There was still no word from Satoru, but Mina didn't feel the slightest panic. All her servants and guards had already moved to the mansion's private airfield and taken off long ago. Mina sat in the back cabin of a helicopter that had flown several miles away.
She stared into the distance at the massive estate—already half consumed by flames—yet no one could guess what she was truly thinking. Anger? Relief?
Shana ruined her plans, again.
How many more people do I have to kill for her to finally leave me alone? Mina muttered through clenched teeth, venom dripping from every word.
She didn't care how many corpses were trapped back there. She'd planned to make use of it—but thanks to Shana, everything had turned into a wasteland. Maybe it should've been destroyed a long time ago anyway. Mina didn't bother to think about what else might be burning inside. She didn't want to look back at that past ever again.
The servant piloting the helicopter spoke with a trembling voice.
"Miss Mina, Satoru still hasn't responded… Could it be that he—?"
Mina lifted her head slightly, closed her eyes, and made it clear she didn't want to hear another word that displeased her.
"Just keep flying. Get us as far from here as possible and head to where I instructed."
"But Miss Mina—"
Mina shot him a look so cold it felt like lightning striking down his spine.
"You dare defy me?"
He shuddered violently. "N-No, Miss!"
Mina exhaled deeply and sat beside the bed where Duyen lay unconscious. She muttered,
"None of you are as useful as Satoru. From now on, when I give an order, you follow it. No questions."
Her voice wasn't loud, but the weight of it pressed down on everyone—soft yet terrifying, a power none of them dared challenge. It was hard to believe such authority came from the lips of a breathtaking beauty like her.
Everyone obeyed without a word. No one could replace Satoru's competence… and Mina knew that well. She understood what had happened below—and why he made that choice. That was exactly why she refused to speak about it. She refused to look at anything that might slow down her next objective.
Her fingers gently brushed a strand of Duyen's hair just as Duyen's eyes slowly fluttered open. The thumping of the helicopter rotors must have awakened her.
Duyen blinked, dazed, and looked around, realizing she was no longer in the mansion bedroom but a cramped helicopter cabin.
When Mina noticed she was awake, her expression softened immediately. She reached out to pat Duyen's head tenderly—a gesture so out of character compared to the cold demeanor she showed everyone else.
Smiling as if it were just another ordinary day, Mina said,
"You're awake, Duyen? I have good news. We're moving to a new home. I promise it'll be even more beautiful and luxurious than the last one. You'll love it."
In truth, the "new home" didn't exist. Shana's arrival had been too sudden, and Mina could only lie to keep Duyen calm. The helicopter was actually heading straight for Germany. Building a new residence was trivial for Mina—but right now, she had nothing prepared.
Duyen tried to lift her head, still confused. Her mind was foggy; earlier, Mina had given her a dose of aphrodisiac.
"A… new home? What do you mean, Mina…?"
She tried to move her body—and froze. Not only were her legs immobile… her arms wouldn't move either.
Duyen's daze shattered into pure terror.
"Mina!? Why did you—!?"
Mina's face didn't change. She kept that beautiful but eerily chilling smile.
"Hm? Oh, I was worried you'd panic on your first helicopter ride… so I made sure you'd be safe."
"You—!"
Duyen wanted to argue, but her whole body was helpless, and her mind was too shocked to form words.
None of this made sense. Mina suddenly saying they were moving again? Immobilizing her entire body? Why so abruptly?
Duyen understood now—Mina never fully trusted her, no matter how many times she said she loved Duyen. The contradiction had always been there. It was just that the cruelty of Mina's methods… even toward Duyen… was something Duyen still wasn't prepared to face.
Helpless, she tried to squirm even a little, but Mina's hands pinned her shoulders down. Mina leaned close, her cold eyes locking onto Duyen's terrified ones. Her breath brushed Duyen's lips, only a few centimeters away.
"Don't fight it… Duyen… Don't."
Duyen's breathing eventually steadied, though fear still churned inside her. She didn't know if she could trust Mina—but what choice did she have?
