Let Us Meet in the Abyss
"Aaaargh!!!!!!"
"Can't you be quiet! Shut up!!"
"P-please! Stop!!! Just kill me!!!"
"What was that? You want me to just kill you? Why would I do that!! Why!!"
The area was already soaked in the blood Helen had spilled. The torture had been going on for quite some time now. Her firm resolve never to submit to her opponent had long since vanished. Helen felt like she was going insane. When her shoulder was first pierced by a dagger, she had thought she could endure it. But the moment her wounds were healed while she felt pain worse than death, she realized her tormentor was a human specialized in torture, and she fell into despair. From that point on, Helen was gradually whittled away amidst ruthless violence and agony. Eventually, her initial resolve disappeared into thin air, and halfway through, she began begging to be spared. Yet, despite her desperate cries, the only response she received was Jojun’s rough hands, silently tearing away her flesh.
Unable to bear it any longer, Helen begged Eila, Bella, and Cheshire, who were watching her, to please help. Of course, they gave no answer. Cheshire had wandered the Black Market and seen this level of torture many times, so she felt nothing, and Eila and Bella were already Jojun’s slaves, unable to defy him. In the end, she slowly crumbled, feeling the silence within the group. The physical pain and the despair of knowing no one would help her broke her down rapidly.
Just then, Cheshire, checking her watch, grabbed Jojun’s shoulder.
"Jojun. We need to prepare and head out now."
"Ah... Cheshire. *Sigh*... My apologies. I got too excited."
Jojun, having apologized to Cheshire, lifted the rag-like Helen with his tentacles and tore off both her legs.
"Kyaaaaaa!!!!!!"
"You can't walk anyway. Why bother keeping them?"
"Kheu-euh-euk..."
Helen, having her legs ripped off, shed tears of blood. Normally, she should have died from shock by now, but thanks to an unidentified stimulant Cheshire had injected into her neck, she couldn't even die and was forced to feel only the pain. Meanwhile, Jojun roughly healed the legs of Helen, who was still weeping blood and begging to be killed, and dragged over a corpse that had been lying in a twisted alley. Then, he tore the legs off the corpse. They were the hooved legs of an unknown demi-human, looking exactly like the legs of a satyr.
"Now then, let's finish this."
While torturing Helen, Jojun had noticed that there was still a faint trace of nerves left in her legs. He judged that it would be possible to heal them with Fleshing Growth, and his judgment was correct. Placing his hand on Helen’s back, Jojun forcibly restored her nerves using the skill. He had no intention of carrying Helen around, so he had decided to tear off her emaciated, useless legs and attach sturdy new ones.
"A master who even fixes your disabilities. Be grateful for the rest of your life."
He laughed as he pressed his seal onto the forehead of the kneeling Helen. Thus, Helen, having completely lost her will to fight, became Jojun’s slave. Jojun’s anger over missing Roy had already largely faded. The reason was simple.
'An excellent offering...'
Indikron, who was picky about her food, wanted Roy’s soul. Indikron had specifically demanded the soul of Roy, who would fall into despair and scream upon facing his broken sister. An offering directly requested by Indikron, who usually whined that most offerings were tasteless, was rare. He had been planning to reward her anyway, as she had consumed a lot of causality during this dungeon raid. This was a perfect opportunity.
'Make sure you come to the Abyss, Roy. I'll show you your broken sister.'
Jojun forcibly hauled up Helen, who was still out of it and drooling, and moved to Cheshire’s base. He left the Black Market, contemplating how to deal with the converts of the Pantheon he would encounter in the Abyss. He didn't even consider the possibility of losing. He only thought that the opportunity had come to decisively diminish the Pantheon’s power.
Roy barely managed to escape. A moment later and he would have been killed or enslaved, but thanks to his sister’s sacrifice, he was able to get out of the Black Market.
"Ugh... Ughaaaaa!!!!!"
Roy, his legs severed, writhed in pain and screamed until his throat tore. At the sound of his booming screams, those waiting for the return of the Black Market search party rushed over all at once.
"Roy!!! Damn it!!! Saintess!!! Saintess!! Saintesssss!!!"
