Expression of Awe

The next scene had Asmodeus entering the house of his victim.

It was a small house with a bedroom, a kitchen, and a living room. An old brown carpet spread the dust as he walked around.

It was a place for the destitute, yet it was unusually warm.

Asmodeus walked around the room and paused before a photo frame on the rickety cupboard. With his gloved hands, he picked it up.

For a while—as his subordinates packed bags full of clothes, valuables, and cash to make the disappearance of their victim seem voluntary—Asmodeus stared dazedly at the photo.

His expression remained the same, but his eyes became desirous. Lust was practically dripping from his gaze.

The red-haired woman in the photo hugging the victim was beautiful with full lips and pale skin.

Asmodeus liked that skin; he liked that flesh. He wanted to snatch, ferociously bite, and tear it apart.

Exhaling a shaky, hot breath from his mouth, he chewed on his lower lip. His watery eyes shook slightly as he was sucked further into the photo alongside his desires.

His fantasies ran rampant, and in anticipation, he bit hard on his lip. It drew blood, but even the pain felt pleasurable.

This was his ecstasy; this was his choice for recreation.

He bit excruciatingly harder, licked the hot blood, and smeared it all over his lips with his tongue. His breathing was uneven and his skin ghastly pale. The taste of iron wasn't to his liking, but the thrill wasn't lost on him.

His sensuous lips smeared with blood and his breathtaking expression of erotic pleasure couldn't help but stimulate the senses.

In his debauchery, he looked more attractive than anyone alive. It was arousing, exciting, and electrifying.

And every member of NeRen thought the same.

"Oh my god. Oh my god…" one of the members muttered, her face red and flustered.

Ha-Yun quickly covered Hee-Young's eyes.

"What, what?" Hee-Young screamed, bewildered.

"You are too young for this," Ha-Yun replied.

"I am nineteen!" she retorted.

They knew that. But it felt wrong to show something like that to this naïve girl.

Hee-Young didn't listen. She shook off Ha-Yun and watched the sensuous man on the TV.

"He's hot," she whispered.

And internally, everyone else screamed, 'No!'

She had already fallen for Asmodeus's temptation.

"That's sexy," Sunny replied.

'No!' the rest screamed internally. 'Don't say it out loud!'

Fortunately for them, commercials began, affording them some time to calm down.

The next couple of scenes consisted of Asmodeus's subordinates getting rid of the body and melting the gun with the help of a trusted blacksmith. It was followed by Asmodeus returning to his mansion and meeting his guest—Sarah.

He spent the rest of the evening in bed with her.

"Why is this show so explicit?" one of the members asked.

"There was a warning idiot," Sunny replied. "It's for the adults. Get out, if you don't want to watch!"

The subsequent scenes introduced Beelzebub, the third eldest; Belphegor, the youngest; and Satan, the eldest.

"You are leaving?" Sarah, covered in sheets, asked Asmodeus.

"I have an appointment," he replied while getting dressed.

Climbing into his black sedan, Asmodeus drove off to the cemetery where a dozen black cars had arrived. Half of them belonged to the Binsfeld brothers. They had gathered around a headstone in the rain.

The skies were grey, and their attires were black.

"Hello, Father," Belphegor sighed. "Happy death anniversary."

***

Hyerin was watching the show with Averie.

Every time Asmodeus appeared on the screen, she excitedly yelled, "Oh god, you are on TV! You are on TV!"

She was happier and more restless than her friend. Even though she wanted to see how the online community was reacting to the show, Averie would not allow her. He had taken away her phone, repeating how she should enjoy the moment without caring for the rest.

After visiting their father's grave, the Binsfeld brothers gathered at the luxurious mansion of Lucifer for a family dinner, which they hadn't done in three years since their father's death.

As the head of the family, Lucifer sat at the head of the table. On his left sat Satan, Leviathan, and Mammon. And on his right sat Beelzebub, Asmodeus, and Belphegor.

A silent family dinner was underway. Nobody from Satan to Belphegor talked. It was a prickly atmosphere that could be felt by the audience.

A tense, hair-raising melody began playing. It was foreboding.

Cautious glances were flying around, and a hint of malice was present in them all. Clearly, the family dynamic wasn't perfect.

They were so unique in their own ways. Even a simple action like cutting the steak differed.

