As soon as they walked out of the Centauri palace, Emery turned to Jinkan with a determined look in his eyes.
"Tell me, what's the deal you have with the Supreme King?" he demanded, his voice laced with urgency.
Jinkan, true to her casual demeanor, shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing much, really. It's all politics... You wouldn't be interested," she replied, seemingly unfazed by Emery's pressing inquiry.
Frustrated and unwilling to let the matter drop, Emery stepped in front of her, blocking her path. He fixed her with a serious gaze and spoke with unwavering resolve. "Tell me," he insisted, his voice low and intense.
"I will," Jinkan replied, "but not here. I'll show you. Just come with me to Nephilim planet, and..."
Emery found her answer insufficient, the tension in the air was mounting. The last time he followed her invitation, he was forcefully kidnapped into a ship to be traded into the dark elves' prison.
Without warning, Emery lunged forward, his arm outstretched, aiming to grasp Jinkan's neck. However, a sudden and formidable force pushed him back with incredible strength. It was a high-grade defensive artifact, a guardian of sorts, that had instantly shielded the Nephilim princess from harm.
"You dare!" Jinkan exclaimed, her anger palpable in her tone.
Emery, undeterred and driven by the need for answers, refused to back down. He reached out and grabbed Jinkan's arm firmly, his grip unyielding. Before Julian or anyone else nearby could react, both Emery and Jinkan vanished into thin air, their forms dissipating into the ether. Emery had forcibly pulled her into the Khaos gate, a realm unknown to Jinkan.
As they materialized in this strange and disorienting place, Jinkan's attention was immediately drawn to a monstrous sight—a colossal tentacle creature lurking ominously in the corner of the room. Fear and confusion coursed through her veins.
"Where did you take me...?! What is that?!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling with fear as she pointed at the nightmarish creature.
The creature, its malevolent presence palpable, seemed to respond with a sinister thought that echoed in Jinkan's mind, its words dripping with hunger.
"<New meal..? You haven't sent me a meal for a while>"
Jinkan's heart raced as the enigmatic encounter in this unfamiliar dimension took a chilling turn. The grotesque nightmaris entity's appearance only exacerbated her anxiety.
Emery's response, while seemingly callous, further fueled the dread in the room. "Yes, you can eat her," he stated, his voice tinged with an unsettling calmness.
Without hesitation, Chututlu unleashed a barrage of massive tentacles, each one charging at Jinkan with malicious intent. Panic surged through her, but she relied on her well-honed agility and martial arts skills, augmented by the special high-tier gloves she wore. With nimble precision, she dodged and blocked the incoming onslaught, her every move a testament to her combat prowess.
"Are you crazy!? Do not joke with me!!" she cried out in a mix of anger and fear, her voice quivering as she deftly evaded the nightmarish assault.
Jinkan, smart and perceptive, understood that Emery wouldn't truly allow her to be harmed. Yet, the fact that he had let Chututlu attack her sent a chilling message. While she managed to fend off most of the tentacle strikes and employ her defensive artifact to save her life from the most lethal of blows, the experience was harrowing. The slimy, repulsive tentacles of Chututlu left her feeling deeply disturbed and violated.
"Stop this madness!" she implored, her voice pleading as she desperately sought a way out of this horrifying situation.
Emery, however, remained steadfast and indifferent to her distress. He turned his attention to Chututlu and issued a new command with an unsettling calmness. "Cthulhu, since she was protected from magical and physical attacks, try your poison instead."
<Certainly,> came the eerie response from the abomination.
Jinkan's face drained of color upon hearing this. Realizing that she was facing an unimaginable threat, she chose to yield. Her defiant stance crumbled as she conceded defeat, her voice trembling as she spoke. "Alright, you win! I will answer any of your questions!"
As Emery held firm in his resolve, he swiftly ordered Chututlu to cease its menacing assault. His intentions were clear; he had no been woven into her entire garment. Beyond the silk cloth that modestly covered her private areas, Emery could see Jinkan's soft, intention of releasing Jinkan. With a determined stride, he approached her and said "Let go of your artifact"
Jinkan's expression twisted with irritation, but she begrudgingly complied, her every move reflecting the realization that she was entirely under Emery's control. Slowly, she removed her clothing, piece by piece, revealing the intricate defensive artifact that had been woven into her entire garment. Beyond the silk cloth that modestly covered her private areas, Emery could see Jinkan's soft, vulnerable skin, her uncommonly exposed expression contrasting starkly with her usual air of arrogance.
Despite her compromised state, the Nephilim princess retained her pride and defiance. She stood tall, meeting Emery's gaze squarely as she challenged him. "Now, do your worst," she declared, her voice a mixture of defiance and an unyielding spirit.
Emery closed the distance between them, now in close proximity. With the protective artifact no longer shielding her, he employed his potent [Spirit walk] ability, delving into the recesses of her mind to uncover her thoughts and memories. To his surprise, he encountered numerous sealed compartments within her psyche. It was evident that the Nephilim had taken extensive precautions to safeguard their deepest secrets, even from potential captors like Emery. Not planning to seek more trouble with the Nephilim, he refrained from breaching these sealed areas and instead honed in on the specifics of Jinkan's plan.
"Tell me your plan," Emery demanded once more, his voice unwavering and resolute. The room seemed to hold its breath, tension building as all eyes remained fixed on the scene unfolding before them.
Under the weight of Emery's dominating mental strength, Jinkan finally relented, revealing her ambitious scheme. Her plan revolved around orchestrating a successful raid on the Ancient Celestial Ruins, an endeavor she believed was the key to solidifying her claim to the Nephilim throne. She had been diligently forming a team and forging alliances, with Proxima, one of Nephilim's closest allies, agreeing to collaborate for the raid. The condition was that Jinkan must prove she had a participant as formidable as Emery within her team. The rest, as she had previously suggested, involved intricate political maneuvering.
Yet, as Emery probed deeper into her thoughts, a startling development unfolded. Jinkan's past memories flickered before her eyes, catching her off guard and leaving her with a sense of unease.
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