Chapter 82

It wasn’t the strength of a child. The blunt teeth broke the skin and tore away flesh. ‘Mari’, her mouth covered in blood, laughed loudly.

“Kill me? Go ahead, try and kill me!”

Enoch gritted his teeth and pushed his forearm into Mari’s mouth while cursing quietly. No matter what he did, there was no way to restrain Jang Hyunji without injuring Mari’s body. Even though he had sealed her with magic, if she twisted her body unnaturally, her bones would break and muscles would tear.

Blood poured heavily from his neck wound and the puncture in his shoulder, but he couldn’t ease the strength holding Mari down. Under Jang Hyunji’s control, Mari’s body bent and jerked unnaturally.

“Damn it!”

“I said, kill me!”

“Shut up. I’ll personally send you to hell.”

A spirit user without spirits was no different from an ordinary person. Inside the spirit prison, he couldn’t summon any spirits. Jang Hyunji, who had once been a spirit user herself, knew Enoch’s weakness well.

“Pathetic. You can’t even lay a finger on this girl. How do you plan to kill me?”

“Somehow.”

He would send her somewhere worse than hell. Enoch ground his teeth.

“Poor Enoch Haines… I always wondered who you really were.”

Jang Hyunji’s voice softened as she spoke. The child’s hands clung tightly to Enoch’s body, sliding over his sides and back in a disturbingly adult manner. Enoch clenched his teeth.

“Get your hands off me. You’re disgusting.”

“Don’t be like that. Once I return to my own body, maybe I’ll sleep with you. How about that?”

“I already knew you were vulgar and stupid, but this is worse than I imagined.”

“One time won’t be enough? Fine. How about we become secret lovers behind Linus’s back? Wouldn’t you like that? You want this body too, don’t you?”

“Linus must be insane in every way if this is his type. Not just his eyes, but his taste is rotten too.”

“That’s called being refined.”

Jang Hyunji giggled as she touched the shoulder wound she had created using Mari’s wooden prosthetic arm.

“You really are handsome… such a shame. Ha… ha… yes, when I return, I’ll do whatever I want. Do you think I’ll die like this? No! Do you know how hard I’ve fought to survive?!”

Mari herself had no power. But every living being had at least a little magic. Jang Hyunji drew out Mari’s small amount of magic to use it, not caring that it was tied to her very life.

Even a blunt wooden stick or weak teeth could seriously injure an ordinary man with magic behind them. And Enoch Haines couldn’t fight back against this girl.

There was no fight more one-sided than this.

“Ha… ha… I knew you’d be the one left behind. Once I entered this girl’s body, you’d have to call Laila Green. Then the magician would be forced to leave, and you’d be left alone… You were afraid I’d call Linus, weren’t you? That’s why you’re hiding in this spirit prison.”

“You’re very clever. But so what? Until Laila comes back, you can’t do anything.”

“Don’t play dumb, Enoch Haines. You’re smart enough for Grace to like you. I wanted to talk to you! You like ‘me,’ don’t you? Are you going to just sit back and let that magician steal your first love?”

Enoch scoffed.

“So you’re a voyeur too?”

“Listen to me. I’m not so different from ‘Florence.’ I can love you too.”

“You’re good at talking nonsense.”

“When I get my body back, I’ll—”

Enoch grimaced and covered her mouth with his hand.

“Any more and my ears will rot. You’re disgusting.”

Blood still poured from the wounds on his neck and shoulder. At this rate, he would die from blood loss. His face had gone pale and his breathing was labored. He gave a bitter smile.

“Mmff… mmmph…!”

“I’d rather bite off my own tongue and die than ever touch something like you.”

“Kh… tch…”

“You’re a parasite. Damn it…”

Mari’s greenish-brown eyes glared at Enoch, burning with murderous intent.

“Let me make this clear. I’ve never liked ‘you.’ I almost threw up seeing you wear Florence’s body.”

Enoch was the only person who had recognized from the beginning that she wasn’t Florence. His hatred for her ran deep, as strong as his desire to kill Linus.

“And I won’t lose her to Keith either.”

Because he had never “had” Florence in the first place, there was nothing to lose.

Protect Florence, Keith.

What?

I’ll protect Mari. Just go.

