The Survival of an Inferior

"Ngh...uh..." 

The demon cultist isn't in a condition to answer my question. The torture only continues as I try to force the demon cultist to speak unreasonably. 

I place my hand on a wound; Demonic mana appears and seeps into the body. 

!

As the demonic mana circulates the body, the demon cultist convulses frantically and piercing screams echo in the small room. Foaming forms at his mouth. His eyes roll back. The veins on his body darken and erect. 

"ARGHHHH! STOP!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

Controlling the demonic mana, it consumes and corrupts the insides of the demon cultist. The excruciating sensation exerted amounts to being burned and eaten alive. 

Thanks to its effectiveness and slow lethality, it was Rena's frequently used torture method. 

"UGH?! KOOH..." Blood spews out of his mouth and his body stops moving.

Hm?

I touch his wrist, but no pulse came. He is dead. 

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+80,000 exp 

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"Shit...I failed to limit the damage," I purposely say out loud.

I sigh and look at the tied cultish. 

"W-Wait! I will say anything! I will say everything!! I will tell you what I know!!" he begs, speaking quickly. The horrible death of his colleague has etched an irreversible fear. 

I push the bodies aside and find another chair, sitting opposite the captive. I first start by asking questions I already know the answer to as a test for honesty. 

He speaks the truth for all questions. 

"Next, what is your role in the cult?" I ask.

"S-Smuggling...and transporting things..." the cultist replies.

"Do you know the hierarchy of the cult?" 

"No...w-we are low-ranking members at the very bottom. We receive our orders through a paper that disappears after we read it. W-We don't even know what our superiors look like."

He doesn't seem to be lying...

"Then...do you know anything about this group called 'Despair'?" I ask.

He looks up and establishes eye contact, slightly surprised by my question. 

"Y-Yes, the demon cult work closely with Despair and deliver most of my goods to their broker. Sometimes, my orders directly come from them," he says.

I'm not surprised and somewhat expected this. 

"Do you know any active location of Despair?" I say.

...

"T-There is one..."

"Speak."

"An orphanage," says the demon cultist. "I-I visit the orphanage several times to deliver drugs and information. I don't know what they are doing but it's something with children and murder..."

A grin forms. "Can you escort me?" I ask.

Without a choice, the demon cultist agreed. 

==================================

Walking around made me realise my location. Little activity on the street coupled with slightly shorter towers in bad condition. Dirt and dust settle everywhere, leaving criminals and danger to hide in plain sight. I am in the western part of Libra, "The Abandoned Dusk" district. 

From what I know, this district was devastated by a fight between The Hero and The Lord of Marines 50 years ago, damaging the land and infrastructure.

Directly below this district are rows of mines. Any mass reconstruction or reinforcement attempt might destroy the foundation and the entire land will cave in. To prevent the loss of a major income, the country decided to repair the buildings to their best attempt before abandoning this district. The craters and aftermath of the battle still last until this day. Thus, with uneven roads, merchants do not pass by here and many moved out. 

I follow the cultist through an alleyway and into the main street. We walk past a large crater. Barrels of crackling fire lays around the crater, some homeless people have settled there and ragged tents spread. 

A building is surrounded by a white wall. Poles of laundry and a wide gravel space can be seen beside the building within the premise. The building has suspiciously no windows on the upper levels.

The cultist knocks on the gate. A woman handling laundry looks over and walks to the gate. 

"Hello...I'm back." the cultist says.

"Liam? What are you...doing here?" says the woman. 

So that's his name, Liam.

"I-I just want to introduce my new colleague...uh..." 

"Arsto, nice to meet you," I say.

The woman stares at me and back to Liam. She unlocks the gate and allows us in too easily it's suspicious. It seemed like she knows my identity...was it a coincidence?

"It's rare for you to visit." the woman says. 

"Yes..." Liam replies. 

Inside the building has the layout of a normal orphanage; a cafeteria, play area, and rooms for them to sleep, et cetera are all available. The children chat and laugh with joy, some cry when their toys are taken away. Overall, they seem to have a great relationship with one another. However, their behaviour feels...off.

The woman leads us up a set of stairs to the fifth level. She leads us into a room she calls the "guest room". Bookshelves line one corner of the room, and two couches with a coffee table are placed in the middle. 

"Coffee or tea?" the woman asks. 

"Uh..." Liam mumbles.

I take a seat, gesturing for Liam to sit. He obediently complies. 

"Did we do anything wrong?" I ask the lady.

...

"What do you mean?" she stares at me in confusion. 

"Hm...odd. Then why are they hiding in the shadow with murderous intent?" I say and glance back.

!!

"Kill them!" she says.

"Eh?!! W-Wait! Me too?!" Liam exclaims. 

Several masked figures dressed in black jump out of the shadow cast by the couch and bookshelves. I pull The Blade of Eternity out of my storage ring, swiftly jumping and swirling my body to behead the assassins. Traces of demonic mana lingers in the air. Bits of demonic mana drip from the blade. 

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+160,000 exp 

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I turn my attention back to the lady, her jaw dropped and her mouth forms an "O".

"You bastard! Is this your plan?" The lady automatically assumes Liam is the main culprit since he brought me here. "D-Do you think Despair will let this matter go? We will inform the demonic cult about this!" 

"No no! I didn't...I mean...You guys attacked us first, it was an act of self-defence." says Liam. 

I slit the woman's throat, deeming it no longer desirable to communicate with an idiot.