Trigger Warning: Dark and intense content ahead. This chapter includes scenes of torture, psychological distress, and violence.
As Phoebe was running desperately through the dark forest looking for a solution, she tripped on a tree branch, causing her to roll across the ground.
"O-Ouch… damn this branch, why are you doing this to me now?" said Phoebe with a frustrated face.
"Damn, why can't I come up with something!? Any minute now I'll be torn down by that beastman. I need to think of something fast… think, think, THINK!" Phoebe said with desperation.
"Is this where my life ends…?" Phoebe whispered.
After she said that, a moment of silence passed.
"No… despairing is pointless now. It doesn't help me in this situation. There might be something I can do—I just need to find it. But first, I must regain my composure and clear my mind," Phoebe said as she steadied herself.
"Now, let's clearly check our surroundings for what I can use," Phoebe said as she scanned the area.
Behind her, she noticed something—beneath a tree, she saw four mushrooms.
"That… isn't that a noisy shroom? It's the mushroom variant Kanna threw at me earlier while I was reading the book on the cliff… If I remember correctly, noisy shrooms create a loud sound when they come into contact with any living creature. And if I'm right, the book said that when a noisy shroom is nearby, there will always be stinky shrooms nearby…" Phoebe thought.
As Phoebe searched the surroundings, she found three pieces of stinky mushrooms near the noisy shrooms.
"F-FOUND IT!!!" Phoebe said, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.
"Now… since I have these, I found a way to survive. Now I just need to prepare my preparations. Okay… LET'S DO IT!!" Phoebe said with burning desperation.
While Phoebe was preparing her preparations, the beastman was desperately tracking her down using his extraordinary senses of smell.
You can run, but you can't hide, little girl. I can smell the blood on your shoulder. I know the path you've taken or where you headed said the beastman in his thoughts.
As he followed the trail, he noticed two figures behind him—cloaked men with a cross symbol on their backs. They were none other than his allies. Seeing them, he spoke:
"Oh? So the two of you are still alive?" the beastman said with a displeased face.
"And why wouldn't we be alive, you scum of a wolf?" said the other cloaked man.
"The two of you, stop. The mission is still ongoing, so I'll be frank. Hey, wolf—what happened to the captain? Why was his heart stabbed? And where are the artifacts?" asked the second cloaked person.
"When I came back, ready to report, I saw the captain was already dead. And beside him was a girl holding one of the artifacts—the Rapier of Wills. I tried to catch her for interrogation, but she fought back, and now I'm hunting her since she fled," said the beastman.
"Is that so? Well, the captain is dead, so there's no point asking the dead. Let's hunt that girl then—for interrogation purposes," said one of the cloaked men.
"Alright. That's what I've been doing anyway" said the beastman.
"Alright. Once any one of us catches the girl, shoot the flare upward so we can follow its direction. You two understand?" said the cloaked man.
"Yeah," said the other cloaked man and the beastman.
After that, the three of them split up to hunt down Phoebe for interrogation. Of course, the beastman already knew the direction Phoebe went. He decided he would make her suffer first before calling the others.
Time passed, and the beastman finally reached the area where Phoebe was hiding. He smirked and said:
"Do you really think you can hide from me, you stupid human?" the beastman said.
"If you come out now, I'll assure you that you'll die in less pain" he added.
"Oh, also—don't think I don't know where you are. I'm just being generous and giving you a less painful death. I know exactly where you're hiding. We beastmen have super senses, so I definitely know where you are right now. So I recommend you come out." The beastman taunted.
Even after hearing everything, Phoebe kept her cool.
"So you really won't come out, huh? Then I'll count. If you don't reveal yourself, I will strike you instantly. Understand? Then… 10… 9… 8…" said the beastman as he started his countdown.
Phoebe kept her composure, holding four mushrooms in her arms. She tried to be patient until the right moment to strike.
"5… 4… 3…" the beastman counted.
As the count reached 2, Phoebe stood up, ready to throw the noisy shroom—but the beastman reacted fast and slashed toward her. Phoebe dodged by jumping backward and threw the two mushrooms at him, but before they made contact, he unleashed another fast slash toward her abdomen, hitting her.
"Uaghhh!" Phoebe cried as her abdomen was slashed.
