SSS Hypnosis: I Made the Heroines Beg for Forgiveness-Chapter 40: Order

"They’ve gathered. Do your inspection, Jack the Ripper," Benedict said firmly.

"Before that..." Jack began walking toward him.

He stopped three meters away, then turned his gaze to Cain.

His eyes were like pools of fresh blood, sharp and terrifying.

"...Come here, Cain Coolus," Jack said, his voice heavy and cold, gone was the playful tone from before.

Benedict’s brow furrowed the moment he heard it.

Behind him, Cain trembled like a leaf. Jack the Ripper’s blood-red eyes locked onto him, sharp and cold enough to freeze his breath. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"Was I not clear enough? I said, come here." Jack repeated, his tone calm but laced with steel. The infamous white-and-black Shears materialized once more in his right hand.

"What exactly do you intend to do to him?" Benedict asked quickly.

"Stay out of this."

Benedict fell silent, though the skeletal hand behind him clenched tight, ready to react.

Cain hesitated, Jack’s predatory stare still pinning him in place. But after a moment, he took a step forward. Then another. He trusted the feeling in his chest—if he followed his heart, just as in his vision, he’d survive.

Benedict, however, wasn’t convinced. He lifted his right arm to stop Cain mid-step.

"Answer me, Jack the Ripper. What do you want from him?" Benedict pressed again.

"I need to run a quick inspection on him first," Jack replied.

"Just let him do it quickly!" a noble from the back shouted.

"That’s right! You’re the one who told us to follow his orders in the first place!" another added.

Benedict silently acknowledged their point. Under normal circumstances, he’d agree. But something was different now—Jack the Ripper’s demeanor had shifted. His smile was gone, replaced by the unblinking stare of a predator sizing up prey.

It was obvious. Jack was up to something dangerous.

"And if I refuse?" Benedict straightened his posture, his voice calm.

Jack’s gaze finally left Cain and locked on Benedict.

Both men had crimson eyes, but Jack’s burned darker, heavier.

He began walking, each step closing the distance between them. Jack stood taller, forcing Benedict to look slightly up.

"This isn’t a request anymore," Jack said, voice low and razor-sharp.

"It’s an order."

Benedict smirked, unfazed thanks to his Hypnosis effect.

"And what happens if I break your little order?"

"Simple..."

Jack moved faster than thought, his foot slamming into Benedict’s side.

He didn’t bother answering with words—only action.

Benedict was thrown three meters across the cold street, hitting the ground hard.

(Damage Taken: 10 — HP: 188/200)

He felt no pain thanks to Hypnosis, but the loss of HP was real. If he wasn’t careful, he might end up like he had in the forest against the Wolf.

Jack raised his Shears, aiming straight for Cain’s neck—

Only for Regy to block the strike with a sword as massive as his own frame. The street beneath Regy’s feet cracked from the force, proof of just how lethal the blow had been.

The moment Benedict saw an opening, he lunged forward without hesitation.

His skeletal fist clenched tight.

(B-Tier Skill — Coin Flip Activated!)

Jack noticed the incoming blow and moved his palm toward Benedict.

"Fireball."

A red glow swelled in Jack’s hand, but Benedict ducked low, letting the flame hiss past over his head, and used that momentum to drive an uppercut toward Jack’s chin.

Jack couldn’t dodge, his Shears still tangled against Regy’s sword.

BAM!

(Coin Flip Result: Heads! 20 Damage dealt — reduced by 10% from enemy passive skill.)

Jack staggered back several steps but managed to keep his footing. He retreated toward the black-haired girl, his earlier ally.

"Damn... that actually hurt." Jack smirked at her.

"Instead of just standing there, mind lending a hand, Charlotte?"

She nodded and vanished, her form shattering into near-invisible shards of glass that scattered through the air.

(B-Tier Skill — True Sight Activated!)

Through his newly activated skill, Benedict saw her, tiny motes of light riding the air currents in a human pattern.

She’s walking toward me.

Benedict swung at the cluster of light. To anyone else, it looked like he punched empty air—but Charlotte’s body reappeared mid-strike.

Half a second from impact, she tilted her head just enough to let his fist graze past, a strand of hair the only casualty.

A glass blade materialized in her left hand, slashing toward him. Benedict caught it on his skeletal arm—

No damage. His bone was far tougher than steel.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Jack beginning to conjure another fireball—but a noble’s shield skill intercepted it mid-flight.

"Protect Cain at all costs!" Benedict’s voice rang out.

The nobles shifted into fighting stances, freeing Benedict to focus on Charlotte, who was staring at him in shock.

"How... how can you see me?" she asked.

Benedict frowned, ignoring the question. Talking mid-fight was for amateurs.

He charged again, targeting her head as always. She didn’t move. Still distracted...

Until her body shattered into glass shards again.

"Tsk."

Benedict’s skill list was limited, and fighting someone this slippery was already pushing him.

His eyes tracked her movements through True Sight, golden motes slipping behind him.

Behind!

He pivoted sharply, leg snapping up in a swift kick.

Charlotte clearly hadn’t expected that, his foot connected solidly.

(Attack Landed! Enemy took 5 damage.)

She flew backward, skidding along the pavement. Her breathing had grown ragged. Benedict immediately understood, her skill burned through stamina fast. From the start, he’d suspected her small, doll-like frame was a disadvantage.

She raised a hand, drawing glass shards from the air to form blades.

"Glass Knife Barrage," she whispered.

The weapons shot toward him in a storm. Benedict dove sideways, rolling to safety.

When he looked again, her breathing was even heavier. Good.

His eyes darted toward the nobles battling Jack...

But Jack was gone.

"Watch out!" Regy roared.

Benedict’s instincts screamed. He glanced up to the left—

Jack stood on a rooftop, a massive fireball swirling in his palm, radiating heat even from this distance.

He was smiling. He knew he’d won.

Charlotte reappeared at his side.

Benedict’s mouth fell open. Blood dripped from his temple onto the street.

The colossal fireball descended toward him and Regy, who was already moving to shield him.

I’m fucked.