Michael, the white supremacist and the camp’s brain and grand sage who was always the first to step up when something happened, called for the Saintess Anna as he saw Roy dying.
"H-hold on just a little!"
Anna, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, hurriedly healed Roy’s legs, and Roy, who had been pouring out blood, miraculously survived. Afterward, Roy fainted, and Michael 'Analyzed' the unconscious Roy.
"What is this..."
The Roy reflected in Michael’s eyes was under a curse more terrible than any he had ever seen.
"Everyone... everyone step back."
At Michael’s warning, people moved away from Roy. Only the Saintess Anna and Michael himself remained by his side.
"Why...? Is it another curse?"
"This... is closer to a contract than a curse. A contract with a demon, at that."
"What...?"
"First, we restrain him... and as soon as he wakes up, we have to ask him what happened in there."
At Michael’s words, Anna frowned. Soon, several giants restrained the fallen Roy and moved him to a hospital room.
Approximately 12 hours after Roy fainted, he finally regained consciousness. Upon hearing the news, Michael, the de facto manager of the survivor camp, visited the hospital room. That wasn't all. Several Awakened accompanying Michael also stood around Roy, looking down at him in silence. Roy felt slightly intimidated by the oppressive atmosphere.
"Hey, Roy."
"Ah... Michael... what is this? Why... are there chains on my body..."
"Signs of a demon have been detected on you. We restrained you to protect ourselves. You could call it self-defense."
"W-wait! There’s a reason for that!"
Roy argued with difficulty in his cracked voice. He was currently covered in chains, suspected of being a demon follower.
"Is that so? You’d better answer properly what the reason is. Hey, Erickson!"
"Yes. I’ve already activated it. I’m doing my job, so stop shouting."
At Michael’s call, a black man wearing a black mask replied bluntly. He was watching Roy with Lie Detection activated. Michael was a white supremacist, but he didn't exclude those who were capable. It was just a personal inclination.
"Roy. Erickson will judge your words. That means lies won't work. So, you’d better tell the truth no matter what."
At Michael’s warning, Roy gulped. The fact that the judge of a survivor camp with thousands of residents had appeared meant that if he was deemed a danger to the camp after the facts were sorted out, he would be executed.
"Then, the first question. Why did you make a contract with a demon?"
"That was a condition for receiving the Cracked Ankh!"
"A condition? Did you try to insert your own minion into our camp on the condition of handing over the Ankh?"
"Yes. I think that was the demon’s purpose. He said he wanted to rely on the Pantheon that Nicholas belonged to. Ah, right. That strange guy with two heads who was there said so. I think he said his name was... Paimon... Anyway, he was an incredibly strong demon! He said he wanted to be on our side!"
Lies wouldn't work anyway. And if he exercised his right to remain silent, the risk of being tortured until he opened his mouth was too great. So, Roy told only the truth. He struggled to survive by emphasizing that a strong demon wanted to be on their side.
"Is that so? Paimon, huh... Hmm. Erickson. Is that true?"
"Yes. Everything is true."
"I was worried about what kind of scheme a demon would pull... but to think he wants to be a colleague, not a scheme. That’s laughable. Alright. I understand, Roy. But where is the Cracked Ankh? Inventory?"
Michael didn't care whether the demon was strong or not. He only wondered if he had brought the Cracked Ankh properly. At Michael’s cold gaze, Roy nodded and claimed that the Cracked Ankh was in his inventory. Then, Erickson, who had been staring intently from the side, nodded and said.
"That is also true."
"Fortunately, it seems you managed to save the Ankh. Roy, take out the Ankh immediately. Hand the Ankh over to us and finish your mission."
"W-wait!"
"What is it, Roy? Don't tell me... you don't want to give it to us? Do you want to go to the punishment room? If you do, you’ll be vomiting up the Ankh in a single day."
"N-no, that’s not it. If I hand over the Ankh... aren't you planning to kill me!!"
Roy’s judgment was correct. There was no way they would let a demon’s minion live.
"Michael... promise me. That you won't kill me! No, in the first place, it wasn't like we entered because we wanted to!! I know there was subtle pressure! You basically forced us in, trusting in my sister’s ability!! Michael!! Answer me!! I can't die here!! I have to save my sister from that bastard!!"
