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As Elissa spoke, she brought her finger to her mouth and bit down hard. A single drop of black venom glistened on the tip before it fell onto the stone floor with a soft sizzle. She then extended her arm towards Reinhold, her sharp spider-like claw pointing directly at his chest as she made a dangerous proposition.

"You should reconsider our proposal," she said confidently, her gaze never wavering from Reinhold's own.

Curiosity sparked in the king's eyes as he glanced at her finger, then back at her. "And what exactly would that entail?" he asked casually.

Elissa grinned wickedly, revealing her razor-sharp teeth as she replied, "War."

The word hung in the air like a death sentence, causing the room to fall into tense silence. The only sounds heard were the crackling flames and creaking furniture. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Reinhold broke the stillness.

"You enter my city, kill my people, make demands on me, and then threaten me with war? You think you wield that much power?" The king's voice boomed throughout the chamber, his face contorting with rage and his eyes burning with fury.

But Elissa simply smirked, unfazed by his anger. "Oh, yes," she replied coolly.

Reinhold, however, remained unfazed by her boldness. He stepped forward toward the hideous spider in front of him. His muscles bulged beneath his clothes, ready for violence and destruction against anything that dared to oppose his will.

"How about instead I rip your throat out and send pieces of your disgusting carcass across the continent as gifts to your brothers and sisters?" he growled menacingly. "That way, when the news spreads about what happens when you cross me, maybe they will reconsider crossing me."

With each word, Reinhold's voice grew more ferocious, and his threat became more real. The tension in the room was palpable as everyone held their breath, waiting for Elissa's response. But the spider merely tilted her head and let out a chilling laugh.

"Such empty threats from someone who can barely keep his own kingdom in order," she taunted, her eyes glinting with malice. "You mortals are truly an arrogant and vile bunch."

The room was a suffocating cage as Reinhold and Elissa faced each other, their bodies coiled like vicious serpents ready to strike. Reinhold's tunic was strained against his bulging muscles, and his fists were clenched in primal fury. Elissa's spider-like features were twisted with malice, her red eyes burning with an insatiable thirst for blood.

Without warning, Elissa lunged at Reinhold with deadly precision. He managed to dodge her initial attack, but she quickly recovered and landed a fierce blow to his face. Blood burst from his broken nose, blurring his vision as he stumbled backward. But before he could regain his footing, another swift strike from her clawed hands sent him reeling.

Blood dripped down Reinhold's face, hot and sticky against his skin. But despite the pain and disorientation, he refused to back down. With a primal roar, he lunged forward again and delivered a solid punch to Elissa's jaw. She staggered back, spitting up blood before retaliating with a low kick that caught him off guard.

Reinhold fell to the ground, gasping for air as Elissa wasted no time pinning him against the cold stone floor. Her sharp claws dug into his shoulder, drawing fresh blood as she sneered down at him. "You're nothing but a pathetic little insect. Your arrogance makes you such an easy prey," she snarled. "You think that just because you defeated my weakling of a brother, you are somehow superior to the rest of our race. But you are nothing compared to our monarch!"

Her claws dug deeper, drawing out more blood as she continued to taunt him with her superior strength and power. She reveled in every ounce of suffering she inflicted on him. Elissa's crimson eyes burned with hatred, consuming Reinhold whole as she savored every moment of his pain and torment.

Reinhold grunted in agony as she tore open his wounds with her claws, but he gritted his teeth and forced the pain aside. His body trembled with anger and adrenaline as he glared up at his assailant. He knew he could not defeat her alone, but that didn't mean he would submit without a fight. 'She is different from other spiders; I can't keep up with her movements at all.' As he analyzed the situation, Reinhold thought.

His eyes narrowed into slits, and a twisted smirk crept across his face, revealing sharpened teeth. "So, this 'Monarch' you serve must be bursting with pride, sending someone as weak as you." He mocked, his voice dripping with disdain. "She entrusted you with a simple task, and yet here you are, struggling against me. How pathetic."

The words struck Elissa like a knife to the heart, freezing her in place. The room fell deathly quiet as everyone held their breath, waiting for her reaction. But all that could be heard was the low growl emanating from the spider's throat. "What did you say?!" She seethed, her fury barely contained.

Reinhold's sneer only grew wider as he wiped away the blood from his broken nose. "Oh, did you not hear me?" He taunted her, relishing her anger. "Your precious monarch is nothing but a coward, hiding behind her weakest pawn to do her dirty work." His words cut deep, fueling Elissa's rage until it boiled over.

With a feral growl, she launched herself at Reinhold like a bloodthirsty beast, her elongated fangs dripping with saliva as she aimed to rip him apart. But he was ready, his body moving with inhuman speed as he deftly avoided her initial attack. With a determined snarl, he struck back with merciless force, landing a powerful uppercut beneath her chin that sent her head snapping back violently. As she stumbled, he seized the opportunity and swept her legs out from under her, causing her to crash to the ground with a sickening thud.

