948 How Not To Die
The sky darkened and the earth shook as a heavy pressure far fell on the Sovereigns.
It was like throwing a bus on the shoulders of a running man. They collapsed instantly and crashed in front of Varian's feet.
Boom! Boom!
The weight on them tripled in a blink and their legs directly sank into the ground as if they were a nail hammered down leaving only their heads above. And their heads were bleeding heavily, spilling blood from their eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.
"I…"
"Ar…"
The two Sovereigns just stared at Varian in horror as they couldn't even utter a word. Some invisible force was clamping their throats and choking them.
Sarah and Sia behind Varian were dumbfounded at this development while Prince Shak in the distance rubbed his eyes in disbelief.
Varian just glanced at the Sapphire Prince and then turned to the Emerald Prince. With a flick of his hand, Sapphire Prince's body bent unevenly and he collapsed into a bleeding mess.
With a simple gesture, Emerald Prince shot towards Varian as if he was pulled by an invisible rope despite his struggles and stopped right in front of him.
Sapphire's Hybrid and Emerald's Hybrid who were quiet until then channeled their auras and were about to charge toward Varian when he swiped a finger in the air.
The two hybrids, standing at the very peak of level 9, collapsed on the spot with blank eyes.
"I did deceive you guys because I had to. And I didn't harm your life. Heck, I even saved you when I could just leave you to die a painful death," Varian said in a calm tone, "I can understand your outrage at being deceived. Even if you chose hostility and wanted to fight me, I can understand your actions."
"But," Varian's voice grew heavy and the warm air turned bone-chillingly cold, and it literally started snowing.
"To make those filthy comments towards the women I love and cherish, you have done the worst possible thing you could to piss me off," Varian patted the shivering Emerald Prince's cheeks and smiled a pure bloodthirsty smile.
"Girls, please turn around," Varian said lightly and the two followed obediently.
"You too, come and join in the party," Following Varian's invitation, Emerald Sovereign flew out of the ground and appeared next to his prince.
"Now then," Varian snapped his fingers and the eyes of Sapphire Prince, Prince Shak, and the two Sovereigns were forcibly directed towards the two floating members.
"Enjoy the consequences of your words," Varian pointed to the Emerald members and clenched his fists.
"Arghhh!" The skin of Emerald Prince started burning before it was forcibly peeled off like a sheet of paper. The iron smell of blood filled the air as the snow turned red.
Chilling ice spears materialized and pierced Emerald Prince's bare flesh.
"Arghhh!"
Lightning followed and then…
For the next thirty minutes, tragic screams resounded throughout the snowfields.
Prince Shak, Sapphire Prince, and the two Sovereigns couldn't even close their eyes and had to watch the cruel torture that made them shudder just by seeing it.
Emerald Prince and Emerald Sovereign were pushed to the brink of death many times. But every time Varian would heal them back to full recovery and then start tearing them down apart again.
Like a kid making and breaking toys, Varian tore them apart and then healed them. Again and again.
Each time it was a different pain. The freezing of nerves, the scorching fires burning them to the brink of death, the pain that wrecked them so much that they simply wished for death.
If there was ever a hell, it couldn't be worse than this.
"Haaa!" Varian sighed deeply and threw the two pieces of flesh and blood to the side. He let these two finally die.
He casually glanced at the two princes and the Sovereigns and released his hold on them.
Without any hesitation, Sapphire Prince and Sapphire Sovereign stabbed themselves in the head and died on the spot.
"What the—!" Varian was shocked.
These people wanted violence against them and didn't want to kill. They didn't make any filthy comments about his girls. So, Varian was planning to just beat them up, break a leg or two and let them live.
But he thought it'd be too light. So, he made them watch the torture.
Unexpectedly, they were so scared that they chose to kill themselves in fear they'll be tortured.
"S-Sir…" Prince Shak had tears dripping down his face as he looked at Varian with trembling legs.
