Lying on the ground, Remir was dazed. He was clearly wary when they first arrived, yet his attitude changed quickly over the course of a few days. âWhy did I become so self-assured of our abilities? How did we end up in this situation?â Like most everyone in the room, his heart had a blooming feeling of despair. Still, he was unresigned and was thinking about their trip from beginning to end. Eventually, he found the reason. âThat spar⦠We were deceived.â
It was at this moment that he saw the dragon woman appear from nowhere and throw five people to the ground as if they were trash. Remirâs heart dropped when he saw who it was. âBladeâs group was the strongest by far⦠That dragon woman defeated them alone? No, defeating is a euphemism. They were completely overwhelmed.â
Remir observed the tall dragon woman and felt a strong mix of emotions almost overwhelming his soul. There was fear, there was nervousness, there was curiosity, and there was lust. Myriad feelings made his breathing ragged while his eyes fixed on her, unable to move away.
He didnât snap out of this state until the dragon woman sat, crossed her legs elegantly, and rested her peerlesly seductive face on her dainty fist. Her words spread in the room like a cold and noble melody. âNow. Letâs start with the interrogation. Your group seems to be quite influential, so you must know many things, right? Someone speak for me.â
The golden slit eyes of the dragon woman radiated weight akin to mountains. Thankfully, they were Soul Cultivators, allowing them to resist more pressure than other paths would at the same level. Even then, the sense of inferiority was unmatched. Some even felt as if they were facing their Supreme Lord.
Remir raised his head from the ground and looked at Yasenia coldly. âWho do you think you are to treat us in this manner? We are the Hidden Soul Daggers of the Supreme Lord. If you decide to kill us, youâll have to bear the anger of our lord.â
Yasenia looked over and asked her girls. âIs that person someone important?â
Kali answered gently. âHe seems to be. Iâve heard others call him Lord Remir.â
âI see.â Yasenia waved her hand, and a person by Remirâs side suddenly exploded, splattering everyone in gore. Remirâs face turned as pale as a sheet of paper while his stomach churned, almost taking a gag out of him.
Yasenia glanced at Remir and spoke faintly. âEach time you speak arrogantly and donât respect me, one random person will explode like that one.â
Remirâs eyes, looking at Yasenia, were filled with terror. Nearby, he heard someone puking, and even without looking, he knew that it was Hala. After all, from all the trained assassins, she was the one with the least mental fortitude.
Remirâs teeth mildly chattered as he answered. âI understand, Lady Yasenia.â
âYou know my name. Good. Now, tell me what your objective was in coming here. Did that guy you call Supreme Lord want to kill my people?â
Not feeling emotions was one thing, messing with the people she knew, that she treasured beyond her own life was another. Currently, while it wasnât obvious, Yasenia was actually somewhat angered. These measly people had tried assassinating her people! How could she take it lying down?
Remir knew at this point in time that resisting was impossible. The might of the person sitting on that chair was beyond his imagination, and it might even approach the strength of the wives of the Supreme Lord. Thinking this far, he knew that if he admitted to his plans, their end would not be quite good. âYou misunderstood, Lady Yasenia.â
Yasenia raised one eyebrow very faintly. âOh? Did I? Explain to me then: why were we attacked during our sleep by the bunch of you?â
Remir tried to calm his involuntary trembling and answered with a solemn face. âWe were sent by our Supreme Lord in order to test you. If you were weak, we were ordered to leave and bring back the news. If we were sure that we werenât your match, we were to test your strength by making an ambush and trying to assassinate you. Of course, we would stop before any fatalities occurred.â
Yasenia nodded. âI see.â Then, she waved her hand, and five people around Remir exploded one after another. Remirâs body started trembling once more as he stuttered. âW-Why did you do that!?â
Yasenia waved her hand once more, making people despair, and another person exploded. Then, she spoke faintly. âThat last person was for your non-formal tone. Calling me âyouâ is far from what you are allowed to do. The first five people who died were due to you lying to my face.â Yaseniaâs eyes cooled down even further as the chair around her gained a faint layer of ice. âDo I look like a brainless person? Insulting my intelligence is even worse than behaving arrogantly! The next time you lie, Iâll kill that woman who vomited.â
Remirâs face changed, and Yasenia naturally noticed his expression. A cold smirk spread on Yaseniaâs lips as she waved her hand. Remirâs heart dropped as he shouted. âWAIT! NO!â
Everyone from the Hidden Soul Daggers felt their hearts rise to their throats, praying to whatever they believed in not to be the next one meeting such a gruesome death. However, nothing like what was expected happened.
