The commander suddenly gasped violently, as though his soul had been dragged back into his body.
"Huff… huff…"
His chest rose and fell heavily while his dull eyes slowly regained focus. For several moments, he simply stared blankly ahead, unable to understand where he was.
Meanwhile, the fat king had already returned lazily to his throne-like seat, swirling wine inside the massive bowl as though nothing had happened.
The moment the commander opened his mouth to speak, suddenly foam spilt from his lips again.
His body convulsed.
The king sighed in annoyance.
"I am asking you one final time," he said coldly. "What exactly happened inside that cave?"
The commander trembled violently.
The king's eyes slowly shifted towards the female commander standing nearby.
Then suddenly, he grabbed her head and pulled it closer.
"If you refuse to answer…" he said lazily while smiling, "…then she will bear your fruit."
The commander's eyes widened instantly.
"You bast..."
More foam erupted from his mouth before the curse could finish.
His body twitched violently again before collapsing half-unconscious onto the floor.
The king stared at him silently for a few seconds.
Then...
Tak.
He snapped his fingers once more.
The strange pressure surrounding the commander loosened slightly.
The man immediately inhaled deeply like someone rescued from drowning.
Then, forcing himself upright, he bowed shakily and spoke in a furious yet trembling voice.
"Reporting to Your Majesty…"
His breathing remained unstable.
"The destruction of the seal… was caused by those slaves."
The room grew silent.
The commander continued.
"One of the miners informed me there was an anomaly forming along the cave wall."
His brows tightened while recalling the memory.
"A crack had suddenly appeared where none existed before."
He swallowed hard.
"When I went to inspect it personally… I somehow became trapped. As I opened my eyes, I saw I was in a maze."
The king narrowed his eyes.
"Trapped? You're trapped in a maze."
The commander nodded weakly.
"Yes, also it felt like no matter which direction I moved, the paths kept changing."
Even recalling it seemed to disturb him.
"For nearly an hour, I wandered without finding the exit. But then… I noticed strange markings carved across the cave ceiling. Those markings looked almost alive."
"I followed those markings and eventually came out. When I came out, I saw those slaves were gathered around the holy object. They were dancing and laughing, and some of them had already begun urinating on the holy object."
The moment those words fell...
Boom!
The king exploded from his seat in rage.
Before the commander could continue speaking, a heavy kick slammed directly into his chest and sent him crashing across the stone floor.
"You useless filth!"
The king roared loud enough to shake the chamber walls.
"How did you allow such blasphemy?!"
The commanders nearby were lowering their heads and were already on their knees from the first. No responses came from them; even their eyes were like dead men.
The king pointed violently towards them with widened bloodshot eyes in fury.
"All of you, get out there immediately! If you fail to capture those slaves now…"
The air distorted around him.
"…I will personally kill every single one of you."
The flare light shook wildly.
"I want to see which bastards dared commit such unholy acts upon that sacred relic!"
He pointed towards the corridor.
"Bring them before me immediately!"
The nobleman nearby suddenly spoke in a trembling voice.
"W-We cannot bring them, Your Majesty…"
Silence.
The king slowly turned his head.
His expression had become frighteningly calm.
"…You cannot?"
The nobleman instantly panicked.
"No, no, Your Majesty, it is not that we refuse..."
The king suddenly roared again.
"Then what is it?!"
The nobleman became drenched in sweat. Unable to answer properly, he lowered his head completely.
The king's gaze slowly shifted back towards the injured commander.
"You."
His voice turned colder.
"Continue."
The commander coughed painfully before speaking again.
"When we attempted to move closer and stop them, something blocked us. A wall suddenly appeared between us and them. It wasn't a stone… or a metal… wall. As I touched it, it felt alive."
Even the king's expression shifted faintly.
"Then suddenly a light flashed directly before our eyes, and when I regained consciousness… I saw something impossible."
A sudden chill spread through the chamber. Or perhaps it was not merely a chill anymore, but fear itself taking shape around them even though they were being controlled.
The commander's body trembled violently as he continued speaking.
"Their limbs… were already cut off; their hearts were ripped out and missing. No heads remained. Only their bodies were hanging there by veins and torn flesh… and from those veins, blood kept dripping onto the skull."
The room turned silent.