In one swift motion, Reinhold was on top of her, pinning her down with his knee pressed into her stomach. To replace his severely injured left arm, he used his other leg to crush her face beneath his foot, relishing the feeling of power and control over this once fearsome predator. "Your mouth disgusts me," he spat out, his voice laced with venom.

Without a shred of mercy, he thrust his hand towards her gaping jaws, relishing in the thought of inflicting more pain on his helpless prey. Despite her sharp claw still wiggling to slice through his thigh, its strength had completely diminished as her abdomen was crushed under his unrelenting knee. She could no longer move; her only means of defense was weakly spoken words.

"You'll regret this," she rasped through gritted teeth, blood dripping from her wounds.

"I highly doubt that." As he drew his hand closer, his voice was dark and twisted with amusement. The creature's eight lifeless eyes, once filled with bloodlust, now showed true fear as Reinhold's massive hand pressed against its mouth. Even though Reinhold was gently stroking her fangs and mouth, she was still completely unable to move because Reinhold's foot pressed down on her forehead like a heavy boulder, pinning her head to the ground.

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Without warning, Reinhold's right arm became a blur as he unleashed all of his strength upon her face. He gripped her jaw with brute force, his fingers digging into her flesh like sharp talons, and with a violent tug, he tore it from her face. A deafening, dissonant shriek of agony filled the air as blood gushed from the torn wound, splattering across the ground in a gruesome display.

The woman's body convulsed in uncontrollable spasms, writhing in unimaginable pain while her screams were muffled by blood as she desperately attempted to staunch the bleeding, futilely clutching at her torn flesh with trembling claws as Reinhold tossed her broken jaw to the ground with a malevolent smirk.

"I told you, didn't I?" His eyes gleamed with cruel satisfaction as he gazed upon his victim's anguish. "You're nothing but an insignificant pest, and this is exactly how you shall meet your demise!"

Valkyrie's heart raced as she witnessed the brutal scene before her, but Armagus remained eerily calm. He knew better than to interfere with the king's wrath toward those who dared defy his might and authority. Turning to Valkyrie, he calmly commanded, "Leave now and ride back to our camp as fast as you can. Maybe, besides her, there will be other spiders mixed in. Remember, do not let any of them escape." The old man's voice was cold and detached, as if speaking to an empty space.

Even though her mind was as chaotic as the current scene in the room, Valkyrie nodded obediently before turning on her heel, fleeing the room, and leaving the carnage behind. She knew what was at stake, and she couldn't afford to let her emotions cloud her judgment now.

As soon as he heard her footsteps fading into the background, Armagus turned his gaze back to Reinhold, who was still crushing the monster beneath his knee while holding her mouth. 'This idiot is still the same, rushing into battle without the slightest intention of dodging the enemy's attacks. He relied too much on his strength and durability.' Armagus sighed inwardly.

He had no doubt that Reinhold would win this battle, but he also knew that the cost would be high. The woman's claws still flailed weakly in a vain attempt to injure her attacker as she choked on her own blood.

Reinhold's eyes narrowed as they focused on Elissa. Her crimson orbs, which had once been filled with arrogance and confidence, were now dull and lifeless as she lay helplessly beneath Reinhold's weight. Her breathing was ragged and labored, while her bloodied hands clutched her face in a futile attempt to staunch the bleeding from her severed mouth.

He lifted his bloody hand from Elissa's mouth, revealing her exposed inner flesh. "I wonder if I could tear your tongue out and send it back home to your beloved monarch." Reinhold taunted as he reached for her tongue next, while he pressed his foot harder against her forehead as if wanting to crush it.

Elissa's eyes widened with panic and fear while she struggled against his grip, her body writhing beneath his immense strength. But no matter how hard she tried to resist, her feeble efforts were in vain. Her screams echoed within the chamber, reverberating off the stone walls as Reinhold slowly tore her tongue out.

The woman's cries were deafening, filling the room with a cacophony of pain and anguish. But even as tears streamed down her cheeks, she continued to thrash around, her hands desperately attempting to pry herself away from this torture.

Blood spilled onto Reinhold's hands while he continued tearing the tongue out with a sickening wet sound. Once finished, the king tossed it carelessly to the floor and watched the woman choke on her blood as she gasped for air, unable to speak. Her eyes were wide open with terror as she stared up at him, pleading for mercy. But Reinhold's expression remained cold and unyielding. There was no remorse or compassion to be found in his gaze.

"I told you, didn't I? You are nothing more than an insignificant pest, and this is where you belong," he growled before delivering another brutal blow to her face, knocking her unconscious.

