Chapter 258: Guess your ass
The moment Rory’s words fell, Aris’s expression froze.
He had not expected it. He had disguised himself so flawlessly, yet she had seen through him almost instantly.
He did not want to admit it.
He tried to struggle one last time, forcing out a pitiful expression. "Female Master, what are you saying? I’m Aren. I risked my life climbing Beast God Mountain to find medicine for you, and now you doubt me..."
He looked at her with feigned hurt, as though deeply wronged.
"Enough." Rory cut him off sharply, her voice like a blade. "Aren would never look at me like that."
She stared down at him, her gaze cold and unwavering, not a trace of warmth left.
"In his eyes, there is light. In yours, there is nothing but selfishness, darkness, and greed."
Her certainty struck like a verdict.
Aris held her gaze for a moment, then let out a low laugh.
There was no point pretending anymore.
Slowly, he straightened from the ground, the movement unhurried despite the wounds covering his body. A crooked smile spread across his lips, cold and obsessive, almost unhinged.
"Heh... Female Master is as sharp as ever. I didn’t think even this would fail to fool you."
His smile widened. He even lifted his hands and clapped lightly, his tone laced with a twisted admiration.
"You’re right. I’m not that foolish older brother of mine."
The moment he admitted it, Rory’s expression hardened further.
"Where is Aren?" Her voice turned urgent, edged with steel. "Where is he now? Why do you have his light-brain?"
At her questions, the smile on Aris’s face grew more distorted, more cruel, bordering on madness.
He looked at her, speaking slowly, each word deliberate, venomous.
"My dear brother..." He tilted his head slightly, eyes gleaming with malicious delight. "Female Master... why can’t you guess?"
He had no intention of answering.
Xarion’s gaze darkened at the sight of his deranged expression. Without warning, he stepped forward and kicked him.
A heavy thud echoed through the cave.
Aris was sent flying like a broken puppet, crashing hard into the stone wall behind him before collapsing onto the ground.
Xarion lowered his leg, brushing off imaginary dust, and looked down at the crumpled figure with undisguised disgust.
"Guess?" His lips curled, voice dripping with contempt. "Guess your ass."
"And who do you think you are?" Xarion sneered, stepping forward. "You think you’re worthy of playing guessing games with us?"
He looked down at Aris sprawled on the ground, his gaze thick with disgust.
"Look at you. Neither human nor beast, grinning like some sewer rat that’s been guzzling nuclear waste. It’s revolting."
His voice turned colder, sharper.
"I suggest you start talking. Tell us where your idiot brother is."
A pause. Then, quieter, more dangerous, "Don’t make me grind that face of yours into the dirt myself."
Every word from Xarion’s mouth was laced with venom, each one striking exactly where it hurt most.
"The same face looks decent on your brother. How did it turn so twisted and disgusting on you?"
Each sentence landed like a poisoned blade, plunging straight into the darkest corners of Aris’s heart.
He could ignore Rory calling him selfish and vile.
But Xarion... Xarion had compared him to the one person he envied most, then reduced him to nothing in the same breath.
That single line shattered whatever restraint he had left.
"The same face looks decent on your brother. How did it turn so twisted and disgusting on you?"
"Pff—!"
Aris’s blood surged violently. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.
He lifted his head, eyes dark and vicious, glaring at Xarion with a hatred so intense it seemed ready to tear him apart.
"You half-dead mutt..." he rasped, voice warped and hoarse, each word dragged out through clenched teeth. "If you’ve got the nerve... then kill me!"
His chest heaved as he spat, almost hysterical.
"I’m telling you, even if you tear me to pieces, I will never tell you where that idiot is!"
Then he laughed.
A broken, manic sound.
"Haha... I’ll tell you this much. That fool is about to die. He’s not as lucky as I am. The female master he loves... he’ll never see her again before he dies."
His eyes gleamed with twisted satisfaction.
"But I did."
A sickening silence settled in the cave.
Then Paros stepped forward.
Without a word, he lifted his foot and pressed it down onto Aris’s face—the face identical to Aren’s—and ground it hard against the stone.
A faint crack of shifting bone echoed in the confined space.
The movement was brutal, merciless.
