The Trap of the Square: A Stage of Death Mingled with Blood and Expectation
The following afternoon, the Imperial Square was bustling with crowds from early on. It was so packed with people who had gathered to watch Risa's execution that there was barely room to stand.
Yet, instead of the solemnity or silence typical of a crowd at an execution, their faces were alive with a bizarre excitement and cruel anticipation. Those occupying the very front row were mostly nobles dressed in splendid, lavish attire.
As if they had stepped out to enjoy a rare piece of entertainment, they stared at the execution ground with eyes full of curiosity, whispering to one another in low voices.
Some even held glasses filled with red wine, gently swirling them. The square had been transformed into a grand theater, the audience eagerly awaiting the cruel play that was about to unfold.
Sitting in the most conspicuous spot—a place that could only be described as the VIP box—were Baek Jang-mi and Cheon Su-ryeon.
A strange sense of anticipation and a lewd smile lingered on Baek Jang-mi's face, as if the afterglow of her conversation with Baek Kang-ho the previous night had not yet faded. Her eyes sparkled, and her fingers elegantly caressed the rim of her teacup.
In stark contrast to her, Cheon Su-ryeon sat in rigid silence.
Her gaze swept over the nobles gathered in the square. The sight of these people, each of them giddy with sadistic pleasure at the prospect of Risa's horrific death, filled her with a profound, sickening disgust.
Those sinister, expectant faces, treating the impending tragedy as mere sport, made Su-ryeon's stomach churn. It felt as though her heart were being wrung tight, and she could feel the blood in her veins turning to ice.
The scene before her felt less like reality and more like a living nightmare, causing a sudden wave of dizziness to wash over her. Even the throbbing pain in her swollen, red calves was nothing compared to the sheer psychological agony currently crushing her soul.
In the very center of the square, a massive execution stage loomed with an imposing presence. It was no simple gallows or chopping block.
Resembling a colossal arena, the execution ground was enclosed by layers of tall, sturdy iron bars. The heavy iron grates were deeply embedded into the stone floor, and the interior of the stage, faintly visible beyond them, exuded a damp, ominous aura.
These iron bars were undoubtedly meant to protect the public from the danger of the beast that would be confined within—the Orc Ganaris.
Because everyone knew what unspeakable horrors would transpire behind those iron bars, the atmosphere in the square grew increasingly taut with tension.
The excited murmurs of the nobility stood in sharp relief against Su-ryeon's agonizing silence, as this arena of death slowly raised the curtain on a spectacle of pure madness.
Among the crowd filling the Imperial Square stood Abel.
His face was set in a grim, resolute expression, almost entirely concealed beneath a thick, heavy cloak with a deep hood pulled low over his brow.
Even amidst the lively, clamorous noise of the square, he exuded a solitary and determined aura, as if he existed in an entirely different world.
Abel's gaze swept past the surrounding scenery. The commoners, the nobles, and even their sickening anticipation were invisible to him. Only one place captured his attention: the execution stage.
Slowly, with solemn eyes, he scanned the perimeter of the execution ground.
The layers of tall, sturdy iron bars, and the damp execution platform visible beyond them... Abel's eyes darted restlessly, searching for even the slightest vulnerability.
As he surveyed the seemingly impenetrable execution ground, his gaze finally locked onto a single spot.
'There it is.'
What he had spotted was a tall tower rising from the side of the Imperial Palace. With its noticeably lax security, the tower appeared at first glance to be nothing more than an ordinary, unthreatening structure.
There were no guards stationed there, and the traces of surveillance magic were faint. Abel instinctively judged that this was the optimal point of entry into the execution ground.
He calculated that if he leaped from that high vantage point, he could drop straight into the iron-barred execution arena below in a single bound.
Clutched tightly in his hand was a sturdy grappling gun.
Looking down at the grappling gun, Abel fleshed out the details of his plan. Once he rescued Risa, he would immediately use the device to fire a cable toward the high imperial tower he had just marked.
Once they scaled the tower, they would have a perfect escape route to slip away from the Imperial Palace under the cover of the ensuing chaos.
In his mind, a flawless picture of saving Risa and escaping together took shape.
Only the desperate hope for Risa's safety and their shared future made his heart beat. He did not doubt for a second that his plan was perfect.
But Abel did not know. He had no idea that the high imperial tower, with its seemingly lax security and vulnerable defenses, was actually a cunning trap laid by Baek Kang-ho specifically to lure the Revolutionary Army.
The "optimal entry point" in his eyes was, in truth, a fatal bait set by Baek Kang-ho to wipe out the rebels in one fell swoop.
The grim resolve shining in Abel's eyes merely heralded the prelude to the immense tragedy he was about to face.
The Imperial Prison was cold and damp. Yet, the sight of Risa within it was strangely beautiful.
