“And here is your home for the next few days.”

I was hanging on the wall. Cuffs around my wrists and ankles.

“Goodness. Not even letting me stretch?”

“Heh, you are at the strength of a 480. A stretch could break down that wall.”

“Understood. So, what are you going to try first.”

“First I’m going to need a nap.”

“So, what are you doing right now?”

“Preparing the start of your stay.”

He laid out surgical equipment.

“You know, I was a person in a great empire when I lived on Earth.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, we called ourselves the Aztecs.”

He put down an obsidian sword.

“And I don’t even need to worry about limits. Your death cut is too complicated to do accidentally.”

I laughed.

“So, what if I simply ignore you?”

“If you go numb then that is a submission.”

“So, what will I do for now?”

“Watch these weapons, and quiver in excitement for the pain that will show up when I wake.”

He took two steps. Fell into his bed and passed out. I definitely did a number on him.

‘Now, to figure out what exactly happened? Why did it say I died.’

There was only silence.

‘Does that… mean…’

It was in that moment that I understood. My analysis showed me as Heather. It would have showed Kala as Rose…

She used system override a long time ago to swap our names. Meaning she suspected something like this would’ve happened a long time ago.

‘You were the origin of my soul. Of course, you’d be able to do that.’

And Gethel specified Rose Hood and the Other shards. So it took Kala and the other shards who were asleep.

So, I was all that was left. That also explained Luma suddenly saying that I was the ruler. I didn’t pick up on it. I wonder if even Luma did.

Heather, a genius. She knew that the people listened to me. She knew I would be able to hold out…

“Thank you for this one last gift… Heather.”

A tear let down my eye. She could have lived, but she chose a contingency that even I wouldn’t have considered.

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I looked at the tools with disdain. Then I looked at one in particular that he laid out. My sword.

‘He’s going to butcher me with my own sword.’

The same sword that Gallson crafted, and Thalia reinforced. The weapon I used against Celios, and even Sal. Marcus was going to try to make my trusty blade into my worst nightmare.

It was an efficient way to break the soul. I could tell that they truly wanted my power, but they deemed Heather a lot easier to control than me.

I checked my level, and surprisingly I reached 187 from Heather’s death.

“9 levels.”

“Eh, did you sleep at all?”

“No, I was thinking about things.”

“Want to submit.”

“Of course not.”

“Alright, I’m certain you already know what I’m going to do with this.”

He picked up my blade and examined it.

“A wonderful blade. After enslaving you, I may keep it for myself. Bad materials, but if the smith was given proper materials, they could make a masterpiece.”

“It’s enforced by dragonscales.”

He looked.

“Indeed, it is. In fact, some of them seem to belong to that body of yours. It is indeed a work of art.”

“Thalia is indeed incredible.”

I smiled.

“You are brave. You can’t escape.”

“I know. At least, not right no- AAAAH!”

He impaled me with my sword. Then he quivered.

“Oh, what a scream~ I need more.”

“Oh, thank you for telling me how to spite you.”

For the rest of the day no matter what tool, what method, I didn’t say a single word.

_

“Goodness, you are stubborn.”

“…”

“You would be dead from pain alone if you weren’t a deity, so how can you still not have submitted.”

“…”

“You know, your people are probably in absolute disarray. Rose killed and you captured. When we finally break through that lock of yours, I bet we will find them moaning and sobbing. Maybe I’ll even take that sister of yours as my wife. With the enslave skill, I can do anything to her.”

“…”

“You really think that silence is the way to do it? I’m impressed, normally I quite enjoy torture sessions, but with the mild exception of your eyes you haven’t reacted at all.”

“…”

“It’s irritating.”

Over the whole day he threatened everyone I ever knew. His mole definitely had to be of a high influence.

“GAHH!!!”

He cut open my chest for the 395th time that day.

“Will you react already?!”

I just winced and kept smiling.

“THAT’S IT!!! SEND IN A NEW TORTURER!!! I’M SICK OF THE INDIFFERENCE THIS ONE HAS!!! I’m going to Gethel. Oh, I know!”

His smile widened.

“That mole of yours never lost access. So, he could bring that sister of yours, and you could watch my masterful dismantling of a live dragon.”

“SIR!!!”

“What is it?”

“All of the minor worlds were taken, and the lock was extended to them. Lord Gethel wants to meet with you.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“My moaning people seem to easily crush your indestructible army, huh?”

His face twisted in rage, and he ripped out my vocal cords before stomping out of the room.

He was angry, but I won more than even he realized.

When he ripped out my voice box, he also accidentally broke one of my handcuffs. Then he left me with no guard.

I carefully moved my free arm to the other side, I unlocked it, then, while remaining balanced, I unlocked both of my legs.

My dragonscale clothing regenerated as I picked up my sword. It was still covered in my guts.

“Alright, just gotta check that she’s not asleep and… where did sh-“

I slit her throat and caught the body.

‘I can use the uniform.’

I put it on and strapped the dead woman to the wall.

“He’s certainly going to be in for a major surprise.”

I used Invisibility. The cuffs were much like the ones the deities wore to train their physical skills, but there was one thing that even Gethel couldn’t have accounted for.

I had long since mastered the use of magic in those.

During the entire torture session, he thought I was simply not responding, but in fact I was escalating the damage by training 10s of skills at a time inside of my body.

I always thought that it would be too rough to do, but it was necessitated there.

I got reality magic to a 9. I could now entirely conceal myself. I also used system override to buff immortal’s regeneration to apply to mana as well.

Of course, both my pain resistance and immortal’s regeneration maxed out and I evolved them. It merged the two skills into Shallow Life.

Shallow Life had a few perks. I could control my regeneration on both my mana and health independently. However, it can only go to 120% default regeneration. Once a day for one minute I can level my regeneration to a lethal blow getting healed before the blade finished passing through.

I also meditated to bolster my strength. I was ready for an escape. He just simply provided me the best chance to do so.

“I can get out and make sure that Heather’s death wasn’t in vain.”

Because she left me a message. I swore by my name that I would deliver it. It happened while he was asleep.