Reinhold towered over the creature's crumpled form, his steel-toed boots inches away from its fragile body. The chamber was silent except for the ragged breaths coming from the spider's mouth, now caked with dirt and blood. "Time to get to work, old man. Let's fix her up," Reinhold said, barely glancing at Armagus. With a disgusted look, Armagus couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity as he saw the fear in its eyes.

Reinhold grabbed the spider's hair and dragged her to a nearby chair. He fastened her up tightly with a chain. Then he sat down in front of Armagus and crossed his arms across his chest.

Armagus looked down at the spider's face, noticing how pale and drawn it appeared. She had lost a significant amount of blood, making her appear gaunt and sickly compared to her earlier appearance of health. Her eyes flickered briefly as if trying to focus on something before closing once again, leaving her unconscious.

"So, what now?" Reinhold asked as he leaned forward in the chair. "Should we wake it up?"

Armagus shrugged indifferently. "She doesn't need me to heal; it's just a waste of mana anyway." He replied curtly, his voice lacking any trace of emotion whatsoever.

"Alright, fine," Reinhold muttered as he rose from the chair. "By the way, do you know why they crave Valkyrie so much?" He suddenly inquired.

Armagus shook his head in response. "No idea. Maybe she is their natural prey, or they have a special use for her," he replied, scratching his head. "Whatever the case... it's not good."

A frown crossed Reinhold's face. "We'll find out soon," he stated firmly as he approached the spider, his eyes blazing with fury.

Reinhold grabbed her jaw roughly, then began to forcefully shake her. After a while, she stirred slightly, her eyes opening halfway. They were unfocused and confused as they darted around wildly, finally settling on Reinhold. He stared into her eyes intensely for a few moments before releasing her. Her head slumped forward, causing her long locks to obscure her face.

"Why are you after Valkyrie? What does she mean to you?" Reinhold demanded in a harsh and authoritative tone.

But the spider remained motionless, as if she were unable to hear him or comprehend his words. Reinhold scowled angrily at her lack of response and grabbed hold of her hair once more. He yanked back violently, pulling the strands taut. She winced in pain, letting out a muffled whimper but still refusing to utter a single word.

After watching for several minutes without getting an answer, Reinhold released her again, disgust evident in his eyes. "You're pathetic." He growled as he walked towards Armagus, then sat back down on the chair.

"What a waste of my time." Reinhold grumbled, crossing his arms across his broad chest in annoyance. As he did so, his muscles flexed beneath his shirt. He glared at Elissa, his eyes burning with hatred and contempt. His anger seemed to drown out the pain from the wound in his left shoulder.

Suddenly, Reinhold turned his head to look into the darkest part of the room and gave an order, "Show your face."

A man in brown clothes and leather armor stepped out of the corner's shadows. The hood and mask completely covered his face as he walked to kneel in front of Reinhold. "I'm sorry, My Liege; I don't want to interrupt your hunt and take away your prey," he apologized with a bow of his head.

Reinhold snorted in response, "Forget about it, Bhar'ther. You've seen it all, right?" he asked.

The man nodded in acknowledgment. "Yes, My Liege," he answered quietly. "It was quite impressive, to say the least. Your fighting skills are beyond comparison." The praise made Reinhold chuckle lightly, appreciating the compliment.

Then Reinhold looked to Armagus and said, "I have to leave this matter to the experts. If this continues, I'm not sure I can keep her alive."

Armagus nodded solemnly in agreement. "It seems we have no other choice. I also don't want to have to use my magic to torture. I've been away from that path for too long." Armagus's voice was calm but firm.

"Let's see how well she holds up," Reinhold said grimly, rising from the chair. He strode over to Elissa and kicked her hard between the legs.

A sharp impact jolted through her body, causing a loud gasp to escape her nose. Her head snapped up as she gasped for air, her eight eyes widening in shock as she finally saw the king standing before her. Her fear was palpable as she felt his intense gaze bore into her.

Without hesitation, he swung another punch at her. The force of the blow sent her chair toppling over, taking her down with it. Blood gushed from her nose and ear, and four of her eyes swelled shut from the impact. Her once symmetrical face now appeared lopsided and distorted, as it looked like her facial bones had been crushed.

"Take care of the rest, Bhar'ther. Her recovery ability is only inferior to mine, so feel free to act. Break off the claws every time they grow out. Don't forget the regeneration of her fangs and tongue either." Reinhold said cold as ice. Without a second glance, he walked out of the chamber. After a quick glance at the tortured spider on the ground, Armagus followed suit.

Bhar'ther bowed respectfully. "As you wish, My Liege," he replied, and approached the fallen woman. His voice was calm, devoid of emotion.

The woman stared at him with pleading eyes, silently begging for mercy, but he ignored her silent plea. Instead, he knelt beside her, his face hidden beneath the dark shadows of his hood. "Do not worry; I promise to make sure your death will come as slowly and painfully as possible..." he whispered softly, his voice sending a chill running down her spine.