do what I want or should I just break every bone in your body and leave you outside for monsters to eat your carcass?" Talon asked as he frowned.
'He doesn't seem like he's terrified for someone who is about to die.' Talon thought to himself. He didn't know why, but he didn't feel like he was in complete control as he intended for the dynamic to change.
Even with his hand around the man's neck, it still felt like Talon was playing in Hyun-Ki's hands and he didn't know why.
'Why do I have this feeling? Like something is missing. What did I miss?' Talon's eyes went unfocused for a split second, only to snap back to reality under the man's voice.
"You... Cough!
Asked me a few minutes ago about... the conditions needed for my skill to work... Well, the first condition is simple... I need to get in contact with that person beforehand... The second condition is... They have to be within a certain range of me... The third condition... They have to be no more than 5 levels higher than me... But, even those have a high potential of breaking my control..." The man said through his grunts.
As he spoke, Talon listened quietly. At first, he didn't show much of a reaction since these three conditions were obvious. After all, a skill of this effect would most definitely have heavy restrictions to it that made it less ridiculous.
'That's why he couldn't control me. But, in that case, anyone within his level range would be easily controlled. This means that all the men behind him could be easily controlled... Including Sophie's father. But, then again, how many people can he control at once?' A thousand questions popped in his head at the same time.
"Still, that's where connections come in handy. I realized quickly that my power relied a lot on how much I knew my target. The deeper our connection is, the higher my control over them is. It's amazing! Hahaha! That's why..." Slowly, Hyun-Ki lifted his hand as he pointed behind Talon.
"Maybe you should look behind you..."
At that moment, Talon's eyes widened as he felt a chill run down his spine. Something dangerous was moving toward his body at an extremely high speed from a very close distance.
So close in fact that Talon had no time to react properly.
"Hahaha, I am a bastard indeed, Talon. But, see how fast things changed? You see, I'm a very careful man. Nobody here knew about my power before because it robs me of that surprise factor. Whenever I establish a connection with someone, I make sure they are never a future trouble. Miss Sophie is no exception.
She would've never expected this coming."
Then, with a simple look behind him, all the men he brought along with him slowly lifted their guns to aim them at Talon, Sophie, and Evan.
"I know how much you're eager to get me now. But, what's faster, you, or those strings around Miss Sophie's neck? Or perhaps, are you going to aim for her father? You wouldn't want Miss Sophie to realize later on that she killed her last parent, would you? Let's try! Or of course, you could just surrender yourself to me.
It's your choice." Smiling widely, Hyun-Ki's previously professional grin turned into a far more sinister version.
'What is he going to do? I wonder. I have never been this eager to see a cornered human do in such a situation. Would he cave in and give up? Or would he resist? Entertain me, Talon!!' Hyun-Ki couldn't hide his excitement anymore.
This exact situation was something he relished. Situations where humans have to choose between something bad and something worse.
'It's time to see what a cornered rat could do!!'
"Sigh..." But, surprisingly, what Hyun-Ki expected to happen didn't happen. Talon's expression didn't turn into despair, nor did he look hesitant or fearful.
Instead, he looked like he was exhausted. Running his hand through his hair. "I'm really tired of all these people that keep pretending like they're the hot shit. They all speak the same way, act the same way, and believe in the same dumb things. I must admit though, you're the closest one that actually got me. You had a foolproof plan.
But... You missed one single detail..."
"Hm?" Hyun-Ki squinted his eyes for a moment. "And what could that be?"
But, before Hyun-Ki could even realize it, something moved behind him. Looking down, his eyes widened slightly as he saw a blade slice through his left arm, severing it completely in a split second. His breath halted as he looked up. In a split second, a million thoughts rushed through his mind.
But, none of them remained in his head for more than a split second before he quickly yelled.
"Kill him!!"
The strings instantly coiled tighter around Evan's neck, ready to decapitate him.
At that moment, Talon's body flashed as he appeared next to Sophie before he hit her in the neck, knocking the girl unconscious right before her strings could sever Evan's head.
"Shit!!" Hyun-Ki realized the disaster as he stumbled back. "Help... me!!" Looking at his men, he called for them weakly.
Immediately, the group rushed forward as they surrounded him and aimed their weapons at Talon.
A//N: Don't forget to support the book if you enjoyed reading ????