Alquira's eyes sparkled with anticipation, "Ah, the thrilling part!" she exclaimed eagerly, her gaze filled with manic excitement.

She stood before the chained Antlerians, waving her hands dramatically, "Elvida, Automaton of Death, impale thy blasphemous vermin for their sins!"

In the blink of an eye, the chains that had ensnared the villagers grew even tighter, causing them to gasp and struggle in vain. The chains then began to tremble, and eerie, tiny metallic figurines with dexterous, little hands materialized on them. These grotesque dolls spawned attached to the length of the chains, clutching minuscule, razor-sharp needles in their hands. It was almost like the miniature dolls were holding a spear.

The villagers watched in horrified confusion, trying to fathom the meaning behind the appearance of this doll. Then, with horrifying suddenness, the metallic statues sprang to life, their joints creaking ominously as they raised their arms with spears. In painful procession, these dolls drive the little spears right into the villager's flesh and skin.

The statues then would pull their spears back leaving a punctured hole and then stab again to create numerous little holes in the villager's body. Piercing screams of agony erupted echoing throughout the village that would send shivers down one's spine.

The little metallic statues showed no mercy when stabbed, creating gruesome punctures and oozing wounds across the villagers' bodies. The forest floor soon began to glisten with the blood that flowed from these terrible injuries. After grievously wounding an area, the iron statues would methodically crawl around the villager's chains to the next area to stab.

It didn't take time for the villagers to be bathed in their own blood as the dolls ruptured each of their skin pores. They were not even given immediate death but a slow painful death as they screamed in pain.

Meanwhile, Alquira reveled in sadistic ecstasy as she observed the torment unfolding before her. Her voice dripped with twisted pleasure, "Oh my, what a magnificent symphony! It's almost as though I've been transported to heaven," she purred. "Scream your hearts out! Pour your emotions into it. Let the heaven hear your agony, you sinners."

Alquira had a sickening hobby of torturing and watching others suffer.

The miniature statues continued their relentless assault, sparing no one, not even the children. Their merciless pricks targeted eyes, heads, and even genitals, leaving behind a nightmarish suffering.

The forest echoed with the heart-wrenching cries of the tormented villagers:

"Aaaah!~ Help me!" "It hurts... It hurts... It hurts..." "Mother! I don't wanna die." "I can't see anything!" "Please, end it now!" "You monsters! You'll rot in hell! I will follow you to the ends of hell! Aargh!"

And many more such desolate screams echoed that were dying one by one.

Amidst this gruesome symphony of despair, Alquira was having a blast with a wide smile. With a wicked grin, she waved her hands as if conducting an orchestra of suffering. She was having the time of her life.

"Yes, that's it! Put all your strength into your voice as if there's no tomorrow!" she exclaimed, her laughter chillingly maniacal, "Scream your hearts out!"

But slowly, the volume of their cries began to diminish as the villagers started dying one by one. The first to meet their gruesome end were the children and the elderly, their voices silenced forever. The remaining young adults, barely clinging to life, lay in a nightmarish pool of their own blood. The miniature statues showed no mercy, relentlessly skewering fresh holes in their already ravaged bodies.

"Please, just kill me," they all mumbled, their voices weak and pleading.

It was like a scene like hell on earth. There was just blood everywhere, numerous corpses with punctured holes, and remaining villagers bleeding slowly begging for death.

As the Virtues observed the villagers slowly bleeding to their deaths, there was no remorse in Alquira's heart. She saw this massacre as nothing more than killing free time for her.

Meanwhile, Silas remained calmly composed, unwavering in the face of the unfolding brutality. Not a trace of remorse or pity crossed his features for these poor villagers.

But the other two comrades of their were not pleased with what they saw.

Belarus appeared visibly irritated, "Disgusting! She still finds pleasure in this twisted pastime. That woman gives me the creep," he muttered under his breath.

"I've had enough," Kraven declared suddenly, striding forward toward the suffering Antlerians. He pushed aside the love-stricken Alquira and stood before the bloody villagers.

Alquira's panicked voice rang out, "Kraven! What in the world do you think you're doing?"

As Kraven stepped forward, he stood before the surviving villagers who were in agony. His one arm transformed into a glacial cold, an icy frost creeping along his fingers.

"I am really ashamed of my colleague's reckless and ruthless behavior that you people had to suffer. For the apology, I'll now end your suffering for once and for all." a swift movement of his hand released a burst of frigid mist that enveloped the villagers as he whispered, "Eris, Frost Wave,"

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

In the blink of an eye, the tribal villagers, both the living and the dead, were frozen in place, their forms transformed into chilling icy sculptures. Even the blood pool underneath the villagers froze in its tracks, becoming an eerie tableau of frozen crimson.

Every aspect of the nightmarish scene, from the lifeless corpses to the blood-soaked earth, succumbed to the encroaching frost. Even the menacing iron miniature dolls, the agents of torment, stood motionless, their metallic forms now locked in an icy embrace.

“Kraven! What the hell, I am the one who was supposed to get rid of them!” shouted agitated Alquira as her brows throbbed.

Kraven didn’t pay any attention to Alquira. With a decisive clench of his fist, he brought about the final act in this gruesome drama. The icy sculptures of the villagers crumbled into a myriad of icy particles, relieving the villagers of their agonizing torment. The icy particles literally flew in the breeze spreading across the village and disappearing out of sight.

As the sculptures disintegrated, not a trace of the Antlerian villager remained, not even the corpses or even the blood. Only Alquira's chains and the miniature dolls remained, the haunting remnants of a twisted spectacle had finally ended.