Yet when Paros looked at Rory, his expression softened instantly, his voice lowering into something gentle and obedient, like a great beast that had sheathed all its claws.
"Rory, step outside for a moment."
His tone was quiet, almost coaxing, though the pressure under his foot did not lessen in the slightest.
"What comes next won’t be pleasant. Don’t worry. I’ll make him talk."
Yuel stepped forward as well, his voice calm and reassuring.
"Rory, he’s right. Wait for us outside. This isn’t something you need to see."
Rory had never hesitated when killing aberrant beasts, and even when dealing with enemies, she was decisive and efficient.
But Yuel knew that she had never tortured anyone.
And they had no intention of letting her witness that side of them.
Rory glanced back once.
Aris was still pinned beneath Paros’s foot, his face twisted in pain, yet his eyes remained locked onto her with a stubborn, feverish intensity.
She hesitated for a brief moment, then gave a small nod and turned toward the cave entrance.
"Female Master, don’t go—!"
"Listen to me! Everything I did... I did it for you!"
Panic seized Aris. Ignoring the pain crushing his face, he shouted hoarsely, his voice tearing through the air.
Yuel cast Xarion a quiet look. "Xarion, take Wen and Nix outside. Stay with Rory. Don’t let this mad dog’s noise reach her."
Xarion shot Aris a look of pure disdain before turning and following Rory out. As he reached the entrance, he sealed it with his psychic force, cutting off the cave from the outside world.
No matter how loud the screams became, they would not reach her.
Soon, only Yuel, Paros, and Aris remained inside.
Yuel walked forward at an unhurried pace and crouched in front of Aris, meeting his gaze.
A faint smile curved his lips. It was gentle, almost elegant—but it never reached his eyes. Instead, there was something cold beneath it, something that seeped into the bones.
"Well now," he said softly, his voice like a lover’s murmur, "the distractions are gone. We can have a proper conversation."
Aris’s pupils shrank.
"Paros," Yuel added lightly, "go ahead."
Aris froze. Wasn’t this supposed to be a conversation?
Paros did not hesitate.
He lifted his foot and brought it down hard again.
This time, onto Aris’s arm.
A sharp crack split the air.
"Ah—!"
The bone shattered under the force, and a scream tore from Aris’s throat.
Yet even in agony, his stubbornness held.
"You bastards...!" he spat between gasps. "If you’ve got the guts, kill me! I won’t say a word!"
His laughter turned wild, unhinged.
"I’ll drag Aren down with me! Even if I die, I can still come back—but once he dies, he’s gone forever! Hahaha—!"
Yuel listened, watching the way pain twisted Aris’s features, his expression almost contemplative, as if observing something mildly interesting.
Then he spoke, slow and casual, with a trace of idle amusement.
"Actually... whether you tell me or not doesn’t really matter."
Aris’s laughter faltered. He panted heavily, glaring at Yuel with suspicion and venom.
Yuel’s smile deepened slightly.
Word by word, he said clearly, "Because I already know where Aren is."
As he spoke, Yuel watched Aris closely, his gaze sharp and unyielding, catching even the slightest flicker of expression.
"Aris is in the succubus territory, isn’t he?"
The moment the words left his lips, Aris’s pupils contracted.
It was only for an instant. He masked it almost immediately.
But it was enough.
Yuel had already seen it.
Slowly, he rose to his feet, brushing nonexistent dust from his sleeve. The faint smile on his face faded, leaving behind nothing but cold indifference.
He did not even spare Aris another glance, as though he were nothing more than discarded trash.
"Paros," Yuel said casually. "I’ll leave him to you. Keep him alive, that’s enough."
His tone was light, almost careless, as if discussing something utterly trivial.
"Find a sturdy chain and bind him. Since he can come back from death, then don’t let him die. Lock him up instead."
A pause.
"Let’s see how long he can keep living like that."
Neither allowed to live freely, nor permitted the mercy of death.
That was far more... interesting, wasn’t it?
Aris’s greatest reliance had always been his ability to defy death.
And now, Yuel had taken that certainty and twisted it into a prison.
Aris’s face contorted.
"Yuel... you shameless bastard!"