Chapter 224 Prisoners

- POV General -

In the Empire of Elysium, in the north of the city, there was the Empress' mansion, the hospital, the soldiers' barracks where warriors without families or wishing to stay lived. There was also another building that had never been used until now: the coliseum, which also served as a prison. It was a large structure of grey and black stone, round in shape, with tiers surrounding a large space reminiscent of a theater stage.

Connected to this coliseum, there was another smaller and much less imposing building that went deep underground for very specific reasons. It was the prison of Elysium, guarded by soldiers in turn, which had been built to prevent any escape. There were currently only twenty individual cells and five larger ones to hold several people, but that did not make the prison any less impenetrable.

In fact, although it was quite small, its walls were three meters thick, and as solid as a fortress. Only two entrances had been built, a small one giving directly on the coliseum and a much more imposing one giving on the street. Once inside, apart from the two doors and the guards' room, a single staircase spiraled down into the depths of the earth.

Lit only by mana stones and candles, it led to the cells below, which were divided into five areas separated by bars and grills. Four of the zones were made up of five individual cells, the last zone being the largest and obviously reserved for the five collective cells. Myles, Leto, Jade and the King were held in one of these at the back of the prison.

Chained like animals in a dark place lit only by a few candles, unable to see the sky or feel the cool breeze. The former Chief of Paladins Saint Leto had both arms cut off at the elbows and the former Captain of Knights Sir Myles had his legs cut off. Theophylactus, the King of the Kingdom of Zal, had been unconscious since the war after suffering Freya's "Death Gaze" skill.

The only one awake was Jade Wolfury, who was in the corner of the cell waiting patiently for someone to come along in the quietest of moods. Her vampire attributes had disappeared and her human appearance had returned even though hiding her true race was no longer really important. The young woman with red hair and green eyes, knew that the Empress did not feel the urge to kill her, especially after their discussion.

During their fight, she had suffered a broken leg and several broken ribs, but had been quickly healed by the Empire's skilled doctors under Freya's orders. Jade was not panicked at all, especially since she too was intrigued by the powerful young woman she had fought. She wanted to know more and was ready as she had said to tell her story especially if this mysterious Empress could help her.

"Mmmh that..."

Suddenly, while the young vampire was deep in thought, Leto was finally showing signs of waking up after more than a day. Like Jade and Myles, he had been healed so that he would not bleed to death before that night that all the soldiers were looking forward to. The former Paladin then opened his eyes gradually becoming aware of where he was before suddenly realizing that he had no arms.

"AAAAAAAAH !!! M-MY ARMS, N-NO!!"

Without even wondering where he was, the man straightened up livid, a frightened expression on his face caught in an incredible, uncontrollable panic. He was gasping for breath, unable to even breathe as he tried to speak without success. No sound came out of his mouth as Leto flapped around like a fish out of water, making an incredible noise that echoed and bounced off the thick walls.

The sound of chains being dragged across the floor was loud, the iron bracelets on his ankles hitting the cold stone making macabre music. In his agitation, Myles who was lying next to him was also beginning to regain consciousness, the din was too loud to ignore. As for Leto, he hadn't even noticed that he wasn't alone, far too busy panicking and choking himself pathetically.

"Mmmh aaarg my head...that..."

Then exactly like his ally at his side, it was Myles' turn to notice that he had been deprived of his legs, cut off at the knees. Thus, exactly the same process of panic took him, making two men fidgeting in all directions in a wet cell. Jade still in a corner in the shadows was watching the scene, rolling her eyes, already exhausted by the situation she found ridiculous.

"M-MY ARMS ! WHO...WHERE...AAAAAAH !!!"

"MY L-LEGS !!! I...WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON ??"

After a few minutes of flailing around like two crippled insects on the floor, they were finally able to utter a few words still in shock screaming like pigs in a slaughterhouse. However, they also realized that they were not alone and suddenly turned to each other. Even though the cell was dark, the two men at a glance recognized each other, aided by the other's voice.

"S-Sir Myles ? What...what are you doing here ?"

"S-Sir Leto ? I-I thought...OH YES THE WAR !!!"

Like a flash, the Knight suddenly remembered what had happened before he found himself in this unfamiliar and agonizing place. The journey they had taken to the Dark Forest, the King, the Princess, the war, and most of all, those two scary beings they had faced. Along with these memories, an intense fear gripped him as Myles finally realized that they were being held captive.

