Joseph, the pot-bellied shop owner slowly opened his eyes and found himself lying on the cold, hard floor of his shop.
He tried to sit up but realized his body was extremely weak, and he could barely muster any strength. Even lifting himself from a lying position felt like an unbearable task.
"What happened?" He muttered in confusion before the memories of what had occurred prior to him passing out rushed back into his mind.
Recalling the terrifying young man who had knocked him out before he could even struggle, the confused expression on Joseph's face twisted into one of horror.
His eyes darted around quickly, only to land on Azrael, who was seated indifferently on a chair some distance away, watching him with a cold gaze.
"You—" Joseph tried to gather his cosmic energy to activate his powers. But in the very next second, his expression froze as he realized with horror that he could not use his cosmic energy at all.
"Don't bother," Azrael said flatly. "I fed you a Nullheart Pill while you were unconscious. You won't be able to use cosmic energy for the next few hours."
Joseph's face darkened upon hearing Azrael's words, a gloomy expression settling over his features.
The Nullheart was a pill that could render the cosmic energy within a person's body useless for several hours.
Azrael had bought a few of them when he went out to purchase some essential supplies a day before leaving for the mission, knowing they would come in handy if he managed to capture a member of the Transcendent Organization and needed to extract information from them
"Who are you? And what do you want from me?" Joseph finally asked after remaining silent for a while.
Azrael ignored the question and asked his own instead.
"When did you join the Transcendent Organization?"
He glanced at the holographic screen projected from his smart band, displaying Joseph's personal information that Glen had sent him a few minutes earlier.
"According to the civilian data of planet Fras, you graduated from Night Academy fifteen years ago. It is considered a decent institution among the third-rate academies. However, your source core was damaged during a mission in your final year, which made it impossible for you to advance beyond the class rank and you have been stuck at the same level ever since."
Joseph's expression grew increasingly gloomy when Azrael recited his past as he had no desire to recall those bitter memories.
Noticing Joseph's sour expression, Azrael stopped reading from the report and repeated his question.
"So, tell me, when did you join the Transcendent Organization?"
Joseph remained silent for a few seconds before finally opening his mouth.
"Around five months ago." This content belongs to novęlfire.net
Azrael was already using both of his traits, and through them, he determined that Joseph was telling the truth.
"You must have joined them because they promised to heal your source core and allow you to advance to higher ranks, correct?" Azrael asked, his tone utterly indifferent.
Joseph's eyes widened in shock upon hearing Azrael's words and when he saw his cold, indifferent gaze fixed on him, he couldn't hide the truth and nodded. .
Azrael wasn't surprised when he saw him nod and without pause, continued with his next question.
"Why is the Transcendent Organization kidnapping people?"
Joseph's body trembled slightly at the question, hesitation flashing across his face.
Azrael stared at him intently, probing his inner emotions through his traits and after feeling his emotions for a few seconds, his brows furrowed slightly.
"Will the curse they placed on you be triggered if you try to answer this question?"
Joseph was stunned when he heard Azrael, but he quickly nodded.
"Hm…" Azrael remained silent for a moment before continuing.
"Do you know where the main hideout of the Transcendent Organization is located?"
Joseph did not answer again. Yet by sensing his emotions, Azrael easily discerned that he did not know the exact location of their hideout.
"You were speaking with someone this morning. Who was that person?"
Upon hearing Azrael's question, Joseph's body trembled violently, disbelief etched across his face. He had spoken to that person in his private room with no one else around, so he couldn't understand how Azrael could possibly know about it.
This time, Azrael sensed Joseph's shock, but there was no trace of the deep, instinctive fear that only surfaced when the curse was about to trigger. That alone told him the curse would not activate, even if Joseph answered this question
"Tell me, who were you speaking to early this morning, and where is that person now?"
"T-That…" Joseph hesitated, his lips quivering.
"Just so you know, I am not asking," Azrael's tone sharpened as Fallen Star materialized in his hand.
He aimed its tip directly at Joseph's eye, the blade gleaming coldly under the dim light. "I am ordering you. Answer my question. Or do you want me to gouge out your eyes, chop off your limbs, and turn you into an eunuch before you decide to speak?"
Joseph's heart turned cold at Azrael's ruthless words. The sight of Azrael's merciless eyes and the blade mere centimeters from his eye filled him with dread and his body shivered uncontrollably.
"H-He was the one who invited me to join the Transcendent Organization. I don't know his name or what he looks like, because he always wore a mask whenever we met. But I do know he is an Epic-level warrior, and is currently active in Lorato City."
"Lorato City…" Azrael's brow lifted slightly at the name as it was the very city Elyara had gone to.
'Did she somehow discover this Epic-level individual as well?' He wondered inwardly, then asked another question.
"How are you people kidnapping so many individuals without being caught by the security forces?"
Once again, Azrael sensed the telltale fear within Joseph—the unmistakable fear of the curse being triggered if he dared to answer.
'So all the crucial information is bound by the curse. The moment he speaks, it will kill him…' Azrael thought silently as he rose from his seat and approached Joseph.
"My earlier questions still remain unanswered. Why is the Transcendent Organization kidnapping people? What is their purpose? Do you have any clue about their hideout? How are you abducting so many without being caught…"
Azrael rattled off more than ten questions in one go.
Joseph's face turned pale as he heard Azrael's questions and he shook his head frantically.
"I will die! If I answer any of those, the curse will kill me!" He shouted, his voice laced with terror.
"Don't worry," Azrael said calmly, placing one hand firmly on Joseph's shoulder.
"Even if the curse is triggered, I will make sure you don't die. However…" His eyes turned glacial, sharp as blades. "If you refuse to answer me, I can assure you that you will experience something far more dreadful than death."
Joseph looked into Azrael's cold, abyssal eyes—eyes that seemed to stare into his very soul, void of all emotion, like a pit without end. A chill spread through him, and before he realized it, his mouth opened against his will as the words spilled out, and he began to answer every question Azrael demanded.