The two ranger recruits who had been "killed" earlier quickly got up from the ground, bowed to the demon, and their wounds seemed to be fake.
Nathanos's eyes were bulging with tears. "Hal! Hake! You betrayed me?"
No wonder he was so heartbroken. He had only recently picked up these two "young people" from the wild. At the time, they were just two stray dogs, wandering aimlessly.
He was the one who brought them back, gave them independent and clear-headed consciousness, and used a secret Potions to soak and refine their flesh and bones before training them to become qualified rookie recruits. Unexpectedly, these two brothers turned out to be treacherous vipers who bit him back and killed him.
Lying on his side at the demon's feet Unas peered through the mesh of the net at the two Undead, wondering to himself: Could these be the two young soldiers he encountered when he first arrived in this world?
The name matched, and the figure was similar, but the skin on the face was already dry and the original appearance was no longer visible.
One of the Betrayer spoke, his voice hoarse, "Don't talk about betrayal, Lord Blightcaller. You just wanted to use us. We, who have only recently become Undead, are your most valued test subjects for drugs. Hal and I are just your successful experiments. We already know what happened to those unsuccessful creations. We owe it all to the Demon King's guidance."
Nathanos offered no defense. He had indeed committed many unjust acts for the sake of the Queen, and could only futilely cry out, "This demon only uses you as pawns; I can already foresee your fate."
We'll see what happens to you soon!
Nathanos closed his eyes in anguish and fell silent; he had resigned himself to his fate.
The misery of others nourishes the devil's emotions like sweet wine. "Ha ha, though I know it's nonsense, I still want to ask one last question: Submit to me, and I will forgive your disrespect and grant you eternal life!"
The Blightcaller don't even bother to open their eyes.
"Hal, Hake, draw your weapons!" Varimathras had anticipated this outcome; if this guy hadn't been so loyal to the Queen, there wouldn't have been such a fuss to eliminate him. "Destroy the soul fire of this maggot for me!"
Two new recruits drew their short axes and walked toward the ranger lord who lay on the ground, eyes closed, awaiting death.
Imminent death at the hands of the very weapon he had given himself, Nathanos opened his eyes again, glaring angrily at the two traitors, as if wanting his distorted face to become their nightmare.
Unas was extremely anxious. If the ranger died, it would be his and Luisa's turn. In a moment of desperation, he shouted wildly, "My stomach hurts so much! I need to go to the toilet!"
On the one hand, he could buy some time, as the little red dragon might arrive soon; on the other hand, he could draw Halhak's attention to himself, so that if they really were those two brothers, there might still be a glimmer of hope.
Sure enough, all eyes were on him, and even the two traitorous wandering knights turned to look at him.
Taking advantage of the situation, Unas launched into a nonsensical self-introduction, attempting to evoke memories for the Hal brothers. "I am Paladin Unas Laugard, I need to use the restroom, my hair and eyes are black, and Captain Joseph Gordon and Captain Perry are my good friends..."
This information was already known to Hal and Hake, but only heaven knows how effective it will be.
"Shut up!" Varimathras roared, stomping hard on the Paladin's back again. "I know what you're up to, human. Too bad you'll never see the Red Dragon. That stupid lizard was lured away by my men long ago. I'll deal with it later!"
With half of his thoughts exposed, Unas was shocked. He realized that Bessarius had probably already revealed all his secrets to Varimathras, and that this kidnapping was aimed at him!
Unas couldn't wait for the Little Red Dragon; he had to rely on himself. How could he possibly fight back in this situation? A sense of despair crept in. Was his journey about to end here?
Ignoring the commotion, the two traitorous brothers walked straight to Nathanos, raised their axes, and with a few sharp cracks, the Ranger Lord's head was split into several pieces, and the ghostly blue soul flames silently dissipated.
Next came the captured ranger recruits. Two loyal to Nathanos chose death, while the rest were willing to offer a small portion of their soul fire and submit to the demon's domination.
Varimathras was in an unusually good mood after acquiring several decent servants. He lifted Unas from his feet and placed Unas before him. "Human, you have seen the fate of those who refuse to submit. To live or to die, the choice is yours!"
As a modern person with independent thought, Unas would never want to be someone's slave, let alone to such a terrible master.
"I am different from them. You cannot threaten me with death, or the Bessarius within me will also disappear from this world!"
"Heh, you think I care whether he lives or dies? Useless things are just trash in this world!"
Unas quickly shouted into his chest, trying to sow discord. "Lord Bessarius, did you hear that? Your demon companions don't even respect you!"
Bessarius didn't reply for a moment, whether she was too frightened to speak or simply mute.
Varimathras chuckled at the human in his grasp. Trying to sow discord in front of Dreadlord was utterly futile. "You have a natural talent for demonhood, human. Join our race, and you will gain limitless power and life!"
It was Bessarius's usual tactic, something Unas had heard countless times and was practically immune to. "I might consider it for my 99th birthday, but for now, no way!"
"You ungrateful maggot!" Varimathras grabbed the Paladin by the neck and slammed him to the ground.
Unas screamed and collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. He had thought he was going to die here, but his gamble paid off; the demon hadn't dared to kill him after all.
Before he could even feel relieved for a few seconds, Varimathras's next move made Unas really nervous.
The demon grabbed the sack containing Luisa, and with a flick of his finger, tore a large hole in it, exposing the petite Luisa to the air.
She seemed to be awake, but dared not open her eyes. She was curled up like a cat, her whole body trembling violently, clearly terrified.
"This woman seems very important to you," Varimathras said, pressing his sharp fingertips against Luisa's Temple. "You don't want her to die, do you?"
"I don't want to!" Unas bit his lower lip.
His hasty pursuit revealed his concern for Luisa, and Bessarius may have sensed his feelings for Luisa, otherwise he wouldn't have used her as bait.
"With a flick of my finger, her head will explode, and her face will be even more beautiful then."
Unas couldn't imagine such a scene. He was filled with deep self-blame and distress. How could he have ended up in such a predicament?