Saquin: Death To My Enemies

Chapter 20: Brewing War, More like you?



"Hahaha! I won't tell you anything," King Zen said, bursting into laughter. His body, once broken, had completely healed, even his severed limbs restored.

Saquin stared at him in silence for a few seconds, his expression unreadable. Then, without a word, he stood up, turned away, and began to walk. "Bring him, Lira," he said over his shoulder.

A short while later, they arrived at the heart of Rigar Forest. The cave's entrance loomed before them as Saquin stopped to focus on the glowing screen that materialized in front of him.

[

Would you like to add the Rigar Forest to bonded territory?

<-- Yes. -->

<-- No. -->

]

Yes.

[ Bonded territory added. ]

The moment the confirmation appeared, Saquin felt his territorial senses expand, rooting themselves permanently within Rigar Forest. He closed his eyes briefly, letting the flow of power and vitality from the land surge through him, strengthening his connection.

Not bad, he thought.

Lira felt Saquin presence wash over her and the Rigar forest. He has captured here too.

Saquin turned to look at King Zen, who stood beside Lira. Despite being fully healed and completely unrestrained, Zen showed no signs of trying to escape.

"Are we going to start torturing him?" Lira asked, a dangerous smile playing on her lips as she noticed Saquin's gaze fixed on the man.

"Nope," Saquin replied flatly.

"Huh?" Lira blinked in surprise. "Then how will we get him to talk?" She had fully expected Saquin to resort to torture after Zen's defiance.

"There are three reasons," Saquin said calmly, folding his arms. "First, advanced humans and torture don't really mix. They have an insane healing factor and can regenerate from anything short of total annihilation. On top of that, they feel less pain with each subsequent healing."

"Feel less pain?" Lira interrupted, tilting her head in confusion.

"Yeah. The more they get injured within a specific timeframe, the more their nerves adapt, dulling their pain sensitivity. It takes a long time for the effect to wear off. If you keep inducing pain before it fully resets, their tolerance just keeps building."

"That's…"

"Amazing," Saquin finished for her. "But also inconvenient for us. Combined with their pseudo-immortality, it means breaking them through torture would take decades—or even centuries"

"But we don't have that kind of time," Lira said, catching on. "The princess will be coming after us soon."

"Exactly," Saquin confirmed.

"But if advanced humans are that tough, how did you kill that silver-haired man last night?"

"Simple," Saquin said with a smirk. "I waited for him to channel most of his SP away from his body. Then I struck, overloading his body with more SP than he could handle. That overwrote his SP signature, which disrupted his regeneration entirely."

"Whoa," Lira said, eyes widening. "Can I do that too?"

"Yeah," Saquin said. "Now that you're part Higher, you should be able to."

"Part what?!" King Zen, who had been silent until now, couldn't help but shout in shock.

"None of your business, ugly king," Lira shot back, sticking her tongue out mockingly before turning back to Saquin. "What's the second reason?"

"The second is: I don't like torturing people," Saquin said flatly.

[Expected.]

"Okay…?" Lira responded, raising a skeptical brow.

"Cap," King Zen scoffed with a sneer, clearly unconvinced.

"I mean it," Saquin replied, his tone indifferent. "I don't enjoy torture. After all, I wouldn't want to be tortured myself—karma and all that."

"If you believe in karma, why do you kill people?" King Zen countered sharply, his tone challenging.

"Simple," Saquin said with a faint shrug. "I'm going to die either way. Killing someone doesn't tip the scales. Besides, I'm not afraid of death."

King Zen locked eyes with Saquin, searching his expression for a trace of hesitation. Finding none, he scoffed again, looking away.

"The third reason: I don't need to," Saquin said, his tone calm yet resolute.

"You don't?" Lira asked, her confusion evident.

"Yeah," Saquin replied, glancing briefly at King Zen. "I already figured out what I needed to know. The moment I saw the southern army at your castle, it was clear—it's a continental war. Another continent is attacking us, and instead of a direct assault, they're stirring up internal conflicts to weaken us."

"Hm, but how did you reach that conclusion?" Lira asked, tilting her head. Her ears subtly attuned to King Zen's heartbeat, hoping for a telltale spike that might confirm Saquin's claim.

"You don't need to worry about that," Saquin said dismissively. "Just follow my lead. And by the way, don't bother trying to read his body language or heartbeat—he can manipulate those as he pleases."

Lira blinked in surprise, her brows furrowing. "So, if you already knew the answer and don't plan to torture him, why'd we even bring him here?" She gestured at King Zen, who stood silently by her side.

King Zen shared her confusion, his expression reflecting a mix of suspicion and intrigue.

"For leverage," Saquin said with a casual smirk. "To establish diplomatic relations with the Southern Kingdom. I brought him here as a gift for their crown prince—a token of goodwill as we negotiate terms."

Lira raised an eyebrow. "Couldn't we have just talked to them back there?"

"Of course not," Saquin replied with a chuckle. "They had the upper hand back at the castle. Besides, it wouldn't be much of a gift if they already had him under their control, would it?"

"Hm, true," Lira admitted, a sly smile forming on her lips.

King Zen, however, looked utterly bewildered, his thoughts swirling as he tried to make sense of what was unfolding.

---

[How did you know it's a war and not some secret organization causing chaos on the continent?]

Because a crown prince wouldn't move for a secret organization.

[How sure are you?]

One hundred percent. There are people far stronger than the crown prince in the Southern Kingdom. If it were a secret organization, they'd send someone else—someone more discreet. But the prince himself moved. That means the entire kingdom is involved. Besides, he wouldn't have called King Zen's actions treason if it weren't a formal matter of state.

[So you think this other continent is responsible for attacking your village?]

Yes. They were there for you. That's another reason I concluded they were from another continent, not some rogue faction.

[Elaborate.]

Secret organizations operate with discipline. They follow strict codes—uniforms, tactics, even fighting styles. But the group that attacked? While strong, they weren't in sync. They were a mishmash of individuals with different principles, all thrown together for the same mission. That screams "hired hands" from somewhere else.

[So, you think someone on this other continent knows of my existence?]

Yes, and they have a way of turning advanced humans into higher ones. Like that green-haired boy.

[I don't think it's a guaranteed process. Take King Zen, for example. The only explanation for him aging as an advanced is that they tried to mutate him into a higher.]

Right, but it failed. Now, he's neither fully advanced nor a true higher. Just a freak without the power of a higher or the immortality of an advanced.

[Yeah, it's quite sad.]

It is. Saquin paused, his tone sharpening. So, is there something you're not telling me, Mythic?

[What do you mean?]

The one who can turn advanced into higher and somehow knows your location.

[We can't be certain they know I exist. They might've just been after other treasures from that house. Besides, you can turn people into higher, too.]

Only Mythics, Saquin clarified. To humans, my blood is poison. And I'm sure they were after you.

[You can't be completely sure—]

Mythic. Saquin's voice cut through the mental link, stern and demanding.

[...]

Are there more like you out there?


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