Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss

Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss – 37

EP.37 The Execution Squad

As Jeong-hyeon approached the entrance, he saw Regina waiting with her arms crossed. It was clear that his earlier provocation had left her quite enraged. He found it comical to see her exchange her usual composed and generous attitude for a more enraged one.

“Have you been waiting long?”

Regina, her teeth clenched in anger, glared at him before speaking with forced calmness.

“We have a lot to discuss, so follow me.”

He nodded, understanding that there was much more to address—or perhaps it was more accurate to say that there was much he wanted to do. Either way, he followed her as she led the way, gesturing for him to come along.

“As I mentioned before, I will make sure you pay for breaking the rules. Feel free to look forward to it.”

Too lazy to respond, he just nodded, which seemed to irritate her further. She turned away in anger as they reached a secluded alleyway. It was the perfect spot for something to happen, with no one around to witness it.

‘This place is perfect for anything to go unnoticed.’

He decided to remember this location for future reference. As he scanned his surroundings, Regina called out to him.

“Okay… then now take off the mask.”

He considered that it might be safe to do so by now. Instead, he drew his sword and plunged it into Regina’s thigh.

Thud!

The familiar, satisfying resistance of the sword against his seasoned opponent’s flesh brought him a grim sense of satisfaction. Regina’s delayed reaction was a mix of pain and surprise, and she collapsed to the ground with a scream.

“Argh?!”

The unexpected attack left her unable to react properly, and she groaned in agony. Jeong-hyeon quickly stepped on her shoulder, pinning her down completely.

“So, Regina?”

He slowly removed his mask as he spoke.

“Long time no see.”

Her face went pale, a stark contrast to her previously fierce demeanour. All signs of her former confidence had vanished, leaving her lifeless and frozen in place. He pressed down on her shoulder firmly.

“Do you know how much I’ve missed you?”

Of course, the reason he missed her was to drive his sword into her again.

He swallowed his words, realizing that there was no point in trying to reason with someone already paralyzed with fear. Drawing his sword from Regina’s thigh, he spoke up again.

“I guess you missed me too, didn’t you?”

She likely did, though for less than pleasant reasons. As he looked at her terrified expression, a satisfied smile spread across his face.

“Well then, since we’re meeting again after so long, why don’t we settle the debt I mentioned earlier?”

Just as he was about to drive his sword back into her, a long spear came flying toward him. He deflected it with a quick flick of his sword, reducing its speed, and then executed a familiar maneuver—returning it with a simple, practiced flick of his wrist.

Boom!

The sound of air bursting filled the alley as the spear was hurled back to its origin. He noted that this was the first time he had thrown a spear rather than an arrow and heard an explosion in the distance.

‘Looks like I hit something.’

Whatever it was, it was clear that whoever had attacked him intended to kill him. The fact that someone had tried to take his life only added to his satisfaction. With renewed determination, he thrust his sword back into Regina’s shoulder.

“Ugh!”

“I don’t know what you think, but after the last incident, I’ve grown quite fond of you.”

He whispered, implying that she was the best candidate for his little experiments. Regina, now on the brink of unconsciousness, trembled uncontrollably. Seeing her pained reaction made him sigh in frustration.

‘If you think about it, I’m the victim here, not the perpetrator.’

Sure, his reaction might have been a bit extreme, but Regina had started everything. Her eyes, filled with fear, made him feel unjustly accused. To express his frustration, he prepared to stab her again when a voice interrupted.

“Stop!”

A figure in black armour appeared, swinging a sword at him with the fastest attack he had seen yet. Although the strike was impressive, it was still manageable. He raised his sword to deflect the blow and looked up to assess his new opponent.

‘A black armour.’

Students didn’t typically wear such armour, so it was clear these individuals weren’t from the academy. He couldn’t understand why they had shown up so suddenly, but it didn’t concern him much.

‘It doesn’t matter. I can just kill them all.’

The alley was secluded, and with his handy subspace pouch, he could easily dispose of the bodies. With that in mind, he decided to focus on the intruders closing in on him.

‘Let’s see, there are quite a few of them.’

He counted at least five, including archers and mages, making the situation quite tricky. However, a ‘fun idea’ soon erased all his concerns.

