Considering how numerous Chaos Spawns were, it didn’t take long for Sol to capture one.
What ought to be noted was that he didn’t just capture one spawn but a bunch of them and also a traitor.
It was a scantily clad woman whose body was covered with nothing more than a short skirt that barely covered her plump butt and a small swimsuit top used to cover her large breasts.
Her skin had a slight blue hue, giving her an exotic and alluring appearance.
Anyone who saw such a woman would be reluctant to bring the slightest harm to her. But Sol had long since been educated about the equality between men and women.
If you could punch a man, there was no reason you couldn’t punch a woman.
It was with this mindset that he did not hesitate in knocking her out cold when he chanced upon her.
Initially, he wanted to send her to his dimension and see the effect, but he didn’t want to test whether or not the taint could enter his dimension. He could only use the good old method.
Threat. Coercion. Blackmail. Torture.
As always, those were awfully effective.
“I beg you, I will tell you anything you want! Just–please…ask something! Don’t stay silent!”
The woman begged and screamed as she watched what had happened to her cellmate.
Her day had been one like any other. She was a nymph, one of the spirits living in the dragon realm in the past. Since traitors of Chaos were so few and they didn’t need to eat each other to grow as Chaos spawn did, the traitors were quite united in Tartarus.
At the very least, they wouldn’t threaten each other and would even protect each other when needed. After all, if their numbers fell too much, the Chaos Spawn would devour them without hesitation.
Them being on the same side wouldn’t matter. After all, if they could eat people of the same species, what couldn’t they eat?
This was why, until now, her life had been pretty relaxed even though she was imprisoned.
Aside from avoiding the rampaging crazy dragon whenever she had a fit, everything was alright.
But everything changed this morning. She was just playing around in her bath when an intruder busted through her castle and killed all her guards before capturing her like a helpless chicken.
She had been utterly helpless. As if it wasn’t enough, that lunatic had been torturing a bunch of Chaos Spawns one after another in front of her without asking her anything.
Furthermore, the more gruesomely he killed them, the happier he seemed to become. Sometimes he didn’t even bother asking any questions and would torture them before crushing their cores.
She even wondered who was supposed to be the monster.
This was simply too much for her. She had neither participated in any great war nor was she a great warrior. Her psyche wasn’t forged through war and death. She did not have the mental fortitude to keep watching such a scene.
Hearing those words of her, Sol smiled as he put an end to the life of the Chaos Spawn in his hand.
“You said that you will tell me everything, right?”
“Yes!! Yes! I will!”
Those words from Sol were like salvation for her.
“I see. Then…Let’s chat. I hope your illustration skills are up to par. What’s your name?”
“Mia.”
“Heh, Nice to meet you, Mia.”
…
…
…
A few hours later, Sol managed to gain incredibly precise information. Mia had been incredibly forthcoming and had not hesitated in sharing information with him in order to save her life.
This had without a doubt allowed Sol to save a tremendous amount of time. The happier he seemed to be the happier Mia was since it meant that her chances of survival were increasing.
However, “...W-why?...”
Mia gazed with disbilief as Sol slowly lifted a war hammer with his hand.
“I never said I would spare you if you fessed up everything. Well then…Farewell. It was a pleasure knowing you. ”
Boom!
Those were the last words Mia ever heard as her head was crushed by the hammer.[1]
Gazing expressionlessly as the brain matter and other bits splashed the ground below, Sol wondered if it was really alright for his mental health to become so desensitized to death.
The corpse in front of him was that of a woman with a story. Perhaps she had her own reasons for joining Chaos. Perhaps she wasn’t all that bad.
But, so what?
As he was now, he found it hard to find any compassion in his heart.
He could feel that his mental fortitude was deteriorating fast. He had been fighting non-stop thousands of monsters for days and killed enough of them to paint the ground red.
The killing intent in his heart was soaring, becoming harder to control. In terms of pure quantity, he was sure that he wasn’t far from the kill count of Lilith, and that was the result she reached after years of warfare.
No matter how one looked at it, there was no way he could still be healthy.
‘Man, when I go back home, I will organize a big fuck feast.’
