Level five was in the depths of the Sunken Citadel, in a huge room that used to be a throne room, but there are another five levels to reach the deepest, and they choose not to because of monsters that were lurking in there.

There were ancient murals of dead kings covering the walls, and broken pillars lined them. But now there was fresh blood on those walls, and the big room had become a cross between a prison and a torture chamber.

Marina was hanging from chains that were attached to one of the pillars. Her wrists were sore and bleeding from the chains.

Her armor was ripped and torn, showing that she had been beaten. But her fierce, determined eyes still burned with defiance, even though she was getting tired and about to give in.

Kael was yelling from across the room. "Aggggghhhhhhh...!"

Elias stood over the ranger with casual cruelty, his sword was against Kael's shoulder. The blade gave off dark energy, and wherever it touched Kael's skin, it turned black and started to rot. The process was slow and painful, meant to make the pain last as long as possible.

"Tell me again," Elias said in a casual tone, as if they were talking about the weather. "What is it about your blacksmith friend that makes him so special?"

"Why does everyone think he's like some kind of a fucking saint?"

"He's just like me, a reincarnator who wanted everything he hoped for!"

"Fuck you," Kael said between screams.

"That's not a wise thing to say to someone who could end your useless fucking life!" Elias pushed the sword deeper, and Kael's screams got louder.

Marina's efforts to break free from her chains were in vain. "Leave him alone!"

"What the fuck is even your problem with us!?"

"Is it because Greg has a better kind of motive than yours!?"

"He's just a blacksmith who wanted to live his second life with peace, and he didn't mean to become a hero like you, who had a big ego that wanted all the validation!"

Marina felt a chill run down her spine when Elias turned to look at her. His golden eyes had turned a darker shade, as if something was getting inside them and changing them.

The charming, cocky adventurer she had met before the trip was gone, and in his place was something that liked to hurt people. "Hahahahaha...!"

"What a funny thing to say from a bitch."

"What...?" Marina gritted his teeth.

"But that's exactly it," Elias said as he walked toward her, and Kael fell to the ground, gasping and shaking. "My issue IS with that fucking son of a bitch Greyson."

"And the best way to hurt him is to break everything he loves! Starting with his friends, his philosophy, and most importantly, you."

He stopped just short of Marina's face. "He changed your crystal just for you. It gave an unlimited range when everyone else's was limited."

"To make sure you could always get in touch with him. Isn't that what a "just friend" would do?"

Marina remained silent, as she did not want to give him the satisfaction of a response. "Aww... don't make the face of someone who was about to die just because his loved one doesn't even answer her feelings with true love."

Elias thought, "I wonder," as he moved his sword in a lazy pattern through the air, leaving trails of dark energy behind it. "Will he come to see you?"

"Will the great pacifist blacksmith finally forge a weapon and pick it up when he sees what I've done to the woman he loves?"

"I bet it's even more fun if I slowly break all your armor to the point you're not wearing anything, right...?" Elias starts to lick his sword until both his eyes shine.

Marina was terrified upon hearing that, as she realized she was about to be sexually assaulted. She starts to close both her eyes, trying to stay strong and not shed a single tear.

"Aww... don't act all strong now. We know a woman can't do anything when she doesn't have any protection." Elias starts to cut one of her armor's chest parts until he can see her bra.

"I see... a mature-looking bra with a black color... so arousing, isn't it?"

Marina starts flinching and screaming until her face gets punched. "Shut the fuck up, you fucking bitch!"

There were other adventurers chained or caged around the room. Some were barely conscious, while others were actively dying.

Ryn was trapped behind a magical barrier that kept her powers from working. She looked exhausted, and Denna had been put in a cell that was too small for her to even sit up straight, which was a form of psychological torture meant to break the strong fighter's will.

Elias was enjoying every second of the destruction of the expedition that had entered the Sunken Citadel with hope and determination. "Don't worry... I want him to watch all the suffering I've caused all of you in this room!"

"And you all can blame it on Greg, who was late for his funeral!"

"Hahahahahaha!" Elias's laugh echoed in the room.

"He'll come," Marina said softly, her voice hoarse but sure. "And when he does, you'll wish you hadn't."

Elias laughed even more, and the sound bounced off the stone walls. "Yes, I'm counting on him to come."

"This whole thing is for him. The question is, what will he be when he gets here?"

"Still holding on to his important beliefs? Or finally ready to be what he was always meant to be, which was a weapon maker, a destroyer, and a good player in the gods' game?"

He turned his back on Marina and spoke to the broken adventurers as if he were giving a speech. "Gods brought us reincarnators here for a reason. We are supposed to be unique and special. But Greyson said no to that."

Elias sneered, his voice dripping contempt. "Greyson... that useless son of a bitch who hides behind ideals he can't uphold."

"He talks big, but the moment real power stands in front of him, he trembles like a scared child." He scoffed. "He was a pretender. A nobody. And anyone who believes in him is just as pathetic."

"He spit in the face of God's will. And for that, everyone who follows him must pay the ultimate price."

"Greg... please... help us..." Maid thought this plea for help one last time in her mind.

Marina's head fell, and she finally gave in to tiredness. But even as her mind started to fade, one thought kept her going.

Greg was on his way. She sent the injured adventurer away with her crystal, confident that he would escape and locate Greg.

Elias was going to learn that there were things much more dangerous than men with swords when Greg got there. This refers to a man who values peace so deeply that he is willing to fight to defend it.

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