Meanwhile, Gabriel finally reached the bathroom on the far side of the grand estate.
He closed the door behind him, checked his watch, and waited.
Two minutes later, the door opened again—
"Time to take what you owe me, bastard."
Gabriel smiled, slipping his right hand into his pocket.
"I'd like to see you try."
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The white light shone on the wet floor where both Gabriel and Victor stood in silence, each staring into the other's eyes.
Gabriel took a step forward, making Victor unconsciously step back.
Gabriel smiled, lifted his head arrogantly, and said, "Come on, don't you want to take your revenge, handsome face?"
Victor didn't smile. He moved his hand quickly toward his jacket, where something metallic glinted inside.
Gabriel seized the chance, grabbed Victor's hand, pulled him close, and kicked him hard, making a silver pistol fall out of Victor's jacket.
"Don't you want to fight like a man, or what?" Gabriel asked while kicking the pistol away, making it slide under the sink.
Victor raised his gaze at Gabriel and shouted angrily, "LIKE A MAN?! And do you call burning my face with acid an honorable fight?! You filthy woman-killer!"
Gabriel put his hands behind his back and said while slowly circling Victor, "Woman-killer? That's hurtful... I prefer to call it 'equality.'"
Victor stood up, grabbed Gabriel by the collar, and smashed his forehead into Gabriel's, making Gabriel stumble two steps back.
"Equality, you bastard!" Victor shouted while throwing a hook toward Gabriel, who was still a bit dizzy.
Gabriel took a quick step to the side, dodging the punch skillfully. But Victor didn't look like he missed — he rushed forward, grabbed Gabriel by the collar, and smashed his head into Gabriel's nose with all his strength.
"Ugh!" Gabriel groaned as he stumbled backward, his hand on his bleeding nose. He looked up just in time to see Victor charging like a raging bull.
Gabriel ran forward too, and right before they collided, he grabbed Victor's left arm, twisted it hard, then punched him directly in the throat, sending Victor to the floor, gasping for air and unable to move.
"COUGH—COUGH—COUGH. You bastard—COUGH—COUGH—let go of my arm!"
As Victor struggled to break free from Gabriel's grip, Gabriel jumped on Victor's back to pin him down harder, then—out of anger—grabbed Victor's head and slammed it into the floor with full force, shattering Victor's mask into pieces.
Victor screamed in pain, twisting on the floor, unable to move, while Gabriel, breathing heavily, stayed above him. When he was sure Victor was completely pinned, Gabriel raised his right hand to his nose, held his breath, and clenched it until a —CRACK!— was heard.
Gabriel took a deep breath through his nose, then exhaled slowly.
As he regained his balance, he looked down beside Victor, noticing that Victor's mask had been crushed by the blows.
Gabriel's smile widened until it reached his eyes. He extended his hand toward Victor, who had his face pressed to the ground, refusing to lift it — you could even hear his muffled whimpering.
"Don't worry, I just want to see how your handsome face healed," Gabriel whispered softly, then grabbed Victor's hair with his right hand, lifting his head up.
What he saw was half of Victor's face nearly gone — the skin fused together — while the other half was only partially burned, leaving just one eye visible, the only part still able to move and see.
Victor pulled his head back down to hide his deformed side and muttered, "You did this to me."
Gabriel replied coldly with mockery, "Yeah. Didn't you like seeing a doctor's rage?"
Victor shouted harshly, "Go to hell!"
Gabriel let out a sarcastic laugh and replied, "I will... and so will you."
Gabriel got off Victor's back, exhausted. He walked to the sink, turned on the cold water, and washed his face quickly.
Meanwhile, Victor stood up, glaring at Gabriel, and said, "You won't live in peace as long as I'm alive, Gabriel! You know that, right?!"
Gabriel replied while washing the blood off his clothes, "Yeah, I know. That's what makes it fun."
He paused and looked at his watch. "Heh, we've taken too long — the feast's about to start... and you know how much Elena hates being late."
Victor spat on Gabriel's shoe and said, "Go to hell." He paused, looked at the curtains, then back at Gabriel. "Do you have a knife?"
Gabriel looked at his shoe for a moment, then back at Victor, and replied, "Yeah, I do. Why?"
Victor grabbed the brown curtain hanging by the window and said, "I'll use this instead of my mask. So hand me your damn knife."
Gabriel chuckled lightly, reached into his jacket, and pulled out a knife with a matte black handle — engraved on the blade were raven wings that seemed to swallow it whole.
Victor snatched the knife roughly and stabbed it into the curtain, tearing it completely. He stared at the torn piece for a second, sighed, then wrapped it around his melted face like a new mask.
Victor turned to Gabriel and said while handing the knife back, "Here, take your damn knife."
"That's kind of you." Gabriel took it gently and slipped it back into his jacket.
But as his eyes moved around the room, smiling faintly, he spotted Victor's pistol glinting faintly under the sink.
He glanced at Victor, who was already walking toward the main hall.
Gabriel smirked slightly, then walked out of the bathroom. As he brushed the dust and blood off his jacket, something silver glinted inside.
Gabriel walked through the wide corridors of the mansion beside Victor — neither said a word, just walking side by side — until they reached a massive eight-foot door.
Victor opened it, and the light inside reflected a mix of white and gold.
Victor entered first, then Gabriel right behind him.
What lay before them was beyond imagination — a huge table in the center of the hall, dozens of people sitting around it, plates full of every kind of delicious food, and at the head of the table sat the Spider Lady, with a guard on each side.
The Spider Lady lifted her head from the table, looked at both Victor and Gabriel, tucked a strand of her red hair behind her ear, and called out, "You're late for the feast. Come on before the food gets cold."
Both Gabriel and Victor approached her.
Before Gabriel sat down, he heard someone call from the other end of the hall, "HEY, BOSS!"
Gabriel turned and saw Ethan waving from afar, sitting among the servants and guards.
Gabriel turned to the Spider Lady and asked coldly, "Why is my assistant sitting there and not with us?"
The Spider Lady rested her head between her hands and said playfully, "He's not a cannibal like us. And honestly, if it weren't for you, his presence here would've been nearly impossible."
Gabriel sighed, sat on the chair next to the Spider Lady, turned to Ethan, and called out, "Ethan. Come here."
Ethan didn't hesitate — he moved quickly toward Gabriel, pulled out a chair, and sat between them.
The Spider Lady looked at Ethan sitting so close without her permission, took a deep breath, trying to stay calm, and turned her gaze to the guests whose whispers rose:
"How is he still alive? Is that allowed? Shh! Did you forget Gabriel's status here? That savage again..."
Gabriel raised his head slightly and said to the Spider Lady, "My assistant Ethan is treated the same as I am. And you, Elena, know that better than anyone."
Ethan grinned and said, "HAHAAA! In your faces!"
The Spider Lady — Elena — took a deep breath, stabbed her fork violently into a piece of meat, and said with a tense smile, "At least control your assistant, Gabriel."
Gabriel nodded with a tilted grin and replied, "As you command, boss."
Ethan looked at the food in front of him, then at Gabriel, and whispered, "Please tell me that's not what I think it is."
Gabriel put a piece of meat in his mouth and said, "Yes, it is. But there's chicken and salad if you want."
Ethan replied while pulling the salad plate toward him, "Yeah, I think I'll just stick with the salad here."
Gabriel smiled unintentionally — a genuine smile — then returned to his plate and murmured, "Anyone who dares to hurt you will wish for death for the rest of their life."
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