Prelude to Execution: Cheers of a Pleasure-Starved Crowd
Baek Kang-ho continued his explanation, a faint smirk playing on his lips as if savoring Risa's reaction. "A massive crowd has gathered outside. It would be far too boring if you died too quickly from a one-sided rape by the Orc Ganaris." His voice was thick with sadistic amusement.
Risa grimaced as she realized his intent. Baek Kang-ho was not planning a simple execution; he was scheming to prolong her agony, making it as long and dramatic as possible. The sheer, chilling cruelty of it made her heart freeze.
He nodded in satisfaction and continued. "Even if you are a woman, you are still a soldier, are you not? Try resisting the Orc Ganaris with a sword. Of course, it will be a futile struggle, but wouldn't it be much more entertaining if you put up a fight before you died?" His voice carried a sickening blend of mockery, contempt, and pure malice. Like a child playing with a toy, Baek Kang-ho's monstrous nature was laid bare as he sought to turn her final, desperate struggles into a spectacle for the crowd's amusement.
At his words, Risa's fury breached its limits. Her eyes blazed like roaring flames, and her suppressed screams finally erupted. "You demonic bastard! Just wait! Give me a sword, and I will sever the Orc Ganaris's head, and then I will take yours next!" Her voice was raw and raspy from her ordeal, but the sharp anger and hatred radiating from her pierced the damp prison air like a hot iron. Even while crushed under agonizing pain, she squeezed out every last drop of her remaining strength, spitting curses into his face in a voice as sharp and venomous as a blade.
"Pfft!" Baek Kang-ho snorted at her fierce reaction. His mocking laughter echoed through the cell, drowning out her desperate cries. The sheer derision in his laugh made Risa's blood boil, every vein in her body throbbing with rage. Forgetting the agony of her torn vagina and the impending nightmare of the Orc Ganaris, she trembled with pure hatred toward him. His arrogant, despicable smirk burned into her soul like an indelible brand. In that moment, she made a silent vow. Even if I die, I will never submit to this demon. The air in the dungeon grew thick with a pre-storm tension, charged with Risa's fierce defiance and Baek Kang-ho's cruel, leisurely amusement.
"Yes, struggle with all your might. I wonder if you will maintain that same fiery spirit when you stand before the Orc Ganaris." His eyes gleamed as if anticipating a grand spectacle. He wore a cruel, expectant smile, eager to see how utterly powerless her fierce rage would become when confronted by the beast.
The Imperial Square was filled with a suffocating murmur. Finally, as Baek Kang-ho stepped into the center of the massive, iron-barred execution arena, thousands of eyes locked onto him. His appearance caused the whispering crowd to hold its collective breath. They stared at him, harboring various dark expectations. Some had eyes gleaming with a thirst for entertainment, while others betrayed a subtle tension, secretly aroused by the cruel spectacle about to unfold. The square had transformed into a grand theater, the crowd waiting in their seats for the tragedy to begin.
With the aid of a mage standing beside him, Baek Kang-ho amplified his voice. Borrowing the immense power of magic, his words echoed clearly into every corner of the square. "Welcome, everyone, to today's execution!" His voice boomed like a showman raising the curtain on a grand performance. He raised a hand, offering the crowd a relaxed, confident smile.
"Whooooaaa!" His gesture was calculated, and the effect was instantaneous. The square erupted into a massive roar. Their cheers carried a blind, fanatical anticipation for the tragedy that was about to unfold.
Amidst the cheering, Baek Jang-mi clapped elegantly, a wicked smile gracing her lips. Her eyes flashed with satisfaction, her polite applause sounding incredibly sinister against the backdrop of the crowd's roaring enthusiasm. In stark contrast, Cheon Su-ryeon, sitting right beside her, had a face twisted in deep sorrow and despair. Her eyes were already stained with dried tears, and the cruel spectacle tore her heart to shreds. The cheering crowd and Baek Jang-mi's malicious smile sounded to Su-ryeon like a chorus from the depths of hell. Even the bright sunlight bathing the square felt infinitely dark and cold to her.
Standing in sharp contrast to the cheering crowd, Baek Kang-ho's arrogant smile, Baek Jang-mi's wicked applause, and Cheon Su-ryeon's despairing expression, Abel stood in a corner of the crowd, his eyes burning with a fierce, raging fire. Hidden beneath a thick cloak and a deeply pulled-down hood, his face was set in a grimace, his lips tightly pressed together and his eyes gleaming with sharp intensity.
Baek Kang-ho... you bastard! He glared at Baek Kang-ho on the platform. His gaze pierced the Duke like a sharp blade, a turbulent vortex of vengeance, hatred, and desperate prayers for Risa swirling within his eyes. The crowd's cheers responding to Baek Kang-ho's welcome sounded like a mockery to Abel's ears. A violent urge to leap forward and tear Baek Kang-ho apart boiled in his chest, but he clenched his teeth and bided his time.
