Few minutes earlier, Before Julies comes to Butchering room of Bjron as Eren...
In her all life, Lila didn’t expected to be treated like an animal.
It’s been five years since she has taken over the Lotus Merchent House after her father death.
She has continued to do her work and was successful making name of Lotus Merchent House.
Her latest trade was supposed to be in Draken Duchy of the north.
It was supposed to be busy trade but it wasn’t.
On the way to Draken Duchy they were attacked by the bandit.
Lila was cautious, that’s why she even hired the mercenary before coming to the north.
If bandits were anyone her mercenary escort would able to ...handle them without much trouble.
But these weren’t ordinary bandits.
The moment the first arrow flew, Lila realized something was wrong.
...And then come the attack.
Everything happened way to fast for her too remember but at the end when the fight was over she was captured, along with her mercenary.
...And she was captured by non other then Bjron the butcher of the north.
She has heard some rumours about him but didn’t think he would be the one attacked her.
According to rumours, he butchers people and eat them later.
Her whole body trembles in fear as it’s make clear to her that he was going to butcher her.
In desperation...She offers him everything. Even herself but Bjron didn’t ...even flinch.
Bjron didn’t react to her desperate offer—no leering smile, no crude comment, not even a flicker of interest in his cold, dark eyes.
She begs him to spare her life but the butcher has already made his mind.
...Now here she is, In Bjron private butchering room inside of his hideout.
Naked with abuse bruises all over her body and chaind in the metal bed.
In few steps away Bjron was making the final preparation before he starts butchering her.
Lila, stairs at ceiling with hollow eyes that was devoid of any lights.
Tear stains marked her cheeks, dried remnants of all the fear she could muster. Lila’s breath came in shallow rasps, each inhale a battle against the crushing dread curling in her chest.
She didn’t know how long she had been here—minutes, hours, maybe longer. Time didn’t move in this room. It only hung heavy in the air, thick and suffocating, like the silence between a predator and its prey.
Bjron’s back was to her as he sorted through his tools—slow, methodical, and terrifyingly calm. He wasn’t in a hurry. That was the worst part. There was no madness in him. Just cruel intent.
Lila’s fingers twitched, raw from pulling against the chains.
She had offered everything. Money. Trade routes. Secrets. Even herself.
...But it didn’t work.
She had lost all hope.
Just as she has lost all the hope, the door buckled under the impact and slammed open with a deafening screech.
Bjron stopped whatever he was doing and looked back in hurry.
From the entrance, A boy no longer then sixteen years old stepped inside of the butchering room with full of fury.
It was kid named Eren that asked her to hired him when she has entered the north.
She hired him after he displayed his Swordmanship skills which was decent enough and placed him with the mercenary group of hers.
He was also captured by Bjron earlier after putting nice fight.
Eren glanced at her, In shame Lila closed her hollow eyes as his glanced settled on her naked body.
She didn’t want anyone else to see her in this state.
Eren didn’t say anything and took out is leather coat and throw his leather coat over her naked body.
Lila’s eyes opened in surprise as she felt the warmth of Eren’s leather coat settle over her trembling body.
The rough texture scraped against her bruised skin, but it was the first bit of comfort she had felt in what felt like an eternity.
For a moment, she didn’t know how to react—was this real? Or just another cruel illusion her mind had conjured in its desperate final moments?
...But after a moment she knows that it was real.
...And light began to return in those hollow eyes with hope.
After that bloody battel between began between Eren and Bjron.
Bjron looked like a beast—bleeding, battered, but still standing.
He rolled his neck. Bones snapped into place. His glare burned holes into me.
One wrong step. That’s all it would take.
But I’d already decided. No more dancing.
I kicked off the ground with Ghoststep again, the world slowing just enough and launched myself towards Bjron.
Bjron raised the cleaver, expecting a low strike.
A blur overhead—my blade came down like a fang.
Steel kissed steel. Sparks exploded in my face as he blocked the slash—but I wasn’t done.
My foot slammed into the side of his face. His head snapped to the side.
He staggered—momentum broken.
I landed, rolled, and burst forward again.
My stiletto plunged into his side, just above the hip. A deep one.
Bjron bellowed in fury, elbowing backward wildly.
His elbow caught my ribs—blunt, crushing pain shot through me.
—slamming into a pillar. My back lit up with fire. I gasped, nearly dropping the blade.
Something cracked. Might’ve been a rib.
He was on me already.
Each step thundered like a war drum.
I ducked just as the cleaver—
—tore through the pillar, splitting it clean in half. Stone chunks rained around us.
Dust filled the air. My ears rang.
We both coughed, eyes squinting.
Another stab—straight to his armpit, the joint unarmored.
He reeled, swinging a backhand.
I hit the ground again, hard. My stiletto skidded across the floor—out of reach.
Bjron stomped forward, cleaver dragging against the stone.
"You’re done," he growled, blood dripping from his mouth.
He raised the cleaver one last time, towering over me.
In instant, I moved my right hand and pointed at Bjron with index finger in the form of gun and whispered the spell.
"Blood Magic: Blood Needle!"
The newly circuit installed within my body by Velra comes to life as blood began to circulate at the tip of my finger.
Bjorn blinked in surprised but that was only for moment before he attacked again.
But that moment was enough time for me.
The blood spun and change it shaped to ...a long, needle-like spike—thin, gleaming crimson, and deadly.
With a subtle twitch of my finger, it shot forward.