◇ ◇ ? ? ?

  [SYSTEM ALERT: Location: Kingdom of Azuria – Royal Palace]

  [Time: 3 Years After the Fall of Gladius]

  [Ruler: General Fraden Melois]

  [Status: Environmental Collapse + Famine + Absolute Brutality]

  ◇ ◇ ? ? ?

  In the kingdom of "Azuria," once dubbed the "Bride of the Seas," nothing lingered but the scent of decay.

  The viscous mist shrouding the streets was not water vapor. It was the stench of rotting human flesh.

  On the balcony of the majestic marble palace overlooking the dry harbor, stood General Fraden Melois.

  The psychopath appointed as governor by Gladius.

  He sipped his aged wine coldly, staring down with eyes devoid of any mercy. He wasn't wearing his military armor, but a robe of purple silk stained with drops of red wine... or perhaps it wasn't wine.

  ◇ ◇ ? ? ?

  Around him were a group of girls. All in the prime of their youth, between eighteen and thirty.

  They were bound by thin silver chains, forced to stand like silent statues for long hours.

  Anyone who blinked or swayed from exhaustion faced the blade of his dagger, which he ran slowly across their faces, whispering:

  Fraden (In a lethally soft voice):

  "Do you know why I choose you at this age? Because this age is the peak of hope... and crushing hope is the only art I master. Look outside, the world is dying, the crops are eroding, and people are eating rats in the streets... while I am here, possessing beauty, water, and the power to decide who breathes and who suffocates."

  ◇ ◇ ? ? ?

  Fraden was not just an arrogant general. He saw the "existential collapse" of the world as a perfect opportunity.

  Drying rivers and dying crops meant humans would become slaves for a loaf of bread. And he loved slavery.

  He relished the sight of queues dying at his palace gates while he threw his food scraps to rabid dogs and laughed.

  He spent his time in his "private studio" in the cellar, flaying the skins of dissenters to paint abstract portraits he boasted about to his trembling nobles.

  The power Gladius gave him was not just a rank, but a mandate for madness.

  ◇ ◇ ? ? ?

  An officer entered. His face was as pale as plaster, his feet stumbling as he tried not to look at the tortured girls.

  The Officer (In a trembling voice):

  "M- My General! The rivers in the north have vanished, and villagers speak of strange creatures emerging from the earth... and worst of all, Arthur de Flancde's imperial procession has cleared the Black Forests. He is coming for us!"

  Fraden did not rise from his seat.

  Calmly, he cut the palm of the girl he was holding, watching the blood flow into his glass before sipping it.

  Fraden (Mockingly):

  "Arthur? That boy who thinks the blood of 'Flancde' makes him a ruler? Gladius was a fool for letting a boy like that grow. As for me... I don't believe in royal blood; I believe in pain."

  He paused for a moment, then added:

  "I have sent the 'Seven Shadows'... the most skilled at beheading and soul-torturing. Arthur will only reach the borders as a mound of mutilated flesh, and I will declare Azuria's independence over his crushed skull. The world is ending, Officer? So be it! I shall be the King of the Ruins."

  ◇ ◇ ? ? ?

  [SYSTEM ALERT: The Imperial Procession – Road to Azuria]

  [Status: Comprehensive Environmental Collapse]

  [Warning: Unknown Creatures Detected]

  ◇ ◇ ? ? ?

  On the dying imperial road, the procession moved in an eerie, funeral silence.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  The earth beneath the horses' hooves cracked, emitting foul grey vapors. Livestock along the road were bloated, lifeless carcasses, fed upon by crows with strange red eyes.

  The surviving peasants were walking ghosts. Their faces gaunt, their bodies frail. They stared at the imperial procession with eyes devoid of hope.

  ◇ ◇ ? ? ?

  Inside the imperial carriage, Arthur sat rigid as a marble statue. His eyes – the right one white, the left one red – watched the environmental collapse with cold indifference.

  Beside him, Elias flipped through an ancient book. Flora toyed with her hair in boredom.

  Flora (In a soft, provocative voice):

  "This world is rotting with interesting speed. The data is eroding... and the Ancient Entity breathes beneath this soil. Look, Arthur, your subjects are starving... don't you feel like crying?"

