Chapter 462: Day 901 (7) – Now What

Chapter 462: Day 901 (7) – Now What

I waited and nothing happened. A couple messengers nearby raced off and I waited another couple of minutes. I noted the small airship, or airboat of the Avatar descending into the city. How bold, what was she after?

Kicking off the ground with my left foot, I quickly made my way back. The tower climb had gotten me used to moving rapidly with only one foot and my right leg wasn’t responsive enough for high speed movement. Racing into the city I passed through the empty plaza and made my way to where the Astrologer had perished.

As I landed on the street, I saw a wrecked airboat, Captain Francis, and the Avatar. I loathed her. Everything about her. “Emperor Michael, I destroyed the airship, but her companions fled. I remained behind. I...I tried to kill her, but wasn’t able to,” the Captain said.

“You did a good job. Ten million points for your bravery and capturing a most heinous and unrepentant criminal.” I walked over to the Avatar. It was tempting to rip off her gown and the cloth covering her eyes, but that was just weak level venting. She was already a human nugget, without limbs, tongue, or eyes.

“What to do with you?” I said and gave her a slap across the face. I made sure to control my Body stat so I didn’t shatter her jaw. “You are scheming, treacherous nugget. I was willing to make peace. Peace! Against my better judgement and you spit on me and aid the Astrologer.” She didn’t respond, which was good. If she had, I might have just killed her and said screw it to the consequences.

“I know now why the Divine Empress put you in a pit, but it clearly wasn’t deep enough. Oh, no. This time I am going down to the bedrock.” I saw her twitch at that. “No, that is too easy. A tower instead. But you might be able to manipulate it.”

“Perhaps a brothel, but the Divine Empress has probably tried that. Captain, how would you handle a person that cannot be killed but can communicate at range and is intent on making trouble?” I asked.

“I...I don’t know.” I nodded at this.

“That is the problem I face. I cannot kill her, but I can’t just leave her anywhere either. Did you close the hole the Astrologer made?” I asked her.

‘Yes.’ She replied.

“Not willingly most likely. Did your god, the Almighty System command you to?” I asked.

‘Yes it did,’ and I could sense a trace of bitterness.The initial instance of this chapter being available happened at N0v3l.Bin.

“Anything to offer me that is actually useful before I make up my mind?” I asked.

‘Only that if I am not here, the fate of everyone will be much worse.’ I nodded at that.

“And there is the rub. Your connection to the Almighty System. Granting you insight but not wisdom. