Chapter 952: Shadow of Agony

Galvsten cried out in pain, eyes going wide with panic and terror. In mere minutes, his life went from one of power and luxury to the verge of collapse, and in the blink of an eye, went from near salvation to sure doom.

Boom!

The energy contained within his dantian blasted outwards, filling the room with destructive power. Those in the World Expansion Realm and above had incredible amounts of energy stored within their Dantians, and its sudden destruction resulted in that energy being unleashed on the world.

Thankfully, due to a World Expansion experts dantian existing in their self-created spatial pocket, much of the energy was lost within that spatial realm, which melded into the spatial chaos of the void beyond this world's reality.

John braced against the explosion and shielded the now crippled Galvsten from his own destructive power. Near the tunnel, Zuri used her own power to defend the tunnel and those within, shielding them from the powerful blast. The explosion blasted the chamber one last time with powerful energy, which eventually faded away, finally returning the chamber to true silence.

John and Kirii reappeared from within the explosion of energy, both standing next to Galvsten. Blood flowed out of a massive wound in the man's stomach, unable to be healed due to him no longer being a cultivator. John reached out with a lightning coated hand and seared the flesh shut, stopping the blood loss. Galvsten cried out in pain as he felt his flesh sear, eyes wide and mouth agape.

He no longer bore the regal bearing he had previously had with his gold robes embroidered with gems. Instead, his charred, torn, and blood-soaked robe only made him look like a madman, one fallen far from the grace he once held.

John said some words to Kirii, and then moved towards Zuri, who shifted on her feet as she watched the demonic form of John's Asura Transformation approach her. Brief thoughts of if he was even an ally anymore flooded her mind instinctually, as the Asura form and aura was far too horrifying to acclimate to immediately.

John's form faded away as he unleashed his Asura Transformation and Dragon-God Shift, returning to his normal human form. Blood from both him and his enemies covered much of his body, which he could remove with Qi but decided against doing so just yet. There was more blood to spill this night, and cleaning up now would serve him no purpose.

He stopped a short distance away from Zuri, who had instinctively assumed a defensive stance. John eyed her for a moment, noticing her raised guard.

"We're no longer allies, are we?" he asked calmly.

"Who are you?" Zuri asked, guard still raised. "Or better yet, what are you?"

John sighed out deeply. This was the reason he wanted to avoid using his Asura Transformation Art around strangers. Unfortunately, if he wanted to defeat tonight's enemies, he had no choice.

"I'm just a youth from a faraway place that you need not concern yourself with," John said calmly, shifting his gaze towards the tunnel behind Zuri. He couldn't see anyone, meaning they were all gathered higher up in the tunnel away from the horrifying explosions within the chamber. That was good. None had seen his Asura Transformation other than Zuri.

If they had all seen his transformation, then the night would have become a lot more complicated.

"As for what I am, I am just someone who was blessed with some lucky opportunities," John continued, giving Zuri a vague answer. "What I really am is a true born human, and still your ally, at least I consider you as such."

Zuri eyed John skeptically, studying his face and demeanor for any lies in his words.

"Are you related to the Devil Race?" she asked after a long silence.

"No," John shook his head, giving a firm reply. "I am a pure-born human, through and through, and my goals align with the human race. That I can guarantee."

Zuri studied him for some time longer, then nodded her head, believing his story. It had taken some time to acclimate to his previous Asura form, but with it gone, she had been able to do so. Besides, based on what she saw of his combat prowess, she was not going to try to fight him. She was an expert in stealth and assassination arts, but when it came to straight up combat, was only above average. Compared to someone as monstrous as John, she had little to no hope in an outright battle.

"I believe you," she said, giving up her defensive stance.

John nodded his head and then glanced at the tunnel again.

"Did anyone else see my transformation?" he asked.

"No," Zuri shook her head. "They all retreated to the top of the tunnel, to be as far away from the chamber as possible. The chamber is a place of nightmares for them, one they wish to be as far away from as possible. They would have already tried to flee the estate if they were able to get through the door at the top of the tunnel."

"Good," John nodded his head. "Keep it that way for now. Call in reinforcements to help free them from the compound, and when reinforcements arrive, leave with them as well. I will meet you at the entrance of the transportation formation that took us to this area."

Zuri glanced at John, and then to Galvsten in the distance, guarded by Kirii to ensure he didn't do anything to end his life. She glanced back at John, a curious look on her face.

"When you suddenly took action, Galvsten and the others were talking about a young woman from a different world. Was that?" she asked, her words trailing off.

John nodded his head, confirming her suspicions. Zuri took in a deep breath.

"Then are you also from another world?" she asked.

John remained silent for a moment before nodding his head. Zuri had already seen his Asura Transformation. Compared to that, knowing he was from another world was much less secretive. Based on the discussion he had with Furi a while back, newcomers from different worlds were incredibly rare, but not impossible or something that would turn the world on its head.

"Are you going to interrogate Galvsten for information on this woman?" Zuri asked, to which John nodded his head.

"You could say that," he mumbled.

"Let me help," Zuri said, face firm.

John raised an eyebrow at her proposal.

"My expertise is assassinations," Zuri said, "and many assassinations require information extraction first. I have become very good at both over the years, so I should be able to help get information better than you can. Besides, I need to question Galvsten on things unrelated to this matter, so I need to interrogate him anyways. Also, making him suffer will be quite pleasurable after seeing the things he put the others through."

John felt a sliver of doubt enter his mind, as he had become quite good at extracting information from those he 'interrogated'. However, the offer was only beneficial to him, so he nodded his head in agreement.

Zuri smiled and retreated to the tunnel, where the formations of the chamber did not restrict sound transmissions. She sent in calls for reinforcements from the Guild, and then instructed the others to remain in the tunnel until aid arrived.

She returned to John a short while later, the two moving back to Galvsten a moment later. Galvsten watched with horrified eyes as Zuri approached him, and removed her hood, revealing her face. His eyes went wide with horror, as if he had seen the most horrifying thing imaginable.

"Shadow of Agony," he mumbled through trembling lips and chattering teeth. Clearly he recognized Zuri's face and had associated her with this 'Shadow of Agony.'

John glanced sideways at Zuri, who noticed his gaze.

"If a member of the Guild achieves great feats in a certain aspect, they are given a specialized name, which is a great honor in the Guild," Zuri explained, gaze becoming cold and callous as she loomed above Galvsten, looking him straight in his horrified eyes.

"And the name bestowed to me years ago was Shadow of Agony," she said, crouching down before the horrified Galvsten, speaking to both him and John. "I earned my name by my uncanny ability to cause pain and agony, which happens to be a very beneficial thing during 'interrogations'. It seems my reputation, as well as my face, has spread as of late," she added, clearly displeased that her identify had been leaked to the outside world.

Her hand touched Galvsten, whose eyes suddenly went wide with a look of pain and horror John had never seen before. Cries of absolute agony and misery filled the room as Zuri got to work on the despicable man, while John stood nearby, watching silently.

The night stretched on for a long time, cries of agony filling the chamber ceaselessly. By the end, Galvsten was nothing more than a desiccated husk of a man, soul snuffed out after the most brutal torture and pain John had ever seen.

He glanced at Zuri at the end of it and nodded his head approvingly. She had done an even better job than he would have been able to do.

"A name well earned."