With Dabrio's words, Laufu and David's pressure went from being only physical to spiritual. Chains with thorns bound their spirits, causing immense pain and destroying and drowning their wills.
Arghh!
Cries of pain echoed through the forest, and both men shook in their bonds like snakes in oil, their skin opening and bleeding.
After a few seconds, the lightning in Dabrio's eyes faded. With an impassive gaze and without the slightest hint of empathy, the demigod focused his heavy, deadly gaze on the man trapped in ice.
An invisible whip formed from his will, this deadly tool striking David directly in his spirit, stunning him heavily and knocking him out.
Dabrio's amber eyes did not waver from the man in ice as he walked until he was a few steps away from Laufu.
Unconcerned by the rain, he repeated his question.
"Why did you betray us?"
His words were accompanied by a flash of lightning in his eyes and the return of the suffocating pressure.
Laufu could not fight Dabrio's command, no matter how much he wanted to. Foam came out of his mouth, and his eyes threatened to turn white.
But before he lost consciousness, the pressure on his soul eased a little. It didn't abandon him, it just gave him space to breathe and fill his lungs with much-needed air.
"We had no choice! It was—URGH! ARGHHH!"
Amber flashes of electricity shot out of Dabrio's impassive eyes.
The combination of Psychic Piercing and Lashing destabilized his target's spirit and mind, forcing them to reveal the information they had. With his divinity restored, his abilities had returned to normal after rest, so Laufu's attempt to resist was futile.
Huff! Huff!
It took a few moments, but Laufu spoke again, his eyes bloodshot and his voice wavering.
"Three years ago... Julio Caser, a normal person and a junior member of our branch, expressed the desire to become a Beyonder to help the family- Urgh... From among the formulas we offered him, and despite Mr Cristhian's attempts to advise him and make him change his mind... Julio did not change and... Urghh..."
Gritting his teeth, Laufu forced his mouth shut. His body began to shake, and the wounds covering his torso worsened, his skin breaking open slightly.
At this sight, Dabrio's brow furrowed ever so slightly.
Adryan, who had been watching everything with his shoulder leaning against a tree a few steps away, raised an eyebrow suspiciously.
'Being from the same pathway, the suppression effect is much greater on him than David, yet Laufu is managing to hold out for a few seconds of interrogation? This is no longer something that depends on his will, but also on his willingness to sacrifice his own being...
'It can never be simple, can it? There always have to be layers to problems.' The redhead let out a silent sigh.
His gaze moved around a little, and he noticed that even though the sky was lit up white, the sound of thunder didn't reach here.
Dabrio had sealed this space and used various commands so that outside influences wouldn't affect what happened here, adding to the passive effect of Hunters Hallow. Adryan wasn't too worried that what they were discussing here would be noticed.
His eyes moved around boredly.
'Of course, that's not counting the fact that the Church is watching all of this...'
Having no patience to deal with this, a quick Psychic Piercing made Laufu jump with a cry of pain. Unable to defend himself, completely helpless and powerless to do so.
The message was clear: every time he stopped talking, thorns would pierce his soul, stakes would pierce his mind, and deep cuts would join the already numerous ones on his body.
A few agonizing seconds passed before Dabrio stopped his attack, and when he did, Laufu sang.
"Huff! Huff! Argh... Despite Mr. Cristhian's words, Julio continued with his decision and chose the path of the Mystery Prier—urgh..."
Those words caused the redhead's heart to leap, but he did not let it show in his expression or body language, continuing to listen in silence.
"For a few months, there were no problems. Although he suffered greatly, Julio could tolerate the usual ravings of his pathway... At least that was the case until suddenly, the ravings were no longer just that; they became a message!
"A message from the Hidden Sage!"
"As soon as that happened, Julio contacted Mr Cristhian and passed on the message—Urghhh!!!"
Once again, Laufu tried to stop himself, but his mouth moved without his will, and the words flowed out.
"In exchange for getting rid of the rest of the branches, the Hidden Sage would protect us from the Demoness Sect and the Churches!"
'This is...' Scarlet's eyes immediately sharpened, and Adryan clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"What does the Hidden Sage gain by getting rid of the Tamara family?" Dabrio asked, his expression harsh but clearly disturbed.
As a Sequence 4, once the interrogation began, he could easily detect when his interrogation target was lying...
At no point had Laufu lied.
"We don't know! We never got any information other than that task!" Laufu cried, shaking his head repeatedly.
Then he looked pleadingly at Dabrio, his eyes filled with deep anguish.
"I swear we refused at first! Mr Cristhian almost killed Julio for even saying that. David and I had to convince him not to.
"We quarantined Julio and were going to contact the other branches to warn them, but before we could do so, members of our branch began dying one after another.
"In just two days, we went from 40 to only 28! Among those who died were civilians and low-sequence beyonders, including Julio... The same day he died, Mr Cristhian began to hear whispers giving him the same mission. Eliminate the rest of the Tamara family in exchange for protection, and if he didn't accept, the mission would pass on to the next branch until someone took it... Huff, huff..."
Dabrio's fingers tensed for a moment before curling into a fist, but he relaxed in the next instant. Taking a small, slow breath, the demigod spoke solemnly.