"T-The...the demon, it's her fault !"

"A-And that filthy dragoness...they got us. Oh merciful Gods who watch over us, please hear my prayers and save us from these monsters."

Hopefully, Leto had no arms left but raised what was left of them to the ceiling where no stars or moonlight could reach him. He too remembered what he had endured against Gaya and wanted anything but to be near her, completely scared to death. All his limbs were shaking, the Paladin was also pale and continued his totally unreasonable actions before a voice this time female stopped him.

"No God is going to save you from this situation, what are you waiting for ? For a divine light to come and destroy the walls, give you back your arms and teleport you to Zal ? Pffhahahaha~"

Unable to remain silent any longer in the face of this totally ridiculous scene and very much like the humans of this world, Jade had finally spoken. She had fought in their camp, for reasons still unknown to Freya, but the young vampire did not appreciate them. Her view of them was not unlike that of the Empress, and she would soon make it known.

"You humans are always declaring wars here and there, claiming superiority and strength, but when it comes to dealing with the consequences of your actions, you whine and pray to your Gods. If you're here in the first place it's because you underestimated your enemy just like I did, so now shut up. Jeez..."

Squinting to see who had spoken, once their eyes had become a little more accustomed to the darkness, Myles and Leto finally recognized the Mage Knight. Jade Wolfury was sitting cross-legged in the corner, her eyes closed with a calmness that the two men did not understand. Also, for the first time she had addressed two of her supposed superiors with a condescending tone they had never heard before.

"L-Lady Erina ??"

"Y-Yes it is, it's her !"

Far too panicked by the situation to pick up on her tone, Leto and Myles were rather shocked to find the most powerful of their warriors locked up with them. Still not knowing her real name and far from knowing her race, they couldn't understand how she had ended up here. The two had far too many questions but before they could say anything, Jade nodded.

She had pointed to another corner of the cell without saying a word, causing them to look in the same direction out of natural curiosity. At that moment, the final blow was dealt to them as they realized who was curled up on the cold, wet floor. The King, stripped of his gleaming armor, dressed in a dirty shirt and shorts, was shivering there, seemingly immersed in a nightmare that kept repeating itself.

"HIS MAJESTY THE KING !!!"

"OH MY GOD !!!"

The King of Zal was unrecognizable, no longer royal, no longer great, and more than a ruler he looked like an old man waiting to die. He had no wounds, nothing to show that he had fought and yet he was the worst. While physically he was fine, mentally it was not at all the same, Theophylactus still well under the sway of Freya's fearsome skill.

"What the fuck happened to him ?!?!"

"I have no idea and right now I don't really care."

Jade had shrugged showing very little interest in Theophylactus as the two men in the other corner of the cell looked on in shock. As a Knight, Myles was the most concerned about the King's condition but even Leto who had the Supreme as his leader could not believe his ears. However he didn't have time to protest as the one beside him did, outraged and disgusted by the words the young woman had spoken.

"H-How can you be so insensitive to the condition of your own sovereign ? You may be a Mage Knight and we may be imprisoned here, but don't forget who you pledged allegiance to ! You should be ashamed..."

"Ashamed ? Hahahaha~ This is the best one. Open your eyes a little, no matter what condition the King is in we are locked up here and what awaits him is undoubtedly death, whether he is healthy or not. You should be more concerned about your own fate."

Jade was quite right to say that because no matter what they said, they were all in this place waiting helplessly for what would happen next. As much as they remembered the Demon Wolf Empress and the Dragoness Queen, they seemed to forget the most important thing. The roles had been reversed long ago, and the powerful ruler who held them captive must have been anything but taken lightly.

As if they finally realized what position they were in after the young woman's words, Myles and Leto began to tremble more than before. Yes, the King was in a rather worrying state, but how to forget that their lives were now hanging by a thread. What was going to happen to them ? How long were they there ? But mostly at this moment they were wondering how to survive.

​ "W-We're going to die...for sure...this is the end...BUT I DON'T WANT TO !"

"BECAUSE YOU THINK I DO ? N-No stop, we...we have to calm down and think or else...or else it's over for us. M-Maybe we can negotiate with this demon...forgive me your Excellency but...I'm ready to make a pact with the Devil herself to live"

At his words, the young woman who had more of a disinterested look than a panicked one straightened up with a disgusted look this time for the forearmless Paladin. He had just destroyed the little sympathy she still had for him while he had, without knowing it, confirmed how rotten he was. Jade's emerald eyes had become a little brighter with anger as she did her best not to explode because it wouldn't change anything.

