Bane scanned his surroundings as Seryu continued her monologue, spewing her twisted view of justice and vengeance.
'She's taking this matter into her own hands, huh,' Bane observed.
'There are no other soldiers here, either. If she'd brought me back to the surface, her superiors would have known what she's doing. Even if she is a teigu user and has special privileges, it is too unusual… this seems personal.'
From what little he had heard from Budo, there were strict commands from the higher-ups that were either to capture or kill the targets.
There was no in between.
His gaze flicked to her uniform, the polished imperial insignia glinting faintly in the dim light.
'A grudge perhaps,' he concluded. 'She must've lost someone important to the Night Raiders. A family member? A mentor? Could explain the obsession. And that uniform... Imperial Guard. High-ranking, and likely working alone.'
Bane was slowly piecing it all together.
His wrists and ankles throbbed in protest as he tried to subtly adjust his position.
The metallic cuffs, lined with cruel thorns, bit into his flesh each time he moved. Their sole purpose was to inflict pain.
'Let her keep blabbering,' he thought dismissively, his eyes darting to every corner of the sewer.
The dim light cast deep shadows over the grimy, damp walls. Every detail was catalogued in his mind.
'I need to figure out which part of the tunnel I'm in,' he thought, his gaze momentarily flicking toward the farthest edges of the space.
Through the deployment of his snakes, Bane had meticulously surveyed the sewer system during his reconnaissance at the brothel.
This undertaking had resulted in significant mental exertion and temporary visual impairment, lasting several hours, but ultimately proved to be a worthwhile endeavor.
He took a slow, measured breath.
'As for fighting her?'
Bane scoffed internally at the thought. 'No chance.'
He wasn't foolish enough to believe he could take on someone like Seryu and her monstrous Teigu, Kuro, in his current state.
His body was battered, his stamina dangerously low, and his combat abilities had been reduced to the level of a desperate imperial grunt.
One more reason would be that he didn't have a full grasp of his opponent's abilities, and that was a big red flag for him.
For now, fighting wasn't an option. Surviving was.
Bane's gaze flitted to every corner of the room, searching for his Teigu might be and anything else that might serve as a tool for escape.
'Where is Jormungandr?'
His Teigu was missing, and worse, so was Sheele's weapon, Ecstasy.
How could Seryu hide a weapon which was almost Bane's size?
Frustration bubbled beneath his calm exterior. Why would she hide them? Even if she wanted to torture me, there's no reason to keep my Teigu out of sight.
"… pathetic rebels. All they did was scream and cry. It was honestly disappointing," Seryu said, her tone almost sing-song, as she tightened her grip on his neck and forced his head upward.
"...Hey ugly scum, are you listening to what i am saying?" Seryu asked, her eyes narrowed.
Bane blinked, his expression shifting to one of exaggerated fear.
"Y-Yes, ma'am! I-I was just in awe of your power and charisma…" His voice trembled as he spoke. "How could someone as lowly as me dare not listen to someone so respectable and dutiful as you, an Imperial Guard?"
If anyone in the Revolutionary Army, anyone who knew him as the "Immortal Wraith" had heard him speak, they would've been speechless.
Bane, the aloof and distant rebel elite, grovelling like a spineless wretch?
But did Bane care about that?
He didn't give a crap about what people thought.
As long as he can stab his opponent in the back, as long as he gets that opportunity, he would even kiss their ass, let alone act.
Seryu was slightly surprised by the submissive demeanour of the scum in front.
'Was his earlier calm demeanour just a facade or something else..' she thought.
She narrowed her eyes at suspicion as he began to tighten her grip around Bane's neck.
Bane winced, his eyes widening in what seemed to be genuine fear as her hand constricted his throat.
But as she saw his body shaking, overcome with fear, her lips curled into a pleased smile.
"Good, good," she muttered, almost to herself. "At least you have more brains than those two idiots behind me."
Her gaze flicked briefly to the lifeless forms of Tatsumi and Sheele before returning to Bane. "I guess even the lowest mutts can show some decency when their deaths are near."
'Why do these egotistical idiots always blabber instead of finishing the job?' Bane thought.
From the moment he had joined the Revolutionary Army, he had lived by a single, unshakable lesson drilled into him by his adoptive father and instructor, Geralt.
'Finish the job quickly. Never give the enemy a chance to retaliate.'
