"Lord Fox, we misjudged you!"
"You are truly a god sent to walk the earth. We never should have opposed you. Please… give us a second chance to become your followers!"
The five soldiers threw their weapons into the ocean and dropped to their knees before Johan. Regret poured out in ugly sobs, tears staining the deck.
Oh? That fast?
So they weren't stubborn idiots after all.
Johan laughed lightly and waved his hand dismissively.
"Isn't it a little too late to switch sides now?" he said casually.
"Lord Fox, if apologies aren't enough, we will offer ourselves as your slaves! We'll do anything for you!"
The other four shouted in unison, "Spare our lives, Lord Fox!"
Johan thought for a moment.
Death would be too easy for them.
An idea surfaced. He nodded slowly.
"Fine," he said. "Since you're my slaves now, I'll give you your first order."
Their eyes lit up with desperate hope.
"Kill everyone on this ship."
They swallowed hard.
"But… they're our friends—"
"Do I need to repeat myself?" Johan cut in coldly.
"No, Lord."
"Then do it."
Johan turned and headed toward the bridge with only one goal in mind: Jacob.
Nothing else mattered. He didn't need to kill the rest himself. That was menial work.
He pushed open the bridge door and greeted them warmly, nearly scaring everyone inside half to death.
The captain's face drained of color.
"How are you here?! You should be dead at the bottom of the ocean!"
Johan glanced around indifferently. Jacob and Greg Gonzales were nowhere in sight.
"Where are they?" he asked.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" the captain replied quickly.
"Jacob and Greg," Johan repeated, his tone dropping. "Where are they?"
Instead of answering, the captain yanked open a drawer and pulled out a pistol, aiming it straight at Johan's head. His hands trembled.
"Wherever they are, it's none of your business!" the captain shouted.
"Now kneel! I promise I won't kill you. At least not until they come back."
"Oh?" Johan sneered. "So those two losers already ran. Figures. Rats."
The captain cursed under his breath, wishing he could take the words back.
"Where did they go?" Johan asked again.
"I won't say another word!" The captain shook his head violently.
"Kneel, or I'll shoot!"
"Oh, really?" Johan smiled. "You're going to shoot me? Go on. Right here."
He tapped his own forehead and took a step forward.
"You're a young captain. Maybe thirty at most. Trained to be responsible, to protect lives. Not to kill. This must be your first day holding a gun."
"Don't come closer! I've been trained for this!"
Johan chuckled softly and kept walking.
"On a clean shooting range, with an instructor watching you, right?"
He moved closer. The panicking captain shouted for help, but none of the crew dared to move.
"Captain," Johan said calmly, "you seem to have forgotten something: A real killer isn't born there.
"They are born on chaotic battlefields, soaked in blood…
and stripped of morality. That's where they're made."
Johan stopped right in front of him.
In one smooth motion, the pistol was no longer in the captain's hand.
The muzzle pressed against the captain's forehead.
"I come from somewhere far worse," Johan said quietly. "My capabilities are above you. And worse for you… I don't let anyone touch my family."
The captain swallowed hard.
He had only been promoted a few months ago. He was green. Inexperienced. Facing the fury of the God of War was never part of his future plans.
"They… they took a helicopter to L.A. a few minutes ago," he blurted out.
"There's a fundraising ceremony tonight. They're going to attend."
Johan asked calmly, "Do you know where exactly?"
The captain hesitated, but Johan's steady gaze crushed his resolve.
"Lavender Main Hall. In the autonomous city of Serene."
Johan smiled. "Good boy."
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Three shots rang out.
The captain collapsed, screaming and sobbing in terror.
But none of the bullets hit him.
Three bodies lay sprawled across the bridge, blood pouring from the holes in their foreheads.
"I told you everything!" the captain yelled, half-angry, half-terrified. "So why did you still kill them?!"
"They were reaching for their guns," Johan replied with a smile.
"Now take this ship to L.A. Full speed. No excuses. You know what happens if you fail."
The captain nodded frantically and crawled toward the helm.
A blue panel suddenly appeared before Johan.
DING!
[Good. You've started paying off your debt on day one!]
[3 / 1,000,000 lives completed]
"Wait. Debt?" Johan frowned. "What in the hell—"
At that exact moment, Airen appeared beside him, floating in her small fairy form.
"Hello, Master. Confused?"
Johan glanced at the captain.
"He can't see you, Airen?"
"I'm here only for you. Others don't need to see me. We can even talk through telepathy."
Johan nodded once.
"Then explain. Now."
"I will," Airen said quickly. "But don't interrupt me again, okay?
"So. As you can see, you must kill one million lives as payment for the gods saving your mother. Good or evil doesn't matter. As long as it's a human life, it counts."
Johan was almost speechless.
"How long is the time limit?"
"Well… since the task is quite heavy, there's no deadline," Airen said cheerfully. "But the faster, the better."
She could see the disappointment on his face.
"You're thinking they're greedy, right? They expected you to bargain. Who knew you'd be so cooperative?"
Johan let out a long sigh.
Six hundred thousand lives had already scarred his soul. Now one million more.
Footsteps echoed from the corridor.
"Lord Fox! We've completed your order!"
Two soldiers stood at the doorway, drenched in blood. Their breathing was ragged. Their faces were deathly pale.
"You've lost a lot of blood," Johan commented.
"Indeed, Lord. You threw our weapons away. We had to kill them with our bare hands. And we just lost our three comrades."
"We were badly wounded… almost died for you. We will serve you forever, Lord."
Johan looked them over without interest.
"Your injuries are too severe," he said softly. "Maybe you should die after all."
Their faces drained of color.
"W-We have a doctor on board, Lord! He should be on the bridge—"
The words died in their throats when they saw the three corpses on the floor.
"I killed him."
They stared at Johan as if staring at death itself.
"Lord Fox… please spare us!"
Johan walked toward them slowly. The wine bottle was already in his hand.
Anyone could guess what would happen next.
"Unfortunately," Johan said calmly, "there's no hope for you. You almost killed me and my mother."
Two sickening cracks echoed.
Two more bodies collapsed onto the bridge floor, faces utterly destroyed beyond recognition.
"How long until we reach L.A.?" Johan asked.
The captain swallowed, cold sweat soaking his back.
"One hour. At full speed."
Johan nodded, gazing out at the endless ocean.
"Jacob," he murmured. "You're not escaping this time."