Enforcer Manual
Chapter 783 - 781: Torture_1

Chapter 783: Chapter 781: Torture_1

Meanwhile, in a certain part of the prison.

Zeruo stood alone in the pitch-dark cell, the torch unlit, facing the person inside the cell.

The cell was eerily quiet; he was the only one talking to himself, "A few days ago, the Believers brought back a message from the mainland, saying the Paladin had returned."

For a thousand years, that name had haunted him like a nightmare.

Even though he had witnessed the Paladin and his fleet being torn to shreds by sea monsters, seen the ocean dyed red with blood, deep down he still felt that the hero of the kingdom would one day return to this lost kingdom.

He had heard that some remnants still existed in remote areas.

No matter how cruel the methods he adopted, he could never completely silence those voices.

"I have executed those who spread rumors...this must be your doing again, isn’t it?"

The person in the cell did not respond to him.

Zeruo didn’t care; he suddenly laughed, "I do miss the days when we were at each other’s throats, after all, there are very few left who witnessed that era. Perhaps you could help clarify for those who still harbor illusions, make them see the reality... The Paladin will never come back because the Master has promised me that even his soul and consciousness have been utterly destroyed."

This was not the first time they had discussed this topic.

The person in the cell was well aware of this but had proposed some strange theories.

Someday, someone carrying on the will of the Paladin would come before him?

It’s a pity he could no longer hear such voices now.

"Speaking of which, to entertain your people, I have studied many torture methods. I saw some very creative ones in books the Believers brought back from the mainland, where they would tie a person to a post and cut off their flesh slice by slice, watching as their own bodies flayed until the blood ran out and they died... but such a process is still too brief."

Zeruo said, "I gradually realized that death is a form of release for you, so I begged the Master to strip you of the right to die, but today I have decided to be merciful and give you a chance for release... You should face reality too, right? The Paladin is not coming back, and you no longer need to guard any secrets."

Fierce knocking interrupted Zeruo’s monologue.

The Paladin felt like his heart was about to leap out of his throat, but he still used all his strength to smash the iron rod he held onto the back of Zeruo’s head.

He had found this iron rod to defend himself before entering the vortex, not expecting it to be useful at a critical moment.

After entering the vortex, he had been separated from his companions, and he had to endure the fear and grope his way in the dark until Zeruo’s soliloquy attracted him.

He couldn’t see Zeruo’s expression at the moment, only feeling the thick liquid splashing onto his face.

This strike, driven by his conviction, finally paid off; he guessed Zeruo must be dead, perhaps with his brains splattered out, but he didn’t bother estimating Zeruo’s condition and instead rushed toward the person in the cell, "Princess, I’ve come to rescue you!"

The Paladin knew that the person imprisoned in this cell was the one who haunted his dreams.

They were so close now, so close that just two steps out he could touch the other by feeling alone.

"I’m going to take you away..."

The excited voice stopped abruptly.

The hand reaching out to the other was repelled as if shocked by electricity, the cold and hard touch causing the Paladin to fall to the ground, the iron rod clattering to the side.

A terrible suspicion surfaced.

"The traitor has actually come here."

Zeruo, who should have been dead for good, suddenly spoke up. He heard Paladin’s anxious cries and said, "I admire your bravery, and as a reward, I’ll let you see."

Before the words were finished, two balls of fire lit up the darkness.

The flames were in front of the throne, and when Paladin saw the figure upon it, he cried out in a reflexive shock.

A mutilated, flesh-covered skeleton.

Its body was twisted and imprisoned on the throne, with a heart beating slowly.

Paladin also saw Zeruo’s condition clearly.

The strike he had taken had opened a hole in the back of his head, but through the ravaged wound, what caught his gaze was not human tissue, but something resembling a clump of eels gathered together.

Agitated, they lifted their heads and bared their teeth at Paladin.

"She’s still alive."

Zeruo voluntarily answered the doubts in his mind.

"What have you done to her?"

This scene, beyond comprehension, made Paladin gasp violently. He desperately hoped this was just a nightmare, for perhaps only the most terrible nightmares could give rise to the sight before him.

"Do you know the sensation of skin being peeled from the body?"

A vicious, ugly smile appeared on Zeruo’s face, "This is the punishment the Master tailor-made for them; they’re forever enjoying the sensation of pain... you probably can’t understand that, can you? How about you experience it firsthand?"

The iron bar was less than a meter away from him; reason told Paladin he should fight back now.

But pressing his hands onto the chunks of flesh on the floor exhausted all his strength, and he watched helplessly as those eel-like creatures sprang from Zeruo’s head and tore towards him, biting.

Adding further explanation, Zeruo said, "However, only those of royal blood are worthy of ’eternal life.’ They will nibble away at your flesh bit by bit, a process that will last about 13 minutes."

As he spoke, the "eels" had filled Paladin’s vision.

He clearly saw their dense, sharp teeth, and he closed his eyes, not wanting to witness the moment when his skin and flesh were torn from his body.

Just as he plunged into darkness, he faintly heard a voice.

"Destroy this wall."

The next moment, the bodies of the "eels" fell to the ground in defiance of physics, their bodies immediately crushed by gravity, until they turned into a puddle of blood foam.

The chunks of flesh that covered the walls burst like bloodbags, spilling blood into the room like rain.

A mechanical creature covered in contusions appeared from behind the broken wall, its red glowing cybernetic eye locking onto Zeruo.

Under such a gaze, Zeruo’s expression finally changed.

By its appearance, it was clear that it belonged to the mechanical legion that had caused them troubles on the land.

But beyond that, he heard some strange dialogue.

"What T is this fat one?"

The mechanical creature seemed to be muttering to itself.