No one knew whether it was because of the pain in his lower body or sheer rage, but Xue Tianao trembled as he pointed at Vidoru.
"You actually cut off one of my balls?! Are you tired of living?!"
"I'm terribly sorry, Your Highness! I had no other choice!"
Vidoru repeatedly slammed his forehead against the floor as he desperately explained,
"The burns and infection were far too severe! They had already reached the point where it couldn't be saved! If I hadn't amputated it immediately, the terrifying Shadow of Silence Power infecting the wound would have continued to spread! By then, Your Highness, you might have lost both of them! Even your sausage wouldn't have been spared! It could have even endangered your life! I only did it for your sake!"
"You...!!"
Hearing the physician's sincere explanation, Xue Tianao could only glare at him in impotent fury.
"Get out! Get the hell out of my sight, you useless bastard!"
"Y-Yes, Your Highness!"
Faced with the Crown Prince's furious roar, Vidoru hurriedly picked up his medical case and fled the bedroom in a pitiful state.
However...
Before leaving, he couldn't help adding one final reminder.
"Your Highness, until the wound heals, you absolutely must refrain from... marital activities! And don't get too emotional either, or the stitches might split open. If that happens, it'll be even mo—"
"SHUT UP! GET OUT!!!"
...
...
Accompanied by the Crown Prince's almost hysterical screams, Vidoru fled the palace in utter disgrace.
After confirming the doctor had left, Toma, one of Xue Tianao's trusted subordinates, cautiously approached the bedside.
"Your Highness... please calm down a little. Being able to preserve your... manhood after the Shadow of Silence Power infected it is already fortunate. Doctor Vidoru only did what he believed was best for you."
"I know..."
Supporting his forehead, Xue Tianao answered with a complicated expression.
He knew Vidoru had acted with good intentions. Besides, the man possessed an A-rank value. He wasn't some expendable B- or C-rank nobody.
Otherwise...
He would have killed that damned doctor on the spot.
Besides...
Who said it couldn't have been saved?
The Holy Sanctuary could exchange for medicine capable of resisting the erosion of the Shadow of Silence Power!
Otherwise, how could he have charged so recklessly into Flame Prison's sea of fire?
Yet...
Although he had ultimately defeated Flame Prison, he had fallen unconscious after suffering devastating injuries.
Then, when he woke up...
One of his balls had simply vanished.
He went to sleep...
And woke up one ball lighter?
Damn it!
Xue Tianao clenched both fists tightly.
As he recalled the culprit responsible for reducing him to this state—the Fire Demon King whose entire body had been wrapped in blazing flames—rage once again ignited inside his heart.
Flame Prison...
That damned monster!
Was that Abyss Demon poisoned in the head or something?!
Throughout the entire battle, it had done nothing except aim for his crotch and his face!
He had to make it pay.
Thinking that, Xue Tianao turned toward the golden-armored knight beside him.
"Toma. What's the current status of the Fire Demon?"
"Reporting to Your Highness, the creature is currently imprisoned within the Heavenly Prison. Following your previous orders, it has been restrained by the Soul Suppression Chains, which are firmly suppressing it while preventing its power from recovering."
"I know that. What I want to know is whether Gafei has figured out how to kill that monster yet!"
"My apologies, Your Highness. Not yet. Lord Gafei's research has only just begun..."
"Tell him to hurry."
"Understood."
...
After taking a deep breath, Xue Tianao looked through the window toward the rear of the imperial palace—the location of the Heavenly Prison.
There was no question about it.
Now that he had become a one-ball superhero, all he wanted was to kill that Demon King-class Abyss Demon.
Partly to avenge his missing ball.
Partly to earn points.
As long as he accumulated enough points, he could break through to the Eighth Tier as quickly as possible.
When that happened...
Even the missing one would grow back.
Although he had defeated and captured Flame Prison, he still couldn't determine where the blazing mass's true weakness lay, much less how to kill it permanently.
If he couldn't kill it...
Then what had been the point of this entire operation?
'Damn it...'
Xue Tianao cursed inwardly.
