Risa's Humiliation, Defiance Amidst Despair
Baek Kang-ho knew Risa was staring at him with pure resentment, but he only laughed louder, as if finding it all the more amusing. "Ha! Ha! Ha!" His laughter filled the room, sending a cold shiver through the soldiers. Then, he issued a chilling command. "Capture that woman alive." His voice was thick with an absolute, domineering lust for control.
The moment his order fell, the soldiers lunged at Risa all at once. Without a shred of hesitation, they swarmed her, swinging their rifles to subdue her. Risa resisted desperately, but she was no match for their overwhelming numbers. The gun in her hand was knocked away, and her arms were violently twisted behind her back. Her body was thrown powerlessly to the floor, and a cold iron gun barrel was pressed hard against her back. Risa collapsed in a heap of pain, rage, and despair. "Ugh... ah..." Hot tears spilled from her eyes, but no words could escape her throat. Only helpless groans squeezed past her lips. As the freezing metal of the barrel bit into her back, she desperately cast her eyes toward the secret space where Abel lay hidden. Even as she prayed for his safety, she could feel the dark weight of her own tragic fate.
Deep beneath the Imperial Palace lay a damp, dank, and utterly dismal space where a heavy, oppressive chill hung in the air. Situated in the absolute depths of the subterranean world where not a single sliver of sunlight could penetrate, there were no windows to be found. Only a few torches mounted on the stone walls flickered precariously, barely holding the encroaching darkness at bay. The faint, dancing firelight cast long, grotesque shadows that writhed across the walls like living things, whispering of the torture chamber's brutal history.
The air was thick with a musty, nauseating stench. There was the damp, earthy smell of mold clinging to the stone walls, but far more repulsive was the metallic tang of blood, sweat, and the sour musk of human terror. The foul odor stung the nostrils and settled deep in the lungs, as if the screams of past victims had dissolved directly into the air. Though the floor was made of solid stone, it was slick and sticky with decades of accumulated blood and unidentifiable bodily fluids. The dark, dried reddish-black stains splattered everywhere offered a grim testament to the sheer scale of agony that had transpired within these walls.
Along one wall of the torture chamber hung rusted, worn-out iron chains. Some were bolted securely into the stone, while others hung broken, their jagged ends dangling. Old, blood-stained torture implements reflected the dim firelight, painting a scene of pure sadism. Sharp blades, pointed awls, and flesh-tearing pincers lay scattered carelessly across the tables. Every single object declared that this was no mere basement, but a living hell meticulously designed to maximize human suffering. Under the flickering torchlight, the chains and shadows writhed as if alive, striking a primal terror into the heart of anyone who entered. This was not just a room. It was a living nightmare where human dignity was systematically crushed and endless screams echoed into the void.
Just then, the heavy iron door of the dismal torture chamber creaked open with a slow, agonizing groan. Through the long shadows cast by the flickering torches, two obese executioners wearing black masks emerged. They dragged Risa in. She was completely naked, her arms pinned ruthlessly by their thick hands, without a single shred of consideration. Her pale skin bruised and turned blue where it scraped against the rough floor, and her eyes were clouded with a look of total resignation. The trail left by her dragging toes on the stone floor felt like another silent scream etched into the room. The air pressing down on her was so suffocatingly heavy she could barely breathe.
Risa's face was a mask of sheer terror and the crushing despair of having lost everything. Yet, even in the depths of that hopelessness, she did not lose her final shred of dignity as a soldier. Though her eyes trembled, they still held a spark of unyielding strength. Her pale face, framed by disheveled red hair, was contorted with pain and fear, but her tightly set lips spoke of her stubborn resolve.
The executioners threw Risa onto the freezing stone floor without mercy. Her naked body was tossed through the air before crashing down with a dull thud. "Ah!" A sharp, painful gasp escaped her lips. Risa lay splayed out, completely naked on the cold stone. Her body curled inward from the pain, but her eyes remained fixed on the torches, the shadows, and the terrifying figures surrounding her. Though her flesh was being trampled, an aura of grim determination radiated from her, declaring that her spirit would never be broken. Sprawled on the damp, foul floor of the torture chamber, her ruined state carried a tragic, yet fiercely beautiful, sense of defiance.