At Baek Kang-ho's gesture, the cheers shaking the square gradually subsided. The thousands in the crowd held their breath once more, hanging on his next words. Baek Kang-ho smiled faintly on the platform, highly satisfied, and let his magically amplified voice ring out across the entire square once again.
"I was aware that remnants of the Revolutionary Army still lingered! I located their hideout and wiped them out in a single sweep!" His voice carried the absolute arrogance of a victor and a cruel, sadistic pleasure. A brief silence fell over the square, but the crowd quickly reacted with violent excitement to his next words.
"During that operation, I managed to capture a female prisoner alive!" At those words, the square erupted into explosive cheers. "Whoa! Whoa! Execute her! Kill her! Rape her!" The voices of the excited crowd merged into a single, massive wave of sound. Their chants foreshadowed the horrific fate awaiting Risa. A bloodthirsty, beast-like madness gleamed on their faces.
Baek Kang-ho raised his hand again, calming the frenzied crowd. At his relaxed gesture, the cheers gradually died down, and a taut tension gripped the square once more. Smiling wickedly in satisfaction, Baek Kang-ho calmly continued.
"From this moment on, I will show you all just how brutal the end of a traitor can be." His voice was low, but the cruel intent behind it was enough to freeze the entire square. Even the bright sunlight felt dark and gloomy in that chilling moment.
The crowd's anticipation reached a fever pitch, and this dark, sadistic show was now hurtling toward an irreversible catastrophe. Abel glared at Baek Kang-ho from the crowd, his teeth clenched, while Cheon Su-ryeon closed her eyes, her face pale with despair. Everything was unfolding exactly as Baek Kang-ho had planned.
It was then. Ruuuumble... The massive gates of the Imperial Palace, which connected to the iron-barred, arena-like execution ground, opened with a heavy, grinding sound. Every eye turned toward the gates. At that moment, two burly soldiers dragged Risa out, firmly gripping her arms on either side. Her wrists were bound behind her back, and her ankles were shackled to a massive iron ball the size of a human head.
Clank, clank. With every step she took, the heavy chains scraped against the stone floor, adding to the terrifying atmosphere. Her appearance was a bizarre contrast to her desperate situation, instantly capturing the gaze of everyone present. She wore a tight white blouse, a short miniskirt that barely covered her thighs, and high heels that forced her feet into a steep arch. It was an overtly sexualized outfit, designed to arouse the base desires of the men watching. Despite her face being pale with pain and terror, her beauty still shone through with a tragic brilliance.
The square fell into a brief, stunned silence at Risa's appearance, but it was quickly broken by low, guttural groans of admiration from the men in the crowd. "Oh! Oh!" A beastly, low rumble filled the square. The sight of men swallowing hard and adjusting their bulging trousers laid bare the vulgar lust triggered by her provocative attire.
The moment Abel saw Risa, a shockwave rippled through him, making him feel as if his entire body were shattering. Risa!!!! His face twisted in extreme fury, his fists clenching so hard the veins looked ready to burst. Abel's bloodshot eyes blazed with rage as he glared at Baek Kang-ho, the soldiers, and the crowd looking at Risa with mocking, lustful eyes. His body trembled uncontrollably. The sight of her, so broken yet so exposed, tore his heart to shreds.
The moment Cheon Su-ryeon saw Risa, her suppressed grief surged like a tidal wave, crushing her chest. A short, sorrowful gasp escaped her lips, and hot tears streamed down her face. Unable to bear looking at Risa, she tried to turn her head away. In that instant, Baek Jang-mi's cold, slender hand gripped Cheon Su-ryeon's chin, forcing her face back up. A wicked smile played on Baek Jang-mi's lips, her eyes flashing with cruelty.
"Don't look away. Watch closely. This is the end that awaits the Revolutionary Army." Baek Jang-mi's cold, heartless voice pierced Su-ryeon's ears. Su-ryeon's eyes trembled with despair and humiliation, but forced by Baek Jang-mi's grip, she had no choice but to look directly at Risa's miserable state. Hot tears continued to pour from Su-ryeon's eyes, but she could neither wipe them away nor avert her gaze. All light seemed to vanish from the square, leaving her enveloped in absolute despair.
And so, Risa was dragged into the arena under a barrage of gazes thick with lust and terror. Finally, the prelude to the brutal execution was about to begin. Risa stood precariously in the center of the execution ground, thousands of eyes pinned to her. Her vagina, still raw and burned, throbbed with a relentless, agonizing pain, and her legs shook weakly beneath her. Every nerve in her body screamed, but she clenched her teeth and fought through the agony. Though she wanted nothing more than to collapse to her knees, she gathered every ounce of her remaining strength to stand tall. Yet, her eyes no longer trembled with fear. The tears that had welled up were already dry; in their place was an unspeakable, solemn resolve. As if transcending everything, her eyes calmly stared at her impending fate. It was not resignation. It was a fierce determination, born of despair, to preserve her dignity until the very last moment. Even in the face of agonizing torment, she refused to submit, signaling the start of her tragic struggle.