Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended [Part Two]

CHAPTER 250: Fay Strikes Back

Fay's hands balled into fists. Her chest rose and fell with each shaky breath, but there was fury creeping into her eyes now, boiling away the fear.

Rue quietly shifted. His face was ghostly pale, his bloodied and bandaged hand cradled to his chest. He grunted faintly as he inched backward toward the counter, careful not to draw attention, his good hand reaching for something tucked behind a jar of Dried Chokeleaf.

Lugene, meanwhile, was watching Fay unravel.

She leaned in with a sneer. "Would you like to know what became of dear little Silvestia?" Her tone turned mocking and cruel. "We sold her. High-value merchandise like that? The slavers practically fought each other for her.

I imagine she's already being passed around like some exotic pet, one noble hand to another. First the slavers, now aristocrats with... refined tastes. Soon, there'll be nothing left of the girl you tried so hard to save."

"No..." Fay whispered, her voice wavering. "You're lying."

Lugene smirked. "Am I? You should've seen her—screaming and kicking as she was dragged away. You thought you saved her, didn't you? But you only made it worse. Her body's being ruined right now, and you can't stop it."

Fay's face twisted in horror. "Stop it... stop..."

Rue's fingers finally found the smooth, familiar edge of the magic stone. He grasped it, then his eyes flicked toward the ever-watchful wolf, measuring the distance.

Lugene's smile widened. "They'll strip away what's left of her dignity, piece by piece. And if she's lucky, she'll die before the nobles get bored of her."

Fay shook her head violently. "Stop it..."

"But the best part," Lugene continued with a twisted kind of pride, "was watching Zurrel and Lefahne's final moments. Oh, how they fought. Like cornered beasts. Even bleeding out, they still tried to protect their precious little girl. They died for her... and yet she's suffering anyway. All for nothing."

"Stop it!" Fay screamed, hands clamped over her ears, tears spilling from her eyes. "Stop talking!"

Lugene ignored her, eyes alight with victory. "You didn't save her. You doomed her. "And you—you're next."

Fay screamed.

In that exact instant, Rue thrust the magic stone forward in an attempt to summon a barrage of ice shards. But Fay moved first. Instinct took over. Her body radiated a violent light as a single, colossal spear of condensed mana exploded outward, ripping through the air like a bullet forged by the gods.

BOOOOOM!

The projectile struck both Rue and Lugene dead-on, impaling them against the wall with a thunderous crash. Their agonized screams filled the room, blood pouring from their mouths as they convulsed, pinned like insects beneath a dagger.

They didn't even have time to recover. Before the echoes faded, before they could beg for their lives—

FWOOOOOSH!

Zephyr leapt forward, opened his maw, and unleashed a sweeping torrent of fire. The flames roared across the room, swallowing the wall, the shelves, the screams. Rue and Lugene flailed as the fire consumed them, their skin blistering, blackening, peeling from their bones under the heat of divine retribution.

The smell of burning flesh permeated the air.

They screeched until their voices and their cruel sins were no more. Fay stood trembling, chest heaving, eyes full of tears and fury as the light from the flames danced across her face.