‘Come to think of it, I have a meat shield… or rather, a hostage.’

He realized, glancing down at Regina lying at his feet. With such a useful asset at hand, ignoring it would be foolish. Smiling, he grabbed Regina by the hair and prepared himself for the imminent battle.

***

The Erza’s Execution Squad was a notorious unofficial killing group of the three great noble houses, known for their exceptional swordsmanship. They were famous for carrying out tasks that the Erza family could not officially perform, handling those who obstructed Erza’s path with ruthless efficiency.

Seeing the black armour symbolizing the Erza Execution Squad usually instilled fear or at least prompted people to flee. Yet, this young brat, not even a second-year student, smirked and faced them head-on.

‘Normally, I’d think he was just arrogant.’

But after witnessing the student catch and return the spear thrown by one of their members, they had to reconsider. Regardless of his age or background, it was clear he was highly skilled.

Realizing this, they spread out to surround him. However, an unexpected problem arose.

“Why? Can’t you stab Regina?”

The problem was that their young mistress, Regina, was being held hostage and used as a shield.

‘Hah…’

They had seen cases of hostages being used to escape, but never had they encountered a situation where a hostage was used as a shield in combat. Even as members of the Execution Squad, they found his cruelty and bizarreness unsettling.

‘…The ideal approach would be to wear him down over time and then capture him.’

But with their young mistress already stabbed multiple times, prolonging the fight would endanger her life, making that strategy impossible. As they pondered a new approach, the unexpected happened.

He moved first.

‘Crazy…’

No one expected a hostage-taker to charge at them. Though surprising, it was manageable for seasoned fighters like them. They prepared to counterattack as they always did when—

“Ugh! Ngh… Aaaah!”

Regina’s agonized screams echoed around them. Everyone paused and looked at him.

Using Regina as a shield, he charged at them, her screams filling the air as he plunged his sword into her again. The Execution Squad hesitated, their faces were a mix of shock and indecision.

“What’s wrong? Can’t attack because of her?”

He taunted them, knowing full well they couldn’t risk harming their young mistress. Their hesitation was his advantage. He moved swiftly, using Regina as both a shield and a weapon, her body blocking their attacks while he struck at them.

The Execution Squad, despite their training and experience, found themselves in a dilemma. They couldn’t attack him without risking Regina’s life, and their hesitation made them vulnerable.

He relished the chaos, his laughter mingling with Regina’s screams as he continued his assault. He then plunged the sword into Regina’s body and shouted.

“If you want to see this bitch die, come at me all at once.”

They would likely have abandoned her and attacked if the hostage were simply a fellow ally. But since it was their young mistress, they hesitated. Jeong-hyeon could feel the entire situation revolving around him, and it was exhilarating.

“Don’t worry about me… ugh… attack…”

Regina’s command came through, telling them to attack regardless of her fate. They exchanged glances, ready to follow the order, when an overwhelming divine power filled the air. A calm voice, completely opposite to the earlier screams, pierced through the tension.

“Come to think of it, there’s no need for a hostage. I have this, after all.”

Holding a white rosary, he put it around his neck and continued speaking.

“What are you waiting for? Come at me.”

With that, he tossed Regina aside like garbage. The Execution Squad members exchanged silent signals and charged at him. But before they could reach him, an immense, almost inhuman divine power radiated out, tearing through their mana.

‘Is this even possible?’

Normally, mana and divine power would clash, not result in mana being obliterated. Yet, he did it effortlessly, erasing their mana entirely. The Execution Squad members retreated, but he was faster. He swiftly approached one of them and drove his sword into the man’s heart.

A mere student, not an assassin, stabbing someone in the heart without hesitation was beyond bizarre—it was horrifying. Even with all that they had seen, this was a first, and it stirred one of the members’ emotions. But there was no time for that.

‘There’s no time to be distracted by such things.’

Determined, one of the members moved towards Regina to rescue her. Just as the man lifted her, he felt the cold, metallic sensation of a sword piercing his thigh. A voice, filled with amusement, spoke.

“Sorry, but can you help me with an experiment?”

Jeong-hyeon then struck the man’s head hard, separating him from Regina, and threw him into the subspace pouch.

“Remember this experience well.”

With the man’s consciousness fading, everything in front of him was swallowed by darkness.