It was a testament to his courage that he was still able to stare Varian in the face.
Plop!
Sovereign Alban couldn't even stand and knelt on the spot. With shivering hands, he stared at Varian in tears, "Y-Your majesty, s-spare…"
"Eh? I never wanted to kill you," Varian said with a puzzled expression and waved his hand as if swatting a fly.
All traces of blood, flesh, and bones on the snow disappeared. Even the smell in the air was gone and replaced by a floral sweetness.
The expression on the man who did such an inhuman torture was so kind and friendly that if they didn't watch what he did just a while ago, they'd have thought him to be a harmless friendly person.
But now, even if they got ten times more guts, they dare not.
"Y-Yeah, thank you…for spar…sparing us," Sovereign Alban said with a smile on his crying face.
"T-Thank you for rescuing our lives after we lost the trials," Prince Shak on the other hand bowed his head lightly and said elegantly.
Varian smiled at his courage and composure, "Then how do you plan to thank me?"
"W-What would you like? I'll try my best," Prince Shak said with a bitter smile.
Whatever this expert liked, he might not be able to fetch it.
'Which prince of the Lumen Empire is he?' Prince Shak was guessing the identity of this mysterious man.
He's from the Jewel Kingdom and knew his peers. None of them were this monstrous. So, this man could only be from the power at the apex, one beyond the reach of all kingdoms, an Empire!
There's nothing a 'Prince' from a kingdom could get that would interest a 'Prince' of an Empire.
Even though they both had the same titles, the difference between them was like mud and gold.
So, even before the request was made, Prince Shak was certain it couldn't be fulfilled.
"Hm, I came here by accident. I want to go back. So, I'd really want a detailed map of the galaxy with highly precise coordinates," Varian said.
"T-That's it?" Prince Shak felt that this man was kidding him.
"I was a bit pissed off and destroyed everything related to these guys, including their storage rings. And those two idiots committed suicide and their storage rings exploded with them. Their hybrids died them. So, yeah, I would've taken from them if I could, but now, I can only ask you." Varian shrugged.
"O-Oh!" Prince Shak took out a watch-like device from his storage ring and without thinking, threw it to Varian.
"Thanks a lot,"
"S-Sure…" Prince Shak still didn't understand how to behave to this eccentric, unpredictable man.
"Alright, you two can leave this world. Don't worry about it," Varian waved his hand and gave them a look. "Don't spread what happened here for your own good, okay?"
"Y-Yes!"
"O-Of course!"
Prince Shak gritted his teeth as if he was struggling with the thought but he reached into his pocket and threw a bracelet at Varian. "S-Sir, it's my contact. It has the details of my brother. I-If you ever hear about him, dead or alive, please tell me. I…I will do my best to repay your favor!"
Varian nodded lightly. He appreciated Prince Shak's courage to speak and even request him after seeing the gruesome torture.
'If this guy doesn't fall midway, he can become a good ruler,' Varian shrugged and snapped his fingers.
Prince Shak and Sovereign Alban, along with their hybrid, vanished and appeared in outer space. Beside them was the Ruby Princess with injuries all over her body. She was kicked out at the same time.
And standing in front of the entrance with dumbfounded expression was the Diamond Duchy's princess and her team that couldn't get in.
It's been months since the teams went in. Her punishment was still due. Until then, she was ordered to stay here.
Diamond Princess had no hopes of them appearing. But today, all of them except that one Sovereign did!
"What the hell happened? Why couldn't I get in?" She asked in a fierce tone. It's all because of them that she got such a harsh punishment.
"I…" Prince Shak wanted to open his mouth but his lips trembled and his voice quivered.
Before he could utter a word, the space behind him twisted and he turned around in reflex.
This weird synthetic world just disappeared!
"W-What?"
Deep exclamations rang in the space.
But they couldn't even be equal to one-hundredth of the exclamations that rang in the capital of the Natives.
Hortus was screaming in surprise and fear at the man who appeared in the sky.
