Aren walked slowly toward the man. The room was filled with silence; all eyes were on him. With each step, the tension grew, and the crowd held its breath. The muscular man watched Aren's approach with terror. His face had gone completely pale, but he still tried to say something to save himself.
"I-I... I mean... I'm sorry," he stammered, his eyes darting away from Aren's cold gaze. "It was a mistake. Really... I just lost control of my aura, I-I didn't mean—"
The man's sentence was cut short, as Aren now stood in front of him, his gaze fixed, unwavering. His voice came out cold and steady.
"You insulted Victoria," Aren said, his words heavy and deliberate. He had no interest in the man's excuses or fear.
The crowd may have thought the man had simply made a mistake in letting his aura loose, but for Aren, this had no significance. His anger had a clear cause. At that moment, Victoria's legs slowly stirred on Aren's shoulder. In her spider form, Victoria quietly raised herself up, as if to support him. Her thin legs crept along Aren's back and neck, intensifying the tension in the room.
When the muscular man noticed Victoria's terrifying presence, his panic only grew. "Please... Please... I didn't mean—"
Aren stood silently in front of him, and the room remained tense. The man was now on his knees, trembling and begging, "Please... Please forgive me!" But Aren's face remained as hard and indifferent as stone. Slowly, he brought his thumb to his mouth and bit down, drawing a small cut. A drop of blood trickled down, and Aren smeared it on the man's trembling lips.
The man, unable to fully grasp what was happening, swallowed the drop of blood, his eyes wide with confusion, his hands pressing hard against the floor. Aren offered no explanation. Moments later, the man's body jerked violently, the first shockwave of pain registering on his face. His muscles began to spasm uncontrollably, as if they were being crushed from the inside out. He let out a scream, a scream so raw it cut through the still air like a knife.
The sound of bones cracking filled the room, every joint in his body seemed to break inwardly. Blood started to trickle from his nose, ears, and mouth, his body hemorrhaging from every opening. His eyes bulged, as though they would burst from his skull, while the venom squeezed and crushed every organ from within. Yet, this gruesome death did not elicit the same reaction from everyone in the room.
Sophia, the white-haired woman, watched calmly. Scenes of pain and brutality were nothing new to her, and she remained unfazed. Her face bore a dismissive expression, as if this display were just another boring routine. She even rolled her eyes. "Childish displays," she muttered to herself.
Keiran watched the savage scene with a slight smile on his face. He didn't fully understand what Aren had done, but he admired his friend's ruthlessness and determination. "Always an interesting show," he thought, a hint of admiration flickering in his eyes.
Nathaniel, ever composed, continued to observe with his usual calm demeanor. He took a sip from his wine glass, nodding as if watching a fighter in an arena. To him, this was nothing more than another spectacle. Aren's cruelty didn't faze him. "People always find someone stronger than themselves," he mused, shrugging.
Meanwhile, Seina couldn't tear her eyes away from Aren. A hint of unease stirred inside her, but what truly troubled her was how Keiran had befriended someone so merciless. Aren's emotionless face unsettled her. "Keiran, what kind of people are you hanging out with?" she whispered to herself. Aren's display of such cold-hearted cruelty left Seina with a lingering sense of discomfort.
The muscular man's screams had begun to fade. His body, twisted with pain, finally stilled. Blood seeped from every part of him, his body lying cold and lifeless on the floor. For a moment, the air remained still.
Aren glanced briefly at the man's corpse, then turned away as if nothing had happened. Victoria remained perched on his shoulder, silent and still. There wasn't the faintest trace of emotion on Aren's face. The masked man, watching the entire scene, seemed impressed by Aren's icy composure and mercilessness. The rest of the room, too, had been affected—but in different ways. For some, this was a demonstration of power. For others, it was simply the end of another day.
Aren returned to where Keiran stood. Keiran greeted him with a smile and a slight nod. "Impressive as always, my friend," Keiran said with a hint of amusement. Aren remained silent, his expression still blank.
The room returned to its usual atmosphere, but the memory of Aren and Victoria's savage display was seared into everyone's mind. This was a scene of power and cold justice that would not soon be forgotten.