CHAPTER 204: ANESTHESIA

Leon was getting closer, and Alric, frozen in place, was freaking out of his damn mind. Terror and fear gripped his heart.

The strongest people of his kingdom were already down—so easily—by this monster. He hadn’t even put in much effort. Those who remained were too terrified to confront him.

His heart was losing all strength with every footstep he heard behind him.

It wasn’t just footsteps—it was gravity pressing down on his back, growing heavier with each step.

Father, please do something!! You’re the king. Please, somehow stop this monster.

Alric could only hope his father would act. Maybe he had done something behind his back, but Alric would willingly come clean and accept any punishment—if only his father saved him.

Their army was too far away, and even if it weren’t, if this monster set his eyes on him, he didn’t think he would come out alive.

Negotiate with him!!

All his hopes now rested on the king—his father.

Leon walked past the king, who still didn’t show any reaction. From closer up, Leon seemed to notice that the man wasn’t calm—just too shocked to move.

Sweat trailed down the king’s temple, unnoticed even as it soaked his collar.

He simply ignored him—and the queen, who sat next to him in disbelief.

Leon didn’t know why, but he felt something strange from her, something he couldn’t quite understand.

He glanced once at the black-haired woman with sharp features. Seeing her shiver under his gaze, he just moved on.

The sounds of violent clashes continued from below—Clang! Thud! Crash!—but he knew it would end once Seraphine got serious, so he wasn’t concerned.

Arriving in front of Alric, he looked at the blonde-haired, handsome young man with blue eyes. The expression on his face was frozen, still in the pose of running.

Leon undid the spatial freeze once he stood in front of him.

Alric’s body was unfrozen. He could move, but he didn’t even try. The thought didn’t even cross his mind. That sharp, predatory gaze forced his head downward. The feeling told him he’d be torn apart if he dared to act.

Leon was waiting for him to try running. Had he done so, Leon would have killed him. But Alric remained where he was—head down, trembling like a docile cat.

And yet, it earned him no sympathy.

Finally, his plea came—just as expected.

"P-Please forgive whatever misunderstanding occurred between us because of Malverick... I-I didn’t know someone as great as you before... O-Or else I’d never have supported that idiotic fool," Alric said, thinking that if he stayed silent, he’d die without even a chance.

Acting submissive and showing docility through body language meant nothing to this monster waiting to devour him.

You bastard! Malverick, you’re dead... and because of you, I’m in this life-and-death scenario where I could die any second. If I had known your lust would cost me my life... I would’ve cut your dick off myself and made sure you never looked at a woman again, you prick!

Alric continued, his voice pleading.

His knees buckled with a sickening pop—he hadn’t even meant to kneel, his body simply gave in.

Thud.

His knees hit the ground, terrified because Leon hadn’t responded—even though a prince like him was pleading for his life.

Fuck my luck! This monster doesn’t give a shit whether I’m a prince or not...

Alric started to understand. How could such a monster respect people who were so much weaker than him? It didn’t matter if he was Crown Prince of the strongest kingdom in the Lower Domain—it meant absolutely nothing to Leon.

He was fully aware of the pact they had with the Middle Domain. That meant this monster had been born in their own Lower Domain—not some outsider.

How the fuck did I never know of such a monster in my own realm? Where was he until now...

He felt like the unluckiest person alive. He wasn’t even the one who had lusted after the monster’s woman, but now he was caught in this position because of ignorance and poor decisions.

But he would do anything to survive...

He could become a servant... a slave... whatever this monster wanted.

It hurt his pride... but he knew an ant couldn’t be a chooser.

His voice shook as he continued, head on the ground. He would have held Leon’s foot, but fear held him back. He couldn’t risk touching the abomination who blasted Willain Arselin—a war hero and one of the strongest generals of their kingdom—like a balloon in a single second.

"I can give you everything I have... not just that—I can be your slave for life. Just let me live."

Gasps and murmurs were exchanged between the people from other kingdoms, yet there wasn’t a hint of mockery in the air.

Instead, it was dread that filled their minds—because they might not be any different from Crown Prince Alric, kneeling before the silver-white-haired devil whose ethereal appearance contradicted his brutal nature.

Many noble ladies had been eying him since the start of the match. But after seeing who he was with after the first round, their thoughts crumbled.

They couldn’t afford to offend the Lightning Commander of the West just for the sake of a handsome man.

They had feared her—but now their thoughts had shifted. The man with mystical eyes that mesmerized them every time—they feared him far more than they ever feared Commander Seraphine.

He wasn’t the lucky one who hit the jackpot, like they had assumed—it was the opposite.

----

Anesthesia POV

Jealousy had filled the hearts of many women, especially the queen of the Kingdom of Shampian. She had chosen the Royal Knight Commander as her partner to overthrow the kingdom and become its ruler with his help.

But now, seeing him lying bloody and battered in the arena, she felt like vomiting. Urk. Her choice had been terrible. That man wasn’t as strong or useful as she had believed. She resented Seraphine’s luck more than anyone could.

Her hunger for power and control burned in her. She couldn’t stop imagining how high she could have soared if she had chosen a man as powerful as him.

Even her hands trembled, not from nerves, but from the unbearable frustration of choosing wrong.

He was far more attractive than Maximus, too. She would have showered him with love more than Seraphine ever could—and ruled the entire Lower Domain with his power.

The foolish king was the main reason she had ended up like this. Despite being by far the strongest in the entire Lower Domain, he always rejected her whenever she suggested conquering the whole Lower Domain and ruling it together.

They had the strength—why waste it? It infuriated her.

So, she found the "perfect" man—Maximus—to aid her. But now he was useless. Her next goal was the silver-white-haired man standing before her son.

She didn’t care about their kingdom anymore. She knew that if she could win him over, her future would be brighter than anything she had ever imagined.

From being a survivor of brutal orc kidnappings—used as a toy—to becoming queen of the strongest kingdom, she couldn’t afford to stop here.

I can’t be stopped by any of this... Only when I rule everything... Only when I destroy the absolute control those green bastards once had over me... will I finally be alive. Otherwise, I’d rather die...

The screams—hers and others—sometimes echoed in her skull late at night, like ghosts clawing to be remembered.

The stench of unwashed fur, moldy hay, and rusted chains still haunted her nose.

Even now, she could feel phantom bruises along her ribs—her body never forgot.

Those two weeks when she was abused, starved, and toyed with had taught her something important—a lesson that shaped her life. It was a horrible memory, but one she would never forget. Not because it still terrified her, but because she refused to let it fade.

She would be the one to command all—by any means necessary.

----

"I can give you everything I have... not just that—I can be your slave for life. Just let me live," Alric said, trembling as he looked down.

Finally, Leon responded. He had taken a moment to decide whether to kill him or not—and now he had his answer.

"Let me ask you... does your kingdom even have anything left for me to take now?" Leon stated flatly.

Alric’s eyes widened in realization as he heard the monster’s cold and crisp words.

How does he know our entire kingdom was robbed in just one night...

A horrifying thought dawned on him. He was even more terrified now.

His breath hitched, lungs struggling as if the air had turned poisonous.

I-Is he the one who took everything?

That seemed impossible. They had suspected a powerful hidden organization.

But this man’s strength had already shattered their reality. If he really had done all of it, then Alric knew—this man was even more dangerous than anything he could comprehend.

Their kingdom stretched so far and wide, and to pull off something like that...

He couldn’t even imagine it.

His imagination had failed him.