Belluka's mind was racing—this was getting out of hand. He suddenly remembered something… or rather, someone. His eyes widened slightly as the thought took root.
"The demon!" he blurted out. "Yes! That demon must know something about the child! My Lord, please ask her—she must know something!"
Rei Mu's eyes slowly shifted toward him. His expression darkened, a cold shadow falling over his already unreadable face. He said nothing. But Belluka felt that weight—those crimson irises seemed to pierce through his very soul.
Feeling the crushing silence press down, Belluka quickly turned away and barked at the orcs nearby, "You heard me! Bring the demon here- now!"
The orcs scrambled in panic. In less than a minute, a group of them returned, dragging a bound figure behind them. Chains rattled, talismans glowed faintly with sealing magic, and yet the figure thrashed violently in resistance.
The demon woman, with pale skin and hair like red flames and two sharp horns, was a storm barely contained in chains. Her eyes burned with hatred. Even chained, her aura was fierce, wild—mad.
As she was thrown before the platform, she lifted her head and snarled at Rei Mu, her voice muffled by the heavy iron plate covering her mouth. Her glare was filled with loathing—not fear. Not even caution. It was like she want to say, "How dare they bind me like this. How dare he look at me like I am less than dirt."
Throk watched with narrowed eyes—and without a second of hesitation, boom! His fist collided with her abdomen.
She coughed violently, blood spurting from her lips, splashing across the cold stone below. Still, she did not falter. Her rage had not dimmed—it had intensified.
Throk grabbed her by the hair, yanking her upright like lifting dead meat. Her head lolled, but the glare never faded. The slave woman standing nearby trembled. She had once been in that place. The memory came back like a cruel echo, and she instinctively closed her eyes, taking a step back.
Belluka stepped forward again, pointing at the demon with fury. "You damned spawn of hell—why did you try to capture that child?! How do you know about her?! And those injuries—how did she end up like that? Speak!"
The demon's eyes flickered for a moment. But she remained silent as she wasn't afraid of pain or death. What she wore now was a mask a fake display of confidence barely holding together.
The demon was confident that no matter what happened, she would never betray her lord-even if it meant death. Her lord would come , she was certain of it, he would save her and that child. But she didn't know that the person standing in front of her wouldn't hesitate to tear her apart, even without a reason. Yet this time, he held back - for just one thing he needed to know.
Belluka narrowed his eyes. "Still playing tough, huh?"
Throk ripped off the heavy plate covering her mouth.
The moment it clanged against the ground, the demon laughed—manic, wild laughter that echoed off the mountainside. "GO TO HELL, YOU MOTHERFU*****!! Why the hell should I tell you anything?! You think you can scares me? I'll tell you what—NEVER! EVEN IF I DIE!"
The air grew still and Belluka felt a chill crawl up his spine. All the orcs stiffened. Every warrior, every slave, even the wind - froze. "Did she just say that… in front of him…?"
They all turned slowly to Rei Mu, who was still seated, face resting on one hand. His expression hadn't changed.
Until - Crack.
With a flick of his finger, Rei Mu scratched a small piece of stone from the broken armrest of the throne. And then, without a word, he flicked it.
Fwooooosh—BOOM!
The shard blasted forward like a bullet, ripping through the air with such force it created a shockwave.
Slash!
Her legs were severed cleanly at the knees. Blood gushed violently from the stumps as her body crumpled. But before she could hit the ground, Throk yanked her up again by the hair.
A broken doll, suspended in air, dripping crimson rain.
"AAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHH!!"
Her scream echoed like thunder, raw and wild. The mountain got trembled.
She convulsed, blood trailing from her mouth, her eyes rolling back- And yet… her fire still hadn't gone out.
"H-huff… huff…"
Her breath came ragged, spasming from the unbearable pain. Sweat mixed with blood on her pale face.
But even now - her eyes locked onto Rei Mu's. Like a Defiant and Unyielding.
"I… I won't… tell you… anything…" she hissed through clenched teeth. "Even… if I die…"
Belluka's hands trembled. The orcs were silent. Even Throk's grip tightened—out of tension, not fear. But Rei Mu still didn't said nothing.
Belluka glanced at the broken demon before him, her body drenched in blood, her chains stained with rust and rage. A pit had formed in his stomach. If she didn't speak soon, it might provoke that man - and once Rei Mu moved, no one could predict the outcome.
Before Belluka could speak further, Rei Mu finally opened his mouth , "I love to see that unwavering loyalty of yours."
His tone was soft. Too soft, Almost gentle. And then that wicked smile crept onto his face once again. The smile that shouldn't belong to any mortal.
It wasn't the kind of smile that offered comfort or reassurance. It was the kind that made the skin crawl, the kind that carved itself into your nightmares. Wicked, cruel, inhuman—twisted in a way that made even the demon tremble. She had encountered monsters before, beings who devoured villages for sport and danced atop piles of corpses. But this man and his smile alone was enough to crown him the true Demon King.