For now, all he could do was hope Gafei would quickly uncover Flame Prison's secrets and discover how to eliminate the Fire Demon King once and for all.
Just then, as Xue Tianao remained deep in thought, Toma seemed to remember something.
"Oh, right. There's another important matter I need to report, Your Highness."
"Hm? What is it?"
"It's about Perloqi. The one we sent to the northern border has mysteriously lost contact. However, before communication was cut off, he managed to send back some information."
As he spoke, Toma retrieved a large black tablet from the nearby desk and respectfully handed it to Xue Tianao.
"The northern border..."
Upon hearing those words, Xue Tianao fell silent for a moment.
He skillfully activated the black tablet.
Immediately, streams of light flashed across its surface as large amounts of intelligence appeared before his eyes, including the information Perloqi had transmitted.
The instant he opened the report...
Xue Tianao's pupils suddenly contracted.
He froze completely.
"This woman... Who is she?!"
Only after standing there in stunned silence for several long seconds did he finally recover.
A glimmer of greed slowly surfaced within his sapphire-blue eyes.
Then...
Exactly as expected—
His stitches burst.
In an instant, a pig-slaughtering scream echoed throughout the imperial palace.
"AAAAAH... AAAAHHHHHH!!!"
Meanwhile...
Deep underground behind the imperial palace—
Inside the Heavenly Prison.
The prison was currently surrounded by tens of thousands of heavily armed soldiers.
The overwhelming aura of countless powerful knights, combined with the surging mana of high-ranking mages, made the already oppressive prison feel even more suffocating.
At the very center of the prison, dozens of magical seals and suppression arrays had been fully activated.
Within the middle of those countless seals floated...
A gigantic fireball nearly five meters in diameter.
Like an eternal sun that would never burn out, it blazed endlessly.
This crimson sphere radiated terrifying heat and an overwhelming aura of destruction.
It was precisely because of this fireball that so many troops guarded the prison.
Looking at the crimson sphere overflowing with destructive energy, Gafei, whom Xue Tianao had assigned to study it, couldn't help but wipe away a bead of cold sweat.
Only after approaching a Demon King-class existence this closely did he truly understand the sheer pressure it emitted.
Even as a peak Sixth-Tier powerhouse, he found it difficult to withstand.
Under that overwhelming psychological pressure, Gafei even briefly entertained the idea of resigning and running away.
"N-No! What am I thinking?!"
This thing was merely a defeated enemy of the Crown Prince.
What was there to fear?
After violently shaking his head, Gafei drove the ridiculous thoughts from his mind.
A look of admiration soon appeared in his eyes.
To think...
The Crown Prince had truly defeated a Demon King-class existence while only at the Seventh Tier.
As expected of the man destined to save the world.
Since that was the case...
To repay the Crown Prince for recognizing his worth, he absolutely couldn't disappoint him.
After silently encouraging himself, Gafei solemnly looked toward the researchers standing behind him.
"Start recording all the readings immediately! Prepare the experiment! We have to figure out how to kill this demon as soon as possible. We absolutely cannot disappoint His Highness the Crown Prince. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
The moment Gafei finished speaking, everyone behind him answered in unison.
Their voices echoed thunderously.
Filled with an unsettling fanaticism...
Meanwhile...
Inside the crimson fireball.
A naked red-haired woman with an alluring figure and an exquisite face quietly floated in the flames with her body curled up.
Karina paid no attention whatsoever to the experiments being conducted outside.
Instead, she simply stared silently at the palm of her hand.
As though recalling something...
"If you want the act to be convincing, your emotions have to be real."
Remembering Saiboke-Baniya's advice, Karina bit down on her lip.
'For the plan to proceed smoothly... I need to practice first.'
As that thought crossed her mind—
Karina suddenly raised her hand and viciously slapped herself across her fair cheek.
Smack!
Then another.
And another.
And another...
After dozens of slaps, her little face had turned bright red, while tears shimmered within her crimson eyes.
The next moment, satisfied that the emotions had reached the proper level, Karina hugged her head with both hands.
"Waaah... Mother... someone bullied me... waaahhh..."
(End of Volume.)
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