As the beastman struck Phoebe, he smirked, as if he had already won. But once the two mushrooms Phoebe threw were about to make contact, she instantly covered her ears. The beastman, still smirking, was certain he had won.
The mushrooms made contact and popped, releasing a deafening sound.
Poppppppp!!A loud sound echoed as the mushrooms burst.
Even though injured, Phoebe didn't hesitate. She grabbed two stinky shrooms, ready to use them.
Due to the beastman's super senses, hearing such a loud sound at close range paralyzed him and deafened him momentarily. As he clutched his ears in agony, Phoebe smashed both stinky shrooms directly onto his nose. The foul odor released was so strong it felt like burning the nose and throat when inhaled.
The beastman unknowingly inhaled it, causing him extreme pain. He screamed:
"FUCK—GET THIS SHIT OUT OF ME! AGHHHH, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!!!" he roared in agony.
As his hearing was almost recovered, Phoebe threw another two mushrooms near his ears. While he grabbed his ears again in pain, Phoebe smashed another stinky shroom onto his nose, releasing the burning stench again.
The beastman screamed in complete insanity.
"Curse it! Curse it! Curse it!!" he shouted repeatedly.
As he screamed, Phoebe decided to end things with her rapier.
"May the three gods forgive your corrupted soul… then I bid you farewell" Phoebe said.
As she was about to finish the pitiful, screaming man, he suddenly roared:
"LUNACY DRIVE!!!"
A glowing purple energy burst from his body as it stiffened. Phoebe's instincts told her to run, but she was too late.
Before she could react, the beastman swiftly cut off her left hand—the one holding the sword.
Phoebe froze in shock as she looked at her severed arm.
"Aghhh!!! W-What just happened…?" she stuttered.
Before she could process anything, the beastman kicked her wounded abdomen. She crashed into a nearby tree. When she regained consciousness, she found herself unable to move at all—every bone in her body had been smashed by the impact.
She looked at the beastman, now glowing with swirling energy.
"W-What…? T-That thing surrounding him… isn't that what the book said? It's—OUCH… ha… ha… If I remember… it's called mana… the energy source of the world… so ha…ha… ugh… He knows how to use it…?" Phoebe panted, struggling not to pass out.
"Ugh, damn you, little girl. I really didn't want to use this strengthening ability since I keep losing sanity in exchange for strength. But you left me no choice, you bitch" the beastman said with a grim look.
"Heh… so from the beginning… there was no way to win, huh…" Phoebe whispered with a sorrowful face.
"Don't worry. I won't end you quickly. I'll play with you in the most painful way," the beastman said.
As he approached her, he grabbed her right arm and picked one of her fingers.
"Who were you affiliated with? And how did you kill the captain?" he asked.
"It… was… not… me… I… g…ot… nothing… to… do… with… his… de—"
Before she could finish, the beastman snapped one of her fingers.
"AGHHHHH… ha… ha…" Phoebe trembled in fear.
"Stop lying and just tell the truth, you bitch. Next question—what is the name of your anonymous group? And why do you guys keep attacking the Dusk Lost Society?" he asked.
Phoebe stared blankly at the ground, trembling. Tears dripped from her eyes.
"I… really have no ide—"
Before she could finish, the beastman snapped not one, but two of her fingers.
"AGHHHHH!!! AGHHH—HAAAAA HAAA!!" Phoebe screamed as more tears streamed down her face.
Her emotions became a twisted storm of fear and pain, almost too much to endure, but she fought to stay conscious.
"Then next question—where are you from?" the beastman asked.
Phoebe bit her lips and tried to speak.
"I—"
Before she could continue, he snapped two more fingers instantly, bending them backward until they touched the back of her wrist, treating them like toys.
"AGHHHHHHHHHH!!! AGH—AGHHHHHHHHHH!!! AGHH… AGHHHHHHH!!" Phoebe screamed, nearly losing consciousness.
"Hahaha! You know something? I don't really care about your answers. I don't plan on listening either. I just want to play with you for messing with me earlier. Do you get what I mean? I just want to break you… little by little" said by the beastman.
As Phoebe heard that, her expression grew grim—hope fading. All she felt was pain… and fear.