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This chapter contains gore and violence. Please be mindful of your surroundings.

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I stood over Merin, my voice sharp and unyielding as I barked the command, "Spread your legs!"

Her face twisted, confusion clouding her eyes, a flicker of defiance in the way her brows furrowed.

"What…?" she whispered, her voice trembling, barely a breath. But her body betrayed her hesitation.

The slave collar around her neck, a D-rank artifact, limited but merciless once its conditions were met, forced her to obey.

It was like watching a puppet jerk to life. Still kneeling, she arched backward, her legs parting slowly, mechanically, as if pulled by invisible strings.

Her hands flew down, clutching desperately at herself, trying to shield her private part. A smirk curled my lips as I stepped closer, the weight of the hot iron rod heavy in my grip.

Even through the leather shirt wrapped around my hand, I could feel the heat radiating from it.

"Wait... what's happening!" Merin's voice cracked, raw with panic. Her mind was fighting it, refusing to process what her body already knew.

I could see it in her wide, darting eyes, she understood, but didn't want to.

The denial was almost pitiful. I slammed my foot against the stone floor, the sharp twak echoing in the chamber. My arm swung, and the steaming rod connected with her cheek.

Thunnn

Thud.

The impact was brutal, her body lifted off the ground, flung like a ragdoll. She hit the floor hard, bouncing once before slamming into the right wall of the chamber with a sickening thud.

"Ahckk.."

Blood sprayed from her mouth as she crumpled, coughing, choking on it.

She struggled to her knees, moving sluggishly, like her body wasn't sure it still worked.

Her hand trembled as it rose to her face, fingers brushing the ruined skin.

Then it happened... her cheek, blistered and charred from the rod, slid down, peeling away in a grotesque, glistening strip along her hand.

The scream that tore from her was primal, raw, splitting the air.

"AHHHH! AHHHH!" Her voice broke, saliva dripping from her lips as she clutched her face.

The pain was consuming her, dragging her toward the edge of consciousness. Her eyes rolled back, fluttering, threatening to give out.

No. I wasn't done with her yet. She wasn't slipping away that easily.

I moved fast, closing the distance in a heartbeat. The rod in my hand was molten at the tip now, the metal glowing, half-liquid from the heat.

I drove it into her back with a hiss.

ssssshhh.

Her body convulsed, a violent jolt as the searing pain ripped through her.

"Wooockkkk!" The sound she made was barely human, a strangled mix of a scream and the vomit that surged from her gut.

She lurched forward, her body caught between the agony in her face and the fresh, burning torment in her back.

Merin's face hit the ground, landing in the foul puddle of her own vomit.

Her back arched, her body trembling from the pain that wracked every inch of her.

I glared down at her, my voice cold and sharp. "Heal yourself," I ordered.

Even as her body shuddered, drooling with agony, the slave collar forced her to obey.

Multicolored toxins seeped from her pores, swirling like a sickly mist. The torn flesh on her face began to knit together, raw edges pulling tight, stitching themselves back into place.

Her back, where the skin had melted under the molten iron of the rod, started to heal too.

The steaming, liquid-like metal clung to her, but her body fought against it, tearing the molten bits away as new skin formed.

She twitched violently, her own healing toxins betraying her, the pain of her body piecing itself back together tearing her apart.

Her hands gripped her face, fingers digging into her skin as she screamed, "AHHHH! Please, AHHHH, stop this!" Her voice was hoarse.

I crouched down, leveling my eyes with hers. Her gaze darted wildly, her body swaying, barely holding itself together.

Her hair was a mess, strands torn out in clumps from her own thrashing.

"Merin," I said, my voice low, almost a whisper. "What are you saying? We're just getting started."

A laugh crept up my throat, dark and bitter, as I reached out and grabbed her breasts, yanking hard on her nipples.

She jolted forward, her back arching upward, fully healed now but still trembling. She collapsed onto my lap, her body limp, spent from the torture.

I twirled the iron rod in my hand, its tip still glowing with heat, and without hesitation, I drove it into her back.

Sssss.

The sound was sharp, sickening, as the hot metal sank into her flesh.

"Aaaahhhhhhhhhh!" Her scream ripped through the air, raw and desperate.

I couldn't hold back the laugh that burst from me, wild and unhinged.

"Hahaahehehhaha!" I stabbed her again, then again, the rod piercing her back with wet, sickening sounds.

chuck, sleek, chuck, sleek.

"AAAHHHHH! PLESAAAAAHHHH!" Merin's screams were barely words now, just raw pleas as her body convulsed.

Blood seeped from the punctures, her organs pierced and ruined inside.

Her body slumped against my arm, her chest heaving weakly.

Damn it. Her eyes fluttered, rolling back, she was slipping into unconsciousness.

I'd gone too far. Her revival tonic couldn't fix this kind of damage.

I cursed under my breath and summoned a mythic potion. It was expensive, sure, but at least it was from this world, no need to pay extra points to pull it from some other realm.

There were better potions out there, ones from realms above, but their prices were insane, far beyond what they are worth.

Just like blood purifier I used on Lydia. Its effects were minimal but costed more than a mythic potion just because it was from a different realm.

