The Faceless assassin froze in shock as he watched Karl El's face shift again and again before his eyes.
One moment, Karl wore his own appearance. The next, his features melted like wax, reshaping into entirely different faces. Bone structure changed. Flesh twisted. Skin stretched and compressed as though the laws of nature no longer applied to him.
As a Faceless Man, the assassin naturally understood disguise better than anyone.
He knew how masks were crafted. He knew how identities were stolen. He knew the rituals required to become another person.
But what Karl was doing…
This was something completely different.
A Faceless Man's transformation still had limits. Their disguises followed principles. Beneath every false face remained the same body, the same flesh.
Yet Karl's changes went far beyond that.
His height altered.
His build changed.
Even his gender seemed capable of shifting at will.
It was as though every cell in his body obeyed him absolutely.
The assassin stared in disbelief.
Especially after hearing the name Karl had casually spoken earlier—
Jaquen H'ghar.
And now, standing before him, was a figure with long hair split between white and red, wearing a face so smooth and blank it lacked even basic features.
The assassin's breathing grew erratic.
Wasn't this… the true form of the Faceless Men?
Or perhaps something even higher?
Everything Karl displayed shattered the assassin's understanding of the world.
The miracles he performed so casually…
The impossible magic he used in King's Landing…
The terrifying ease with which he had captured him…
None of it resembled an ordinary man.
The assassin could no longer remain calm.
If his will had been any weaker, he might already have gone mad.
Bound to the wooden frame, he struggled violently despite his restraints, his eyes wide with panic and confusion.
"You… Karl El? No… who are you? Why do you know that name? Who are you?!"
Karl sneered.
The blank face slowly dissolved, reforming into Karl's own handsome features. Eyes emerged first, then nose, mouth, and ears, until his original appearance completely returned.
He released the assassin's chin and spoke coldly.
"Faceless Man, I dislike lies."
His voice was calm, yet every word carried chilling pressure.
"So I hope you'll answer seriously from now on."
The assassin forced himself to calm down.
His breathing steadied slightly, though fear still lingered in his eyes.
He stared at Karl, trying desperately to understand what kind of existence stood before him.
"Karl El… who exactly are you?"
His voice trembled faintly.
"And where is this place?"
As he spoke, he glanced around nervously.
He had already sensed earlier that this place was strange.
Now, after witnessing Karl's terrifying abilities, the room felt even more unnatural.
Karl merely looked at him indifferently.
"You came here to kill me," he said. "And yet you don't know who I am?"
A mocking smile appeared on his lips.
"As for this place…"
Karl paused.
Then a sudden thought crossed his mind.
He slowly looked around the chamber before speaking again.
"You may consider this the Divine Realm."
His voice echoed through the stone chamber.
"In other words… God's kingdom."
The moment his words fell, another sound echoed from the darkness.
Inside one of the iron-barred cells nearby, the female bat demon hissed unhappily.
Earlier, she had been punished and locked away for speaking out of turn. Now she clung to the bars, glaring at the new prisoner with curiosity and hostility.
The assassin instinctively turned his head.
Only then did he finally notice the three prison cells hidden in the corner of the room.
And inside the middle cell—
A monster.
It possessed a vaguely human shape, yet clearly wasn't human. Its sharp teeth glinted under the candlelight as it stared at him like a predator observing prey.
The assassin's pupils shrank violently.
Cold sweat poured down his body.
The room itself was already horrifying enough.
A massive stone chamber without windows, illuminated only by rows of candles along the walls. No sunlight. No sound from outside. No sense of direction.
And now there was a creature imprisoned beside him.
Combined with Karl's earlier words, the assassin's mind nearly collapsed.
Was this truly the afterlife?
Had he already died?
He slowly turned back toward Karl, his expression blank and dazed.
"You… I…"
But no words came out.
Karl naturally noticed the assassin had discovered the bat demon.
Still, seeing the man's worldview crumble so completely amused him.
Rather than pressing immediately, Karl calmly dragged over a stool and sat down before him.
Then he waited.
The chamber fell silent except for the flickering of candle flames and the distant growls from the demon's cell.
After a long while, the assassin finally regained some composure.
Only then did Karl speak again.
"If you've calmed down," he said coldly, "tell me who hired you."
His eyes narrowed.
"And tell me whether Robert's death involved the Faceless Men."
At last, Karl had asked the question he truly cared about.
After using overwhelming magic and psychological pressure to break this assassin's defenses, now came the real interrogation.
The assassin lifted his head slowly.
This time, however, he remained silent.
Karl could tell he still possessed his sanity.
The man was trying to determine whether everything around him was real or merely some elaborate illusion.
Unfortunately for him, Karl had plenty of patience.
And this uncertainty was exactly what Karl wanted.
A crackle of lightning suddenly danced across Karl's palm like a living spirit.
"You don't wish to speak?" Karl asked quietly.
The assassin looked at the electricity with undisguised fascination.
Then he laughed weakly.
