"I think I should just wait outside, on the surface. You can go by yourself," Rohan said firmly.
For a moment, he remained where he stood, as if expecting a reply. Then, without actually waiting for one, he turned and began walking toward the stairs.
Edmund watched him go with a slight frown forming on his face. Rohan's sudden change of mind felt strange, almost out of place. Still, he chose not to dwell on it for long. There was no point lingering over something that had already happened.
Shaking off the thought, Edmund turned his attention forward and continued deeper underground.
Rohan, meanwhile, made his way out of the small building and back onto the city streets. The open air greeted him, carrying the distant hum of life around him. He paused, as if to steady himself, and drew in a quiet breath.
But before he could fully exhale, his vision blurred. The world tilted, and without warning, everything went dark as he lost consciousness.
It was unknown how much time has passed, but when he opened his eyes, he found himself tied to a chair. He had also noticed his Ring of Punishment had gone.
He then looked at his surroundings and saw light spilling across the polished floors, reflecting upward in a soft golden glow. His gaze wandered, moving across the vast hall around him. High ceilings arched overhead, adorned with intricate patterns and heavy chandeliers that cast a warm brilliance. Every surface seemed deliberate, polished, and expensive.
Then his eyes found her. Not far from him sat a woman, poised with effortless grace.
She occupied a luxurious chair that seemed more like a throne than a place of rest. Her posture was relaxed, yet there was something unyielding in the way she held herself. She did not move immediately, nor did she speak. She simply watched him.
Rohan's gaze lingered on her. He felt it then, a quiet pull that was difficult to explain. Not just attraction, but something sharper. Like standing too close to a flame and realizing, a moment too late, how easily it could burn.
'Right, because being tied to a chair and losing my ring isn't urgent enough. Better admire the woman who probably did this… Pull yourself together, Rohan!' he snapped at himself inwardly, dragging his focus back to the situation at hand.
At that exact moment, he noticed the woman tilt her head, her dark hair slipping like silk across her shoulder before she spoke.
"The only reason I am not killing you for hurting my son…" she murmured, her voice low, unhurried, almost intimate."…is because I find myself curious about this so-called Storm God of yours."
"Now tell me…" she continued softly, "is he truly a deity?"
'She's Michael's mom?' Rohan thought, disbelief tightening in his chest as he stared at the woman before him.
'No way… she looked far too young, far too flawless to be a mother.'
'Wait… that's not important!'
'I can't use Armor of Asgard yet… and I only have one lightning strike left from my fight against Ron…'
'And what's with this woman? I usually have strong self-control in front of any woman, no matter how attractive they are… Did she cast some kind of spell to make herself more seductive? That must be it!'
While Rohan struggled to steady himself, forcing his thoughts into order, the woman let out a soft chuckle.
"Not bad…" she murmured, her voice smooth, almost brushing against him like a whisper. "A boy like you… they usually fall to my charm without resistance."
His eyes widened. 'I knew it! You witch! How shameless of you to cast such a spell on me!'
At that moment, anger surged within him, but he forced himself to stay calm.
'Focus, Rohan… it's time to act, just the way you always do.'
He cleared his throat before he finally spoke. "Of course, the Lord is real. He is the most divine among all other deities!"
"Oh… then why won't your lord protect you this time?"
"Who knows? Perhaps it was a test from the Lord, meant to see what I would do and how I would respond to His trial."
With a faint smile, the woman rose and walked toward Rohan. Stopping in front of him, she lifted her left foot and pressed it onto his head, forcing him to bow.
Then, with a soft chuckle, she murmured, "You have five hours to prove your god is real. When the time is up and you fail to prove his existence, I will kill you myself."
She removed her foot and slowly turned away.
"Give me twelve hours," Rohan said.
'After twelve hours, I can use Armor of Asgard,' he thought.
But the woman kept walking. She only paused when she reached the door.
"Five hours until your death," she said without looking back. "You'd better start praying, boy."
She then opened the door and left the hall.
When the woman left, Rohan finally felt his body and mind starting to calm down.
'That bully, Michael… he wasn't joking when he said my day would get worse if I didn't mind my own business.'
Moments later, he noticed another door opened. His eyes widened once he realized who had entered the hall,
"Well, I'll be damned… it's you. Been a while, you cultist freak," Michael said. He then slammed his foot into Rohan's face, knocking him and the chair flat on their backs.
He didn't stop. He just kept kicking and stomping, hitting Rohan's face, his stomach, wherever he felt like.
"So where's your god now, huh? What, he busy? Didn't feel like showing up this time?"
'This guy really loves stomping people…' Rohan thought.
Since he possessed Blue Soul Essence, his body was naturally stronger than Michael's, who was only a Violet. However, that didn't mean Rohan couldn't be hurt by Michael's assault. Not only that, he could feel the pain from every kick and stomp.
Moments later, he heard Michael laughing. "This is how the Lastbender family does it, man. We don't let just anybody fuck with us, you know what I'm saying?" He unzipped his pants, and started pissing right on Rohan's face. "Mmm… goddamn, that feels good. Go on, don't be shy now. Take a little drink. It's on the house."
Rohan gritted his teeth, tempted to use his last remaining Lightning Strike on Michael. But he held back.
Once Michael was done and zipped up, he went right back to it, kicking and stomping like he had all the time in the world.
"See, I could do this all day, man. I mean, seriously, all day. But here's the thing… I can't. 'Cause you? You've got, what, five hours left?"
He smirked. "Which is a damn shame, 'cause I was just starting to enjoy myself."
True to his word, Michael went on for hours, blood splattering as he stomped and kicked Rohan's face again and again, only stopping when a commotion broke out just outside the hall.