"That blood…" he swallowed hard. "It soaked the skull completely. Then countless lines started to form across its surface. One after another… glowing brighter and brighter and with a heavy light… the skull split into six different parts."
Even while speaking, his eyes remained unfocused, as though he were still trapped inside that nightmare.
"I was about to collapse from shock when suddenly words made of blood began to appear on the ground near the skull itself.
Six powerful people are needed. Give a little blood, and all shall join again.'
The commander lowered his head deeply.
"So… we six commanders decided to use our own blood during the holy ritual. Or… if needed… sacrifice six others upon the pyre to restore it completely."
The fat king stared at him for several moments before suddenly chuckling.
"What a wonderful story," he sneered. "Do all lies sound this pathetic when they crawl out from rotten mouths like yours?"
He leant back lazily while swirling wine inside his bowl.
"Do you truly think I know nothing?"
His smile widened.
"You bastards were probably too busy rolling around with whores instead of doing your duty."
The atmosphere tightened instantly.
"And after that…" his eyes narrowed dangerously, "you secretly discussed everything among yourselves without informing me."
His gaze slowly shifted towards the nobleman.
"You reported it to that bastard too, didn't you?"
The nobleman desperately wanted to stay silent, but under the king's suffocating pressure, his body betrayed him.
Slowly…
He nodded.
The fat king dragged his palm slowly down his own face.
"Bastards…"
Then suddenly he laughed again.
"Fine. Fine. Let us end this nonsense quickly."
He spread his arms dramatically.
"I'll show all of you something truly interesting tonight."
He leant his head back with drunken amusement.
"Huh… ahhh… ahhh…"
Then suddenly he stopped.
"Oh right."
His eyes snapped towards the nobleman again.
"What happened to those hanging bodies afterwards?"
The nobleman immediately bowed lower.
"As the divinity began dissolving… those bodies were completely absorbed into the six fragments."
The king sighed mockingly.
"Ohh… poor souls."
He clicked his tongue twice.
"Such loyal little insects, thrown into the worst possible hell."
Then his expression suddenly darkened.
"But tell me…"
His gaze sharpened like a blade.
"Why are all of you still alive?"
The king pointed lazily towards them.
"This is clearly a case of hiding evidence."
His smile slowly twisted.
"So how exactly did you fools think you could conceal something like this from me?"
The more the fat king spoke, the more unbearable the atmosphere became. Even breathing started feeling difficult.
The nobleman hurriedly slammed his forehead against the floor.
"We are sorry, Your Majesty!"
His voice trembled violently.
"We already caused trouble by arriving late. We did not wish to burden you with even more problems…"
"Please pardon us this once!"
Besides him, the advisor bowed deeply twice in succession.
"Oh, great King… please grant mercy."
The fat king stared at them silently for a moment before sighing.
"Hunnn…"
He waved his hand dismissively.
"Yes, yes… perhaps I might pardon you."
Hope briefly appeared on their faces...
Then his smile widened again.
"But don't you think your little schemes are becoming painfully obvious?"
Silence. The king's voice turned colder.
"You truly expect me to believe none of you informed that bastard already?"
Both the nobleman and the advisor immediately shouted together in panic.
"No, sir!"
"We swear we did not!"
The king stared at them for several moments before suddenly laughing softly.
"I thought clever men would at least entertain me longer."
He tilted his head.
"But you people…"
His voice became terrifyingly calm.
"Do not try to act like foxes in front of me."
A low pressure spread across the room again.
"Because if I decide to punish you…"
He smiled.
"I will throw you into pig latrines alongside swine and make you crawl through filth while eating their piss and dung."
The nobleman's face lost all colour.
"And afterwards," the king continued almost casually, "I will sell every member of your family one by one."
His eyes gleamed with madness.
"That is my vow."
Both men immediately began pleading desperately.
"Please don't, Your Majesty!"
"We will remain loyal only to you!"
"Please forgive us!"
"Your Majesty, have mercy!"
But the fat king only laughed louder.
A deep, ugly laugh echoed through the chamber while the flare lights flickered violently against the stone walls.
"You should have thought about that," he muttered coldly, "before letting your filthy mouths run loose."
...
After some time the fat king turned his gaze outside once more. Below the towering structure, he could see fresh bruises were on those humans, glowing in flare light.
Suddenly, his expression twisted with anger again.