Asmodeus did it with little to no movement, while Leviathan used such force that it looked unrefined. Lucifer was precise, while Satan looked annoyed. Belphegor ate little and languidly, while Beelzebub tore into the meat with madness. Mammon, on the other hand, was preoccupied with the silverware to care for the food.

The sound of cutlery and silverware was all that could be heard in the room, as each eyed the other with sinister obsessions swirling in their eyes.

While serving Leviathan, who kept staring at her with a twisted expression, one of the maids uncomfortably backed into Satan's arm. Unfortunately for the poor girl, Satan—who was drinking his wine—ended up spilling it on himself.

For a moment, the room was deathly silent. From the old butler to the youngest maid, the house staff looked terrified. Mammon anticipated something entertaining, while Asmodeus looked curious.

In such a fragile situation, Lucifer's scornful voice pierced the silence.

"Pathetic," he scowled, putting a piece of steak in his mouth.

Satan slowly turned to him.

As he had expected, Lucifer's disdainful eyes were condemning him and not the maid. It lit a fire in him. The wrath he could not control took hold of him. He wanted to destroy. He wanted to eradicate.

Staring Lucifer in the eye, he reached for the maid. He held her by her long hair and smashed her head into the table. The girl cried out, but no one tried to intervene.

Mammon watched in anticipation; Belphegor was too lazy and could not care less; Beelzebub only cared for the food; Leviathan was a jealous wretch who only wanted the worst for others; Lucifer was too proud not to dare Satan to continue; and Asmodeus found the whole affair juvenile.

Without a single warning, Satan picked up his knife, glared at Lucifer, and drove it through the young maid's ear. A stream of blood erupted as the girl hysterically screeched in pain and horror. Her eyes contained unrefined, raw terror. It sent chills down one's spine and raised hairs on a grown man's body.

The sheer sight excited Asmodeus, who captured the scene without blinking. He licked his lips, which were sprayed with some of the poor girl's blood, and impulsively squeezed the silverware in his hand.

He exhaled a rough breath as his eyes sought to capture her horror. It was ecstatic, and he thought that nothing could outdo this ephemeral pleasure.

Mammon was entertained by the terrified girl's desperate squirming, while Belphegor seemed tired at the thought of changing his blood-soaked clothes.

Despite the blood spraying everywhere, Beelzebub continued feasting. He consumed small amounts of human blood, but he did not seem to mind. Leviathan, on the other hand, gnashed his teeth in annoyance.

Even as the girl's screams died down and her eyes turned lifeless, Satan didn't stop glaring at Lucifer, who stared back unflinchingly.

A subdued song that reminded one of the Devil accompanied the scene.

Satan turned around and angrily stormed out. Lucifer scoffed as he too exited the room. One by one, the rest followed.

In the end, the only one left behind was Asmodeus.

He got up from his chair and walked up to the fresh body still stuck to the table. With one hand on her waist and the other holding her arm, he pulled her up to her feet. Her lifeless head, resting on his shoulder, painted his shirt red in blood.

Eerily, they looked like a puppet and its puppeteer.

As the song suddenly intensified, Asmodeus led the limp body in a fervid ballroom dance. With his feet, he corrected her posture. With ease, he arched her back. He stepped on her shoe, held her by the wrists, and leaned her back. Rapidly, he whirled her around, spraying blood everywhere.

His steps were quick and precise. As he moved, his lithe figure exuded a deep obsession with perfection. And in his eyes resided a form of madness that could never be fulfilled.

Even now, he lusted after her intense experience of death. He wanted to feel through his skin a state he had never experienced.

In return, he tried to grant her what he assumed the dead coveted the most: the animate. In his own special lunacy, he found his actions perfectly rational.

So very intimately, he continued his passionate danse macabre.

All the while, envious Leviathan spied on him through the keyhole of the dining hall door.

With the most bone-chilling choir—that ominously kept uttering sinner—the song reached its climax.

The screen turned black, and the credits rolled.

In the cast section, Averie Quinn Auclair was clearly written next to Asmodeus Binsfeld.

For a moment, Hyerin stared at the screen in silence.

"Damn," she mumbled.

Her eyes were wide, and her heart was racing.

"This—isn't this a masterpiece?"

'It had better be,' Averie thought. 'That dance nearly broke my back.'