Should I just cut the cloth at the hips? Or remove it all at once?
After deep contemplation, I decided to rip it all off. The torn fabric exposed her lower body.
I gave her a quick check for hidden blades, tracking tags, or anything else troublesome.
Even with her leg raised high like a ballerina's, there was nowhere left to hide anything.
Satisfied, I withdrew my hand just as a voice crackled from the walkie-talkie beside me.
- Heavenly Demon! Is Natalia safe?!
I picked up the walkie-talkie.
"She's safe. For now."
- That's all that matters! Where is Natalia?!
"What's all that matters? The police are still swarming the city like flies on shit."
I glanced out the window. Police cars, sirens blaring, patrolled the streets. Officers on foot sprinted through the alleys, their boots pounding the pavement. They were hunting for me.
"Keep looking. You'll never find me."
The entrance to this building was concealed by my Deception (SS) ability. To anyone else, the wall would appear seamless, with no sign of a door. That's why the police kept passing by this abandoned building without a second glance.
"Unless someone can see through my Unique Trait, Deception (SS)... but those kinds of people are rare."
Within this city, aside from Jessica with her Fairy Eye, no one else could possibly see through my Deception (SS).
-You didn't do anything to Natalia, did you?!
"She's safe. Want me to take a picture with my phone and send it to you? ...Oh, right, you don't have a phone. Hahahaha."
My tone had returned to normal. Even playing the Heavenly Demon act gets boring after a while.
-Heavenly Demon...!
Jessica spat my name with furious intensity. I chuckled incessantly.
-When are you going to release Natalia?!
"In a few hours. Once things calm down, I'll let her go."
"I can't trust you. Where is she? Tell me now! I need to see Natalia with my own eyes to make sure she's safe!"
"Hmm. I'll tell you in two hours. If you're in such a hurry, come find me yourself. Heh heh heh."
I switched off the radio and set it down on the floor.
"Now, let's wake her up."
Natalia's condition: Mana sealed, movement restricted
After confirming her bindings and condition, I crouched beside Natalia. I tapped her cheek lightly while my right hand checked the rope around her waist.
A few minutes passed. I felt her unconscious body growing warmer as awareness slowly returned to her limbs.
"Ugh..."
Natalia groaned softly and shook her head slightly. Her eyelashes fluttered like willow branches, showing signs of awakening.
I kept my eyes on her without stepping back, ready for the moment she fully woke.
Even half-conscious, her instincts were sharp.
A weaker person would have collapsed into panic already.
She really was one of Atlantis's strongest fighters.
That only made me more interested in breaking her composure.
"Hmph!"
Natalia's eyes snapped open. She stared in horror at me looming over her and immediately began to struggle.
"Get off me...!"
She threw punches at me, but they lacked any Mana. If she had a weapon, it might be different, but mere fists couldn't bring me down.
I stepped back from her.
Her left leg, raised high like a ballerina's and tied to a pillar, thrashed wildly as she struggled to break free.
Natalia tried to untie the ropes with her hands, but failed. I had bound her too tightly for her to loosen them manually it would take at least an hour to undo them.
Of course, that was assuming I didn't interfere.
"...What have you done to my body?"
She seemed to have realized she couldn't use Mana.
"You won't be able to use Mana for several hours, and your physical abilities have been reduced to those of an ordinary person. Just give up."
Natalia's face darkened at my words, as if she had finally realized how dire her situation truly was.
With her movements restricted and no chance of escape, she's practically a dead woman.
One swing of my fist would be all it took to end her life.
"...Are you planning to kill me?" Natalia glared at me, her eyes burning with defiance.
I was mildly impressed. Despite her hopeless predicament, she showed no fear, didn't beg for her life, and instead stared straight at me with unwavering resolve.
This is something an ordinary person couldn't do.
She was a woman of extraordinary mental fortitude.
Damn, she's stubborn.
My fists clenched as I moved closer to her.
"You understand your situation perfectly. So stop wasting strength and answer quietly. It'll make things easier for both of us."
"..."
Natalia pressed her lips together and glared at me silently.
As I moved closer, she grabbed my shoulder and swung her right knee upward, aiming a knee strike at my groin.
I calmly caught her knee with my hand.
I knew she wouldn't panic even in a desperate situation. She would wait for the perfect opportunity to strike my vital points.
With my right hand, I lifted her thigh. My left hand pinned her shoulder against the pillar.
"Oops. Looks like you can't throw knee strikes anymore. And this position makes it even harder for you to fight back."
Using Pressure Point Technique. Vitality continuously draining.
Without hesitation, I drove my weight forward, locking her against the pillar in one smooth motion.
"Ugh!"
Natalia's body convulsed as her slightly flushed face contorted in a grimace. She gritted her teeth and began striking my head with her free hands.
Thwack, thwack.
I dodged her attacks by shifting my shoulders and weight.
I could take her punches and elbow strikes to my head, shoulders, and neck without much trouble. But Natalia occasionally targeted vital areas like my eyes and ears, forcing me to evade.
Even someone like me could be in danger if my eyeballs were ruptured or my ears pierced.
"Hngh!"
Natalia's attacks ceased. She clenched her jaw and trembled violently, clearly feeling her strength ebb away.