"But why", he roared, "did you force them to come here and witness this holy ritual?"
His voice thundered through the chamber.
"This is a sacred ceremony, you foolish bastards!"
He pointed violently towards the ritual grounds below.
"If their minds become polluted with fear or doubt… if their beliefs waver even slightly… then tell me, how are we supposed to calm the wrath of the gods? Did any of you think about that for even a moment?"
Nobody dared answer.
The king snorted coldly.
"They are valuable livestock."
He leant back heavily with irritation.
"Huh… speaking with idiots like you only worsens my mood."
Then his attention suddenly shifted elsewhere.
"Hey! Suck properly!"
He shouted towards the shadows below him.
"What are you all doing?"
Another drunken laugh escaped him.
"And you… bitch…"
His finger pointed lazily into the darkness.
"Apply more cold to it. Make it hard quickly."
The chamber fell quieter still.
Then the king's eyes slowly drifted towards the seven kneeling figures before him. For a brief moment, mock pity appeared on his swollen face.
"So…" he muttered, "all of you ignored my orders, forced those slaves to work day and night from top to bottom… and still dared to stand before me and speak proudly."
His smile widened.
"I already received the report from this bitch that very day."
He chuckled softly.
"But watching pawns struggle is entertaining, so I decided to play along."
The two men immediately began bowing repeatedly until their foreheads struck the stone floor.
"We are truly sorry!"
"Please forgive us!"
"We only forced some of them so the others would move faster!"
"Oh great benevolent king, please show mercy!"
The nobleman suddenly turned desperately towards the silent advisor.
"Advisor! Why are they silent? Please help me!"
But no answer came.
The commanders remained completely motionless like empty dolls.
Seeing their silence, the fat king burst into louder laughter.
"Hehehehe…"
"A cat got your tongue?"
His eyes gleamed with madness.
"Or perhaps your masks have finally fallen off?"
The king leant back against his throne.
"They are mine now. My personal puppets."
The nobleman's body trembled violently.
The king continued casually,
"I originally wanted you first…"
He tilted his head.
"But then I thought…"
"A dog that betrays once can easily betray twice."
The nobleman immediately slammed his head against the floor again and again until blood began smearing across the stone.
"I am sorry!"
"Please forgive this offence!"
"I beg Your Majesty for mercy!"
The king watched silently for several moments before smiling devilishly.
"I understand."
Hope briefly flickered inside the kneeling men's eyes...
Then the king continued.
"But punishment will still come."
Their faces froze.
"Punishment for laziness during royal work."
The king raised one finger.
"Punishment for failing to recognise the worth of a true king."
Another finger rose.
"And punishment…"
His grin widened unnaturally.
"For disobeying my orders."
The flare light flickered violently around the chamber.
"A very heavy punishment awaits all of you."
The nobleman's breathing became ragged.
"But for now…" the king waved lazily. "Let's begin the holy ritual."
His voice suddenly sharpened.
"Do not stare at my face like idiots; go with them quickly and continue your work after that."
The cold, applying woman lowered her head silently.
"Do not remain here wasting my time."
The king stretched his arms lazily.
"Go. Start it. Ahhh… ahhh…"
Then without another word, the six figures immediately moved from the chamber like obedient shadows disappearing into darkness.
Tak.
The king snapped his fingers once more.
Immediately, five more women entered the chamber from hidden passages.
The two kneeling men's faces turned pale instantly.
"No!"
One of them shouted desperately.
"Please don't!"
The fat king laughed loudly.
"They will simply bear punishment for your sins."
Before they could move further, shadowy figures suddenly grabbed both men from behind.
Both of them struggled violently.
Even they themselves looked shocked, as though only now realising their bodies were bound tightly by thick wooden vines growing directly from the floor.
The more they struggled, the tighter the vines constricted around their arms and throats.
"Bastard!"
"I'll kill all of you!"
"Don't touch them!"
Their furious screams echoed through the chamber.
The king only laughed harder.
Tak.
Then with another snap of his fingers, the remaining lights vanished completely.
Darkness swallowed the chamber whole.
Only shadows remained along with the sounds of clapping, soft crying, moaning, and the curses and desperate shouts of men.
And above all of it, the devilish laughter of the fat king echoed endlessly through the darkness like something inhuman feasting inside a nightmare.
TBC...