Mina lowered her head and hungrily kissed Duyen's neck, as if she'd been starving for it. Amid all the chaos, Duyen was the only emotional anchor Mina had left. And she had become far too addicted, far too dependent to let go.
And then suddenly—something like lightning cracked through Duyen's mind. She whispered without thinking:
"…Shana…"
Mina froze. She lifted her head slowly and glared.
"…Didn't I tell you already, Duyen?"
Her hands fisted the collar of Duyen's clothes and yanked her upright in anger.
"You're not allowed to say another woman's name in front of me!"
Duyen went rigid with fear. She couldn't control Mina—or her blind jealousy. But she couldn't shake the feeling.
Shana was close. Very close.
Suddenly, the helicopter lurched violently. Mina fell forward onto Duyen as the pilots struggled to steady the craft.
"W-What!? The weather wasn't supposed to be like this! Miss Mina, we should land somewhere safe first!"
Mina panicked and pushed herself up, screaming,
"Keep flying! Move faster—this is her trap! Don't stop!"
Duyen heard that, and her eyes widened. She whispered softly so Mina wouldn't hear:
"Shana? Shana's here…?"
She tried to sit up, but Mina immediately shoved her back down, her eyes blazing.
"Duyen… you dare!?"
Just then, the helicopter's signal turned into a chaotic mess. A deafening hum surrounded the aircraft—like some grotesque monster was snarling and screaming right outside, sending everyone inside into absolute panic.
Mina and the others whipped their heads around, trying to spot the source of the noise, but there was nothing—nothing except the shrill scraping and clawing against the metal hull.
Mina didn't even have time to think. She yanked out a gold-plated ceremonial katana she kept beside her for show—though apparently, it was sharp enough to kill. Her hands trembled as she scanned the metal walls around them, gripping the sword even though she wasn't sure she even knew how to use it.
Is she here? Or here?
Mina was ready—if Shana showed up, she would kill her without hesitation.
No good. No good at all.
Instinctively, Mina moved an arm in front of Duyen to shield her, even though she still had no idea where Shana was. She shouted at the pilot:
"What are you waiting for!? Get us out of here!"
Silence.
A chilling, suffocating silence.
Every sound stopped—wind, rotor blades, everything. It was like the world itself had been muted.
Mina called out to the pilot again.
"Hey! Did you hear me!?"
Nothing. No response.
Only Duyen managed to lift her head slightly, weakly calling out, "Mina…"
Mina had no clue what the hell was happening, but she didn't dare move from her position. Her gaze drifted toward the helicopter's front window.
Why is that bird flying so strangely? Like it's… frozen in mid-air?
Suddenly, a slash tore straight through the side door—like a massive claw ripping metal apart—before the entire panel was kicked forward.
Flaming red hair floated into view, weightless and unreal.
Shana appeared—radiant, terrifyingly beautiful, almost divine—despite the shredded clothes hanging off her body. That aura couldn't be hidden by anything. Her sapphire eyes burned intensely as they locked onto the helpless Mina and Duyen lying on the cot.
Mina reacted instantly, raising the katana to shield Duyen. Her eyes widened with fury.
"No! Shana! DON'T! I FORBID YOU!"
Shana's gaze swept over Duyen's limp body. She didn't need more than a second to realize every limb was paralyzed. And the culprit was obvious.
Rage exploded inside her.
Her fangs extended as she roared,
"KAMAKIRI MINA! HOW DARE YOU!?"
Before Mina could even blink, Shana lunged—faster than human eyes could track. Her clawed hand clamped around Mina's throat and slammed her into the wall.
The impact knocked the breath out of Mina. Blood splattered from her mouth as her grip loosened and the katana clattered to the floor. Shana's claws dug into her neck, tightening, turning Mina's face purple.
Mina clawed, kicked, pulled Shana's hair—anything—but she couldn't breathe, couldn't speak. Her vision dimmed at the edges.