  Arthur (In a hollow voice):

  "You took the emotions, Flora. I see death, but I do not feel its weight."

  Elias (Without lifting his eyes from his book):

  "That is exactly what is required. A ruler does not need a heart; he needs only an eye that sees the truth."

  ◇ ◇ ? ? ?

  Suddenly, the procession stopped.

  A heavy silence fell, then screams of guards erupted from outside.

  Seven poison-coated black daggers flew from the dead trees to pierce the carriage, but they froze in mid-air centimeters before touching the wood.

  Arthur (Whispered):

  "Assassins... from Fraden Melois."

  He prepared to move, but Flora's hand landed on his shoulder like a heavy shackle.

  Flora:

  "Sit down, Zero-Servant. Elias and I are bored. These assassins have a strange pride... they think they can kill 'Nothingness.' Arthur... go out to them. Do not kill them immediately. I want them to taste the meaning of immortality in pain. I want to hear a scream that breaks this godforsaken silence."

  Arthur (With absolute automation):

  "Your command, Lady Flora."

  ◇ ◇ ? ? ?

  Arthur stepped out and ordered his guards not to intervene.

  The Seven Shadows stood atop the dead trees with vanity.

  The Shadow Leader (Mockingly):

  "Little boy, Gladius was a fool to die before you, but we..."

  He didn't finish.

  Arthur simply looked at them.

  CRACK!

  Their bodies exploded into atoms, and in less than a fraction of a second, he reconstructed them.

  One Shadow (Screaming in terror):

  "What happened?!"

  Arthur stepped toward them:

  "My masters want you to scream."

  ◇ ◇ ? ? ?

  [SYSTEM ALERT: Activating Time Loop]

  [Duration: 10 Real Seconds = 10 Million Mental Years]

  [Target: Existential Torture of the Seven Shadows]

  ◇ ◇ ? ? ?

  The longest ten seconds in existence began.

  Arthur threw their minds into a closed temporal vortex. They lived ten million years of flaying, burning, and spiritual tearing within those ten real seconds.

  The assassins fell as human wreckage.

  And from them, Arthur learned that Fraden Melois was the sender.

  He returned to the carriage.

  Flora (With euphoria):

  "Child's play before 'The Absolute'! Elias... Fraden Melois thinks himself a master of the art of pain. I believe we've found our victim."

  ◇ ◇ ? ? ?

  [SYSTEM ALERT: Arrival at Azuria]

  [Location: The Grand Palace Square]

  [Status: Indescribable Atrocity]

  ◇ ◇ ? ? ?

  Upon arriving at Azuria's walls, the horror surpassed all description.

  Destruction. Poverty. Drought. Diseases gnawing at everyone.

  The palace guards looked at Arthur and his men with tribal disdain, but dared not confront them directly.

  Once inside the great square, time almost stood still from the sheer atrocity.

  The square was not a training ground. It was an open gallery of Fraden's sadism.

  ◇ ◇ ? ? ?

  Along the square, red-hot iron pillars were erected, to which dozens of young women were bound. Their screams had dried up, leaving only a faint, heart-tearing moan.

  Fraden had invented ways to make death a prize few could attain.

  Some women were forced to stand on cold nails in the shade, while their skins were slowly burned by concentrated sunlight through massive lenses.

  The worst was the "Torture of Lost Hope." Water and fresh food were placed millimeters from their fingers. Every time one tried to move, chains with hooks embedded in their shoulders tore through their flesh.

  Arthur saw a girl whose eyes had been gouged out so as "not to pollute the beauty of his palace with looks of pain." Her body was covered in tattoos carved with knives.

  The ground was a layer of salt mixed with blood. Every movement ignited the victims' wounds anew.

  Guards laughed as they struck the chains with spears to hear the sound of renewed agony.

  Hunger and disease were evident on the victims' bodies. Protruding bones. Pale skin clinging to ribs. Hair falling out from weakness.

  A scene that turned Azuria from a kingdom of water into a kingdom of dry tears.

  ◇ ◇ ? ? ?

  Once past the Square of Death and into the palace, a visual explosion of nauseating luxury occurred.

  Walls were covered in sheets of pure gold. But gold was the cheapest material there.

