A few days later, Liora sat alone in the corner of a lively bar. A crimson drink sat on the table before her as the sound of conversation echoed in her ears.

Liora keenly noticed that several of the Devils in the room were secretly sizing her up, seemingly recognizing her as a newcomer and weighing whether she could be their next target.

Yet, she neither minded nor paid any attention to them. Silently, she sipped her drink with a calm expression.

Time continued to pass in this manner until, suddenly, she finally raised her gaze.

"Come out.", she ordered, and as if in response, a figure appeared in the seat beside her.

"Lord.", the figure, Scurry, said, lowering his eyes in respect.

"Did you find anything useful?", Liora questioned, and hearing her words, Scurry hurried to speak:

"Lord, I've investigated the city and made contact with several Devils. According to the information I collected, the city we are in is the City of Pain. Its ruler is the ninety-fifth-ranked Devil in the Crucible Ranking—the Torturer.", he said, then added:

"I also paid attention to what you reminded me. Indeed, rumors about you slaughtering hordes of Devils have already spread. Moreover, the Silent Devil's death should have scared them, as most of them have ceased targeting you."

As he spoke, Scurry's eyes shone with admiration.

It was only after they arrived at the City of Pain that he learned of the achievements of his new master and understood why so many Devils were chasing after her.

While surprised, he was also very pleased. He believed that by following such a person, he might have a chance to finally leave the Crucible.

Faced with his admiration, Liora said nothing and simply continued sipping her drink.

At the same time, her mind wandered, forming various plans.

Just like she expected, no other Devil dared to intrude upon the Hellstone mountain after word of the Silent Devil's death spread.

This was originally a good thing, as she didn't have to constantly suffer the attacks of Devils, but it also meant that the source of her Evolution Points had disappeared.

As such, after a few days of resting, she no longer stayed on the Hellstone mountain, but rather chose to visit a nearby city.

Her next goal was clear.

"My current winning streak in the Life and Death Arena is only four hundred. At this rate, getting to one thousand consecutive wins is bound to take a very long time."

"Rather than doing that, it'd be easier and far more convenient to simply climb to first place in the Crucible Ranking.", Liora pondered.

Reaching the first place was obviously difficult, but it could also be said to be fairly easy. As long as Liora found the current first or second-ranked Devils and eliminated them, she'd instantly reach first place.

"Unfortunately, collecting information regarding such people is nearly impossible. Scurry—although surprisingly adept at gathering intelligence—was unable to find any of their information."

If one thought about it, it made complete sense. After all, each class of Devils had its own circle.

Young Devils who had just entered the Crucible seldom interacted with powerful Devils like Scurry, and in turn, Scurry had almost no contact with ranked Devils.

So, if Liora wished to investigate any further, she'd have to find a ranked Devil and personally ask them.

Originally, the Silent Devil would have been the best candidate, but oblivious to his status, she had already killed him.

"Fortunately, finding another ranked Devil is anything but hard.", Liora thought as her gaze shifted toward the grand building at the very center of the city.

--

Hours passed quite quickly, and before long, night fell and shrouded the City of Pain in darkness.

The Devils all over the city hastily returned to their respective residences, as if afraid of the outside world.

Yet, among them, there was a single Devil who didn't. Not only did Liora not lock herself up in the room, but she also took the opportunity to take a walk in the city.

With her hands clasped behind her back, she slowly wandered in the city, navigating through the complicated streets and dark alleys.

She met no one and had no accident along the way, and soon after, arrived at her destination—the center of the city.

Sizing up the Gothic castle before her, Liora clicked her tongue and blended in the shadows, her vision shifting as she became one of them.

Familiar with this perspective, she didn't feel any strangeness, and lifting her feet, she calmly stepped into the castle.

With agile steps, she bypassed the stone walls surrounding the castle, passing by a team of guards patrolling its perimeter.

"Do you think that the Lord is doing that again—"

"Shut up! How dare you speak ill of the Lord?!"

A conversation drifted in her ears, which she selectively ignored.

Her movements were swift, and not long after, Liora entered the castle's interior.

Following her intuition and the demonic aura she sensed, she made her way down a staircase, arriving at a large underground prison.

The prison was divided into many tiny cells, with no windows on the doors nor any gap for air to pass through. Strange liquids covered the floor, while a revolting smell filled the air.

With disgust, Liora carefully avoided them and approached one of the many cells.

As she did, a female voice rang in her ears, which gradually grew stronger.

"Untouchable! How dare you lay your eyes on me?! Die! Die! Die!"

The voice was filled with hatred and murderous intent, while the sound of banging and painful cries weaved in between its words.

Its owner continued to curse in a gloating tone, and it was only a few minutes later that the cell's door finally opened and she stepped out.

She was covered in blood—not her own—while from the tiny gap of the door, a devastated, chained prisoner could be seen lying inside.

The female Devil didn't seem to care about the prisoner's severe injuries as she closed the door with a cold expression and turned around, ready to enter the next one.

Hidden in the shadows, although Liora had never seen this person before, she instantly recognized her as the Torturer. This was not because of her extraordinary intelligence or anything like that, but because of her unique characteristics.

The Torturer—just like her—was a rare humanoid female Devil, and according to the rumors, her favorite pastime activity was torturing Devils, killing them, and devouring their souls.

Some claimed that this stemmed from the special abilities she had awakened, while others simply believed that she had a twisted mind—even for Devils.

Liora guessed that the truth actually lay somewhere in between.

However, it didn't matter to her. She wasn't here to seek justice for her victims but to collect information.

As such, when she saw the Torturer take out a key and make a movement to open another door, she immediately stepped out of the shadows.

Her mind moved, and a large net formed in her hand, which she threw toward her opponent.

"Who?!", the Torturer immediately reacted and turned around, only to be met with the flying net.

Instinctively, she raised her hands and prepared to defend herself—only for Liora's figure to blur and flash behind her.

Making her hand flat, she slowly raised it and struck the Torturer at the back of her head.

Although she held back, the blow's power was overwhelming, knocking her unconscious. Half a heartbeat later, the net she had thrown earlier landed, wrapping the Torturer up.

"It's done.", Liora thought silently.

Leaning down, she tied up the open end of the net and brought it to her shoulder, causing the Torturer's unconscious body to dangle behind her back.

Looking like a bandit who had kidnapped a beauty, she glanced around, and after confirming that no one had seen her, she slipped away.

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