Shana meant to kill her. This time, she truly did.
"STOP, SHANA!"
Duyen's scream shattered the moment, snapping Shana out of her frenzy. Even unable to move, Duyen struggled, pleading with every ounce of strength she had left—her voice breaking with desperation.
"Please, Shana! Don't kill her!"
But even so, Shana's grip stayed tight. Even if she let go now, the pressure alone might kill Mina; blood streamed from her mouth.
"Shana, please—don't… don't kill Mina…" Duyen sobbed, her voice trembling.
Only then did Shana release her. Mina's body dropped to the floor like a rag doll. She lay still for a moment, choking, unable to breathe.
Shana didn't spare her a glance. She stepped toward Duyen and lifted her gently into her arms—cradling her with a tenderness that contrasted violently with her earlier rage.
"Don't worry, my my… I'm here now."
Shana quickly noticed the hickeys on Duyen's neck—and the familiar scent lingering on her skin. It didn't take effort to recognize it.
An aphrodisiac.
So Kamakiri Mina paralyzed Duyen just to… do this to her?
Fury and jealousy surged inside Shana—but she forced it all down. Instead, she held Duyen tightly, her voice soft as flowing water.
"It's okay, my love… I'm taking you home soon…"
A faint, sweet scent drifted from Shana—hypnotic, calming—enough to lull Duyen into a peaceful sleep. As her eyelids closed, Shana carried her toward the torn doorway.
Before leaving, she shot Mina a cold, disgusted glare.
"This is your warning. Come near her again, and next time, you will die."
With that, Shana vanished into the sky.
Only then did Mina manage to move. She dragged herself toward the doorway, vision blurry, mouth full of blood.
"Duyen… Duyen… Don't… don't take my Duyen away… Don't…"
She cried, repeating Duyen's name in agony, her voice breaking as she coughed up more blood—before finally collapsing into unconsciousness.
At that moment, time resumed.
The pilots snapped back, turning around in horror when they saw Mina lying there, barely alive in a pool of blood. None of them understood what had just happened. No one did.
The servants rushed in and carried Mina away for emergency treatment.
---
At the Wang family estate, Wang HongLi—massive, scarred, half-naked—sat beneath the mounted head of a giant tiger while several beautiful servants massaged his broad, battle-worn back. It was almost entirely a display of his relaxation, with the strong scent of incense filling the room.
A servant rushed in with a phone, handing it to him. He frowned but took the call.
"Hello?"
Whatever he heard made his face twist in shock. He motioned for the girls to stop massaging him.
"It's true?" A pause.
"…Alright. Leave it to me. No one will know about this."
Moments later, his daughter Dao burst into the room in panic.
"Dad! Is it true Mina's in the hospital!?"
Mr. Wang nearly jumped.
"Oh My! One day you're going to give me a heart attack!"
But Dao grabbed at his robe, frantic.
"Dad! What happened to her!? Why is she hospitalized!?"
"Alright, alright!" He raised his hands to calm her. "Kamakiri Mina is out of danger. They say she just needs some rest."
"Really!?" Relief washed over Dao's face—but confusion hit just as quickly.
"Then… why was she hospitalized?"
Wang HongLi's expression darkened.
"They said it was an accident… but over a hundred people dead? Hmph…"
"Dad…?"
Dao's eyes widened. "What do you mean dead? What happened!?"
He flinched and waved his hands rapidly.
"Ah—nothing, nothing! Forget it! Why don't you go visit Mina for me, hmm? I have business to take care of—"
But Dao shot to her feet, wiping her tears, determined.
"Dad! This has something to do with Mina, doesn't it!? Tell me! DAD!"
She nearly lunged at him again, trying to wrestle the truth out of him. Mr.Wang had no choice but to signal his servants to carry her out of the office.
Dao was furious—and terrified for Mina.
What was her father hiding? What had Mina gotten involved in?
This was no simple incident. If her father wouldn't tell her…
Dao would find the truth herself.