"Master Shield Hero, where did you hear about this? I...absolutely...absolutely did not order my soldiers to pretend to be mercenaries and capture demihumans as slaves."
Yatri felt his mind tremble, and his speech wavered and became vague.
He was smart enough to know that the relationship between the Shield Hero and demihumans had always been strong. If he admitted to these actions now, he would surely face death.
So, his only option was to feign ignorance and try to play the fool.
"Really? Don't admit it, Raphtalia, come and see if it's him."
At this moment, the two carriages had already arrived in front of the castle. Hearing Jason's words, Raphtalia slowly disembarked and stood by his side.
Looking at Yatri's ugly face, memories flooded her mind—painful memories she wished to forget.
Raphtalia clenched her fists tightly, fighting the urge to kill Yatri on the spot. But since Jason hadn't given the order, she exhaled slowly, suppressing her anger, and nodded, "It's him, without a doubt. He sent soldiers everywhere to hunt down the demihumans."
"You didn't expect the little slave you captured and sold to the slave merchant to be alive and well, did you?"
There was a smile on Jason's lips, but his tone was ice-cold. The chill emanating from him made everyone around shudder.
"I... I really didn't expect it. It seems that Mr. Shield Hero, your purpose in coming here is to kill me..."
As Yatri spoke, he suddenly exploded into action. Although Jason had crushed his left shoulder, his right hand seized a long whip and lashed it toward Jason while shouting, "Go to hell!"
Realizing Jason's intent was to kill him, Yatri knew his only chance was to kill Jason first.
Yatri was cunning, quick, and vicious. Anyone else might have been struck, but Jason seemed to anticipate it, his expression unchanged as he caught the whip.
The whip was seized, but Yatri grinned and said, "Haha... Shield Hero, you've been tricked! This whip is the ultimate whip, soaked in demihuman blood for ages, and it carries a powerful curse. How does it feel now... difficult, isn't it?"
But Yatri's grin faded as he saw that Jason showed no sign of pain.
"Heh... looks like you underestimated me."
Jason sneered, aware that his resistance was incredibly high—curses, even dragon's corpse poison, were nothing to him.
"Damn it!"
Yatri cursed, abandoning the whip and drawing a dagger as he lunged at Raphtalia, aiming to take her hostage.
Jason remained unmoved, as if he hadn't noticed.
Just as Yatri closed in within two steps of Raphtalia, a flash of cold light cut through the air, and an arm flew off, blood spraying in the moonlight.
"What's going on? Why does that arm look so familiar? It... it seems to be mine."
Yatri doubted himself as he looked at Raphtalia. She was slowly retracting the long sword back into its sheath, and when he glanced at his arm, he saw that the right arm once attached to his shoulder was gone.
"The severed arm... it's mine."
"Ah~~~"
At that moment, Yatri felt the intense pain from his missing arm and screamed as he collapsed at Raphtalia's feet.
"Sorry, I forgot to mention, Raphtalia's strength is quite formidable now."
Jason's voice was calm as he looked down at Yatri, who was writhing like a worm in pain.
"Demons! They're all demons! What are you all doing, standing there? Kill them!"
Yatri screamed frantically, his eyes full of desperation.
The surrounding soldiers, stunned by the scene, finally reacted when they heard Yatri's roar, but it was too late.
Without Jason's command, Jack and the others, who had their weapons at the soldiers' necks, sprang into action, instantly cutting down the soldiers nearby. Irene and Filo, who had followed the carriage, joined the fray as well.
Among the ten, Jack and his group were the least strong, but they could still take on many soldiers at a balanced rate. With Irene, Lilith, and Filo joining, the fight became one-sided.
In less than a minute, nearly a hundred soldiers led by Yatri were reduced to groups of ten.
Only Yatri remained, writhing on the ground, horrified at the sight before him.
"Jack, drag him inside!"
Jason spoke calmly as he walked towards the castle.
"Yes!"
Jack stepped forward, grabbed Yatri by the hair, and dragged him along, following Jason inside. To prevent any soldiers from feigning death, the others made sure to stab the corpses a few more times before following.
On the way into the castle, they encountered some guards, who they naturally dispatched.
Soon, Jason reached the castle's main hall. There, a cross stood, stained with dried blood from the past and fresh blood from recent events.
"The blood here hasn't dried yet; it must have been spilled just now. It seems you were torturing that demihuman father and daughter. Jack... tie him up here. Let him experience the pain of being treated like an animal. And apply some medicine to his severed arm—he's caused Raphtalia so much pain; don't let him die too quickly."
Jason casually sat on a nearby sofa, crossing his legs as he spoke.
"Yes!"
Jack nodded and swiftly tied Yatri to the cross with a rope, taking out some medicine as well.
"This medicine is great for stopping bleeding, but it does sting a bit."
Jack pressed the medicine onto Yatri's severed arm.
"Ah~~~"
Yatri screamed as the pain, much worse than the severed arm itself, shot through him. His screams contradicted Jack's casual comment about it hurting "a little."
But the hemostatic effect worked well, and soon the bleeding stopped.
"Jack, search the entire castle and eliminate everyone. If you find a dungeon or something similar, notify me immediately. This next part isn't suitable for children—better stay away."
Jason waved his hand, giving the order.
"Yes!"
Jack and the others responded in unison and quickly disappeared from the hall, scattering through the castle.
At that moment, only Jason, Raphtalia, Filo, and Yatri—bound to the cross and awaiting his fate—remained in the hall.
"Ding! Please choose!"
"1. Kill Yatri directly and receive a 1% completion reward for the Garp Template."
"2. Release Yatri directly and receive a 2% completion reward for the Garp Template."
"3. Release the Tyrannosaurus Rex and receive a 2% completion reward for the Garp Template."