24 hours later,
A bloodied figure had several cuts all over his upper body. Multiple whip marks and a few Mukod centipedes were crawling near his left ear. Mukod centipede's favorite meal was the eardrums of all living beings.
6 manly fingers were scattered around the chair, the figure was sitting on. Several white teeth were mixed among the fingers but the figure sitting on the chair had a sinister smile.
Arcene felt a cool breeze passing through her spine, chilling her entire body to the core.
Not once! Kora didn't scream in pain. Not once!
"What kind of a monster are you?"
"Do I look abominable to you?"
"What would an ocean be without a monster lurking in the dark? It would be like sleep without dreams." Kora replied with a smirk and started laughing, "Hahahaha..."
Arcene could only shiver in horror. Kora was a true madman in her eyes. He even prompted her to cut more fingers as if he was enjoying it. He asked for more Mukod centipedes and requested her to make him toothless. It was a scary torturing session, for Arcene. But she didn't know, Kora was just acting his way out.
This was his first torturing session in the 2 lives he has lived. He did feel pain, but he suppressed it and kept his 'lunatic' act up. He knew if Arcene finds a weak point, she would keep it up until she breaks his will, but he played a reverse card on her and fractured her mind instead, by acting like a maniac who enjoys getting tortured.
Right now, Arcene was in a dilemma. She didn't know how to proceed. She was worried several times, that Kora might die, thus she even bandaged his fingers to stop the bleeding. She tried everything, but Kora just kept asking for more. Insane!
"Do you plan to help Scarlet?" In the end, she changed her approach and asked softly.
"No." He lied through his teeth.
"Why was she investigating you?"
"I am famous for pleasuring women." He replied with a smile, but since his teeth were broken, his handsome visage was distorted to ugliness.
"Do you really think I will believe that?"
"Believe it or not, up to you. 13 Fingers are still left. What will you do?" Kora didn't get kidnapped because he wanted to get tortured and experience the thrill, but he had another objective, to find out how much information about him has been leaked. He could confidently tell that his cultivation level, along with his affair with Jazmine and that 'woman' were still hidden.
Jazmine was an important chess piece, he could not afford to lose her for his plans for another ritual that he has been planning for the future that may take some time to prepare. Right now, she was working as his secret agent to do what he asked her before leaving, and in return, he promised a huge cultivation leap. In fact, he didn't need to promise anything as she has completely submitted herself to him, even then, he gave her the allure of 'rewards' so that she works diligently.
"Scarlet O Conailli has never given a single glance to any man. Not even the most promising, and handsome Princes of other Kingdoms. Why would she look at a 'Zero'?" She spat on the ground as she continued, "Tell me the truth or you won't leave this place as long as I am alive!"
"Do you want to try?" His smirk widened.
"What?" Confused, she asked.
"I will try my best to please you, Princess..." Kora's distorted smile created an eerie vibe.
"Lunatic!"
"Hahahaha!" He laughed hysterically, displaying his broken teeth and bloodied face while looking up at the ceiling of the darkroom.
"*cough* *cough* Like I said, I really don't know why Princess Scarlet was investigating me. I can only say that the Third Princess must have found me handsome and much more charming than those young masters...!"
Arcene furrowed her brows as she lifted the knife again and positioned it over his 7th finger. Kora smiled and looked deeply into Arcene's silver eyes without any fear or apprehension.
In the end, she sighed and threw the knife away. Kora was too stubborn and scary. She could only reason that it must have been Scarlet desiring Kora for pleasure as debauched rumors related to him were widespread in the Vrigaipis Marquessate and since Arcene has done her research on Kora in the past 2 weeks, even she couldn't find any connection between Scarlet and Kora.
"I am sorry for the troubles that I have caused. I hope this remains between us. Let me compensate you for everything. Join my faction and I will help you heal those wounds, and even regrow your fingers and teeth. Furthermore, I will make sure to give you extra spirit stones every month, more than your talented cousin Athelisia." She spoke softly but hid her real intentions skillfully. She was unwilling to let Kora go freely. As the saying goes, Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, Arcene wanted to keep a watch on Kora all the time, and if he joins her faction that would be much easier.
Arcene slowly, very slowly started releasing his chains as she waited for his answer while looking into his jade eyes.