The madness etched across his face was unlike anything she had ever imagined. In that moment, she realized - he was the kind of man who would do anything, absolutely anything, to get what he wanted.
She had called herself loyal, proud, unbreakable. But for the first time… her loyalty wavered.
Rei Mu's eyes locked onto hers, glowing faintly with malice and glee. "Good," he said, voice light like a whisper in the wind. "Put her in the jar of bloodsucking worms. Let her feel the pain. If she's on the verge of death, heal her. "
A stunned silence fell over the crowd. Even the wind stopped.
He continued, unbothered by their horror. "Beat her. Kick her. Break her bones if you must. Do anything you want… just don't let her die."
The demon's face, already bloodied and bruised, went pale. Her heart pounded, not in resistance—but in dread. She had expected to die. She wanted to die if captured. That was the plan. End it before her will could falter. But this? Healing her again and again only to torture her more?
That wasn't in any plan. Yet she clung to one faint ember of hope. Maybe - just maybe - her lord would come. Maybe he had a plan. Maybe he would rescue her. If she could endure just a little longer.
But then Rei Mu looked at her once more, his voice cold and absolute. "Do it here. In front of everyone. No one will leave. No one will look away. You will all watch."
The last flicker of hope in her eyes dimmed. Now there was no escape, no privacy, not even the mercy of dying in isolation. Her death - if it ever came - would be watched and remembered by all.
Soon, the preparations were complete. A wide stone platform was set up at the center, lined with torturing tools and iron stakes, hooks and branding rods, all surrounding a large pot filled with writhing, red bloodsucking worms. Each one hissed as if hungry. As if aware of their feast.
Rei Mu turned to the slave woman and gestured with a simple wave. "Take the child back. Care for her as you did before and Make sure she didn't hear anything that's going to happen. " Then, without further word, he motioned to Kogark to follow. The slave woman nodded silently. Not a word of defiance. Not a flicker of hope remained in her steps.
Then the screams began.
At first, the demon laughed—high-pitched and defiant. She mocked them all, spat at their faces, dared them to bring her pain. To show her faith in her lord and no fear against them.
But it didn't last long. The worms bit into her flesh. The hooks tore her skin. The brands kissed her with fire. Laughter turned to gasps. Gasps turned to shrieks. And shrieks… into screams.
Screams that echoed through the entire mountain range. Screams that shook even the trees. The sky above felt heavier as if mourning her agony.
And all the while, the orcs watched. Every. Single. One. Bound by Rei Mu's words, they stood motionless - even as some collapsed from hunger or exhaustion. Only the higher-ranked remained firm, though even their faces twisted with discomfort. Belluka's fists clenched, but he dared not move. Not without permission.
Ten days passed.
Ten whole days of torture in which she was healed countless times. Her wounds closed just enough for the pain to begin again. Her mind began to fray. Her eyes lost their focus. Her pride had vanished. She no longer cursed them. She only cried.
And then, finally, on the tenth day, she broke. "I'll talk!" she wailed. "I'll tell you everything! PLEASE!! Just stop - please!!"
The crowd stirred slightly. Some breathed in relief.
But Rei Mu, from his throne of broken stone, leaned forward with a tilted head and a soft chuckle. "Still not enough," he said.
Gasps rippled across the field. Belluka's heart dropped, "Even I didn't torture my enemies like that." Even Throk turned his head, frowning for the first time.
"She still thinks she has something to offer," Rei Mu whispered. "Break that too."
The demon didn't scream this time. She simply cried. Not from pain, but from despair.
The next few days were worse. They tortured her soul more than her flesh. The fire in her was gone. Her loyalty shattered. Even her laughter, once mad and prideful, was silenced.
On the twenty-third day, Rei Mu finally lifted his hand, signal the end. "Enough."
She was removed from the hooks, her body healed slightly to keep her alive. She lay on the cold stone floor, barely breathing, eyes open but empty.
After some time, and after receiving healing just enough to keep her alive, the demon finally stirred. Her breathing was faint, lips trembling, but strength returned—just enough to speak.
Belluka stepped forward, cautious yet firm. His voice rang out across the tense silence. "Tell me… how did she get those injuries?"
The demon woman opened her cracked lips and murmured weakly, her voice barely above a whisper, "That child… she is the daughter of my lord… Lord Grigor... a high-ranking demon… and the elf woman named Ellora."
The crowd murmured. Even Throk's face stiffened at the mention of such a union - an elf and a demon? Demons were the enemies of all races. But ironically, it was the elves, who despised them the most & ended up falling in love.
"She… Ellora… died during childbirth," the demon continued slowly, each word weighing heavy on her breath. "But the elves discovered the child. They took her… locked her away in the name of the Elven King. My lord sent us to retrieve her."