Anger...

Mark had no idea who he was dealing with. Fueled by pure anger and rage, Leon lunged forward, his hands finding Mark's throat. Mark's smirk faded, replaced by a look of genuine fear as he struggled against Leon's grip.

"Leon! Stop!" Lucy's screams seemed distant, muffled by the blood rushing in Leon's ears.

Lucy saw how angry Leon was and immediately regretted ever messing with him. She was too scared to shake his hands away from Mark's throat. All she could do was cry for help.

Leon gripped Mark's throat like an expert assassin, his hands wrapped firmly around Mark's neck, pressing his two thumbs directly on Mark's Adam's apple, aiming to completely crush his airway.

Tears trickled down Lucy's cheeks as she screamed, witnessing murder for the first time in her life. She cursed herself for instigating all this, but how could she have known Leon was capable of murder?

It was over in seconds. Leon released him, and Mark collapsed to the ground, lifeless, his eyes still wide with fear. Leon stood back, his breath heavy, his anger unquenched. Lucy was sobbing, her cries piercing the now eerie silence around them.

Leon's gaze turned to Lucy, chilling and devoid of emotion. He acted as if he hadn't just taken a life, ignoring Mark's lifeless body beside him. It seemed insignificant to him, like killing a mere chicken. But this wasn't a chicken—it was a human being. And it was his first.

Yet, despite the gravity of his actions, Leon felt nothing. No guilt, no remorse. In his mind, Mark had gotten what he deserved.

Lucy froze under his gaze, her breath catching in her throat as Leon advanced toward her. His eyes, filled with murderous intent, locked with hers, wide with fear.

But then, Lucy suddenly remembered something—911. She needed to call quickly.

"S-stay back, Leon! I'm warning you, I'm gonna call the cops, I'm gonna dial 911!" Lucy screamed in fear, her voice trembling as she reached for her mobile phone. With shaky fingers, she dialed 911.

Leon's footsteps remained steady, neither increasing nor decreasing in pace.

"911, what's your emergency?" A professional female voice echoed from the cellphone.

Lucy could only watch as Leon, already close to her, slapped the phone from her grasp, causing it to fall to the ground.

"911, what's your emergency?" The voice repeated from the phone lying on the ground.

But Leon seemed oblivious to it, his gaze filled with accusation as he moved closer to her.

"I loved you, Lucy! You always knew I did, but this... this is how you choose to betray me?" Leon's voice was loud and gruff, laden with the emotions he struggled to contain.

"We were meant to be together, Lucy. Destined. But you chose to mess it all up."

"911, what's your emergency?" The voice echoed in the background as Leon paused.

The speaker must have heard his voice and sensed the danger.

At that moment, Leon's eyes gleamed dangerously as an idea flickered in his mind.

"Yes, that's the only way... it's the only way," he muttered almost inaudibly to himself.

Lucy's heart skipped a beat when she heard him. She didn't know why, but she had a feeling that whatever he was thinking about was dangerous. What else could she expect from a sociopath like Leon?

"Since you've ruined everything, I have to kill you, Lucy. In the next world, we will be together... I'm sure of it..."

Leon dropped the bombshell, and Lucy, upon hearing this, was terrified.

"NO! NO! You're crazy! I don't want to die! Somebody help... HELP!!!" Lucy screamed with all the strength she could muster, trying to run, but Leon had already caught her by the shoulder with his manly strength, honed by the martial arts he practiced daily, taught to him by his father. Despite them both being mundane, not having supernatural powers, she couldn't even make his hands budge.

Seeing her powerlessness, Lucy broke down entirely, sobbing. "Please, Leon, I don't want to die here. Whatever you're thinking, it's not what you think. He forced me... Please, Leon, I don't want to die..."

"I heard your conversation with him," Leon squinted his eyes at her, causing her to shiver uncontrollably.

"Lucy, this is the only way. Don't worry, in your next life, you'll understand why I have to kill you."

Lucy was shaken to the core upon hearing this. At this point, she knew that Leon's decision was set in stone, and nothing she could do would convince him to change his mind.

"Lucy, it's hard for me too. I love you, and killing someone I love for the greater good isn't always easy," Leon muttered, trying to convince her as he caressed her hair passionately, shifting the strands of her head to the side. "Don't worry, I know you wouldn't understand now, but soon you will, I promise."

Anyone who heard this would know that Leon was a complete lunatic. None of what he was saying made any sense.

Meanwhile, in the background, the "911, what's your emergency?" kept repeating from the phone. The person at the other end didn't cut off the call, intending to gather as much information as possible about the situation.

The phone's signal had already been scanned, and multiple military personnel trained for situations like this were already heading towards the school at full speed.

Leon held her shoulders firmly with one hand while wrapping his arm roughly around her slender waist with the other. He kissed her, though it was far from gentle, driven by the turmoil of his emotions and her struggles.

Lucy cried, tears streaming down her eyes, but still, she found herself succumbing to his kiss. However, the raging emotions within her made her attempt to break the kiss multiple times, but Leon didn't let her.

'Is he going to rape me?' This thought resounded in her head, causing even more tears to stream down her face. She regretted everything.

'If I had known it would've led to this, I wouldn't have messed with him.'

She could only wish.