"..." Kora fell in deep thought but inwardly sneered and looked into her eyes that had a mischievous glint, 'Smart Girl, but Daddy is also an old-sly fox. If I accept immediately, you would know, I was feigning all along, and I am desperate to get out of this torture, and then you would continue it again. If I say No, you would keep me locked in here for 2 more days till the end of the commoner's test.'
Kora knew there was no way, Arcene would let him go like this. Kora could escape any second but he needed an opportunity, otherwise, his actual cultivation level will be leaked. Furthermore, he wanted his freedom and secrecy. He would not be able to prepare for the rituals he has planned to increase his cultivation if Arcene keeps a watch on him. Thus he decided to take the wait and watch route.
"I am just a Zero, Princess, I don't deserve to serve you in the way you want me to, but I could be useful in other ways..." Kora's smile widened as he continued, "I only have one wish, that is to satisfy you, Princess. With my techniques, you would moan like there is no tomorrow...and experience the heavenly bliss that many women in the Vrigaipis Marquessate praise me for..." Kora replied with a depraved grin. He knew she can't kill him inside the Academy premises.
'Is he bluffing or does he have some loose screws inside his head?' Arcene's brows wrinkled. She had no idea what Kora wanted. Whether he wanted to get out of this torture, or whether he still somehow wanted to get out of this room and attend the test, to officially become a part of the Academy and receive protection? After Kora officially joins the Academy, then she could not try to touch him inside the premises as Protective Talismans are given to all the students, that once activated inside the academy, alert all the professors to reach the distress location within seconds.
'Too fucking cunning!' With their first meeting, Arcene already deduced Kora was sharp-witted, but Kora kept giving her one surprise after another.
"Really? I feel like you will be the best 'advisor'. So like the good dog you are, you will stay here for a few more days, till you make up your mind to serve me wholeheartedly as an advisor." Since she didn't know whether Kora wanted to get out of this torture or not, she also decided to wait till the entrance tests are over.
That being said, she brought out more heavy chains from her storage ring that may take even a Mid-Stage Elementary Profound Realm some trouble to get out of. Arcene connected the ends of the chains to the hooks made in the walls of the room and clasped the other ends to Kora's ankles and wrists.
"I hope you would decide to serve me the next time we meet." Arcene tapped on a few bricks in the walls and made some hand gestures as she stood in front of a corner of the room, that Kora didn't miss to notice as his powerful spiritual senses could feel everything happening in that room. Soon, a hidden door made up of bricks popped out as Arcene entered it. Then the door closed itself automatically.
'A formation master? Hmm, Did she hire some expert? I don't think so. Nobody would commission someone that may leak the whereabouts of such a big secret...A trustworthy formation master...' Kora could guess that Arcene had many helpers. But he didn't know why? After all, she was just a 'Fourth' Princess. Although her talents were better than all the other Prince and Princess of the Glipike Kingdom, except Scarlet, The Second Prince, and The Third Prince, who also had King-level talents, she had very less chances to succeed the throne.
This many helpers all across the Kingdom for just one person, who doesn't have the guarantee to succeed the throne, seemed increasingly fishy in Kora's eyes. It could only mean familial love, just like how parents want the best for their children, but there was another question brewing with intensity in his heart, Why didn't the other Prince and Princess get this treatment? Only the Second Prince and the Fourth Princess were given birth by the Queen, others were children born from King's concubines. But the difference of treatment between the Second Prince and the Fourth Princess was sky-high.
The Second Prince was more stoic and only cared about training harder, even then, the Queen never gave special attention to him, her own son, then why is she giving extra attention to Fourth Princess?
A mocking grin formed on Kora's lips in understanding a crucial point as he unleashed his cultivation of High-Stage Elementary Profound Realm and stood up, breaking all the chains in an instant.
"Grrrr..." With a low grunt, his eyes turned to slits, and two tails morphed out from his tailbone. The Tiran Spirit mark Glowed brightly and within a few seconds, all the injuries on his body were healed including the regeneration of all the fingers. He then crushed the Mukod centipedes into dust.
Olive mist surrounded his figure and the color of his body slowly became illusionary.
"No wonder Tiran Dao Spirits are so rare..." He muttered as his body vanished in thin air. But he was still standing there, checking out his invisible hands, that even he can't see, but only feel with his senses.
