Chương 50: The Trap Within the Trap

Ch 50 - The Trap Within the Trap Naldrom's hand clamped tightly around Sliora's throat, his grip so crushing that she could barely breathe. Both of her hands immediately grabbed his wrist, desperately trying to pry his fingers away, but it was completely useless. It was painfully obvious that she was fighting with everything she had left. The color slowly drained from her face, though it was hard to tell whether she had always been this pale or if the suffocating pressure was finally taking its toll.

"M... My Lord... Naldrom..." Sliora gasped, struggling to force the words past her tightening throat.

"Please... listen to me. I've served you countless times before. Every mission you entrusted to me, I carried it out without hesitation. You know who I am. You know how loyal I've always been to you. So please... don't condemn me before you've heard the truth. You have no reason, not even the slightest one, to doubt my loyalty."

"Ha! Ha ha ha!" Naldrom threw his head back and laughed loudly, as though she had just told him the greatest joke he had ever heard.

"Sliora, I'll be honest. I like you. I like your attitude, your intelligence, the way you carry yourself, and the way you always make things more interesting." A wicked grin slowly spread across his face.

"But above all else... I like your body."

"But there is one thing I despise more than anything in this world. A traitor. And you just tried to lower my guard for someone else's sake. Did you really think I was that stupid? Did you honestly believe I wouldn't see through such a pathetic trick?" His fingers tightened even further around her neck. Sliora struggled even harder, but her strength was fading fast.

Her breathing became weaker with every passing second, and her eyes slowly lost their focus, as if she were only moments away from losing consciousness.

"Did you truly believe you were clever enough to fool me?" Naldrom said.

"I've stood at the top of this game long before you ever learned how to survive in it. I've seen countless people beg for mercy, countless traitors hide behind tears, and countless liars swear their innocence with the most convincing expressions."

"You're not the first, and you certainly won't be the last. Don't flatter yourself into thinking that a few clever words are enough to deceive me. Every move you make, every expression on your face, every hesitation in your voice... I noticed them all long before you opened your mouth. That's why I'm still standing where I am today, while everyone foolish enough to oppose me has already disappeared from this world." He looked down at her with nothing but contempt in his eyes.

"And as for Caelan..." He scoffed.

"You actually believe he matters? Don't make me laugh. No matter how hard he struggles or how much talent he possesses, he isn't even worth counting in my eyes."

"He hasn't reached the point where he can stand on the same stage as people like us, let alone compete with us. He's still nothing more than an insignificant boy trying to climb a mountain he cannot even comprehend. The moment he involved himself in our affairs, he openly chose to stand against the Second Prince himself."

"Does he even understand what that means? He's not simply making an enemy out of me. He's challenging the authority of the royal family. The moment he stepped onto that path, his fate was already sealed." Naldrom let out another cold laugh.

"Do you honestly think that was a wise decision? No. It was the choice of a fool who mistook reckless courage for strength."

"He should consider it an honor that I was personally assigned to deal with him. A Knight Commander. Someone he couldn't hope to create, command, or even stand beside in his lifetime. The fact that someone of my rank has been sent after him is already far more recognition than he ever deserved. Hah. What an utterly pathetic failure." You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Just as the laughter and arrogance echoed throughout the tent, Sliora's expression suddenly changed.

A faint smile appeared on her face, as if she had never been struggling at all.

"Alright, the setup is complete," the woman said. At once! Naldrom looked around in confusion, panic spreading across his face. Before he could understand what was happening, something wrapped tightly around the lower half of his body. It was the robe Sliora had been wearing moments ago. At the same time, every crystal lamp inside the tent went out one after another, plunging the entire place into darkness. In that same instant, Sliora slipped effortlessly from Naldrom's grasp.

Her body spread outward like a massive wave of water, expanding in an instant before surging straight toward his face and upper body. A figure emerged from the darkness and immediately locked onto his left arm. At the same time, a many-legged creature that resembled a giant centipede shot toward Naldrom's back with incredible speed.

