Under Svarog's watchful eye, Pei Guang—disguised with Sampo's face—pulled out a sack and unceremoniously shoved it over Donatan's furious head.
At that moment, Svarog shielded Clara behind him.
"This is something children shouldn't see."
Clara: "Huh? Just now, I thought I saw..."
Clara replied seriously, "It's Mr. Sampo, but those two... they look so familiar…"
Svarog responded mechanically, "No matching records in memory banks. They are presumed to be companions of Sampo."
While Clara and Svarog exchanged words, Pei Guang spoke in a perfectly casual tone.
"Hehe~ Gotcha. Every cause has its effect—and your karma… is me. You corporate mutt! Get him!"
March 7th: "Get him!"
Stelle: "Enemy! Get him!"
The three of them simply wanted to beat up the arrogant guy for the satisfaction of it. They didn't intend to maim or seriously injure him.
Sure, they had access to special healing items and medicine if things went too far—but Pei Guang didn't want to waste those on enemies. He had no problem using them on friends, but for foes? That would just hurt his soul.
So to save resources, they made sure to control their strength—no real injuries, just a few bruises and swelling. After all, as long as it wasn't serious damage, who cared if he looked a little messed up?
And thanks to their previous experience in giving a certain scumbag a thorough beatdown, the trio had refined their craft. They now knew how to hurt someone just enough to be painful, without going overboard.
In short: their methods of torment had leveled up!
As the beatdown continued, the company employee struggled and shouted.
"Stop! Stop!!! Help!!!"
March 7th: "He's calling for help…"
Pei Guang: "Ignore him. Keep going! Unless he says he yields, keep hitting."
Pei Guang: "So? Do you yield?"
Donatan was dazed and confused. What was he even supposed to yield to? He had been jumped and beaten senseless, and now they were asking if he surrendered?
He tried to respond: "I don't—"
He wanted to say "I don't understand what I'm surrendering to," but he didn't even get that far.
Stelle turned to Pei Guang and said, "So stubborn. No wonder he's a company dog."
Pei Guang: "No worries. Keep hitting. Hit until he gives in."
The three resumed the beatdown. After a while, they stopped again.
Just as Pei Guang was about to ask again, Donatan finally cracked.
Pei Guang immediately called out, "Stop!"
March 7th and Stelle obeyed instantly, halting their actions.
Pei Guang removed the sack from Donatan's head. The man, now sporting a very bruised and swollen face, crawled to his feet and glared at Pei Guang's blue hair with fury.
"Who are you people? How dare you lay a hand on me?!"
Pei Guang stared him down.
"Let me tell you something. Belobog is under my protection—Sampo's protection. You want to take over Belobog? Then you better ask my fists for permission first. If you keep trying to force your acquisition or threaten the people of this planet, you're done for. Stelle! Give him a taste."
He glanced at Stelle, who understood perfectly. With a smug expression, she strutted up to Donatan. Though her face was hidden beneath the black mask, the mouth was visible.
She popped a piece of gum into her mouth, chewed for a bit, then blew a bubble—one that grew to twice the size of her own head, so thin it looked like it might pop from a whisper.
In that instant, everyone fell silent.
Even Svarog, and the badly beaten Donatan, had brains buzzing with static.
Behind Svarog, Clara's eyes widened with awe.
Upon hearing Clara's compliment, Stelle proudly sucked the gum back into her mouth and chewed while smugly saying, "Right? No one else can blow a bubble twice as big as their own head with one piece of gum! It's my special move."
In that moment, Svarog's eyes flickered red, and Donatan suddenly felt a strange sense of disbelief—were these three people mentally sound? Getting beaten up by this trio… what even was that supposed to mean?
Pei Guang clapped his hands in satisfaction, then pointed at Donatan.
"Remember this, Sampo won't let this slide. You'd better keep yourself and your people in line. If I catch you messing around again, you won't get off so easy."
Grinding his teeth, Donatan growled, "That's my line. Don't let me catch you again, or for the sake of the great Amber Lord, I'll make sure there's no place in the galaxy left for you to rot in."
Pei Guang looked at Stelle, then back at Donatan, feigning surprise. "Wow, this guy really thinks he's something. You and your great Amber Lord, huh? Are you talking about this?"
He turned to Stelle. "Show him our trophy."
Stelle pulled out the War-Flaming Lance. The amber glow at the tip of the spear bathed the entire plaza in warm, radiant light.
Donatan's jaw dropped the moment he saw it.
Anyone above level P40 in the company was considered upper management—and as a devout follower of the Amber Lord, Donatan recognized it instantly. That glow was a miracle of Qlipoth himself.
Pei Guang sneered, "Recognize this? If you can pull out something better than this, I'll admit you're somebody. If not? You're just trash. So stop whining like a baby. Next time I see you flapping your gums, I'll rip out every last one of your hairs and flatten your tongue."
Donatan: "You! You—!!!"
He stared wide-eyed at the War-Flaming Lance, overwhelmed by the sheer purity of its Preservation power. His mouth opened, but no words came out.
Pei Guang: "You think we're just threatening you with this thing? Fine, I'll give you a chance."
Stelle, catching on immediately, handed the War-Flaming Lance to Donatan. "If you think you're somebody, go ahead—stab me with it."
But the moment she got close, Donatan instinctively stepped back. Pei Guang took the lance, pressed the tip against Donatan's forehead, and said,
"Look at you. Can't even take the opportunity when it's handed to you. What a useless coward. Keep it down and stop making trouble. Otherwise, next time we see you, it's over."
He retracted the lance, gently patted Donatan's face, and turned to leave.
March 7th added her own warning. "If you dare use your position again to bully people, waving the company name around, I'll give you another beating!"
While she wasn't as fluent in Pei Guang's street slang, March still did her best to sound menacing.
After that, she turned to Stelle. "Your turn—say something intimidating!"
Stelle looked at Donatan with a serious face and said, "Something intimidating!"
March 7th: "I meant say something intimidating, not literally 'something intimidating.'"
Stelle: "But I did say it. Two words, very intimidating."
March 7th: "You messing with me?!"
March 7th: "What's with the 'ehehe'!?"
Amid the playful bickering, the trio walked away.