"This is why the Tiran Beasts are always hidden and difficult to find. No wonder cultivators took years to find one and even then, it is very hard to fight a beast that can even fool one's spiritual senses if the beast's cultivation is high enough." Just like cultivators, beasts could also cultivate their beast cores and increase their strength. He continued muttering to himself, "Even then, it is not guaranteed that the beast core of the Tiran beast will host a Tiran Dao Spirit inside." At the end of the day, if a Tiran beast was collected, most of the time, it would never have a Dao Spirit, making it an incredibly rare Dao Spirit.
"I am sure many people would have known about the Ozonal Demons Ancestral lineages that come from a dreaded beast...Is this why they shunned us?" Kora remembered when Yelena first talked about this. She told him that Demons had commanding lineages granting them powerful bloodline abilities that make them dynamic fighters. Compared to a human, who could only use his cultivation and weapons, Demons, had extra skills to put into a fight and slowly gain an advantage.
Step~
Step~
Kora moved towards a wall and tried to imitate the gestures and all the movements that Arcene did. Soon a door opened and the invisible figure vanished from the room.
On his way out, Kora appeared in a small mansion inside the Academy. This mansion was built just above the darkroom and a secret door was built under the carpet. Kora, who was now invisible looked around the room and figured out that this was Arcene personal mansion.
'How do I make my escape look less suspicious?' Kora thought as he exited the mansion.
A light bulb popped above his head as he turned around to look at the mansion with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Say Goodbye to Papa!" That being said, he ran towards the walls of the mansion that couldn't detect an invisible figure even when the defensive formations were active. Another terrifying use of the bloodline abilities of the Ozonal Demons. Formations could neither detect a hidden Tiran beast nor an awakened Ozonal Demon when they use their bloodline abilities.
*BAM!*
*BAM!*
*BAM!*
Several large holes formed in one wall after another as Kora kept punching his way inside the mansion, ruthlessly.
*BAM!* He reached the place whether the secret door under the carpet was hidden and,
*BAM!* He blasted it with another punch and entered a staircase leading to another door, underground.
*BAM!* Another door was crushed under his might as the defensive formations were completely useless against Kora and soon he entered the secret room, where he was tortured.
Then, with a shrug, he left silently.
.............
A few minutes later, Arcene was standing in front of her destroyed mansion with a frown on her face.
Someone dared to intrude upon her mansion and let her dog escape? The entire Academy was on high alert as several Professors of the Academy were checking for intruders. But Arcene couldn't tell anyone that Kora, the person she kidnapped has escaped with the help of the intruder. She could tell everyone that whoever the intruder was, was connected to Kora, as from the ruins it was easy to deduce that they wanted to free him as soon as possible. But if she did, everyone would ask, why was Kora inside her mansion and strapped in powerful chains.
Even if she was a princess, the rules of the Academy will punish her, even though Kora was not officially a part of the Academy, as the crime was done on a neutral ground where rules must not be broken.
As she was cursing in her mind, a Professor with a long beard and mustache approached Arcene as he said in a worrisome tone, "You were lucky Princess because whoever did this," He pointed at the debris and added after a short pause, "Was at least an Ace-Tribulation Realm expert..."
"W-what?" Arcene's face lost all color as she asked, "How did they enter the Academy Premises then?"
"We are checking up on that, and for now we could only tell that the person is someone from inside the Academy as there are no signs of a trespasser since all the formations of the Academy are still active and functioning, most probably another Professor did this. I suggest you don't trust anyone. Not even me." The Professors were the only ones inside the premises with a cultivation level of Ace-Tribulation Realm.
Arcene's paranoia hit her hard! Kora has connections with a Professor of an Academy? How in the 7 Hells did he manage something like that? Her silver eyes analyzed all the Professors checking up the ruined mansion, as her gaze locked on all females. She was sure Kora was fucking one of them!
............
Meanwhile, Kora was walking through the Professors mansions and left clean sets of his emerald robes inside a few of them.
"Let the cunning bitch use her brains, haha" He chuckled coldly and left while undoing his Demonic transformation as he knew, True Profound Realm cultivators or above will be able to spot him with their spiritual senses. He cleaned himself up with a gust of Qi and changed to a fresh set of robes.
He decided to hide inside the Academy Premises till the commencement of the test.