"Do it now, Pearl! We can't hold him much longer!" Sliora's voice shouted from somewhere in the darkness.

"Damn... his back is unbelievably tough," came a small, high-pitched voice.

"Shade, I need your help!" A sharp burst of movement came from another direction. Something razor-sharp flew through the darkness and drove deep into Naldrom's back. The blade pierced his flesh, sending blood spraying to the side. The moment the dagger struck, the tiny legs of the parasite-like creature forced their way into the wound as well. Naldrom struggled with everything he had. He tried to scream, but his mouth was stuffed with something that made even breathing almost impossible.

"I'll kill every last one of you! You really think you can bring me down? You filthy insects! I'll tear you apart one by one!" With a furious roar, Naldrom exploded with strength. He managed to seize whatever was restraining his left arm, then hurled it away with terrifying force. The figure crashed into the far side of the tent. Another enraged scream burst from his throat as he grabbed whatever had climbed onto his back. He ripped it free and threw it violently across the tent.

"Michel, hold him tighter!" Sliora ordered. The robe wrapped around Naldrom's body tightened even more, squeezing him with relentless force until the Knight Commander was finally driven down onto one knee. A series of swift slashes followed immediately, cutting across his chest and arms in rapid succession.

"Shade, you idiot! Don't wound him too much! It'll be much harder for me to control him!" the high-pitched voice cried out.

"If I don't injure him like this, we'll be the ones who die," Shade replied coldly. The same thing continued to happen as the Knight Commander desperately struggled against the relentless assault of the unknown beings that had him completely restrained. Surrounded by darkness, all he could do was fight back while his back was stabbed over and over again by something sharp, and something else forced its way deeper into his body with every passing second.

"You bastards... you monsters! I won't let you get away with this!" he roared, struggling with everything he had. His right hand reached for the robe binding him so tightly, fingers clamping down on the fabric as he tried to tear it apart with brute force. Before he could free himself, another barrage of slashes rained down on him. The attacks drove him completely off balance, and with a heavy crash, he was finally forced face-first onto the floor.

The man roared in fury, though his voice came out muffled, smothered by whatever was covering his mouth.

"I'll kill all of you... you bastards!"

"Pearl, do it now!"

"Give me a second! I just got thrown across the tent. Some of my legs are damaged, so I need a little more time!"

"Then I'll just stab him a few more times. It'll be easier once he's weaker," Shade said coldly.

"No, you! Stop, Shade! You'll ruin everything I've been trying to do!" Pearl's small, high-pitched voice shrieked in frustration.

"Shade. Pearl. Shut up and focus on your jobs," another voice said from beneath the commander's feet.

"Finish it. Quickly. We don't have much time left." ** Several knights standing guard outside the tent flinched at the same time and turned toward it when a loud crash echoed from inside.

"Do you think the Knight Commander is...?" one of them asked, his voice filled with uncertainty.

"There shouldn't be any problem. One of the other commanders just left his tent a moment ago."

"Maybe he's... entertaining himself?" another knight muttered, though he did not sound convinced. The two knights exchanged uneasy glances. At that moment, another knight with a higher rank approached them, his expression already suspicious.

"What was that noise from inside?" the man demanded.

"Commander Naldrom gave strict orders that no one was to enter his tent under any circumstances," one of the guards replied. Before anyone could say another word, one side of the tent suddenly bulged outward as if someone had been hurled against it with tremendous force. The senior knight reacted instantly. He rushed forward and threw open the tent flap. He charged inside, only to find the interior shrouded in darkness.

"Light the crystal lamps!" he shouted. The remaining knights rushed in behind him, quickly relighting the crystal lamps. As the light spread across the tent, the scene before them left every one of them frozen in disbelief.

"Commander Naldrom... what happened to you?!" someone cried out.