Chapter 11: Darkness and Solitude
The three-man adventuring team quickly retreated, but Su Xiao kept staring in the direction they had disappeared. The reason was simple—that red-haired youth gave him a very strange feeling.
"That seemed to be... World Force?"
Su Xiao wasn't entirely certain. If that youth truly possessed World Force, then he was essentially one of the protagonists of this world.
It wasn't unusual for such a Primordial World to have "protagonists," and there was often more than one. They all carried World Force, commonly known as having strong luck.
Similar to World Children like Luffy or Kurosaki Ichigo, this world naturally didn't have them, but the appearance of some pseudo-protagonists wasn't surprising. When Su Xiao was in the Shia World, he knew there were two pseudo-protagonists. One was the Third Prince, who eventually became the king.
Initially, Su Xiao didn't realize the Third Prince was a pseudo-protagonist. He didn't even know this when leaving the Shia World. It wasn't until a casual conversation during a sparring match with Yan Chen that the other party mentioned it, and only then did Su Xiao suddenly understand.
It wasn't just the Third Prince—Lide was also originally one of the protagonists of the Shia World. Unfortunately, he encountered the descent of the Law Destruction Faction and was struck down from being a World Protagonist to a tomb guardian by the Law Destroyers.
As for the youth Su Xiao had just encountered, he was most likely one of the protagonists of the Dark Crow World. His World Force wasn't as abundant as Lide's, but it was a bit more than the Third Prince's.
Su Xiao temporarily ignored the nameless youth. Now that he had captured the witch Isa alive, the next step was to inquire about the Death Land's clues.
When Su Xiao first dealt with Isa, he was only testing her. After basically understanding the witch's combat style, he directly subdued her.
Su Xiao carried Isa out of the council hall and walked out of the royal palace. The moment he left the palace, a large group of soldiers surrounded him.
"You there..."
Su Xiao looked at a burly general. The general's brows were furrowed.
"Are you their leader?"
"That's right. Where is the Lord?"
This general didn't order the soldiers to charge immediately. The corpses he had seen upon arrival were warning him that the situation inside the palace was very strange.
"You're the king now."
"Eh~"
The burly general looked dumbfounded. After freezing for a few seconds, he rushed into the palace. In less than half a minute, he returned.
"Let this gentleman pass."
The burly general was clearly of above-average intelligence and very ambitious. The previous king was dead, and now he held military power. If he wasn't the king, who was? As for loyalty to the former king—hah.
Over ten thousand soldiers parted to make a path. They didn't know what was happening, but their duty as soldiers compelled them to obey orders.
Just as Su Xiao passed through the crowd of soldiers, he heard a loud roar from behind.
"The former king consorted with a witch and fathered a child with her—utterly evil..."
Clearly, this guy knew how to read the situation. Barring any mishaps, he would soon become the new king.
...
In an abandoned tailor shop east of the city, Su Xiao threw the witch Isa into a corner and took out fresh water to wash the blood off his hands.
"No matter what cruel methods you use to torture me, I will not yield!"
Isa's body had regained some sensation. Su Xiao hadn't broken her spine earlier.
Su Xiao took a metal syringe from his storage space. The syringe was filled with a pink solution—a plant-based anesthetic he had obtained from the Hunter World.
After being injected with the anesthetic, Isa looked at Su Xiao in confusion. She had originally thought Su Xiao would torture her, or even violate her. But from the current situation, Su Xiao didn't seem to intend to do that—which was even more terrifying.
Su Xiao snapped his fingers a few times in front of Isa, testing her mental state. Based on her sensitivity to sound, her mental state was still good.
Confirming this, Su Xiao took out a bottle of mineral water and forced Isa to drink it. Adequate hydration would ensure Isa's vital signs remained stable.
Not only that, but Su Xiao even stuffed a chocolate candy into Isa's mouth. This completely baffled her.
"What exactly are you..."
Isa's expression was no longer as composed as before. If Su Xiao had subjected her to brutal interrogation, she might have felt more at ease. But as a captive, her treatment was too strange. When thirsty, she got water. After eating that strange-tasting black bean, the gnawing hunger in her stomach subsided somewhat.
Snap, snap.
Su Xiao snapped his fingers twice in front of Isa again.
"From now on, you will enter a place surrounded by pitch-black darkness. Don't break down. After a long time, you will definitely leave that place. Remember, you will definitely escape that darkness. Always hold onto that belief."
"Huh?"
Isa was completely dumbfounded. At that moment, Su Xiao took out [Endless Darkness].
Equipment Effect: Black Prison (Active). If the enemy has lost the ability to resist, this collar can be equipped around their neck. Activating this collar will shroud the enemy's consciousness in darkness, causing their perception of time to become distorted.
Tip: Each use of 'Black Prison (Active)' consumes 1 point of this equipment's durability. This equipment cannot be repaired.
Tip: The effect of 'Black Prison (Active)' lasts 3 to 6 seconds. After the enemy's consciousness is shrouded in darkness, each 'second' of darkness will be greatly extended. The extension time depends on the enemy's willpower, with each second extended to a minimum of 20 natural days (this is the time flow rate experienced by the enemy's consciousness).
...
Su Xiao began adjusting [Endless Darkness]. Compared to inflicting physical pain, darkness and solitude were actually more terrifying.
With a click, [Endless Darkness] was locked around Isa's neck. Three blue indicator lights on the metal collar lit up, meaning Su Xiao had set it to 3 seconds.
Buzz~
The Black Prison ability was activated, and Isa's pupils gradually dimmed. After 1.5 seconds, tears the size of beans fell from her eyes. After 2 seconds, her pupils became dull and lifeless. After 3 seconds, the [Endless Darkness] collar snapped open.
Su Xiao caught the collar. Isa, her face covered in tears, looked at him.
"Please... don't leave."
Isa's voice trembled as she spoke.
"?"
Su Xiao glanced at the [Endless Darkness] in his hand. This thing was practically a divine tool for obtaining information.
"Where is the Death Land?"
"It's... it's..."
Isa's pupils quickly regained their luster. Seeing this, Su Xiao began adjusting [Endless Darkness] again.
"Don't... send me back there. I'll talk. Come closer—I'll only tell you."
Seeing Isa's reaction, Bubu Wang stepped forward, curious about this miraculous piece of equipment. He wasn't planning to try it himself, but wanted to bite it open and study its internal structure, and maybe savor the texture.
"Me and Aisaiya don't know where the Death Land is. Only Mo..."
Isa had only spoken halfway when Su Xiao grabbed Bubu Wang and threw him out of the tailor shop. He himself also leaped out through the window.
Crack, crack, crack...
With Isa as the center point, everything began to wither and turn to ash. In an instant, the entire tailor shop turned into dust. A breeze blew, carrying the dust away.
On the street, Su Xiao finally understood why Aisaiya and Isa were unwilling to reveal information about the Death Land. Because speaking of it meant certain death. This bizarre ability was most likely the work of a curse-type witch, and that witch was extremely powerful—so powerful that Aisaiya and Isa dared not resist.