Zero nodded in understanding. "I see. Well, I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors. Remember, in this world, only the strong survive. Don't expect me to save you."

Pia smiled and replied, "I won't. This is something I've decided to do, and I'll handle it myself."

With that, Pia turned and walked towards the woods, determined to make a real impact and finish off the bandits, truly saving the villagers. Zero watched her go without a care in the world. After she disappeared into the woods, Zero removed his ring, which had sealed his powers as a demigod. This little trip with Pia had taught him that life was difficult without his powers.

Zero quickly used his soul abilities to alter the artifact, loosening the restrictions on his power. The ring now allowed him access to his vampire abilities and his ability to manipulate shadows. If Zero had wanted to increase the level of restrictions, he would have needed to add more souls to the ring, but reducing them was relatively simple.

After putting the ring back on, Zero flicked his finger, and his shadow tendrils emerged from the ground.

‘You know they were right; you don’t really appreciate what you have until it's gone.’

While he was lost in thought, a loud gunshot rang out, causing the forest birds to take flight. It seemed that Pia had encountered the bandits or perhaps some random wild animal.

Zero was intrigued by the gunshot, but he had no personal stake in the outcome. He knew that Pia was somewhat capable of taking care of herself. He decided to investigate what had happened out of curiosity. However, he had no intention of going out of his way to intervene if Pia needed help.

Zero walked in the direction of the gunshot, using the shadows to move quickly and quietly. As he approached the area, he observed Pia shooting her revolver at a group of bandits who were hiding behind some rocks, returning fire with bows and arrows.

Zero watched from a distance, impressed by Pia's skills as she managed to kill a bandit and disarm another by shooting his hand. He realized that she was not as weak as he had initially thought. It looked as if she wouldn't die anytime soon, so Zero disregarded her and, as a shadow, slithered into a cave behind the six bandits.

While Pia was dealing with the bandits, he thought he might as well search the cave. As he explored the cave, he found it desolate, but then he stumbled upon a particularly repulsive sight. Inside the cave, 15 women were held captive, and they were in a terrible state. It appeared they had been subjected to torture, with multiple whip marks on their skin. Some of them had their wrists and ankles deliberately broken, presumably to keep them captive.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Zero materialized from the shadows and walked around. These women appeared broken, both physically and mentally. Their eyes were lifeless, and their bodies were limp, like corpses. Even when Zero used the shadows to remove their restraints, none of the women moved an inch.

As Zero pondered what to do with these women, a man walked into the area and looked shocked at Zero's presence.

"Who the hell are you? How did you get inside? Did those morons fail to stop you, or did you sneak in while your friend dealt with those idiots?" demanded the bandit leader.

Zero responded with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, "Ah, I assume you're the leader of these bandits, correct? Are you also the one responsible for the state of these women?"

The bandit leader sneered, "Yeah, I'm the leader, and I'm responsible for these women. They're our property. We can do whatever we want with them. And now that you're here, you're our property too." It seemed the bandit leader had either mistaken Zero for a woman or he could go both ways.

Zero's expression turned cold, and his eyes glowed red. "I see. Well, it looks like you never learned the lesson of not biting off more than you can chew. You see, I was stumped about what to do with these women, but since you're here, I'd very much appreciate your help."

Without warning, Zero's shadow tendrils wrapped around the leader's body. He lifted the leader up and slammed him against the wall. The bandit leader screamed in pain as the shadows repeatedly slammed him against the wall, breaking his bones. The tendrils finally dropped the bandit leader, who was barely still alive.

Zero snapped his fingers, causing the shadows to leave, and a few seconds later, they returned with blades, knives, and daggers. The shadows then moved the women carefully, so as not to injure them, and sat them down, facing Zero.

Zero walked over and sliced his finger. He lifted a woman's head and dropped a bead of blood down her throat. Seconds later, her whip lashes and broken wrist healed, but she remained unresponsive. Zero went about repeating the process with all the other women. He noticed that not all these women were human. Of the women, ten were human, three were dwarves, one was an elf, and the last remaining appeared to be a different race.

The elf was characterized by her pointed ears, which were a distinctive feature that set her apart from humans. Elves were often described as tall, slender, and graceful, with a natural affinity for magic and the natural world.

The dwarves were a race of people who closely resembled humans in terms of physical appearance. However, they were much smaller in size and stature. They were considered to be petite and very small and delicate in build, making them physically distinct from other human-like races. They were stocky, strong, and hardy despite their small size.

The last woman Zero guessed belonged to the Alv race. She closely resembled a mix between humans and elves in terms of physical appearance. However, she possessed a unique distinguishing characteristic in the form of her dark green hair, an impossible color found in nature. Additionally, her ears were longer than those of humans but not as elongated as those of elves.

Now fully healed, Zero used his hypnotic eyes on them. He didn't use it to give them orders but rather to relay information to the deepest part of their subconscious. Zero guessed that their minds couldn't handle their circumstances, so they retreated into the depths of the subconscious.

"This is the man responsible for the pain and torture you all went through," Zero informed them. "If you want revenge, then take up these weapons and take it for yourselves. If you wish for death, then you know what to do. The choice is yours."

It seemed that the words truly resonated with the women as they began to move toward the pile of weapons.