Keith must have understood Enoch wasn’t only talking about the current situation. He wasn’t stupid, and Enoch knew his cousin wasn’t as careless as he pretended to be. This wasn’t about a momentary impulse or comfort.

But Keith had still gone because he was worried about Enoch. It was almost laughable.

That didn’t matter to Enoch anymore. He only cared about Florence’s happiness. As long as she didn’t cry and tear at the sofa in despair, that was enough.

Jang Hyunji bit Enoch’s hand hard, twisting her head free and shouted:

“Stop pretending! Are you really okay with losing the one you love? Be honest, Enoch Haines!”

“Florence doesn’t belong to anyone, and no one can take her away. People can’t own other people. But I guess your fancy Linus doesn’t believe that.”

Enoch smirked.

“Do you know Linus is claiming that Florence belongs to him right now? If what you call love is real, then Linus should be able to love you even now, looking like this. What do you think?”

Enoch looked down at Jang Hyunji. She was snarling like a beast, her mouth bloody, so unlike the graceful ‘Florence.’ Would Linus really love her now?

“Linus is—”

“You’re not running to Linus with Mari’s body because you know the truth, don’t you?”

Because Linus would never love her like this.

To the man who was drawn to her beauty and strength, the current Jang Hyunji was nothing but garbage.

Jang Hyunji’s chest rose and fell rapidly as she panted. Enoch sensed movement outside the door. He stood up, but his vision swam. He hoped Keith still had enough magic left for healing.

Enoch looked down at Jang Hyunji and released the spirit prison.

“I’ll never let a parasite like you steal anything again. Get out.”

“Die! Argh!”

Even as Enoch pressed down on her shoulder, Jang Hyunji lifted Mari’s body. The sound of her shoulder dislocating and bones breaking made Enoch instinctively let go, and in that moment, the prosthetic arm fell to the floor. Jang Hyunji quickly snatched it up.

“Enoch!”

“No, Enoch!”

Keith and Florence’s desperate shouts rang out. Enoch was already badly wounded and bleeding heavily. If he was pierced again, he wouldn’t survive. He tried to back away, but they were too close.

Florence lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Enoch while Laila and Keith grabbed Mari’s body.

Holding Enoch, Florence shouted:

“Get out of Mari! Come back to my body! Laila, now!”

Enoch’s body, stiff from trying not to lean on her, felt cold. His neck tilted slightly, and blood poured from his wound like a fountain. Florence thought he might die.

“It’s okay now, Enoch. You did well… now…”

She gently laid Enoch’s pale body on the floor and kissed his cheek before turning toward Mari. Keith and Laila had Mari’s body restrained.

“I really was blind. I can’t believe I didn’t see this before.”

“Laila… you dare…”

Laila smiled coldly. She moved as if to grab Mari’s thin neck, but Keith shook his head, and she stopped.

“Hurry and drive it out of Mari’s body, Laila! What are you doing?!”

“It’s impossible.”

“What?”

“What? Why? Why…?”

Florence grabbed Laila’s arm. Laila didn’t bother to push her away. She looked at ‘Mari’s’ face and said:

“She’s already dead.”

“……”

“She used up all her life force. That body is practically a corpse now.”

Jang Hyunji smiled wickedly.

She wanted Florence to break. She had been waiting for this exact moment.

Only then could she take the body back.

She had known from the start she couldn’t kill Florence using Mari’s body. Her goal was to erase ‘Mari’ from Florence’s sight. If she could kill Enoch Haines too, that was even better. The fewer people Florence could rely on, the better.

“This girl died because of you.”

“You crazy witch!”

Keith tried to cover Mari’s mouth, but Jang Hyunji’s words were faster.

“She died because you loved her, Florence…”

You make people miserable. Your existence is a mistake. That place belongs to me.

So hurry, leave. Give me back what’s mine.

I have to go to my love.

Florence staggered as she approached Mari. Jang Hyunji looked at her with excitement.

“I won’t be fooled by your words anymore.”

“What…?”

“Mari, are you listening?”

Florence grabbed Mari’s right hand. It was cold. Cold and still. Jang Hyunji’s face twisted strangely.

“You’re still in there, Mari. Can you hear me?”

“You…”

“I love you, Mari. You can hear me, right? I love you. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you…”

I know your soul is still here, Mari.

Mari.

Florence’s trembling voice was choked with tears. The greenish-brown light faded completely from Mari’s eyes.