"What is 1000 minus 7?"
Hayashi grabbed Jason by the hair with one hand, yanking his head up.
"Answer me!"
Hearing those words, Jason froze for a moment. Then, realizing what was being asked, his emotions instantly boiled over.
"I'll kill you, tear you apart, rip you into pieces!"
His bloodshot scarlet eyes flared with fury as his mangled body struggled desperately.
The one who usually derived joy from tormenting and dismantling others was now reduced to a toy being mocked and tortured himself.
Even the very words he most loved to say when he shredded his "toys" piece by piece were now being thrown back at him by this damned human, dripping with ridicule and cruelty.
For Jason, this humiliation was unbearable.
At that moment, whatever shreds of dignity and pride he had left were being trampled underfoot.
Grinding his teeth furiously, he roared and struggled like a wild beast.
"That's not the answer I want..."
Hayashi, still gripping Jason's hair, sat astride his back.
No matter how desperately Jason thrashed with all his monstrous strength, it was meaningless before Hayashi—empowered by the Ox Talisman.
Like a moth charging into fire. Utterly futile.
The next moment — slash! — a gleam of the blade, and one of Jason's fingers fell to the floor.
"I'll eat you, tear you apart, swallow you whole!" Jason roared in agony, struggling harder.
Still pointless.
"What is 1000 minus 7?"
Hayashi dragged his head closer, his voice calm and chilling in Jason's ear.
Grinding his teeth, bloodshot eyes glaring with hatred, Jason refused to answer.
Slash!
Another finger gone.
One cut. Two cuts. Three. Four...
Hayashi repeated the question over and over, swinging his blade again and again—until every one of Jason's fingers and toes were severed, leaving only bare palms and feet.
"What is 1000 minus 7?"
That voice — hellish, unrelenting — echoed in his ear.
"993, 986, 979, 972..."
Through clenched teeth, his hateful muttering spilled out between his lips.
Counting down, drenched in humiliation and pain, tears burst from his bloodshot eyes.
"Yes... just like that."
Hayashi nodded in satisfaction, patting Gecko's shoulder.
"As expected, a beast like Jason belongs crawling on the ground."
"If you were to walk upright like a human... wouldn't that be insulting?"
That indifferent, mocking tone pierced Jason's ears.
His scarlet eyes blazed with pain and hatred.
Dark red blood poured from his mangled body, staining the floor crimson and saturating the air with the stench of death.
He knew better than anyone what this countdown meant.
Its only purpose was to keep the tortured victim awake — to make sure he didn't faint from the pain halfway through.
After all, if the toy stopped reacting, the game wouldn't be fun anymore~
And this "human" before him was methodically grinding away at his flesh and spirit.
Combined with Hayashi's calm, almost lazy demeanor, and the despairing gap in power, Jason could barely breathe under the suffocating weight.
"Good... keep it up."
Hayashi nodded again, feeling a wave of satisfaction.
He'd wanted to teach Jason a lesson for a long time. Finally, he was enjoying it.
But the moment he loosened his guard, Jason suddenly burst forth, throwing Hayashi off his back.
Instinctively, Hayashi grabbed Jason's legs as he was flung.
Without hesitation, Jason used his kagune to slice off his own legs, leaving them behind as he bolted.
He didn't even think of counterattacking — only of escape.
Every cell in his body screamed: Run now, or you'll be killed — torn apart, reduced to paste and powder!
Through all his years—tormenting others and being tormented himself—never had Jason experienced such despair.
The kind that kills even the will to fight.
The kind that makes you tremble just to breathe.
"You're going to run?"
Hayashi stomped the ground.
The force sent the fallen long blade leaping up into the air.
He snatched it and hurled it forward.
The speed was terrifying, ripping the air itself apart.
"Stupid insect! Didn't expect it, huh? This was my escape route all along!"
Seeing the window so close — just one step away — Jason cackled with glee, eyes burning with madness.
In an instant, he saw the lights outside. He could taste the fresh air.
As long as he survived tonight, he could always come back with reinforcements.
Two fists can't beat four hands. Next time, crushing this bug would be child's play.
The thought alone made him laugh harder, more deranged, scarlet eyes gleaming.
Reaching out, he was about to touch the light beyond the shattered window—
BOOM!
A deafening crash. The sound of destruction.
Jason's smile froze.
His head had been nailed to the wall, buried deep into it.
His massive, hulking body collapsed.
Blood gushed from the stump, spilling out the window.
"As expected of Jason. Even now, you still had the lizard's instinct to sacrifice your tail to survive."
Hayashi looked at the severed legs in his hand with a hint of grim amusement.
Just then, a cold, mechanical chime rang in his mind.
[You have successfully completed the mission: Emergency Escape.]
[Ding! Target "Jason" eliminated. Mission overachieved. Reward upgraded!]
"Overachieved? Upgraded reward?" Hayashi blinked in surprise, his eyes gleaming with interest.
[Mission reward being distributed...]
[You have obtained: Angel Incubus Physique (Legendary Talent).]