Why does this man in front of her know her so well?
Loci frowned slightly. The tribe members Sean captured were taken before she became the new Princess. Back then, the Princess was still her sister. It was only after a series of unexpected events that she took on the mantle. So even if the captives were tortured for information, it shouldn't have included anything about her identity.
The only faction possibly capable of uncovering her identity… was the Academy—the one she had come into contact with.
But if the Academy wanted her to kidnap Sean and use him as a bargaining chip with the Golden Demon, then there was no need for them to reveal her identity, was there…?
Sean caught the flicker of doubt in her expression. He knew that, with her personality, the seeds of suspicion and betrayal had already been sown.
He smiled faintly, not attempting to directly sow discord between her and the Academy. "The Golden Demon is one of Paradise City's Four Giants. Miss Loci, you're underestimating us."
"So… now you're in my hands?" Loci tilted her head.
Sean blinked. "Didn't expect you to act so decisively."
"And?"
"So let's talk about cooperation. The Academy's airship might look powerful, but it's nowhere near enough to evacuate your people down the mountain. I, however, have a way."
Loci furrowed her brows, her thoughts racing. Then she let out a light chuckle. "You're too weak… Besides, if you really have a way, I'll just make you talk. You don't seem to understand what it means to be a prisoner."
"For example—" Sean didn't show a hint of fear.
The girl puckered her red lips and whistled. A strange, metallic green insect crawled out of her sphere.
"This—rustworm. It feeds on concentrated energy. But few know—" Loci smiled playfully, holding the metallic orb close to Sean's face, "—it's especially fond of human blood. It nests near the heart, feeding while releasing vibration-based waste energy. The pain is…"
Before she could finish, her eyes widened.
Sean had leaned forward and slurped the rustworm straight into his mouth.
"You, you…" Loci stuttered.
Sean chewed a bit and revealed a look of enjoyment. "You've been feeding it your energy? Mmm, your flavor's amazing…"
"You—!"
Sean chuckled. "Sounds terrifying, sure. But rustworms eat energy, they weigh nothing, and have no strong parasitic abilities. They're even entirely edible. Typically, controlling someone means feeding it through the ear—that's a little trick from a master torturer. Consider it a gift."
Loci stared, dumbfounded. The terrifying techniques she'd learned on her journey—this man was already completely unfazed by them.
"Miss Loci, let's talk cooperation." Sean's tone remained calm and steady.
If he could make her doubt… they'd have something to negotiate.
After all, survival wasn't his only goal. He wanted strength.
He knew exactly how cruel this world he'd poured his heart into could be…
But just as he thought he was getting somewhere, Loci frowned and looked at him unhappily.
His heart skipped. Uh-oh.
Damn it, she's about to act up again…
"You—Ahhh—!"
Sean didn't even finish before he was sent flying into the air by a huge force!
Loci bent her knees slightly, then leapt, appearing beside him mid-air.
She reached out and "grabbed" him out of thin air.
With her jumps, kicks, and borrowed momentum, Loci soared through the sky like a bird.
In the howling wind, her voice faintly carried through: "Your people are here. Let's find somewhere safe… then we talk."
Looking down at the rapidly blurring buildings and feeling his drifting body, Sean screamed:
"Hold on tight——————!"
—
At the bottom of a pit emitting thick purple gas, a man and a woman sat inside a dilapidated building.
Deep in this toxic rift that constantly emitted poisonous fumes, purple slime coated the ground. Loci had clearly studied the area and took the path with the least toxicity. Though filthy, this place had the lowest possible gas levels.
She cleared a small, relatively clean spot and lit a fire using some broken wooden planks.
Sean sat by the fire, casually stripping off his clothes to dry. Despite being a genetically evolved Negator, his physical strength was average at best.
In this post-apocalyptic wasteland, combat power came in two main types: cybernetic body modifiers known as Cruds, and genetically mutated ability users called Negators.
As a pure Negator, Sean's power wasn't combat-based. Right now, he was essentially an ordinary person.
On the other side, Loci—undeniably among the top-tier Negators—sat still, watching him intently.
After wringing out his clothes and hanging them to dry, Sean looked toward her.
"You made a deal with the Academy. Even if they did give you a functioning airship, even with their best tech, it's still not enough to get your people down the mountain."
Loci hugged her knees, her voice stiff: "And you're going to help me? With your mouth alone? I've killed your people. Compared to the Golden Demon, working with the Academy makes far more sense."
Sean corrected her: "I'm not asking you to work with the Golden Demon. I'm asking you to work with me."
"Your reputation…" Loci sneered, her gaze chilling. "Rape, pillage, every crime imaginable. Your Golden Demon is a notorious underground empire. My people are still in your hands."
Sean scoffed: "She snuck into the Golden Demon's core base in the middle of the night. She got what was coming to her."
"Lies!" Loci's eyes turned cold. "One of our tribe members vanished even before her—last seen within your territory. She was just investigating. Your hobby of abducting beautiful women is no secret."
"Watch your words," Sean remained calm. After all, this persona was his creation. "Yes, I like beautiful women. But I've never stolen one. Slaves, volunteers, enemies—nothing else."
"Hearsay is nothing. Ask yourself, have I really done so many evil things? Lust? That's human. Torture? Should I be merciful to enemies? As for mischief… is seeking fun a crime?"
"And one more thing—your tribe member in my dungeon? She betrayed you. Sold you out to the Academy. The missing one? She's on the Academy's dissection table. Her eyes were probably just removed."
"You think the Academy is helping your Rainbow Nest tribe?"
Sean threw out all the heavy-hitting info in one go, hoping Loci would lower her guard.
Her crimson pupils contracted violently. True or not, betrayal from her own kind was something she could not accept.
Energy surged wildly. The broken building around them trembled. Sean felt like a beast was awakening before his eyes.
This was her reverse scale—an untouchable line. The usually cold Loci now radiated icy wrath. Her energy blade pointed at Sean again.
"My people would never betray each other."
This woman's pressure is insane… Why'd I write her to be so overpowered in the first place?
Knocked over by the surge, Sean flipped upright and dusted himself off, sneering: "This is Paradise City. Betrayal? That's easier than staying alive."
"Oh right. Your Rainbow Nest clan is known for heightened perception, right? Energy-based perception from mutation? So intense that during a kiss, you can tell if someone's lying? Hah—why don't you give it a try?"
He said It offhandedly, but saw Loci's face grow cold as her ruby eyes narrowed.
After a long silence, she suddenly stood up.
The white-haired, red-eyed beauty walked straight toward him through the firelight. She accidentally kicked over the fire.
"Repeat everything you just said." Her voice was calm and detached, but her eyes burned darker red.
…No way. Given her devotion to saving her tribe, it's possible, but still…
Sean, a little nervous despite himself, nodded and calmly repeated everything.
"I didn't lie. Not a single word."
Of course not. He helped write this early plot. There was no need to lie.
The energy blade hovered against his neck again.
Then, in the flickering firelight… Loci lowered her head.