All eyes turned to Roy, as if awaiting his response. Unconsciously, he had once again become the focal point of attention. Wherever Roy Crowley went, he remained the center of the world.
"Why are you all looking at me? Did you really think I'd believe this fox's words?"
Roy shrugged, then turned his gaze back to Su Daji.
Tamamo-no-Mae let out a sigh of relief, patting her ample chest as if a weight had been lifted. But upon closer inspection, one would notice the same cunning glint in her golden eyes as Su Daji's—though Su Daji's gaze carried more deceit.
After all, Tamamo-no-Mae was still a fox at heart, the true form of a nine-tailed fox. How could she possibly feel dejected or afraid? Even if Roy and the others truly joined forces against her, she still had numerous means to ensure her own safety.
She still had eight tails left. Only when the day came that Tamamo-no-Mae's tails numbered fewer than three would she truly have reason to despair.
Roy naturally didn't believe a word from the fox calling herself Daji. Nine out of ten words she spoke were likely lies, and the remaining one was probably just wordplay. And Roy wasn't the kind of man to be swayed by a few honeyed words into serving others.
Roy took a few steps forward, stopping before Daji and looking down at her with a scrutinizing gaze.
Knowing she had nowhere to run for the moment, and relying on her immortality, Daji met his gaze fearlessly. Her eyes brimmed with seduction, her posture languid, like a ripe peach waiting to be plucked by a man.
But Roy's impression of this fox had been terrible from the start. Though he was a Campione, at his core, he was still human—because only when a human killed a god was it called deicide. When a god killed another god, it didn't count.
And the sheer malice toward humanity that seeped from Daji's bones, from the very marrow of her being, made Roy's skin crawl with discomfort.
He stomped down, his foot landing heavily on the fox's ample chest. The force was so great that the rock wall behind her cracked from the impact.
Daji let out a pained gasp, fury flashing in her eyes. She hadn't expected Roy to be completely devoid of chivalry. She had thought she could easily manipulate this "lustful" man, but it seemed she had misjudged him.
No wonder his soul was so beautiful. Even if she had sincerely offered her help, this man would probably choose to face everything alone rather than accept orders or "charity" from others.
Hypocritical, arrogant humans!
Resentment festered in Daji's heart.
As one of the incarnations of the nine-tailed fox, she couldn't help but admire such a man—yet her inherent malice toward humanity made her despise him all the same.
Roy watched as blood trickled from the corner of Daji's lips, feeling not an ounce of pity for this vicious fox. His voice was icy as he spoke, "...When I cut you into pieces earlier, I could tell your pain was real. That kind of agony couldn't be faked. In other words, your tolerance for pain isn't particularly strong."
"...But that makes sense. Since you're the incarnation of the nine-tailed fox's 'extravagance' and 'malice,' you naturally didn't inherit her willpower. Your spirit is incredibly fragile."
Roy crouched down, gripping Daji's delicate chin. To be honest, her features—especially the shape of her face—somewhat resembled those of modern-day influencers, but her allure and presence were incomparable to any mere internet celebrity.
The one-tailed fox's expression twisted in panic. "W-what are you doing?" she stammered.
"I'll ask you one more time. Tell me everything you know, and maybe you won't have to suffer."
Roy tightened his grip on the fox's jaw, the faint sound of cracking bone audible. After all, this fox couldn't die—so he could play with her however he pleased.
For the embodiment of the malicious nine-tailed fox, such a wicked person naturally requires more vicious methods to subdue her and make her submit. Discussing empathy with her, talking about mutual assistance, or speaking of gratitude is truly like playing the lute to a cow.
From the very beginning, Roy saw through the essence of this fox.
"Actually, I am a merchant, and a fair one at that. As long as you, the Overlord, can provide sufficient value in goods, I will naturally offer you everything you wish to know."
Although Su Daji was terrified inside, she still stubbornly retorted at that moment.
"There's a saying: 'If you don't drink the toast, you'll have to drink the penalty wine.' Why have you suddenly become so foolish? I thought you would be cunning."
Roy sighed in disappointment, sizing up the fox's delicate body, and smiled, "…Just right, my home needs some fur to make clothes, and your fox skin looks quite luxurious."
Su Daji's expression changed drastically, fearfully exclaiming, "…W-wait! What do you mean?!"
"Of course, I mean to skin you!"
"Don't!"
"Ahhhhhhhhhhh——————————"
This fox, notorious for her misdeeds both in the past and the future, let out a piercing scream. Roy, with the precision of a scalpel, skillfully and flawlessly skinned the fox using magic.
········Request for flowers··············
In an instant, the scene was extremely bloody, yet there was not much blood flowing. The once enchanting and beautiful woman instantly transformed into a muscle-bound anatomical model in a medical school, revealing the true nature beneath her beautiful exterior.
"Turning a nation's beauty into bones; no matter how beautiful a woman is, beneath her skin, she is merely this. Of course, beauty lies in the bones, not the skin. Even in this state, Daji, you are still so beautiful."
The fox, now devoid of her outer skin and left with only muscle and skeleton, rolled in the dirt. However, the more she rolled, the more pain she felt. At the same time, her body began to regenerate, and once again, she bore that beauty capable of enchanting countless men.
But at that moment, the fox's face was filled only with fear and pleading. Once her throat was finally able to move, she cried out in a hoarse voice, "…Please, don't continue! I'll tell you everything, just let me go!!!"
...
"I'm sorry, I refuse! Look at how self-righteous you were before, and what I enjoy most is telling people like you, who are so self-righteous, 'no'!"
Roy shook his head coldly and regretfully.
"Next, let's try slow slicing. Three thousand six hundred cuts, Daji, please count carefully. With each slice of your flesh, you must loudly recite the number. If you miss a cut or count one too many, once you recover, we'll do it again!"
With a flick of his wrist, a sharp little knife appeared in his palm.
"Don't do this! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!!! Waaaah, I was wrong, please let me go!!! Ahhhhhhh——————"
The fox's cries, screams, and pleas echoed through the ancient cypress forest.
The fox was exactly as Roy had expected—she lacked strong willpower. Like wealthy individuals accustomed to a life of luxury who struggle to endure hardship, she could barely tolerate any pain.
Roy had once been the same, possessing great power but lacking the will of a true warrior. However, after undergoing Scáthach's Spartan-style training in the Land of Shadows, his will had been tempered to an extraordinary degree, and his tolerance for pain had reached incredible heights. Even if someone were to flay him alive or subject him to the most excruciating tortures, Roy wouldn't so much as furrow his brow.
After all, he had grown accustomed to such pain. Even the torment of the soul could be endured through sheer willpower.
"It was Xu Fu!! Xu Fu stole the treasures from the Yellow Emperor's Mausoleum—he was acting under the First Emperor's orders!!"