At that moment, a chilling presence, like that of a stalking beast, seeped into the room. Stepping over the threshold without a word, Baek Kang-ho entered the depths of the torture chamber, leaving his soldiers outside. The lecherous smirk he wore earlier had vanished without a trace; in its place was a face of cold, unyielding steel, radiating pure cruelty and ruthlessness. His gaze, sharp as a blade, slowly swept over Risa's naked body. It was a look of absolute detachment, as if he were examining an object about to be dismantled rather than a human being. With every step he took, the air in the chamber grew heavier and sharper, a suffocating tension seizing the space as if even her screams would freeze solid.
The moment Baek Kang-ho entered, the two executioners bowed deeply, their heads nearly touching their stomachs. Their movements were excessively cautious, radiating absolute submission as if they didn't even have the right to breathe in his presence. But Risa was different. Even as she lay on the floor groaning in pain, she did not avert her eyes from his vile gaze. Her terrified face was pale, but her eyes were fierce and venomous. As if refusing to ever submit to the man trying to crush her, she glared at Baek Kang-ho with a gaze dripping with pure hatred. Her eyes burned like embers, her deep-seated resentment gleaming chillingly through the darkness of the chamber. When their eyes locked, a suffocating tension filled the room, heavy with the shadow of impending death. Risa's defiant glare left a deep impression on Baek Kang-ho's cruel face, signaling the grim beginning of the torture to come.
Baek Kang-ho smirked, seemingly amused by the venom in her eyes. He scanned her naked form from head to toe like a child who had just discovered a fascinating new toy. "A soldier through and through, even if you're a woman? Your eyes are still full of life." His voice carried a mocking tone, laced with a dark, twisted anticipation.
Unable to stomach his disgusting gaze, Risa spat back in a sharp, defiant voice. "Just kill me already!" she screamed, wanting nothing more than an end to the pain and humiliation. But Baek Kang-ho merely wagged his index finger, a smirk playing on his lips as if telling her not to be so impatient. "Now, don't be in such a rush. We still have so much to discuss." His words crushed her desperate hope, serving as a chilling prelude to the agonizing hours that lay ahead.
Rage boiled within Risa at his mockery. She pushed herself up from the freezing stone floor, her voice trembling slightly but filled with unyielding resolve. "I have absolutely nothing to say to a monster like you." Her beautiful, naked body swayed under the torchlight, yet she stood tall with a fierce, unbroken strength.
In that instant, one of the obese executioners moved with surprising speed. Stepping up behind Risa, he kicked her brutally in the back of her knees. The sudden impact shattered her balance, forcing her to her knees. "Ah!" A sharp cry escaped her lips as her tender knees slammed against the hard stone floor with a dull crack that echoed through the chamber. Her beautiful body was once again brought low, forced into a humiliating, submissive posture that only heightened the suffocating tension in the room. Risa glared up at Baek Kang-ho, her face contorted in pain, while he looked down at her with a thoroughly satisfied smile.
Slowly, Baek Kang-ho strode over to where Risa knelt. The heavy thud of his military boots echoed ominously against the damp stone floor. Leaning down, he brought his face inches from hers. Under the dim torchlight, his eyes glinted with a cold, predatory light. The moment his breath brushed against her skin, a violent shiver ran down her spine. Then, Baek Kang-ho whispered in a low, terrifying voice, "If you answer my questions honestly from now on... I will grant you a quick, painless death." His voice carried a twisted cruelty, masquerading as a merciful god.
Then, his tone dropped even lower, turning utterly spine-chilling. "But if you don't... I will tear you apart, piece by piece, as slowly as possible. Until your shame swallows your pain, and your screams fade into exhausted silence—you will experience a hell unlike anything you have ever imagined." His words seemed to crawl over her naked flesh, violating her very soul. The sheer brutality of his threat pierced straight through her.
Risa's pupils dilated wildly at his terrifying words. A suffocating dread squeezed her heart, but she refused to let her spirit be crushed. Her lips trembled slightly, but not from fear. Summoning every ounce of her humiliation and hatred, she spat directly into Baek Kang-ho's face. "Ptu!" The wet saliva landed squarely on his cheek. Even as terror bloomed inside her, she glared at him with ferocious intensity. Her eyes burned like fire, her deep-seated malice sharp enough to pierce his very heart.
Baek Kang-ho's brow furrowed at her sudden defiance. Feeling the wetness trickling down his cheek, his face hardened with a murderous rage. He pulled out a handkerchief and slowly, deliberately wiped it away. Though a raging fire of fury burned in his eyes, he forced himself to maintain a cold, eerie composure. A suffocating silence descended upon the torture chamber, thick with a lethal, bloodthirsty tension.