I tilted the vial, pouring the glowing liquid over Merin's back.

Instantly, her skin responded, new cells forming, weaving together like a miracle. Her punctured organs began to knit back into place, the damage is undone as her body pulled itself together.

I shoved her off my lap, her body slumping to the ground like a broken doll.

"Wake up!" I shouted, grabbing her nipples again and yanking hard.

I slapped her across the face, the crack of my hand against her skin echoing in the chamber. She didn't stir.

I pulled harder, forcing her to her feet, her body limp in my grip.

I drove my knee into her cunt, hard. Her body jolted, twitching violently.

"AHHH!" Her eyes snapped open, wide and frantic, her tongue lolling out as pain surged through her.

I slapped her again, the sting of it bringing her focus back to me.

"We're moving to phase two, Merin," I said, my voice dripping with intent.

A year of her torturing me couldn't be undone, but I'd do my damnedest to make this count, to satisfy the rage burning in my chest.

Merin's voice was barely a whisper, broken and weak. "Please…" she begged, her eyes wide and pleading as she leaned against me, her chest pressing into mine, her body trembling with exhaustion.

I felt the weight of her, the way her frame sagged, like she was barely holding on.

"No way!" I snapped, a smirk spreading across my face, sharp and cruel.

Without hesitation, I drove the iron rod into her back, chuk. Her body stiffened against me, her breasts pushing harder into my chest as she gasped, "Ugghh."

It wasn't even a scream anymore; she was too drained, her energy spent, her voice reduced to a pitiful groan.

"Heal yourself," I ordered, shoving her off me. She crumpled to the ground, her body hitting the stone floor with a dull thud.

I turned and walked toward the fire, the rod in my hand now cold, its heat long gone.

That last stab didn't burn her, it just pierced her flesh, leaving a fresh wound.

I tossed it aside and grabbed a new rod, thrusting it into the flames to heat it up again.

Behind me, Merin's voice rasped, "Huff… I will… huff… tell you everything." I glanced back to see her struggling to rise, her body shaking as it forced itself upright, the toxins working to heal her wounds. Her face was a mess of pain and confusion.

"Why?" I asked, tilting my head, my tone mocking.

She blinked, her voice faltering. "…Huh?"

I sighed, stepping closer, my smirk growing.

"Merin," I said, letting her name drip with disdain. "Do you think I don't know why your group never auctioned the Earth Mother's Insignia, despite its insane value and all those eager buyers?" Her eyes flickered, a spark of fear cutting through the haze of pain.

She was trying to think, her mind racing despite the agony etched into every line of her face. "No… there's no way you would know," she stammered, her voice trembling.

I laughed, low and cold. "About SBV's plan to assassinate Valthar? The head of Imperial Trading Syndicate (ITS)?" Her eyes widened, her body shaking harder now.

"How… do…" she stuttered, her words barely came out. I stepped closer, looming over her.

"Oh, little Merin," I said, my voice dripping with mockery. "To me, you're just a child, born yesterday." I reached down and picked up the rod from the fire, its tip glowing red-hot.

Even through the leather shirt wrapped around my hand, I could feel the heat pulsing against my skin.

Merin's body trembled, her hands scraping at the floor as she tried to crawl away, but she had no strength left.

"Do you even know how this subjugation mission file ended up on your table?" I asked, turning the rod in my hand, inspecting its glowing tip.

"Do you know the real reason you were sent here? Not that nonsense about capturing a Guardian Knight and a kid." I grinned, savoring the way her face paled.

"We knew you'd be here before you even reached the village, Merin. You're just a puppet... For me and for the SBV."

Her voice was a broken whisper now, trailing off. "Then… all this…"

I nodded, my grin widening. "Yeah. You're here only for one reason, Merin. That is I can enjoy torturing you."

I stepped forward and slammed my boot into her stomach.

Blurrrghhh.

She vomited, her head falling into the mess, her back arching upward as her body convulsed.

I looked at her exposed ass.

"Time to pay you back!" I snarled, driving the hot, fuming rod into her ass.

Sssshhh.

The sound was sickening, the smell of burning flesh filling the air.

"Aaaaaahhhhhhhhh!" Her scream was raw, desperate, her tongue lolling out as her hands clawed at her scalp, tearing out clumps of hair in her agony.

I left the rod lodged in her ass, watching as her hands instinctively grabbed it.

Ssss.

Her palms burned, the skin sizzling, but she didn't even seem to notice, the pain from the internal burns overwhelming everything else.

With a weak, trembling effort, she pulled the rod free and collapsed to the ground, her body shaking as the last of her mana poured out in a final burst of healing toxins.

She was done, her strength gone.

I grabbed her nipples, yanking her up. She slumped, unconscious, her body limp in my grip.

I slapped her cheek... nothing. I slapped her breasts, hard, but she didn't stir.

I drove my knee into her lower part again, but she just slid off me, collapsing in a heap.

"Tsk," I clicked my tongue, annoyed.

She was out cold. I grabbed the iron rods and stabbed them through her hands, pinning them to the ground with a dull crunch.

"Guess that's it for today," I muttered, stepping back to look at her broken form, sprawled in her own vomit and blood.

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