"Wait. That bastard? Are you talking about the guys called the Underground Guard or something? Wasn't Helen... dead?"
"No!! She isn't!! She’s alive!! A Cultist took her!"
"What? A Cultist? That guy... was there too?"
"Yes!! Paimon said so!! That the Cultist was chasing you!! In the end, that bastard caught up to us, and that crazy heretic took my sister!! I saw it clearly!! The lump of shadows that chewed off my legs was also that son of a bitch’s skill!!"
Roy shouted at Michael with a face covered in dark circles. The moment Michael heard the word 'Cultist', his head felt dizzy. He also realized that things were taking a serious turn.
'That fucking bastard again...'
Nick being hit at the Thrill Mansion was also the Cultist’s scheme. But hearing that the Cultist had appeared and interfered again, Michael felt irritation surging.
"That son of a bitch is everywhere. Is he on a world tour by himself? *Haa*... Erickson."
"Everything is true. Roy is currently speaking only the truth. He doesn't even seem to have the intention to lie."
"Alright... Roy, did you see the Cultist’s face too?"
"N-no, that is... I couldn't see his face because he was wearing a mask, but I remember his voice and physique clearly. I also saw the skill he used. Uh... and I identified a woman who appeared to be his colleague. Y-yes. I can confirm it’s the Cultist as soon as I see him. So... please... don't kill me."
Roy appealed that he could find the Cultist. Michael sighed at his desperate struggle and nodded.
"Ironically, you saved your life thanks to the Cultist. Alright, since the topic came up, I’ll ask. I thought everyone was dead since 4 hours had already passed... but to think the Cultist was there, maybe others besides Helen were caught by him. Roy, what happened to the rest of the people? Are they all dead? Or is there a separate traitor?"
"I don't know if Mark and Rio are dead or what happened to them... but the twins definitely betrayed us. I don't know what they used to lure the two, but... they even called him 'Master'."
At Roy’s answer, the atmosphere instantly grew heavy. Michael gritted his teeth and vented his anger at the sisters, Eila and Bella.
"'Master'...? Those damn assassin bitches... I took them in, and to think they’d betray me. *Sigh*."
Michael used a skill to pull a parchment document out of thin air.
"Roy. For now, as long as you don't harm the camp, try to kill me, or commit other acts of betrayal, I won't kill you just because you made a contract with a demon. I promise. If this promise is unfairly broken, I will drop 20 levels. Is that enough? Now, hand over the Ankh."
"Y-yes, yes..."
Only after confirming that Michael’s name was written on the parchment could Roy take out the Ankh and hand it to him. Michael, who received the Ankh, rubbed his face dry repeatedly, then left the hospital room, leaving Roy behind.
"Erickson. Do you have a cigarette?"
"Yes. Here."
"*Haa*... Damn it. Six people went in... and only one came out. And even that one is under contract with a demon... two are confirmed traitors... and Helen, the most important person out of the six, was taken. *Sigh*."
Michael rubbed his throbbing head.
"Nick, you fucking bastard. When you wake up, I won't let you be."
Michael handed the Ankh to the Saintess. After telling her to keep using the skill until the Ankh turned black and the door to the Abyss opened, he began to accept volunteers to go to the bottom of the Abyss.
'Since Helen was dragged away and even Eila and Bella betrayed us... the information that we are going to the Abyss must have already been delivered. But will that bastard really have the Ankh? It’s an item we barely obtained after all this bullshit...'
Michael hoped the Cultist didn't have the Cracked Ankh.
"No. There’s no way he doesn't have it. Even if he doesn't, he’ll find another way and definitely come to the Abyss."
However, through his experiences at the Thrill Mansion and the Black Market, Michael was certain that his opponent would definitely chase him all the way to the Abyss. His certainty was correct. Because Jojun, who had already escaped the Black Market, had begun preparing to enter the Abyss.
"I must go to the Abyss fully prepared..."
Michael muttered to himself, thinking that he, too, had to go down into the Abyss. To kill the Cultist.