Theresis looked expressionlessly at the Sarkaz shadow-manipulator he had brought under control, yet in his heart, he wondered whether Kal'tsit had sought him out truly for her safety or for some other reason. This was simply too much of a coincidence; he had just expended a great deal of effort to capture this "shadow demon" alive, and the next moment Kal'tsit had contacted him, even making him suspect she was monitoring his palace.
However, seeing the expression of the woman before him—who indeed seemed unaware of the call—it appeared that even if this operation hadn't been hidden from her, she certainly hadn't expected it to move so quickly.
"To think they even predicted with such precision that her mission would fail? That Doctor is truly formidable!"
In his heart, Theresis attributed the uncanny timing of the opposite side's actions to that Doctor, who had caused him countless troubles over the years. He had personally tasted just how great that person's abilities were. Had it not been for the Doctor's existence, the war would likely have ended long ago.
"But having said that, since you already know you are free, do you have nothing to say to me, your former teacher? Ascalon?"
Theresis looked at the student who had once received his instruction and inquired. The other party merely closed her eyes and replied with a few cold words.
"Nothing to say!"
He could have guessed this reply; even without that call from Kal'tsit, this person still wouldn't have told him a single word. He didn't know who she had learned such a stubborn personality from, but she was lucky this time; otherwise, even if he had taught her, he wouldn't have shown any old sentiment at a time like this.
"Then take your secrets with you until you die of old age. Let's see if I can pry those things out of your mouth the next time I capture you alive!"
Theresis turned and left, instructing his subordinates to lock her in a sturdier cell until she could be sent back to Babel. It was a pity to lose this opportunity; capturing an elite Babel operator alive was no easy feat, let alone one who knew so many secrets. But the Confessarius also knew many of his own secrets; if he didn't exchange hostages, the one suffering the greater loss would definitely be his side!
Moreover, he wasn't entirely without valuable intelligence. After this period of interrogation and information gathering, he had finally learned something. He didn't know what his sister was doing, but she seemed to have an extraordinary interest in Rim Billiton, even consuming vast amounts of Babel's resources there for some unknown purpose. Though he hadn't interrogated the exact details yet, this information was enough! His sister would never do something useless.
In any case, he only needed to keep a close eye on Rim Billiton. No matter what they wanted to do, it would eventually have to be transported back to Kazdel. He would just need to dispatch men to snatch what they wanted and study it then.
At this moment, Ascalon also breathed a sigh of relief. Although she knew coming here would be extremely dangerous, she never expected Theresis to be lying in wait. It seemed there was still a significant gap between her strength and his! Facing this man, she didn't even have the ability to resist. What relieved her more was that Theresis seemed to have lost interest in acting against her; otherwise, even she couldn't guarantee she could withstand his interrogation.
On the other side of the communicator, Kal'tsit was currently unaware that Ascalon had been captured, as the mission had been issued after her departure. It could only be said that their luck was quite good to contact him at this exact time. Because Theresis worried the other side would interrogate his own men, he did not make things difficult for Ascalon. In his view, it wouldn't be too difficult for his sister, the Demon King, to dig things out of his subordinates' minds—she just didn't often use such methods. If he sent back a broken Ascalon, there was no guarantee his sister wouldn't retaliate and turn his two captured leaders into idiots.
"It seems something else happened in Kazdel during the time I was away. You two just stay here honestly; once he releases our people, I will release you."
Kal'tsit did not return the communicator but put it in her pocket, turning with interest toward the Sanguinarch who was currently recovering. The Sanguinarch's face could once again be recognized as human, but other parts of his body still looked like some sort of distorted monster.
"Do you need me to perform surgery on you? With this recovery speed of yours, I think you'll find it difficult to walk upright even by next year."
Kal'tsit saw the situation of this Blood Demon at a glance. The bones in all the vital positions of his body had been smashed into fine debris by Patriot, and other areas weren't much better. To Kal'tsit, he felt as if he had been run over by a mobile city. With his abilities, it would take some effort to recover fully. Even for the Sanguinarch, growing an entire body of bone from nothing was very taxing. Why else would he be playing "jigsaw puzzles" with his bone fragments using his muscles?
"You... what schemes are you cooking up now?"
Upon hearing Kal'tsit, the Sanguinarch's first instinct was to agree, yet he worried about what tricks this woman might have. Their relationship had never been harmonious; though she didn't discriminate against the Blood Demon race, she was extremely disgusted by his usual behavior. How could such a person have the kindness to help him?
"If you're not interested, then forget it. I only promised them to teach medical skills. As for you, you are merely a very excellent teaching resource."
Kal'tsit looked at this man whose bones were crushed to dust; he was indeed a rare case on this land. If she were teaching about the treatment of fractures, this one man could be worth dozens of patients! Moreover, he was durable; there was no need to worry about an unskilled doctor accidentally killing him.
The Sanguinarch realized that the way she looked at him was like looking at a medical specimen, a gaze that made him feel insulted. But just as he was about to lose his temper, he realized that recovering on his own would consume too much time and energy. Let the insult be; at least it was better than being a cripple.
The Sanguinarch closed his eyes and asked, "When will the surgery take place?"
"Depending on the situation, it should start in a couple of days." With that, Kal'tsit and Patriot turned and left.
The Emperor's Blades who witnessed this felt like thin air; these people treated them as mere decorations, not even interested in a glance! When had they ever suffered such a slight? But no matter how angry they were, they couldn't spare the energy to care. At this moment, the incredibly vicious and cursing voices in their minds were incessant. Ever since the fight with these people began, the demons within them had started cursing like street thugs. They didn't understand why, but the five entities within them had even joined forces, bombing their ears with five times the vitriol.
"I will find a way to handle those Emperor's Blades. Although it's difficult, I can still manage to make them completely lose their memories regarding you lot."
On the way out, Kal'tsit promised Patriot. She hadn't forgotten her agreement to handle these five. Although she wasn't a match for them in terms of martial force, she already had a preliminary plan to dispose of them properly.
But Patriot merely remained silent for a moment before saying to Kal'tsit: "Actually, you don't need to worry about them. Someone will come to handle these fellows."
Yes, someone would come to handle them. And it would be someone very skilled at dealing with entities like the Emperor's Blades.