Chapter 333: Shadows of the Realm
"No... It’s impossible for you to know that..." she whispered, her voice cracking with panic. "Even Dana only knows it’s used to manipulate or paralyze people for a short time... There is no way anyone outside the main bloodline knows what it actually does at its limit!"
Alexander flashed an icy smirk, taking a slow, measured step toward her.
"Yeah... I met a girl a while back. Her name was Liora... Do you know her?"
Upon hearing the name Liora, Vanya took a step back, her blue eyes wide with shock and her lips parted in disbelief.
"Liora...!" Vanya gasped out, her voice trembling. "Princess Liora is vast distances away from this place! We’ve kept constant surveillance on her... It’s impossible for you to have met her!"
Alexander froze for a split second, hiding his sudden surge of astonishment behind an unreadable expression. His mind began to race at breakneck speed. It seemed that, without intending to, he now held a direct lead into the upper echelons of royalty, but the strangest part was that no one in this kingdom had the slightest clue about their princess’s abduction.
How the hell did Liora end up in the human world? Who kidnapped her and why? Alexander reasoned to himself, sensing a web of conspiracy unfolding before him. Liora had previously mentioned that there were others with her, which pointed to one clear conclusion: was there another group of humans that arrived in this realm before or alongside them? And what role did the people from Big Black play in all of this?
A cold chill ran down Alexander’s spine. Now that he understood the true power of awakened beings and the monsters inhabiting this world, he knew facing Big Black wouldn’t be a walk in the park. If he had managed to awaken skills through the system and intense physical contact, it was safe to assume that Big Black’s leaders, Stephen, high command, and even human militaries already commanded their own experimental forces and awakened soldiers.
Alexander took a firm step toward Vanya, forcing the girl clad in green lingerie to step back until her hips pressed against the edge of the counter.
"Tell me the truth, Vanya," Alexander ordered in an icy tone. "Were you planning to kill me to cross into the other world?"
Vanya pressed her lips together, but under the compulsion of [Charm], the truth poured out of her throat beyond her control.
"If high command discovered you had awakened... the scrutiny on this tavern would have multiplied tenfold," she confessed, her breathing shallow and fast. "I needed them to know about your awakening so your status would rise, allowing me to build a foolproof cover to leverage your position and cross the border into your world."
Alexander narrowed his eyes, dissecting every word before pressing further with his interrogation.
"And what happened to the real Old 5? Who are you really?" Alexander demanded.
"Old 5... did exist," Vanya admitted, lowering her eyes as tears of frustration welled up. "A while back, Wild Rose forces captured a man on another border of the kingdom. After days of torturing him, we discovered he belonged to an organization called TMC and came from another world. When the four of you arrived in this city, our organization investigated and confirmed you were from the exact same company."
Vanya took a ragged breath before finishing, feeling her resolve continue to crumble under Alexander’s unwavering gaze.
"I’m not just a low-level agent... I was deployed as a direct representative from the Wild Rose intelligence network due to my transformation and disguise abilities. My mission was to replace Old 5, infiltrate your squad, and uncover everything about that other world you all came from."
Alexander listened to Vanya’s words in silence, processing the scale of the web he had stumbled into.
"That explains quite a few things," Alexander said, taking another step toward her. "Where are my teammates?"
Vanya clenched her teeth, feeling the inescapable force of [Charm] compelling her to answer without holding anything back.
"They’re on their way to the kingdom’s capital as slaves," Vanya confessed, bitterness lacing her voice. "I had decided to eliminate you today. You were sticking your nose where it didn’t belong too quickly, and besides, they seemed to suspect me. Ever since you arrived, their attitude toward me shifted slightly, and I couldn’t take any risks. That’s why I sold them and had them shipped off as slaves. Today I was going to take your identity and infiltrate your world, but you ruined everything."
Alexander showed neither rage nor surprise; he simply let out an icy smirk as he took in the trembling figure of the woman in green lingerie.
"Don’t worry, you’re coming with me today," Alexander said in a calm yet commanding tone. "But first... you’ll have to look me in the eyes."
Vanya tried to avert her gaze, but an invisible force compelled her to raise her face, locking her blue eyes directly into Alexander’s.
Alexander focused all his power into his eyes locking a golden glare onto her.
He didn’t know how the skill worked, but he could feel her pushing back. The spell loosened by the second in a war of minds. Vanya wasn’t truly broken; she was just holding back like a pit viper waiting to strike.
Alexander clenched his jaw and forced the pressure to the limit to completely snap her will.
"Since you were so wet just from looking at my dick, now you’re going to feel it," Alexander said, locking eyes with her. "Bend over. I need to get your skill right now, it will come in handy for everything lying ahead."
Vanya trembled, but the command echoed in her mind with crushing force. Unable to resist, she lowered her gaze and slowly began to bend over in front of him.
Alexander grabbed her firmly by the hips and buried his dick all the way to the base in a hard thrust, making Vanya choke back a cry of pain and pleasure as her body arched over the counter.
At that exact instant, an echo chimed directly inside Alexander’s mind.
[Ding]
[Charm ability obtained]