"What happened to the artifacts under your control? You only brought three to face me. Between those who controlled your branch and the second branch, there were several Grade 1 artifacts and dozens of Grade 2 and 3 artifacts.
"What happened to them?"
This was one of his biggest questions, and with the information he was receiving, it was becoming more difficult to make sense of it.
Why had a group with the mission of killing a demigod brought so few resources?
Even if the artifacts they had brought were quite strong, it wasn't enough to comfortably kill a demigod without enormous risks. It went against logic and common sense.
This time, there was no attempt to resist. Laufu responded immediately.
"Because we rejected the mission once, the conditions for being 'protected' had changed.
"Now we not only had to eliminate the rest of the branches, but in order for a member to be accepted, we had to hand over several artifacts for each one. The number of artifacts changed depending on whether they were a normal person or a Beyonder, and it also increased depending on their sequence...
"For a normal person, it was four grade 3 artifacts. For a low-sequence Beyonder, it was eight grade 3 or two grade 2. For the Mid-Sequence, it was five grade 2 or one grade 1. And for the demigods, one grade 0, no less.
"We used almost all of our artifacts to pay for the other members, leaving us with only a few to ambush the second branch..."
'Holy shit! Is this how the big leagues blackmail people? I have to level up!' As incredulous as he was amazed, Adryan's mouth hung open a little, barely stopping his hands from clapping.
To help Dabrio Tamara, he had only asked for everything these guys had on them, including their bodies and characteristics.
If this had been a competition to see who had exploited the Tamara Family the most, the top three places would have gone to the Hidden Sage!
'That thing isn't just a Pervert Whisperer, he's also a master exploiter! Have you no shame?' Unable to help himself, Adryan felt his respect for this mysterious existence grow a little as an uncomfortable feeling filled him.
'This time the Hidden Sage is much more active... Damn it.'
Dabrio looked at his family with a difficult-to-read expression, his eyebrows raised slightly. The information revealed was complex to swallow and much more confusing than he could have ever imagined.
"With the death of the second branch, David and you should have been accepted. So why did you follow Cristhian? Your debt was already paid."
Laufu's bloodshot eyes dimmed a little, his lips twisting into a sad smile.
"We didn't want him to carry the burden alone. If we had to sin with patricide, as the closest members, it was our responsibility to accompany him."
"How considerate of you." Adryan snorted and rolled his eyes without grace.
Despite the severe exhaustion, the large wounds on his body, and the assault his mind and soul were suffering, veins bulged in Laufu's neck.
A curtain clouded his vision, and words flew out before he could control them.
"Don't talk as if you understand what it feels like to kill your own flesh and blood, you bastard! An orphan like you would never understand! You miserable son of—ARGHHH!!!"
The Disciplinary Paladin's body convulsed, rivers of crimson spilled down his cheeks, lost in the rain. Horrible lacerations appeared on his body, reaching down to the bone and breaking it.
An invisible whip moved through the air, dancing with amber lightning bolts, alternating between the two or entering simultaneously to break and ruin the man's body, mind, and soul.
"Dabrio, seriously?"
The lightning bolts in the demigod's eyes stopped. He closed his eyes and, placing a hand on his chest, bowed deeply and respectfully. "Forgive me, Lord Adryan, I could not allow such disrespect to go unpunished."
"It's not like the guy told a lie." Shrugging his shoulders disinterestedly, the redhead looked curiously at the paladin's condition.
Now he could see bones protruding from the lacerations. The blood flowing from his body stained the ground and the ice trapping his limbs red. Although his body was damaged, he knew it was nothing compared to the state of his mind, spiritual body, and soul.
Laufu's eyes were now white, and thick foam was coming from his mouth.
If he wasn't brain-dead, the damage he had suffered had undoubtedly caused severe mental damage.
Shaking his head slightly, he turned his attention to the unconscious David.
"Should we interrogate him too?"
Dabrio looked at the bound man, barely moving his head to see. "It's not necessary. I already got everything I needed from Laufu. I can sense that he has nothing to add to what he revealed. It would be a waste of time."
'I doubt those words are just for show. Can the Imperative Mages know if someone has useful information after interrogating someone related to the matter? How useful, that saves a lot of time...' Amidst these thoughts, he asked a curious question.
"What if he's hypnotized to not remember anything about the subject? Wouldn't we be losing valuable information?"
"If I were Sequence 5, it would be possible for me not to notice, but being a demigod, simple hypnosis no longer works. When I knocked him out, I confirmed that his mind and memories had not been interfered with in any way." Dabrio replied calmly.
"Of course." Nodding slightly, Adryan sighed inwardly.
Glancing between the two men lying on the ground, he tilted his head slightly, "Would you like a moment to say goodbye?"
Dabrio closed his eyes and nodded, "If possible, thank you very much, Lord Kenway. You are very kind."
"Mhm." Rolling his eyes inwardly, Adryan nodded.
Pulling away from the tree he had been leaning against, the redhead left the demigod alone to deal with his family problems.
Watching him leave, Dabrio silently took two white handkerchiefs with his family coat of arms out of his pocket.
In the distance, Adryan raised a hand and snapped his fingers.
Bam!
At the same time that the altar was destroyed in a small crimson explosion, the lives of two men were extinguished.