  Doors were made of "Star-Wood" studded with "Black Diamonds." Every step was over pieces of "Spacetime Crystal" reflecting images from the residents' dreams.

  Rare artifacts, looted from ancient kingdoms, were placed in every corner.

  Chandeliers were not lit by candles, but by "small dragon cores" trapped in magical glass, screaming eternal light from their agony.

  The opulence was to show the ability to possess what others could not. To the extent that gold and rubies seemed cheap compared to paintings drawn with pigments extracted from crushing priceless gemstones.

  ◇ ◇ ? ? ?

  They reached Fraden's throne room.

  The luxury was even greater. Eight girls (between 18 and 25) stood there, beautiful but covered in bruises and scratches.

  Fraden rose with a psychopathic smile.

  Fraden:

  "Welcome, Arthur... do you like what I've done with the women? These eight are the elite. I torture them by day and make them dance by night. Have you come to die in their place?"

  ◇ ◇ ? ? ?

  Before Arthur could speak, Flora stepped forward and laughed with a voice that shook the foundations.

  Flora:

  "You don't even know the meaning of true pain."

  Fraden flew into a rage:

  "You bitch!"

  He lunged at Elias with his sword.

  CRACK!

  In a fraction of a second, Fraden saw his body moving away from him. His head flew off.

  But he found himself whole again.

  Thanks to Flora.

  ◇ ◇ ? ? ?

  A minute of absolute torture began.

  He lived millions of hellish scenarios in his mind.

  Tshhhhhhh

  Suddenly, with a gesture from Elias, time froze completely.

  The air stopped. Dust particles hung still. Even Arthur's heartbeat ceased.

  Nothing moved except Elias, Flora, and the eight girls.

  ◇ ◇ ? ? ?

  Flora walked toward the trembling girls. She touched their foreheads with her finger, erasing the fear from their minds.

  Flora (In a voice soft as silk):

  "Little ones... do you want hope and power? Do you want revenge? Do you want eternal youth and beauty that never fades?"

  Elias looked at them:

  "The price is simple. Your freedom, your bodies, and your souls... you will become ours, tools in our cosmic play. In exchange, we will grant you the pleasure of crushing this man for billions of years."

  The Eight Girls (In perfect unison, without hesitation):

  "We are yours... body and soul."

  ◇ ◇ ? ? ?

  Elias laughed.

  With a wave of his hand, he rewound time and completely erased the previous timeline. He returned reality to the moment he began provoking Fraden.

  Reality regressed.

  But this time, the girls were different.

  CRACK!

  They broke their silver shackles with a single touch. They transformed into beings overflowing with purple and black light. The power of "The Absolute" coursing through their veins.

  Fraden (Screaming in terror):

  "What is happening?!"

  The girls pounced on him.

  ◇ ◇ ? ? ?

  [SYSTEM ALERT: Activating Existential Torture]

  [Target: General Fraden Melois]

  [Duration: 5 Real Minutes = Billions of Mental Years]

  ◇ ◇ ? ? ?

  By Flora's command, Fraden's existential torture began.

  Five minutes of real time passed. But for Fraden, every second equaled a billion years of certain death.

  He was killed in billions of different ways:

  · Cut to pieces.

  · Burned in unquenchable fires.

  · His atoms crushed and reshaped to feel pain anew.

  Every time he died, he was brought back to feel the pain again.

  When the five minutes ended, nothing remained of the General but human wreckage. A body that couldn't move. A soul completely shattered.

  ◇ ◇ ? ? ?

  The eight girls bowed in magnificent synchronization before Elias and Flora. Completely ignoring Arthur.

  The Eight Girls (In one voice):

  "We are your servants... your slaves... and your loyal tools. Destroy with us whatever you wish."

  Elias looked at Arthur coldly.

  Elias:

  "It seems our army is beginning to form, Arthur. Prepare, for Azuria's secrets lie beneath this rubble."

  ◇ ◇ ? ? ?

  [SYSTEM ALERT: Chapter End]

  [Current Status: The Eight Girls Liberated]

  [Next Objective: Search for the 18 Forgotten Under the Palace]

  [Threat Level: Significantly Increased]

  ◇ ◇ ? ? ?