At the outskirts of the City of Pain, a strange scene was quietly unfolding, unbeknownst to everyone else in the Crucible.

Several ranked Devils, who should have been cruel and unyielding, gathered together, greeting each other like close friends who had not seen each other in a long time.

At the center of the gathering stood a beautiful lady, who personally took action to receive the guests.

"Lady Torturer, you're as beautiful as always.", a male, bear-like Devil praised her, though he still remained a couple of steps away.

Torturer had long been used to such situations and didn't pay much attention to his actions.

Letting out what could barely be described as a smile, she lightly brushed her fingers against his shoulder and gestured for him to go in.

As time passed, more and more Devils gathered, until finally, their total number reached more than a dozen.

"Now that everyone is here, why don't we convene the meeting?", one of the Devils spoke, earning the agreement of most around them.

However, unexpectedly, Torturer didn't agree. With a smile on her face, she lightly shook her head.

"This is not a suitable place. Why don't you all follow me to my castle?", she proposed, and although the Devils were somewhat caught off guard, none refused.

To them, it didn't matter where the meeting was taking place, but whether they could benefit from it.

Seeing their agreement, the Torturer turned around and led them toward the center of the city.

As she arrived at the Gothic castle, the many patrolling guards immediately knelt down and saluted respectfully as if afraid to raise their heads.

"Hehehe... Torturer, why don't you give me a few of your toys?"

Behind her, one of the many Devils, with a disgusting, ant-like head, suggested, green saliva dripping out of his mouth as he stared at the many guards.

The Torturer didn't rush to refuse his offer, instead choosing to remain silent.

"Hehe... Don't worry. Haven't you been looking for new 'prisoners' to have fun with? I've brought a few with me.", the Ant Devil laughed hoarsely, his voice containing a hint of temptation.

At any other time, the Torturer would have been excited by this offer, but being in her current predicament, she managed to remain composed.

While the Ant Devil and the Torturer were negotiating about the "prisoners" exchange, the group's steps didn't stop.

After navigating through the shadowy corridors of the castle, they soon reached its deepest end, arriving before a massive, stone gate.

Signaling the Devils to stop, the Torturer stepped forward, placing each of her hands on the massive circular handles and pulling them back with all her strength.

With a loud screech, the stone door shook violently before it slowly opened, revealing the dark hall hidden within.

"Follow me.", said the Torturer as she walked into the room.

Behind her, the Devils exchanged a brief look and, with tacit understanding, walked in together.

One by one, they stepped into the room.

Seeing that there were no changes, the weaker and more cautious among them breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that their previous worries had been unnecessary.

Yet, the moment the last person entered the room, a dazzling black light shone on both sides of the heavy stone door.

Before any of the Devils could react, a thunderous roar resounded as it shut on its own.

At the same time, the shadow of the only object in the room—a large throne—rippled like blank ink, and an unfamiliar figure jumped out of it.

The woman, with long scarlet hair and crimson eyes, observed the Devils for a brief second before taking her seat on the throne.

From the moment the Devils stepped into the room to the unfamiliar woman's appearance, less than a second had passed.

It was only when Liora leaned back on the throne that several of the Devils finally reacted.

"Torturer, what do you mean by bringing this person to our meeting?"

"That's right! How could you not inform us of such a change?"

Several of the Devils glared at the Torturer with reproachful looks while most of them chose to remain silent.

Only two people—one of whom was the Ant Devil—focused on Liora and seemed to have realized something. The Ant Devil's white eyes flashed with fear as he glanced around in panic.

On the other hand, facing the curses of the Devils, the Torturer remained unaffected. With steady steps, she approached Liora and lowered her head slightly.

"Lady, I've brought everyone just like you ordered. We can now wrap up our plan and slaughter them all.", she announced, her voice cold and filled with murderous intent.

Her voice was not low at all, not only reaching Liora, but also everyone in the hall.

As soon as they heard these words, the expression of the Devils changed.

Some showed anger, others caution, while a few showed fear.

But obviously, despite their powerful strength, these people had yet to shed the chaotic nature engraved in their bloodline.

As such, the angry Devils were not only the largest in number, but also the most vocal.

"Torturer, have you gone insane? And you—", the Bear Devil paused for a moment and turned to Liora before continuing:

"Who are you? Are you responsible for the Torturer's inexplicable behavior?", he roared, demonic energy surging within him and dyeing his fur crimson.

The Bear Devil had reason to be confident.

Among the many Devils in the hall, he was the second strongest, ranked forty-first, only six places behind the Ant Devil.

As such, he didn't take anyone else in the room seriously.

The only reason he held back and didn't attack Liora was that he was afraid of unforeseen consequences, such as the other ranked Devils taking the opportunity to besiege him.

However, the Bear Devil was surprised to find that the unfamiliar woman was not intimidated at all by his words. She still sat silently on the throne, leaning her head against her hand and staring at him.

The Bear Devil didn't know why, but even though her eyes were emotionless, he felt as if he could see mockery, disdain, and contempt hidden within them.

He had seen such eyes before—when he was still a newborn and had just entered the Crucible.

Back then, it was the owner of such a pair of eyes that had severely humiliated him, making him wish for death to arrive every single day.

Recalling those painful memories, fury ignited within the Bear Devil, and opening his mouth, he let out a deafening, frenzied roar.

His body grew, turning into a bear monster more than ten meters tall with red fur, and he lunged at Liora.

Standing behind him, the other ranked Devils were shocked.

They didn't understand what was going on with the Bear Devil and why he had such an intense reaction.

Still, they opened their eyes, wanting to see whether the unfamiliar woman would be able to parry his attacks.

Facing the Bear Devil's charge, Liora didn't even get up from the throne.

A massive axe formed in her free hand with a move of her mind, and after she weighed it briefly, she brought it down with all her strength.

The air around trembled, and a sense of oppression spread in the room, while her figure seemed to become larger, filling the entire hall.

But the Bear Devil seemed to have lost his mind.

Despite the clear danger, he didn't try to dodge or defend, but rushed forward in a straight line, like a mindless beast.

Blood flowed to his head, dying his hazy eyes red, as he raised his paws and met the axe in the air.

For a moment, time seemed to have stopped in the hall. The Devils held their breath and stared at their confrontation, waiting eagerly for the result.

However, contrary to their expectations, the battle between the two didn't last for long.

The moment the axe fell on the Bear Devil, it instantly penetrated through his fur and flesh, cutting off his two paws before rushing toward his torso.

Blood splattered as pain assaulted the Bear Devil's mind, causing the haze in his eyes to retreat. In shock, he opened his mouth in an attempt to beg for mercy, but it was already too late.

With a loud bang, his lifeless body collapsed to the ground.

Just when silence filled the room and the Devils were trying to make sense of this shocking turn of events, the Torturer suddenly moved.

Two thick black metal chains appeared in each of her hands—one of their ends wrapped tightly around her wrists—and she swung them forward.

Her target was not any of the ranked Devils, but Liora.

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