From that moment on, the Torturer would do her best to answer Liora's questions as extensively as she could.

She showed surprising patience and "teaching" capabilities, as following her answers, Liora felt that she had gained a lot, whether it was regarding the Crucible, the Crucible Ranking, or other ranked Devils.

Most importantly, though, she gained information regarding the two Devils ranked at the very top of the Crucible Ranking.

These two Devils—titled Unknown and Blasphemer respectively—had two extraordinary yet contrasting reputations.

Blasphemer—the second-ranked Devil—was quite notorious.

Although his strength was acknowledged by almost everyone and admired by many, his temperament attracted the scorn and contempt of the other ranked Devils.

This was because the Blasphemer was a unique Devil who liked order.

That's right.

According to the Torturer, the Blasphemer was a person who loathed chaos and evil, having made an oath to restore order to the Demon World.

Many Devils mocked him secretly, but, of course, they didn't dare to say anything to his face.

After all, his strength was still there, and he was arguably the second strongest in the entire Crucible.

As for the first? It was a Devil referred to by others as Unknown.

Unlike the Blasphemer, who was quite well-known, the Unknown's true identity was a mystery.

No one knew their gender, age, bloodline, or anything about them.

In fact, the other ranked Devils didn't even know how they managed to get to the first place of the Crucible Ranking.

No ranked Devil had ever seen them before, nor had any information regarding them spread.

It was as if the Unknown was merely a rumor, a story for Devils to talk about.

Yet, the fact that their name remained at the very top of the Crucible Ranking meant that they indeed existed.

"One person who's extremely mysterious and another who seems to have a loose screw.", Liora commented as she listened to the Torturer's explanation.

Of course, she was just joking.

She understood that although the so-called Blasphemer seemed strange—preferring order over chaos, and good over evil—this should be a reflection of his bloodline.

Although the existence of a bloodline that went against the very nature of the Demon World was quite intriguing, it was actually perfectly normal.

The Will of the Demon World didn't differentiate between such things.

Perhaps for it, order was merely another aspect of chaos.

Gathering her thoughts, Liora's focus shifted back to reality. Or rather, to the Torturer lying before her.

"Lord, do you want to...", Scurry on the side paused and made a slashing gesture against his neck, his intentions obvious.

Before Liora could reply, though, the Torturer, who had given her some time to think, hastily rose to her feet.

The metal chains clanged as they struck against her limbs and held her in place, but she ignored the sharp pain and spoke in a hurry:

"Do—don't kill me! Don't you want to find other ranked Devils? I can help you!", she pleaded, tears streaming down her face.

Unfortunately, Liora didn't show any pity when facing her. She just glanced at her coldly and asked in a straightforward manner:

"What do you mean?"

"I'm quite close to several other ranked Devils! We trade with each other every other month.", the Torturer explained, and as if afraid that Liora would refuse her offer, she added:

"One of these Devils is ranked thirty-fifth! I've heard that he has a close relationship with the Blasphemer. Aren't you looking for him? They might have clues about him."

Not surprisingly, her words proved quite tempting to Liora.

Although she could guess that the Torturer might have other thoughts, hence making this sudden offer, what she said was true—she was indeed looking for the top two ranked Devils.

She understood that for one to leave the Crucible through the Crucible Ranking, one had to not only reach the first place, but also remain there for twelve consecutive months.

This meant that even if one happened to get lucky and obtained enough Slaughter Points to reach first place, they'd still have to possess enough strength to defend their ranking.

Otherwise, not only would reaching first place not help them, but it would also be life-threatening.

As such, Liora's goal of reaching first place went against the goals of the two Devils above her.

No matter what, the three were destined to fight—unless one chose to back down.

But would any of them do such a thankless thing? Liora strongly doubted it.

--

In the end, after a bit of thinking, Liora accepted the Torturer's offer.

Even though it was risky and potentially dangerous, she felt that the benefits far outweighed the disadvantages.

Granted, she still didn't trust the Torturer.

Many Devil Runes shone on the surface of the Torturer's body, shimmering with brilliance before fading away.

At the same time, a faint voice echoed directly in her ears.

"This is a special Array I prepared for you. As long as I wish to, I can have it explode, killing you instantly.", Liora casually explained and patted her gently on the shoulder.

"But you don't have to worry. You're far more useful alive than dead. As long as you don't make any mistakes or have second thoughts, you will most likely be fine."

Although her words were meant to comfort her, Liora's frosty voice and expression made it difficult for the Torturer to truly feel safe.

However, unable to do anything, she could only nod her head repeatedly, as if she really believed her words.

Seeing her being so obedient, Liora, who originally wanted to find some faults and intimidate her, sighed.

"Why do these guys never act according to the script?", she complained inwardly, but on the surface, her expression remained unchanged.

"When are you going to meet the ranked Devils again? Where?", she asked.

"We usually gather at the start of every other month, so in less than a week. As for the meeting's location, we usually alternate between each Devil's lair."

"This time, the meeting will take place here, in the City of Pain."

As she said this, the Torturer took out a batch of letters and handed them to Liora.

Briefly going through them, Liora saw that they were invitations to the so-called ranked Devil gathering. Each letter had a title and name impressively written at the very top.

Liora couldn't recognize any of them, but thankfully, there was a small number right beside them, indicating their respective rank.

Seventy-ninth, fifty-fourth, thirty-fifth...

There was no Devil in the top thirty of the Crucible Ranking, but this was to be expected.

Unlike idle Devils like the Torturer, who were wasting their time having "fun", most powerful Devils were busy growing stronger, hoping to eventually leave the Crucible.

"Is there anything else?", Liora questioned as she returned the letters to the Torturer, who shook her head briefly before pausing.

"My Lady, are you sure that we can deal with all these people? If not, I fear that you might be in danger—"

Just when she was in the middle of her speech, a palm landed on her right cheek, interrupting her.

The palm didn't hurt her, but gently brushed against her skin before lightly patting it a couple of times, as if petting her.

"You don't have to worry about my well-being. Worry about yourself instead.", Liora said in a calm voice, her crimson eyes reflecting those of the Torturer.

Although her eyes were soft and her voice gentle, the Torturer couldn't help but shrink back when she heard this, fear washing over her once again.

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