Instead, Hala disappeared from her lying down position and reappeared sitting on one of Yaseniaâs legs. The dragoness used her tail to coil around Halaâs waist and looked at Remir. âNow, my tail will start squeezing around this womanâs waist second by second. The only way for my tail to stop squeezing further is for you to tell the truth while answering my questions. Am I clear?â
Remir looked between the frozen Hala and Yasenia and eventually nodded. His facial expression was one of both despair and fear. His pride had been utterly shattered, leaving behind nothing but an obedient husk. âGreat. First question. Who is this woman?â
Remir froze for a second, only to hear a small whimper. âAh! U-Uncle Remir, please! She is squeezing too much!â
Remir rushed to answer. âS-She is Hala! My niece!â
Yasenia snorted, her gaze full of disdain. âAgain, insulting my intelligence. Do you think that half-truths are able to pass? It seems that my threats have not been assimilated in your thick skull!â
Remir shouted. âWAIT-â
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Fifteen people exploded simultaneously, spreading the stench of blood around the entire room. Halaâs face turned green as she dry-heaved. She had already emptied her stomach, making nothing come out. Remir looked around with despair and then tightly closed his eyes, answering Yasenia. âShe is Hala Supreme. The eldest granddaughter of the Supreme Overlord.â
The girls wouldâve usually made a joke about the surname, but this time around, they stayed silent. Yasenia was clearly angered this time, so there was no time for joking.
Yaseniaâs cold expression relaxed slightly, returning to the nonchalant and indifferent look. âThatâs much better. Next question. Who are you?â
Remir answered despiritedly. âI am Remir Supreme, a direct descendant of the Supreme Lord.â
Yasenia asked again. âWhat is your objective?â
âWe came here to do a preliminary observation of your group. Supreme Lord commanded that if you were weaker than us, we should exterminate you on the spot. If you had some strength, giving you a welcoming ambush would also work. Other than our intention to assassinate your group, we have carried Little Hala with us so that she could gain experience.â Remir kneeled down and spoke aloud. âPlease, Lady Yasenia. Have mercy on Hala. She is too young!â
Yasenia ignored his pleas. âWhat is the [Nascent Spring]?â
Remirâs heart dropped again when Yasenia didnât answer. Then, he shook his head. âOnly Supreme Lordâs inheritor and his wives know about it. The only thing I know is that when we bathe in the spring, we receive superhuman strength and are able to gain incredible powers.â
This time around, the dragoness paused and looked intently at Remir. The man felt as if the space around him had solidified, locking all his muscles in place. This was how Yasenia was able to kill them so easily. She had poured her spiritual and soul pressure inside their physical bodies and expanded it violently. Due to the ridiculous difference in strength, the low-level Fifth realm Soul Cultivators were unable to resist and exploded.
Still, Remir didnât meet the end that he imagined as that terrifying pressure retreated. âHmm. You tell the truth.â
Yasenia stayed silent for a few moments. Eventually, she asked. âYou know about cultivation, alchemy, and intents. What is your father's level in this regard?â
Remir shook his head. âSupreme Lordâs strength is unfathomable. Only his wives know about it. The hierarchy in our family is him at the top, with our mothers right below him. While they care about their children, the importance of the Supreme Lord is far above ours. If the Supreme Lord is angry with any of his children, the mothers would dispose of us without blinking an eye.â
Yasenia reminisced about her interactions with her own children, and a strange sense of loathing was born in her heart for the Supreme Lord. Still, her objective was not to solve the injustices of this Solar System but to gain a Star-attributed Soul Cultivation and others for her girls and maids. âSoul Cultivation is what you do. You have several manuals, and I wanted to ask about them. Are there attributed Soul Manuals in your familyâs inheritance?â
Remir was again shocked that Yasenia would know about these matters, and while he very much wanted to hide them, he didnât dare. â... Yes, Lady Yasenia. There are indeed attributed Soul Manuals. I am personally practicing a fire attributed one.â
Yasenia stood up slowly, throwing Hala to the side like thrash. âFinal question. Your society clearly has technology that has effects beyond what I can imagine. Why have neither of you used them while raiding our home?â
Remir looked up at Yasenia and gulped in fear. âL-Lady Yasenia, you promised to let us go! You canât kill us!â
Yasenia sneered. âWrong answer.â
âAHHH!â
A shrill scream came from the side, making Remirâs heart swell with fear. Looking over, he saw that Halaâs legs had been severed.
âNext time, it will be her arms, and the next, her head. Answer my question.â
Unable to go against Yasenia, he lowered his head to hide his growing hatred and answered. âCultivation at the Fifth Realm far surpasses the level of technology on a personal level. The items we have on us are for protection against physical attacks since our bodies are the most fragile.â
Yasenia grabbed one of the people by the hair and raised her, looking at the black armor with glowing lines. âYou activate your armor to the maximum protective level. I am going to punch you in the chest.â
The assassin womanâs eyes trembled as she quickly activated all the defensive capabilities of the armor she was wearing. Then, Yasenia punched with ten percent of her strength.
BOOM!
No gore spread around like many imagined. Instead, the person had literally disintegrated. Leaving a single head still being grabbed by Yasenia. The dragoness snorted and threw the head away. âWeak.â
Then she walked toward the outside and spoke to the girls. âLetâs go to the [Nascent Spring Word]. Eira, Doriel, clean up this room. Leave Remir and the leader of the Hidden Soul Daggers alive and take them with us.â
âYes, Young Miss!â