For normal people, drowning in sex to avoid their mental issues could only end badly. No one could heal by becoming dependent on temporary pleasure brought by sex or drugs or alcohol.
Thankfully, the rules in this world were pretty different.
‘Well, I will think about getting a good fuck later. Now, time to work.’
Mia was surprisingly skilled. The drawing she made was so lifelike and detailed, he was surprised that it only took her a few hours to complete it.
In the 5th Circle, because of the presence of Traitors and Chaos spawn, the situation was a little complicated.
Firstly, even though they were officially on the same side, the traitors and the spawns’ territories were far apart from each other. It was something that was in no way surprising when you knew the nature of those beasts.
Out of the thirty lords present normally, the best and shortest road would make him face one particular enemy…Nabu.
‘Should I give it a try?’
Sol had many ways to protect his life, so he wanted to face her.
From what Kiyohime said, Nabu was basically the strongest Duke she knew.
If he could beat her, then there would be no need to continue this trial and if he lost, there would still be no need to continue the trial.
At the Duke level, the difference in power between two individuals could be pretty huge.
For her to be judged like that, it was clear that her Zone didn't just rely on her element like many of those born with Mana and Magic did. But rather, it was a conceptual type.
Either way, fighting against Nabu could be a good way to finish this whole test and get out of this hell hole.
He wanted to breathe fresh air.
Thinking so, he walked in the direction that had been indicated on the map, and slowly, the surroundings began to change. From a lush forest to one filled with dead trees, then filled with snow and ice.
The moment he first stepped on the white snow, he immediately stopped as he felt a chill like none other invade his body.
ROOOAARR!!
Without any warning, a roar so powerful the earth rumbled filled the air.
‘She is coming.’
Sol was surprised that he had been found so easily but did not let that bother him.
He knew that the roar was just a warning. She felt him step foot in her territory and was ordering him to leave. He had no doubt that this would be the firdt and the last warning he would receive.
This gave him a pause.
Not because he was scared, but rather because her actions did not match what he had expected.
He had thought that he would have to face a crazy dragon but just from this alone, it was clear that Nabu wasn’t the kind to attack as long as she wasn’t provoked first.
From her story, he knew that she was just a pitiful girl that had been implicated in the sin committed by her parents.
She wasn’t like the Chaos Spawns.
Then why did he want to fight her so much? Why bother someone who means no harm and only wants to be left alone?
‘My mental state is in a worse state than I thought….’
He wondered if he should just end the training now and go rest. His mood was changing too fast and he felt as if he was becoming bipolar. He knew that this was in no way a good sign. The longer he stayed in this place, the worse the situation would become for him.
But, just as he was about to move away.
*Whoosh*
The snow around him moved and formed an ice sculpture before the ice sculpture changed into a woman.
‘Beautiful.’
Sol had seen many beautiful women in his life and to this day, Nefertiti and Medea were still the most beautiful women he had ever seen.
Still, the woman that appeared mysteriously in front of him was no slouch.
She was a relatively tall woman with a fair complexion and had long silvery-white hair styled in a low, loose, thick braid fastened at the top with a red cord tied in a bow.
Her outfit consisted of a black backless bodysuit that faded into turquoise at the legs.
At the back of her bodysuit was an article bearing resemblance to coattails, consisting of white fabric patterned with gray.
The top of her bodysuit was covered by a cropped white-and-gray sleeveless qipao that accented her above-average-sized breasts.
“You…”
Even though the woman did not introduce herself, Sol could guess who she was. After all, there was only one dragon imprisoned in this place.
Her cold silver-white pupils were gazing intently at him while her grip on the long spear she was holding tightened.
“Why…”
With a dreamy voice, as if she was not used to talking, she spoke.
“Why…do you have…Master’s scent on you…?”
Sol couldn’t help but wonder what kind of shit he had just been pulled into.
[1]: Heh. I am sure many were already thinking about how Sol would bang Mia.
(AN: Sigh. Hard chapter. I wanted to show the slowly deteriorating psyche of Sol without making it too cringe, which I think I failed. Also, the mystery is thickening. I still wonder if anyone can guess who Nabu’s master is lol. Just so you know, it isn’t a divine beast.)