"You said this is God's kingdom," he murmured. "Shouldn't a god already know everything?"
Karl sneered internally at the probing remark.
Without warning, the lightning in his hand flashed outward.
Boom!
The bolt struck the metal hook suspending the assassin, instantly shattering it.
The Faceless Man crashed heavily onto the stone floor.
Karl's calm voice followed immediately afterward.
"I never claimed to be a god."
He leaned slightly forward.
"Though perhaps to someone like you, I may seem like one."
The assassin gritted his teeth and slowly pushed himself upright despite the pain.
His eyes remained fixed on Karl's lightning-filled hand.
There was fear in them now—
But also fanaticism.
"You possess powers beyond mortals," he whispered. "And you said this is the Divine Realm…"
Suddenly, he lunged forward desperately.
"Tell me! Is this the destination of death? The kingdom of the Many-Faced God? Is this where all souls return?!"
Karl's expression turned cold.
He remained seated as the assassin rushed him.
Then, casually, he kicked forward.
Bang!
The nearly two-hundred-pound assassin flew backward like a rag doll.
He slammed violently into the stone wall before collapsing onto the floor, coughing blood.
Pain twisted his face.
Yet the fanaticism in his eyes only intensified.
Karl stood slowly.
"It seems you're very interested in this place."
Lightning gathered in his palm once more.
"But you still haven't realized your situation."
His voice became icy.
"I'm the one asking questions."
The lightning exploded outward instantly.
Crack!
The bolt struck the assassin directly in the shoulder.
A horrifying scream echoed through the chamber.
His entire right shoulder exploded apart under the impact.
Flesh, blood, and shattered bone sprayed across the stone floor.
His arm detached completely, dangling grotesquely because his wrists were still bound together.
The assassin collapsed, writhing in agony.
Blood spread rapidly beneath him.
Even Karl found the scene somewhat excessive.
Watching the man scream endlessly became irritating after a while.
So Karl casually raised a hand.
A soft green light bloomed from his fingertips.
"Minor Healing."
The magic drifted toward the assassin and enveloped him completely.
Instantly, the bleeding slowed.
Then the flesh around the destroyed shoulder began regenerating rapidly.
Countless strands of granulation tissue twisted and intertwined like living worms, rebuilding muscles and bone.
The assassin screamed even louder.
The sensation of regeneration was somehow even more unbearable than the injury itself.
Karl frowned.
"You're too noisy."
Another spell flew from his hand.
"Wither."
The assassin's body immediately weakened.
His screams became hoarse croaks.
All strength vanished from his limbs, leaving him sprawled across the floor like a boneless corpse.
Only faint breathing proved he remained alive.
Karl walked over calmly.
"Now," he said softly, "do you remember the girl named Scarlett?"
His gaze sharpened dangerously.
"Or who paid the House of Black and White?"
The assassin slowly lifted his head despite his agony.
His face was pale from blood loss, yet a strange smile still appeared on his lips.
"Death…" he whispered weakly, "is God's mercy."
Even now, he refused to answer.
Karl narrowed his eyes.
Then he suddenly realized something.
A Faceless Man worshipped death itself.
To such people, killing was sacred.
Pain and suffering meant little to them.
So Karl changed tactics.
A cold smile spread across his face.
"You reminded me of something."
He reached into his inventory and withdrew a bottle filled with bright red liquid.
A healing potion.
Karl grabbed the assassin's jaw and crushed it effortlessly with one hand.
Bones cracked loudly.
Then he forcefully poured the potion into the man's mouth.
The glass bottle became lodged in his throat.
Without hesitation, Karl pulled out a rapier.
And very "kindly" helped push it down.
Blood poured from the assassin's mouth as the sword pierced deep into his throat and organs.
His crushed jaw prevented him from screaming.
His weakened body couldn't resist.
Yet survival instinct forced him to swallow.
Finally, the shattered bottle and potion slid down his throat.
The healing potion activated immediately.
Every injury throughout his body began restoring itself at terrifying speed.
His pierced organs regenerated.
His shattered jaw reformed.
Even the destroyed shoulder began reconstructing completely.
But the pain never stopped.
If anything, it intensified.
The potion ensured he could not die no matter how much agony he suffered.
The Faceless Man's eyes widened in horror.
He could feel life surging through every inch of his body while unbearable pain consumed him simultaneously.
The clearer his mind became, the more intensely he felt the suffering.
He wanted death.
But death refused to take him.
At this moment, he truly felt trapped between life and death.
Abandoned by both heaven and hell.
Karl crouched before him calmly.
"You are fortunate," he said softly.
"You're in God's kingdom…"
His eyes grew cold.
"And also in God's hell."
The assassin finally broke.
"I'll talk!" he gasped desperately. "Please… stop… I'll tell you everything…"
At last, Karl smiled.
He dragged the stool back over and sat down before the trembling assassin once more.
"Good," he said quietly.
"Now tell me everything you know."
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)