"How does it feel to have your strength draining away?"
"...Hah. Draining away? I was just a little surprised. I'd never break for a piece of trash like you!"
"And yet, sweat is pouring off you."
With each pulse of the technique, sweat dripped onto the floor.
"Ugh...!"
Natalia resumed her attacks, but her movements were slower than before, making them easier to evade.
Soon, she stopped attacking altogether, exhausted and realizing her attacks were ineffective. Perhaps she was conserving her strength, waiting for an opportunity to turn the tide.
"Mmm... Ugh... Hngh...!"
Natalia desperately suppressed the groans escaping her lips.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
I pressed in close and drove another surge through the pressure point hold.
The strain sent tremors through my body.
"Break, Natalia. Break and kneel before This Sovereign!"
"Shut up...! Do you think I'd ever submit to you? I'd rather die...!"
"Then I'll crush your spirit again and again. Heh heh heh."
"You bastard... You'll pay for this someday."
I chuckled.
This is the Game World. Even if my avatar here dies, my real-world self remains unharmed. Even if I slaughter every human in this world, no one can hold me accountable.
I seized her jaw and forced her to look at me. "Keep resisting like that, and I might actually kill you."
"...Even if I die, my comrades will avenge me."
"Jessica, you mean?"
"How...?!"
Natalia's eyes widened as if they might tear. Her intense reaction confirmed it: Jessica was her Achilles' heel.
I released my hold and stepped back, sweat dripping from both of us.
"While you were unconscious, I had a little chat over the radio. Heh heh. Thanks to you, I managed to escape successfully."
"Jessica! Where is Jessica?! Don't tell me..."
"She's alive and well, so don't worry. She's probably wandering around the city trying to find this place. It'll take her hours to get here, so let's keep playing. And that bitch will end up crying with my blade at her throat too."
I slammed her back against the pillar and renewed the pressure point hold.
"Hngh! Jessica is stronger than me... You'll die at her hands...!"
"It'll take hours for that bitch to get here, I told you."
He ground his teeth and kept up the relentless pressure.
"Ah... ah! Hng... hnggg...!"
He had been tormenting her for thirty-two minutes when a blue arrow shot through the open window and pierced his side. His body collapsed sideways, his grip finally loosening.
"Haa... haa..."
Natalia, her head bowed, gasped for breath.
The King of the Demonic Heavens laughs.
The Lord of the Heavens is displeased.
Lying on the floor, he glanced at the wound in his side. The Mana-infused arrow dissolved, and blood gushed out.
Fuck! That hurts like hell!
He wanted to use Complete Recovery immediately, but he resisted the urge.
I stopped the bleeding with a Pressure Point Technique. My internal organs were slightly damaged, but nothing critical. If I stayed still, I could easily endure for several hours. My current body was far superior to my real-world one.
Jessica must have fired that arrow. But how did she find me so quickly?
Either she got lucky, or her abilities were exceptional.
Could it be the power of the Fairy Eye?
Just as the Dragon Eye could steal glimpses of others' Status Windows, the Fairy Eye might possess a unique ability as well.
I'll play dead for now. Jessica will be here soon.
The fact that no more arrows were coming suggested she might think I was dead. Even if I wasn't, the arrow lodged deep in my side would undoubtedly be considered a fatal wound.
As expected, Jessica appeared at the entrance.
"Natalia! I'll come and free you...!"
"O-oh, don't come! Jessica! This bastard isn't dead yet!"
Jessica froze, swiftly aiming her bow at me. But it was already too late.
I sprang to my feet, pressing my knife against Natalia's throat. The wound in my side had completely healed the moment she arrived, thanks to my Complete Recovery.
"T-the wound is gone...?!"
The King of the Demonic Heavens is showing interest in you.
The Lord of the Heavens is anticipating something.
"A sniper attack... That hurt like hell, Jessica."
Jessica's face hardened.
She was a clever woman. Despite realizing where I was, she hadn't rushed in; instead, she tried to take me out with a sniper shot. Her mistakes were underestimating my Complete Recovery and failing to confirm the kill.
"Lower your bow. Unless you want to see Natalia die."
The knife blade trembled dangerously near Natalia's throat.
Jessica hastily dropped her bow to the ground.
"O-okay! I get it! Just... don't hurt Natalia!"
"Don't hurt her? I don't like your tone."
"I-I'm sorry. I messed up. Please... put the knife away..."
I didn't move the knife.
Natalia had said Jessica was stronger than her. That was likely true, and Jessica might be hiding a trump card.
"Are you alone? Is anyone else hiding nearby?"
"...I'm alone. I haven't told anyone yet."
"Why? Didn't want anyone else seeing your lover naked?"
"..."
It seemed true that she had no companions. If she did, they would have entered together.
"You're not carrying any dangerous weapons, are you?"
"The only weapon I have is my bow."
"How can I believe that?"
"It's true... the bow is the only weapon I have."
On the surface, she appeared to have only her bow. She carried no bag, and her shirt and skirt pockets seemed empty.
But she might have something like a smartphone inventory, just like me.
"I don't believe you. Turn around slowly and show me your waist and pockets."
"..."
The knife slid from her neck down to her collarbone.
"You'd better move quickly. Unless you want to see what your lover's insides look like."