Jean could only stare in awe as her Commander dragged the mastermind—the leader behind Skulth—by a leash around his neck.

Until now, she had always thought Annabelle was the strongest Warden. But after today, Jean started to believe she might be one of the strongest beings to ever exist.

Everyone stood in silence as Annabelle finally stopped before them, released her grip on Nel, and hurried toward Adrian.

"Darling! I brought him. He's still alive," she said cheerfully, eyes bright with excitement.

Adrian smiled and patted her head. "You did great. My Bella is such a good girl."

"Eheheh~"

The soft giggle from a woman who had just slaughtered more than four hundred men sent a chill down Nel's spine.

He slowly lifted his tear-streaked face to look at Adrian—and froze. Adrian's piercing gaze was fixed on him, even as he gently played with Annabelle's hair.

Nel didn't dare move. He knew that one wrong twitch, one unnecessary motion, and any of these monsters would kill him without a second thought.

Annabelle suddenly jolted and said, "Ah, Ruby! While I was cleaning this place, I found someone familiar. Someone from the Vermillion family."

Ruby's eyes widened in shock. "Who?"

Annabelle tapped her chin, thinking for a moment before replying, "I don't remember her name. Well, I left her alive, but she fainted. Want me to bring her here?"

Ruby frowned but nodded.

In the next instant, Annabelle vanished.

The redhead turned toward Nel, her gaze sharp. "Why was that person here?" she demanded, certain that Nel had somehow captured someone from the Vermillion family.

She knew her mother was safe. So she wasn't worried about her. And about her other family members…well, despite her strained relationship with them, she cared about them deeply.

The thought of any of them being held captive in this place filled her with quiet rage.

Nel bit down on his lip, the pain from his severed arms and countless cuts making it hard to even breathe. Every movement sent a jolt through his body.

Adrian let out a quiet sigh before speaking, his tone calm yet cold. "Listen, Skulth's last survivor. I'm going to heal you first, then I'll ask you a few questions. If you lie or refuse to answer…" —he pointed toward Ariana— "…this woman will smash your head like a tomato."

Nel's trembling gaze drifted toward the silver-haired woman.

Those eyes—filled with unrestrained fury—made his stomach twist.

Unlike Annabelle, who wore her madness openly, Ariana's rage was quiet and suffocating. Ever since she'd seen Adrian kneeling on the ground, life fading from his body, that fury had been brewing inside her.

Now, she had a chance to unleash it.

*CLANG*

Her mace hit the floor, cracking the tile beneath it. "Please," she muttered, her voice shaking with anticipation, "do me a favor and resist even saying your name."

The hunger in her tone was almost as sharp as the pain burning through Nel's nerves.

Without a word, Adrian drew his revolver and fired a healing round.

A soft, golden light wrapped around Nel's body, closing his wounds within seconds.

'That is one peculiar armament,' Eros noted silently, her eyes narrowing at the weapon in Adrian's hand.

This wasn't the first time she had seen it, yet it never failed to mesmerize her.

The sight of someone wielding more than one element—and doing it with such flawless control—filled her with awe. A flicker of excitement stirred within her, but she quickly tamed her curiosity and stayed silent.

"Here she is!" Annabelle called out cheerfully, stepping into view. In her arms lay a woman drenched in blood and gore—though none of it was her own.

She had merely fainted, overwhelmed by the massacre around her.

Even beneath the thick layer of crimson, Ruby instantly recognized her.

"Aunt Mary…" she whispered, her voice trembling.

There was no mistake. It was her father's eldest sister—the eldest daughter of the Vermillion family.

Adrian exhaled softly and turned his gaze back to Nel.

"Now tell me," he said, his voice carrying quiet weight, "why was she here?"

Nel sniffled, his face pale. Though his body had healed, the terror gripping his mind refused to fade.

He had no hope of surviving, but he begged for one thing. "Can you give me a painless death, if possible?"

Adrian's brow rose. "What happened to the bravado you showed in the Tower? I thought you were a blood-loving warrior."

Nel's shoulders shook. "I can command people, and my plans never failed… That's why the previous ruler raised me. The truth is—I've never been to a real war."

Ariana let out a cold snort. "What a weakling." She grabbed his hair and hauled his face up. "Why didn't you show the same mercy you beg for now to the ones you killed? The children, the families who only wanted to live in peace?"

Jean's face mirrored Ariana's fury. As a former Warden, she hated people like him with a deep, raw loathing.

Ariana slammed Nel's face into the floor. Adrian crouched, pressed the revolver to his temple and said, "The bullet in this chamber will end you on the spot. Tell the truth, and you'll get a quick death."

Nel lifted his head and nodded. He pointed at the woman in Annabelle's arms. "What is she doing here?"

Ruby watched every twitch of his face. She wanted—no, she prayed—that Mary had been taken to be used as leverage. Nel's plan, his blackmail. She needed that to be true.

"She was going to give a statement to the reporters that you're an inhumane monster," Nel said.

Adrian frowned. "And you forced her to do that?"

Nel shook his head. "She's been helping us for a while. In exchange, she wanted us to remove the main family."

Ruby vanished in a blink and appeared before him, one hand on his throat. "Khuak!" The man choked as she lifted him clean off the floor. Her voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "If any of those words are a lie—"

"How could it be a lie?" Nel croaked. "How else do you think we found your house? How else did we know when your whole family would be gathered?"

Ruby's eyes widened.

*Thud*

She let go of Nel, the truth sinking in like a dagger to the chest.

Her family had gathered at the ancestral house days before she arrived… and yet, the Acolytes waited. They waited until she was there too—then struck.

It wasn't coincidence. It was betrayal.

Annabelle stepped forward, dropping Mary to the floor in front of Ruby.

With a soft pat on the redhead's shoulder, she said, "You make the judgment."

°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. Make sure to leave a review or a comment if you have been enjoying the story so far.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.