Risa was dressed in attire that was entirely out of place for a prison cell. Wearing a form-fitting, pretty blouse, a daringly short miniskirt, and high heels that forced her feet into a steep arch, she had been meticulously groomed as if she were prepared to attend a lavish banquet.
Her appearance instantly captured the attention of the prison guards, her outfit provocative enough to sexually stimulate any man who looked at her. Yet beneath this forced beauty lay a devastating tragedy.
Shackles chained to a massive iron ball were bound around her ankles. Clank. With every slight movement, the heavy sound of metal shattered the silence of the prison.
Her body, once covered in wounds from torture, had been neatly treated. Her skin was clean, and the bruises and lacerations had faded. However, not all of her wounds had been healed.
Her most intimate area—her vagina—remained in a horrific state. The severe burns inside her passage had been left untreated, sending constant, throbbing waves of pain through her.
Her vaginal canal was lined with raw, melted flesh scorched by a red-hot dildo, with sticky fluids and blood pooling in the crevices. Risa was suffering from an unspeakable, agonizing pain in her loins.
A sharp pain, as if her vagina were being gouged with an awl, washed over her in waves, and even the slightest movement sent a bone-shattering ache through her.
The agony transcended physical boundaries, consuming her consciousness and choking her breath. She bit her lip hard, swallowing her groans—knowing that if she let out a single scream, she would completely break down in that very moment.
Yet, what weighed on her even more heavily than the physical pain was the impending terror.
The rape by the Orc Ganaris that would soon begin... The reality of having to die while being brutally violated by a monster in a public square, right before the eyes of countless onlookers, slowly ate away at her soul.
Her heart pounded frantically in terror, and her entire body trembled as if in a seizure. The stone wall before her eyes felt less like a cold prison cell and more like a gateway leading straight to the hell that awaited her.
Even in that horrific moment, only one person filled Risa's mind: Abel.
Abel, whom she had saved at the cost of her own freedom. Her heart ached at the thought that her final words to him as she knocked him unconscious—"I'm sorry, Abel...!"—would leave him burdened with a lifetime of guilt.
'Abel... I miss you...'
Hot tears spilled from her eyes. They were tears of terror, pain, and a devastating sorrow for the tragic legacy she was forced to leave behind for the man she loved.
The stark contrast between her beautiful attire and her shattered inner self, combined with her impending doom, made her look all the more wretched.
And so, as if bidding a final farewell at the gates of hell, Risa continued her despairing wait, drowned in sorrow and fear, her thoughts entirely consumed by Abel.
Breaking the silence of the prison, cold, heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor toward Risa's cell. Clack, clank. The footsteps drew closer and closer, finally halting right in front of her iron bars.
Risa forced her pain-wracked, limp body to sit up and raised her head. A shadow loomed beyond the iron bars. Soon, the face that emerged from the darkness was none other than Baek Kang-ho's.
A filthy, sinister smirk was plastered across his lips.
Despite her extreme agony, Risa knit her brows in sheer fury. Though her body was already utterly broken, her eyes still burned with a fierce, unyielding hatred for Baek Kang-ho.
"Baek Kang-ho... you bastard..."
Her voice was cracked and raspy, yet it carried a fierce hostility. Unbothered by her venomous glare, Baek Kang-ho merely let out a wicked, satisfied chuckle.
His gaze swept up and down her body, practically undressing her beautiful figure with his lewd eyes. Looking at her dressed up in the blouse, miniskirt, and high heels, his eyes gleamed with sadistic pleasure.
"You've been packaged to look quite delicious."
At his vulgar words, Risa's face contorted even further. Shame and humiliation pierced her heart. She grit her teeth and forced the words out.
"Keep your filthy mouth shut."
Baek Kang-ho snorted at her sharp retort. A mocking sneer spread across his face, as if he found her defiance utterly pathetic.
"Oho... a soldier is a soldier to the end, I see. Quite rough for someone with such a cute face."
His teasing words only stoked Risa's rage. Urgh... She clenched her fists, but bound by heavy chains, there was nothing she could do. Her eyes trembled with a mixture of fury and humiliation.
Baek Kang-ho burst into laughter, thoroughly enjoying her reaction. To him, her pain and anger were the finest form of entertainment.
Staring down at her with even more malevolent eyes, he began to explain the rest of his plans in a sinister tone, as if there was still more amusement to be had.
His voice carried a cruel anticipation for the upcoming execution. The air inside the cell grew heavy, stifled by Baek Kang-ho's evil presence and Risa's despairing agony.
"Once you ascend the execution stage, I shall grant you a sword."
Baek Kang-ho's languid voice echoed through the cold prison cell.
Risa flinched at his words. A look of deep suspicion crossed her pain-contorted face. Her mind raced in confusion.
'W-what is he planning?'
She grew extremely tense, waiting for the next words to fall from his lips.
<Illustration created by AI>