Chapter 361: The Cost of Betrayal

THUD!

A massive cloud of rusted dust exploded into the air as the Dark Wyvern dropped the mangled, lifeless body of the Crimson-Feathered Roc onto the scrapheap.

Kael reached up, rubbing the terrifying beast’s snout. "Good boy."

Whoosh! The Netherworld Soul Locking Flag materialized, its dark fabric fluttering as it absorbed the Roc’s screeching soul into its depths. The Wyvern let out a low, satisfied RUMBLE before dissolving into a pool of shadows, returning to the shadow realm.

Kael turned his attention back to the Frost Armor woman. She was still bound by the dark chains, sobbing and trembling.

"I’m sure you know why the House of Crimson wanted me," Kael said, his voice flat and devoid of emotion. "But that doesn’t concern me right now."

BZZT! A rod of pure, condensed darkness formed in his hand. He used his gravity manipulation to violently wrench her arms together.

CRACK! Her shoulders dislocated from the sheer force.

"AHHHH!" she screamed.

SCHLICK! Kael drove the dark rod straight through both of her hands, pinning them together. Blood sprayed onto the rusted metal below.

"I only want to know one thing," Kael said, his silver-flecked eyes boring into her soul. "The location of the Clown."

"I-I don’t know!" she wailed, tears and snot mixing with the blood on her face. "I swear I don’t know!"

SCHLICK! Another rod formed and stabbed straight through her left leg, pinning it to the ground.

"AHHHHH! PLEASE!" she shrieked.

"That doesn’t sound useful," Kael muttered coldly.

SCHLICK! A third rod impaled her right leg.

"I SERIOUSLY DON’T KNOW!" she screamed, her voice cracking in pure agony. "But... but you can investigate! The Clown operates out of a hidden staging ground! A planet called Necroxis in the Necrotic Reach! It’s where he trains his soul puppets!"

Kael frowned. Vyra stepped forward, her expression grim. "My Lord, the Necrotic Reach is three galaxies away. It’s deep in unclaimed space."

"Please..." the Frost woman sobbed, looking up at Kael with desperate eyes. "I told you what you wanted! Let me go now! Please!"

Kael smirked, a cold, predatory curve of his lips. "Did you really think I was ever going to let you go?"

Her eyes widened in absolute horror.

SCHLICK!

A final dark rod formed above her chest and plunged straight into her heart. Her body jerked once, her eyes locking onto Kael’s in disbelief before the light faded from them completely.

Whoosh! The Soul Flag appeared, absorbing her soul before returning to Kael’s storage.

Behind him, Darian swallowed hard, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. The Young Lord is truly terrifying, he thought, his respect for Kael shifting into something closer to fearful reverence.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two Shadow Clones descended from the smog, dropping a heavily bruised, unconscious Sebastian onto the ground. His robes were torn, and his face was swollen.

Kael looked down at his brother, a cold smile spreading across his face. "It’s time to go."

Aboard the Spatial Ship.

The sleek black vessel tore through the atmosphere of Sector 9-Vex, leaving the burning ruins of the scrapyard city far behind.

Inside a secure, rune-reinforced holding room, Sebastian was strapped to a heavy metal chair. Thick, mana-locking chains bound his wrists and ankles, suppressing his cultivation completely.

CRACKLE!

A sharp shock of lightning arced from a rune on the chair, jolting Sebastian awake.

"AHHHH!" He gasped, his eyes snapping open.

Standing directly in front of him was Kael. He had removed the Mask of a Thousand Faces, his dark hair falling over his silver-flecked eyes. He looked completely relaxed, which made the situation infinitely more terrifying.

Sebastian’s face twisted in pure terror. His breath came in ragged, panicked gasps. He’s here. He caught me.

"K-Kael..." Sebastian stammered, his voice trembling. "Please... please, brother. We can talk about this."

"Talk?" Kael murmured. He didn’t use any weapons. He simply reached out and grabbed Sebastian’s left wrist.

SQUELCH-TEAR!

Kael ripped his hand clean off. Blood sprayed across the floor.

"AHHHHHH! MY HAND!" Sebastian shrieked, his body convulsing in agony as he peeped himself.

Kael didn’t blink. He looked down at Sebastian’s crotch with absolute disgust. SCHLICK! A blade of darkness formed and with a single, brutal motion, Kael chopped off Sebastian’s manhood.

Sebastian’s scream was so loud. He thrashed wildly, blood pooling beneath the chair.

"Where is the Clown?" Kael asked, his voice a calm whisper.

"I DON’T KNOW!" Sebastian wailed, sobbing uncontrollably. "I SWEAR! THEY JUST USED ME! THEY SAID THEY WOULD PROTECT ME! THOSE DAMN FUCKERS! PLEASE!"

Kael sighed, the sound heavy with disappointment. He dragged a metal chair over, SCRAPE, and sat down directly in front of his mutilated brother.

"You know," Kael said, leaning back. "I really thought I would enjoy doing this, but man... it’s actually starting to get a little boring. You’re making this too easy, Sebastian. There’s no challenge."

Sebastian’s emotions were a chaotic storm. Absolute terror, agonizing physical pain, and a deep, gut-wrenching humiliation. He had always hated Kael. He had always envied him. Now, he was nothing but a broken toy in front of him.

"We did grow up together, after all," Kael continued, his eyes distant. "Isabella, you, and I."

He smirked, a cruel, mocking expression. "I always knew you hated me, of course. After all, I was the better one. You were just..." Kael paused, letting the silence hang. "...a discard."

Sebastian flinched, the word hitting harder than the physical torture.

"You were a pathetic shadow of a man who couldn’t even cultivate properly," Kael continued, his voice dripping with venom. "A cockroach clinging to the lowest rung of the family, desperate to be noticed by a father who didn’t even remember your name. You were so pathetically weak that you had to resort to hiring assassins just to feel relevant. And even then, you failed to kill me."

SQUELCH!

Kael lunged forward, his hand plunging directly into Sebastian’s left eye socket.

"AGGGGHHHH!" Sebastian’s body arched violently, blood streaming down his face like tears.

Kael leaned in close, his voice dropping to a terrifying, guttural hiss. "What I don’t fucking understand is why the fuck you would do this to Isabella. I never gave a fuck about you. But she... she trusted you. She was the only one alongside your bloody mother who even gave a fuck about you."

Kael twisted his fingers deeper, the sound of crushed tissue echoing in the room.

"But yet, you handed her soul right to that fucking face-clown!"

BOOM!

Kael kicked the chair with immense force. The metal crumpled like paper, sending Sebastian crashing across the room into the far wall with a sickening CRUNCH.

Kael stood up, wiping the blood from his hand with a cloth. He walked toward the door, pausing just as it slid open.

"You’re going to rot in the deepest dungeon of the Vorn Estate until your soul shatters," Kael said, his back to the broken, sobbing mess of his brother. "Pray to whatever god you believe in that Isabella’s soul is intact, Sebastian. Because if it isn’t, I will personally drag your soul out of the reincarnation cycle and ensure your eternity is nothing but a living nightmare."

HISS. The heavy metal door slid shut, sealing Sebastian in the dark.

[Author’s Note]

Hello my dear readers! I hope you enjoyed this intense Chapter. Kael’s ruthlessness is on full display.

See you in the next Chapter!