Even recently, with the brothel owner, who was just a low level grunt in his eyes, he hadn't hesitated.
He had blown the man apart with a fucking bomb before the bastard could transform into whatever monstrosity he'd been planning.
Why, you may ask?
Because giving an opponent time to gather strength or prepare a counterattack was pure idiocy.
'Overconfidence is the root of self-destruction,' he thought grimly. 'But at least it works in my favour with lunatics like her.'
Seryu's grip on his neck tightened again, her amber eyes gleaming with sadistic delight. Her grotesque smile stretched wider as she leaned closer, her breath warm against his cheek.
"you…" she whispered, her tone dropping, "you're no different. I want to see how you'll beg when I torture them in front of you. You'll scream like the disgusting worm you are."
Bane flinched in fear, but in his mind, he rolled his eyes.
'You bet I will, you crazy bitch,' he thought sarcastically.
As he adjusted his bent knees slightly, his foot brushed against something sharp beneath the muddy water pooling around him.
*Shing*
Something pressed against his toes, the edge cutting into his skin.
He wiggled his foot to get a better sense of the blade's size and orientation
'If this is what I think it is…' His heartbeat quickened as he looked towards Sheele. 'Getting out of here might actually be possible. ….But it's going to take some serious risks.
Bane shifted his position slightly, grimacing as the metallic cuffs dug deeper into his flesh. Blood pooled beneath him, staining the water, but he gritted his teeth and focused.
Meanwhile, Seryu continued her tirade, too caught up in her 'righteous' fury to notice Bane's subtle movements.
After a few minutes, she straightened and snapped her fingers.
"Kuro!" she called sharply.
"Grrr," the hulking beast stirred from its spot, lifting its massive head from the mutilated corpse it had been chewing on.
It's dark fur was slick with blood, and its glowing eyes locked onto its master with animalistic intensity.
Seryu pointed at Bane. "Watch him. If he tries anything, rip him apart."
"Growl!" Kuro let out a low growl, padding toward Bane with deliberate menace. Its hulking frame loomed over him, and its teeth glistened with blood and saliva. It settled a few feet away, its gaze never leaving him.
Satisfied, Seryu turned her attention back to Tatsumi. The battered boy remained slumped against the wall, his chains clinking faintly as he trembled.
Seryu approached him slowly, pulling a small sickle from the side of her socks. The blade glinted faintly in the dim light.
"Well, let's get back to it," she said with enthusiasm. "I've been looking forward to this part."
She stood in front of Tatsumi, gripping his swollen face with one hand and forcing his head upward.
Blood smeared across her gloves as she roughly turned his head from side to side.
"You've been so quiet lately," she cooed mockingly. "Let's see if I can get a little more noise out of you."
Tatsumi's eyes remained deadpan without an ounce of life, though he was clearly on the brink of unconsciousness.
Seryu pressed the blade of the sickle against his face, just below his left eye.
"Let's see how this feels without your eyes," she whispered, her voice cold and devoid of humanity.
The blade dug in slowly, blood trickling down Tatsumi's cheek. Tatsumi muffled quietly.
The sewer, though they were faint, choked by his muffled moans.
Kuro growled in response, as if spurred on by his master's sadistic work.
Bane, despite his grim situation, focused intently on the sound of his own breathing.
He ignored the sickening squelch of the blade, the Tatsumi's stifled cries, and even the growls of the Teigu watching him.
'I need to time this right,' he thought, his foot brushing against the object beneath the water again. 'One wrong move, and this thing will tear me apart.'
He pressed his foot harder against the blade, wedging it firmly into the mud. Using his heel, he angled the blade upward, tilting it toward his first target: the binding on his right ankle.
Slowly, carefully, Bane moved his leg, so the binding scraped against the blade. The sharp thorns cut deeper into his skin as he manoeuvred, but the alternative was far worse.
'Keep steady,' he thought, adjusting his grip on the blade with his foot.
With small, deliberate movements, he rubbed the bindings.
His icy gaze flickered toward Seryu. The deranged woman was too absorbed in her sadistic game to notice the subtle movements of her captive.
'Just a little more…' he thought.
...
[A/N : Damn, I got a fever because of this fluctuating weather (hot and cold), so if there are any mistakes,I will correct them when I feel better.] [Chapter length:1550 words]