The dragon spoke in a voice heavy with defeat and regret:
"I am truly sorry. Neither Zis nor I had the power to do anything meaningful. What happened was entirely unexpected — a chain of events we could never have anticipated. They managed to completely neutralize us, but only after they succeeded in uncovering the secrets of our abilities and exposing our most lethal weaknesses."
Ice answered in a tone wrapped in terrifying stillness:
"Don't apologize, my friend. This is simply the inevitable cycle of existence… death. Honestly, I don't fear the end. To me, life is nothing but time passing — hours where we achieve nothing of real value beyond the cycle of eating and drinking and sleeping. I feel deep down that there must be a higher purpose to our existence than this. We live like this — empty of any real goal — like livestock. My time has come, and so has Aya's time, so these words no longer carry meaning."
Zeus murmured, his mind analyzing the grim reality:
"Hmm… I can only conclude now that this madman with the black heart is fantasizing about being some kind of 'supreme guardian,' haha. He's deluding himself into thinking this brutal torture will somehow wake you from your stupor. He's clearly become too entangled with the outside world. Well — my apologies serve no purpose now and won't change this bitter truth. I've been sealed away forever. Nevertheless — because your mother predicted an impending assassination attempt, I prepared an advanced system for you, shaped from the vast experience of your parents, to offer you some assistance. I never considered the possibility that I too might be sealed. So I will cooperate by merging completely with Kily — the system — to provide support through the levels. For now, I'll give you a temporary surge of power to prove your worth to that man. The power is drawn from Level 15, and it will last only five minutes. You must do everything possible to understand its true essence and achieve the greatest possible result."
Ice whispered, his voice trembling with weakness:
"There's no point in that…"
Before Ice could finish the sentence, the faint traces of peace left his face — replaced suddenly by expressions of burning pain and terror.
In that exact moment, the dark creature — Zis — reappeared.
He moved toward Ice's exhausted body with slow, cautious steps, overwhelmed with confusion:
How could he be dying this easily?
With only four steps between them, Ice's rapid, erratic heartbeat punctured the heavy silence of the room.
Ice's hands began to tremble — moving back and forth in a desperate struggle against invisible forces.
Then a thick, mocking voice boomed through the space:
"Hahaha! How could I die at your hands, Zis?"
In that decisive moment, it became terrifyingly clear that the insect was a real and lethal torture device — it had completely destroyed the emotional centers responsible for fear and dopamine in his brain.
Ice's blue eyes widened in a deeply unsettling way. The chains that had been binding him began to ignite, burning until nothing remained but ash scattered by the wind.
Ice's hands bent toward his knees in obvious weakness. While his head remained bowed toward the ground, his eyes rose suddenly. His pupils contracted like those of a snake — surrounded by a terrifying crimson halo as he stared directly at Zis:
"I'll show you."
With eyes capable of damaging the soul, pupils narrowing to predatory slits, Ice fixed his gaze on Zis. His voice carried a tone of sharp killing intent:
"I'll show you…"