Kraven, also known as Kraven Frost was the Heavenly Virtue of Magnificence. His handsomeness is parallel to his extraordinary talent as an elemental mage prowess. He also carried himself with grace because he was a prince of the Frostfall Kingdom.

Alquira's anger flared, "Kraven! I joined this group under the agreement that I could indulge in my hobby to my heart's content!"

Kraven's gaze bore into Alquira, his eyes reflecting distaste, "I can hardly believe that you are a heavenly virtue like myself. Even the thought of being associated with you sickens me. If you want to pursue your sickening hobby, do it alone. I want no part in witnessing such a detestable scene ever again."

The gloomy girl was Alquira Wagabaria, the Heavenly Virtue of Temperance. She was a sadistic person who was engrossed in pleasure by torturing and witnessing the agonizing deaths of others. Her twisted dream was to craft a symphony of tortured voices, a composition so chilling that even the heavens themselves would tremble at her ghastly orchestra.

Turning her fury towards Silas, Alquira's voice trembled with anger, "Silas! You made a promise that I could indulge in my passion project if I helped you! So this is a breach of our agreement!"

Silas regarded Alquira with a measured glance before releasing a resigned sigh, "You've had your fill of amusement now let's refocus on our mission."

Alquira persisted, "But you promised-"

"If you start irritating me, I'll be the one torturing you next," Silas warned her glaringly.

Though Alquira seethed with suppressed anger, she held her tongue in the face of Silas's threat.

Belarus chimed in with his own perspective, his voice tinged with annoyance, "All that screaming was giving me a headache, to be honest. I was going to use my flames to bring an end to them anyway. I really don't like seeing that painful death."

The crimson-haired man was Belarus Benquish Ironhearth, the designated Heavenly Virtue of Courage, who possessed a unique lineage as a half-human and half-dragon. He might look like a human but he had the heart of a beast who loves to fight. He enjoys brawling so much that he used to often challenge the other Virtues by deliberately picking fights. After Silas punished him harshly he has since stopped infighting with his fellow virtues.

Alquira just rolled her eyes, “This is exactly why I hate warrior type. They have no eyes for art.”

Silas stepped forward, in a resolute tone, "Belarus, time for you to transform and commence digging right here," he directed, his index finger indicating the precise spot while holding the horn in the other hand, "Just be careful so that gates remain undamaged"

Belarus, his irritation evident, responded defiantly, "Why should I, a dragon, lower myself to digging tunnels? Let Kraven handle that task."

Silas, however, remained resolute, fixing Belarus with a piercing glare. "You've already wreaked quite the havoc! You even destroyed a part of the forest, and now I have to clean up your mess," Silas retorted, his tone unyielding, "At the very least, use your abilities to dig a passage to the gates. If you refuse, I won't hesitate to once again seal you in place for another thousand years if you want."

As Silas began to reach for the pocket watch concealed in his sleeve, Belarus begrudgingly relented. "Fine, no need to resort to that crappy spell of yours," Belarus conceded, his annoyance evident.

"Good. Now, let's get back to work," Silas concluded, taking a deep breath as he prepared to oversee the task at hand.

Silas Tranquillow was the esteemed Heavenly Virtue of Patience, he held the distinction of being the eldest among the twelve Heavenly Virtues. Furthermore, he occupied the crucial position of second-in-command within the ranks of the Virtues. He was a cunning and shrewd person known to maintain order and authority of the Heavenly Virtues throughout the mortal realm.

Belarus had transformed into his half-dragon form, his formidable claws effortlessly carving through the earth as if it were tofu. The displaced soil scattered around him, leaving a chaotic mess in his wake just like a dog.

Meanwhile, the trio of comrades waited at a few distance away, watching the Belarus create a tunnel underground.

In contrast, Alquira stood alone in a corner, her frustration palpable as she absentmindedly poked an anthill beneath a tree. She muttered bitter curses under her breath, her pout revealing her displeasure at being denied the opportunity to inflict torment upon the villagers. She was now venting her frustration by just crushing the poor ants with a stick. "Bastard Kraven! One day, I'll skewer his guts, extract his entrails, and fashion a scarf from his intestines," she muttered with her seething anger.

Kraven, seemingly undisturbed by Alquira's menacing words, approached Silas with an inquiry. "Was it truly necessary to have all four Heavenly Virtues on this mission?" he asked.

Silas met Kraven's gaze and replied thoughtfully, "If the gates are open then even the four of us would have trouble containing it but I called the four of us to properly place the Artifact of Grith on the sealed gates. To do that I would need the help of all the four Heavenly Virtues to reinforce the seal,"

Kraven regarded Silas with a solemn expression, "The Artifact of Grith? Do we really need to use such an artifact for the seal?"

Silas maintained his serious demeanor as he responded, "I cannot say for certain, but this is the will of the Holy Archangels themselves. As their servants it's not our place, to question their judgments. Installing the Artifact of Girth demands an immense reservoir of mana, which is why I've gathered the three of you for this mission."

Kraven nodded in understanding the gravity of the situation.

"Oi! I've successfully dug a tunnel leading to the gates. I really do need to take a bath now," Belarus's voice echoed, bringing their attention back to the task at hand.

"Very well, let us check reinforce the seal, and install the artifact," Silas said, “We also need to fix this forest so nobody can find this place or whatever occurred here ever.”

The Four Heavenly Virtues then ventured into the newly dug tunnel heading to the sealed gates.