Ch.88Ep.88: Prepare for War

“You want to see her now? Is that really necessary?”

“Yes. I feel like I won’t have time if not now. Something… I have that kind of premonition.”

“If that’s what you want, I can’t stop you… Do as you please.”

Brina handed Radios the key to enter the underground prison.

His expression turned ice-cold as he received it.

Click.

The door leading to the underground prison opened, and Radios headed straight to see one woman.

In less than a minute, the scene that unfolded before his eyes was.

“Honestly, I thought you’d be dead by now, but seeing you alive like this feels really good?”

“C-Captain…”

“Serena Tolos. Are you finally coming to your senses?”

Serena was nearly incapacitated, her limbs bound and on the verge of losing consciousness.

In truth, with everything that had happened, he had actually forgotten about Serena.

“Now that I think about it, you stabbing me in the heart…? Hmm, honestly, I’m somewhat grateful?”

“What… are you… saying…”

“If you hadn’t stabbed me in the heart, I might have ended up like Veichel.”

Veichel died in the battle against the Outer God cult in the Demonic Prison.

But he didn’t die and learned the truth through the Necronomicon.

If Radios had meaninglessly fought against the Outer God cult’s army until his strength was depleted.

Wouldn’t he have fallen and betrayed Kadinant just like Veichel?

“Looking at it that way, I can only feel gratitude toward you.”

“Captain. Captain… I, I, I’ve r-reconsidered–“

“Ah, shut up. Who are you, you worm, to be running your mouth?”

Radios’s cold gaze swept over Serena’s entire body.

She trembled with an unknown, mysterious fear, but.

The more she trembled, the more pain came, making her want to scream.

However, her vocal cords couldn’t exceed a certain pitch, causing her voice to scatter.

She could barely manage conversation in a low voice.

This technique was also designed by Brina, said to be perfect for torture.

On the condition that if she shouted “Save me!” loudly, the torture would stop.

Of course, the spell was cast with the premise that she couldn’t even make a loud sound, so it wouldn’t stop.

Radios quite liked this spell.

“No matter how much pain I inflict on you, you can’t escape your miserable state of not being able to make a sound, right?”

“..!”

“Just like I don’t want to hear a pig squealing, I only need to observe your contorted expressions.”

Stab!

Eventually, Radios attempted to create a twilight blade, which had become as easy as breathing, and immediately stabbed Serena in the abdomen.

“First, let’s destroy your identity as a woman.”

Crack!

“Mmmmph!”

The twilight blade dug into Serena’s uterus and tore it out of her body.

Serena struggled in unspeakable pain, but Radios didn’t care.

If she fainted from the pain, he would just inflict more pain to bring her back to consciousness.

If she seemed about to die, he would make her even more agonized just before death.

Because.

“You will be with me forever through the subduing of the dead. Forever, with me.”

“..!”

“It will be painful. You’ll wish to die several times a day. You’ll beg to be killed, saying you’ll do anything for it.”

Sneer.

Radios curled one corner of his mouth, twisting his face like a malevolent spirit.

“I have no intention of forgiving you, Serena Tolos. Even if I fall into hell, even if my life is destroyed.”

Crack!

Radios broke Serena’s right third rib with pure brute force as he spoke.

“I’m going to destroy you. That’s why I’m living this life again!”

“S-save me–“

“Save you? No, suffer until you die.”

“Captain… Cap–“

Crack! Crunch! Snap!

Radios methodically shattered Serena’s bones and blood vessels bit by bit, ensuring she wouldn’t die.

Her leg bones had long been reduced to powder, and her ribs were gone, leaving her flesh sunken.

“Kuh! Kuhk! Kuhhk!”

As bone fragments gradually pierced her lungs, making even breathing difficult.

Radios was able to regain his senses.

He thought he might have gone too far, but that thought was discarded shortly after.

After repeating the torture for some time, this act no longer felt like revenge.

How to put it… a waste of time? Just about that level.

“This isn’t even fun anymore, so I should end it now.”

Of course, he had no intention of simply ending her breath.

First, Radios removed all the spells and restraints on her and threw her to the floor.

If it had been the usual Serena, she would have attempted to escape while singing with joy.

But it was impossible to attempt escape when she couldn’t even maintain human form.

Yet her consciousness was clearer than ever.

She had entered a state of heightened awareness before death.

