Kitsune's breaths ca in ragged gasps, her throat burning under the pressure of his grip.
She struggled, but each attempt to break free was futile. Her tails lashed out, whipping through the air, but they only bounced off him.
This frustrated her further. What did she do to deserve this?
She was always careful, always calculated, never reckless enough to provoke soone like him.
"Why are you doing this? Tell !" she demanded.
Asher didn't reply right away. He let her in silence for a few seconds, forcing her to wonder what he would do next.
Would he end her life?
Would he torture her until she couldn't stand?
Those dark questions kept repeating in her mind.
anwhile, he enjoyed every bit of this mont. Seeing her in pain brought him satisfaction, and the urge to break her even more started surfacing in his mind.
Though it worried him—he was never the type to take pleasure in soone else's suffering. If he was, there were far too many ways to take revenge on a woman.
'She deserves all of this. I don't need to hold back...'
Maybe it was because Kitsune was a woman, and her beauty made it harder for him to torture her the way he tortured Leno.
Still, if it was proven that she was responsible for his mother's death, no amount of beauty or pleading would save her.
She would beg for death, and he would make sure to deny her that rcy.
"Are you just going to keep staring at my face?" she asked, biting her lip in anger.
No response. Again.
"Release !" she scread, unable to hold it in any longer.
Unfortunately, she couldn't escape, as his energy suppressed everything within reach.
"You're not really in a position to demand anything. Do you really want to die that badly?"
"You won't do that. You want sothing from . Just tell , and we can negotiate."
"You think I ca here to strike a deal?"
"Everything has a price," she added. "I admit defeat, and you're now in an advantageous position. Whatever you want, I'm sure we can talk it out."
Asher shook his head. She was too prideful and annoying.
So, he tightened his grip on her neck, his aura rising as killing intent filled the air.
His own elent seeped through her skin like ink, sending her into a state of panic.
"I won't let you kill without a fight!"
Kitsune's eyes burned with a golden glow, her pupils contracting into razor-thin slits.
The temperature around them spiked, waves of searing heat rolling off her body in all directions.
She planned to incinerate him at this close range—a risky move that would end up burning her own skin as well, but she was willing to pay that price.
But she miscalculated.
Her golden flas surged forward, engulfing him in a blinding inferno. The heat was enough to lt solid stone, to turn steel into liquid in seconds.
Yet, despite the overwhelming temperature swallowing his figure, he did not move. He did not even loosen his grip around her throat.
Kitsune's confidence faltered. Her flas were supposed to devour everything—nothing should withstand them head-on.
The temperature kept rising, and just as she feared, her skin started to crack from the intense heat.
However —
She underestimated just how tough his scales were.
Dragons were naturally resistant to energy-based attacks, and he was no ordinary dragon.
His bloodline and potential surpassed even that of an ancient one, so there was no question that his body was on a different level when pushed to this extent.
On top of that, his own spell barrier reinforced him even further, negating whatever little effect her attack might have caused.
He watched her struggle, his eyes cold and unreadable.
Then, with a slight tilt of his head, he let out a breath that almost sounded like a sigh.
"Go on, keep wasting your energy. And once you're exhausted, I'll be waiting until I'm satisfied."
Clenching her teeth, she unleashed more power into her flas, but it made no difference.
Consequently, Her divine energy flickered, growing weaker by the second.
A sharp pain tore through her chest, and blood spilled from her lips.
"It looks like your borrowed power is fading. Tell , how does it feel knowing that even at your strongest, you were never a match for ?"
"I..." She wanted to fight back, but with her divine energy fading, the strength that once made her feel untouchable was gone. Now, she was powerless in her enemy's grasp.
Blood continued to dripped from the corner of her mouth, but she barely noticed.
SLAP!
A sharp blow struck her small face, snapping her head to the side.
The sting barely had ti to register before another followed, then another.
SLAP!
SLAP!
SLAP!
He didn't stop, his strikes without rcy, each one landing harder than the last.
Ironically, her strong body only prolonged the tornt, forcing her to endure every blow without the relief of passing out.
She could only stare at him in resentnt, enduring his inhumane treatnt.
Below.
Shuten, Hisa, and everyone in the city who were now crawling out of the rubble watched in total silence.
They expected an epic clash of power, a battle that would shake the very foundations of the city—a close fight between two behemoths.
Rather, they witnessed a one-sided beatdown—no, it was worse than that.
It was pure humiliation. The strongest yokai in existence wasn't just defeated; she was beaten in the most dominant way possible.
None of her allies even dared to step in.
If she, the strongest among them, was taken down so easily, what chance did they have? They would only be offering their heads in a suicidal mission.
'Slapping a woman is really tiring,'
He stopped when he felt it was enough, leaving her dazed for a few seconds.
"Are you satisfied?" she sneered, spitting at his face. But the bloodied spit fell short, never even reaching his skin.
"Not yet.. I'm just getting started." he said, shaking his head. "What you did is unforgivable. Killing you won't be enough to atone for your sins."
She gritted her teeth. "Again! I have no idea what you're talking about!"
"Think harder," he said coldly. "We t five years ago, and you're the reason I suffered so much."
She froze.
"Five years ago…"
Now that he ntioned it, the resemblance beca more obvious, but it was still hard to believe, even though all the evidence pointed to it
She recalled standing over his broken body, watching him slowly die.
There was no way he could survive.
"Impossible… How are you back!" she stuttered.
But not only was he alive, he returned stronger, seeking revenge on her
"So, you rember now. That makes this a lot easier for . Now I don't need to explain why I'm punishing you like this," he sneered, tightening his grip on her neck.
"I only followed orders. If you have soone to bla, it should be that being who wanted you dead."
Asher's expression darkened, his head shaking in silent dismissal.
"Tell the na of that angel."
"I... I don't know."
"Stop lying to , or else..." he growled, his grip tightening even more.
"I'm not lying to you! I really didn't know her na. I was just following orders in exchange for items and artifacts that could—"
Her voice broke as she struggled against his grip, desperate to explain .
He narrowed his eyes. "Stop wasting my ti. Give a straight answer."
More blood spilled from her mouth. If not for her healing power, she would've died right then and there from the imnse pressure he was applying to her neck.
"I.... really...don't....know"
"Liar! Do you expect to believe that?" he lashed out.
"Don't test my limits." His lips trembled, and even his usually calm mind couldn't rein in his anger.
Dozens of ways to make her suffer flooded his thoughts, but he forced himself to practice self-control.
He knew that if he let those intrusive thoughts win, a fundantal part of what made him who he was would be destroyed.
'Damn it,' he clicked his tongue in annoyance before throwing her to the ground.
Her body flew through the air, crashing with a deafening thud.
If he didn't release her, she would die.
BLINK!
He teleported above her, grabbing her collar as he raised his fist.
"I'll give you one last chance."
"Talk, or I'll make you regret it," he snarled, tightening his grip around her throat as his fist trembled.
"You won't like what's coming next."
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Authors note:
I'm only posting one long chapter today because I had to handle so personal matters. I'll get back to uploading two chapters tomorrow.
I hope you're enjoying this side of Asher. I know most of you are used to his cool, composed deanor, but seeing him like this is refreshing.
It really highlights his growth as a character who rarely react to anything.
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