Kael glanced at Narumi but didn't care. His methods had indeed been cruel, so it was understandable she wet herself in fear.
After peeling the skin, Kael used Ryuji's blood to carve runes on it. Once the skin was covered in blood, he used mana to refine it. Within seconds, the skin shrank, turning from a full sheet into palm size.
As for Ryuji's corpse, Kael didn't spare it either. He cast a spell to extract all its flesh and blood essence. The headless body shrank visibly until it became a pill the size of a fingernail.
Don't underestimate it—this pill contained the essence of a human. It was the purest Blood and Flesh Pill. Such a pill could heal injuries and even extend life. At least three years.
That was because Ryuji had already been killed, and his life essence was fading. If refined while alive, the pill could extend life by five, even ten years.
Of course, this effect applied only to ordinary people. For cultivators, the longevity effect was greatly reduced. But it still had benefits. For demons, long-term use strengthened the body and improved cultivation. It was the fullest use of the human body—nothing wasted, neither soul nor flesh.
Kael stored the refined Hundred Ghost Banner and looked again at Narumi. Terrified by his cruelty, she collapsed to her knees. "Please, please spare me."
She truly didn't want to end up like Ryuji—beheaded, skinned, and turned into something unknown. It was too cruel. Like a demon's work.
Her gaze was filled with fear, her body and soul consumed by it.
"You want to live?" Kael looked at her with a faint smile.
She nodded frantically. She wanted to live—desperately.
"Good. Abandon your plan, and I'll let you live."
This time, Narumi didn't dare argue. Her life mattered more than her plan.
Kael flicked his finger, sending a green light into her body. She immediately felt a mark appear in her mind. It told her she was now his slave. He could make her suffer worse than death at will.
This strange power crushed her will to resist. She bowed deeply. "Jinguji Narumi greets her master."
Though the fall from hospital director to slave was immense, survival mattered most. She would do anything to live. Ryuji's death had shattered her spirit. Her only thought now was survival. For that, she would sell everything—even herself.
Kael sat in the chair, smiling at her kneeling form. "From now on, you're my slave. You know what slaves should do."
Narumi understood, crawling forward with a seductive smile. "Master, please allow me…"
…
When it was over, Kael stood, zipped his pants, and patted her head. "Be a proper director. Don't cause trouble. Or your fate will be no better than Hirasaka Ryuji's."
Narumi nodded frantically. She was truly terrified and wouldn't dare cause trouble again.
Satisfied, Kael left.
Outside St. Juliana Hospital, he found a restroom and vomited violently. He retched until he was drained.
Across two lifetimes, more than thirty years, he had never killed—not even a fish. Yet today he had not only killed, but done so brutally—beheading, skinning, and refining a man into a pill.
Without the spell suppressing his emotions, he could never have done such a cruel act. But the spell's effect wasn't permanent. When it faded, the discomfort of killing overwhelmed him.
He tried to suppress it with lust, which was why he spared Narumi and made her his slave. But it didn't work. Her service distracted him briefly, but afterward the discomfort returned.
Kael knew Ryuji was scum, deserving death. But killing another human so cruelly still left him deeply unsettled. He wasn't born a killer.
After vomiting everything out, the feeling eased somewhat.
He staggered home, lay on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. He had planned to punish Narumi and then wipe out Hayato's organization, skin them, and refine more banners. But now he realized he had overestimated his tolerance.
Just killing one Ryuji had left him vomiting uncontrollably. Killing a group might kill him from nausea.
Perhaps he would grow numb over time. Some things became easier after repetition.
Sigh…
Kael sighed again. Compared to those born for demonic cultivation, he was just an ordinary man. Even killing one villain left him vomiting. And yet he dared to call himself a dark punisher—truly overestimating himself.
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[T/N: Please read the announcement below. 🙏]