"Hypocrite !"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY ?"

"I said hy.po.cri.te, did you hear me this time ? Damn, you humans take life so easily in the name of your beliefs that you're actually willing to give up when it suits you. What fucking hypocrisy, tch !"

To this hidden vampire, this behavior was sickening, and while she didn't share the humans' point of view, she had respected their loyalty. Yet that was no longer the case at all and she wished only one thing, that Leto would regret every word he said. Just as the Paladin was about to answer, a voice came out of nowhere from outside the cell, startling the three individuals.

"Good point for Miss Bloodsucker right over there~"

"Wha..."

It was a rather mocking voice, far from cold and even rather friendly but it was not to be trusted as after all, they were prisoners. Quickly turning their heads to the outside of the cell, Myles, Leto and Jade could see in the darkness two violet eyes. They were squinting, a sign that their owner was smiling, but the two men were far from being able to notice it, too busy instinctively moving away.

"Those eyes...T-T-T-THE DEMON !"

While Sir Myles still traumatized from his fight with the Empress had spoken, the person who had arrived in a hush stepped into the light. She was a young woman with silver hair the same color as her ears and three fox tails. Her face bore a mischievous smile while in her right hand she held a huge scythe...this young woman was none other than Kira Nightshade.

"How kind but no I am not t-t-t-the demon, you are confusing me with my big sister pfffpfff~"

"B-Big sister ? W-Why are you here ? I..."

Approaching the bars of the cell, the Fox Princess pulled out a silver-colored key from behind her back before shaking it right under their noses. Kira may have looked young, beautiful and cute, but appearances were not to be trusted as she gave off a strong aura. Sticking her forehead against one of the bars, her smile disappeared as quickly as it had appeared while she answered Saint Leto with a scary tone.

"I am her to take you away, it's time for the Empire's very first theatrical performance ! And you...you are the protagonists of this play~"

___

FULL STATUS

Names : Freya / Lucifer Nightshade

Age : 0 years old / Mentally : 25 years old

Sex : Female

Course: Ice Demon Wolf of Chaos - Adult

Race : Imperial Demon

Titles :

- Demon Goddess of Primordial Blood and Death (former - until all powers are recovered) - 20%.

- Wrathful Lucifer (7th Sin) - Master of the uniques Sins Demons (to unlock it, please gather the other 6 - 3/6 - (locked)

- Dragon tamer

- Ruthless slayer

Level : 45/70

Exp needed for next level: 0 / 46 000

HP : 170 000 / 170 000 MP : 85 000 / 85 000. BLOOD : 100 / 100

Strength: 560

Defense : 560

Agility : 566

Endurance: 563

Speed : 562

Intelligence: 560

Charisma: 500 (imperial she-wolf)

Attribute points to allocate : 600

Married to : Gaya Nightshade

Daughter : Shiro Nightshade

Twins (son & daughter) : Tyle & Altaïs Nightshade

Little sister : Kira Nightshade (Greedy Fox)

Big sister : Kalaa Nightshade

Empire (menu)

Subordinates: 2239

Humans killed: 153

Souls: 2/3

Elements: Ice / Chaos (Freya) - Blood / Death (Lucifer)

Skills (all):

Attacks :

- Demon Claws (Lvl 5)

- Bite of hell (Lvl 6)

- Infernal ice spikes (Lvl 6)

- Fighting techniques (Lvl max)

- Mastery of the katana (lvl max)

- Demonic Empress aura (lvl 7)

Défense :

- Ice demon wall (Lvl 6)

- Demonic Cloak (lvl 5)

- Pain Resistance (lvl 6)

Attack/Defense :

- Domain of the Ice Empress "Frozen Wrath" (lvl 4)

- Death Gaze (lvl 1)

Others :

- Humanoid form

- Demonic form (linked to the title so incomplete) - 20%.

- Ice creation (Lvl 6)

- Detection and control of mana (lvl 6)

- Storage of chaos (Lvl 4)

- Devouring Chaos (Lvl 5)

- Master of Souls (lvl 3)

- Lucifer's Threads of Blood (lvl 3)

- Healing Blood (lvl 3)

- Analysis

- Telepathy

Passives :

- Commander (lvl max)

- Natural Aura of the Ice Empress ]