“Today’s highlight is crushing… how about making your head explode?”

“Captain… Captain..! C-Captain… Captain…”

“Yes, I am Guardian Spirit Captain Radios Magnum, so I’ll see you again soon?”

Radios raised his foot with a bright smile.

The target was Serena’s face.

“I’ll call you back later, so goodbye for now?”

“Captaaaaaaain!!”

Splat!

With Serena’s final scream, Radios’s foot crushed her head, bursting it.

Brain matter and blood splattered everywhere, but Radios used magic to burn away all traces.

As if Serena had never been there.

[…Are you really human?]

“There’s a saying. In the face of true madness, fake madness is useless.”

[You crazy bastard… you’re a real psychopath…]

Namgung Ihyun shuddered as she recalled the atrocity Radios had committed.

Grinding someone’s bones, tearing out blood vessels, removing reproductive organs, and crushing their head when bone fragments were piercing their lungs—all because they stabbed him in the heart.

She couldn’t imagine what kind of mind would come up with such things; he was truly insane.

“I actually held back, you know?”

[This is… holding back?]

“Yeah. I originally planned to pull out her large and small intestines completely.”

[…Is your brain functioning normally?]

“Why, is there a problem?”

Seeing Radios respond so nonchalantly, Namgung Ihyun thought.

Ah, I’m glad I died quickly and ended up on this guy’s team.

Namgung Ihyun considered.

If she had continued as Yog-Sothoth’s apostle in the Outer God cult.

And Radios, having awakened his Divine Order, appeared and tortured her like he did Serena?

‘Ugh… I shouldn’t get on his bad side. My master is truly insane.’

Namgung Ihyun had already begun to recognize Radios as her master, but she didn’t mind much.

With Radios awakening his Divine Order, her abilities had also increased dramatically.

Once you’ve been subdued, you have no choice but to follow.

Besides, he respected her free will quite a bit, and she was much freer compared to when she was an apostle of the Outer God.

[But do you really plan to subdue her? That traitor?]

“Of course. Though I plan to strengthen the memory manipulation technique a bit more.”

After learning the subduing of the dead from Brina, Radios had worked with Arsia to try to improve it somewhat.

The subduing of the dead itself had the basic framework of summoning the soul of the dead and binding it to the master.

Various techniques were layered to prevent the soul from rebelling against the master.

The most representative of these was the right of absolute command.

The right to give unconditional orders to the dead, which Namgung Ihyun lacked.

But thanks to that, there was a certain enjoyment in their back-and-forth.

Next was the right to erase memories.

The ability to erase unnecessary memories while reviving the dead.

Radios planned to delete all of Serena’s memories after the Demonic Prison battle when reviving her.

[Haha, are you planning to gaslight her by saying she died in that battle?]

“Yes. A being with an Order will be helpful in battle.”

He had already taken enough revenge and vented his anger.

Now he only thought of using her.

‘There’s no point in mindlessly increasing the number of the dead anyway…’

He had already decided on the next target for subduing the dead.

The God of Death, the King of the Underworld, Hades, or whatever he’s called.

If he could just add that guy to his collection of subdued dead, he’d have no more wishes.

“Anyway… I’m starting.”

Just in case, he moved the corpse out of sight and drew the spell for subduing the dead.

Then.

Whoosh.

A long shadow emerged from outside the spell, and Serena from her Guardian Spirit days appeared.

[…Captain?]

“Serena, are you conscious?”

[What is this…]

Radios calmly explained the fabricated situation.

You died in the Demonic Prison battle.

It’s been about four years since then, and I’ve learned a spell that can subdue the dead, so I called you.

I tried calling Namgung Ihyun before as a test.

So don’t fight and get along well.

Confused, Serena nodded, saying she understood for now.

Radios didn’t add anything more.

She would know well. That her current state was different from her memories.

Awakening an Order meant transcending human limitations.

Since Serena, revived through subduing the dead, possessed an Order.

It would probably take quite some time for her to adapt.

It might have been fine if he hadn’t removed her memories, but it’s better to go slowly.

No matter what, it’s uncomfortable to have someone who stabbed you in the back as a subordinate.

“We’re done here for now. Let’s go up and rest.”

Until Veichel dealt with Millia and Fujiwara Ren.

Radios intended to maintain his best physical condition.

Because from then on, the final battle would begin.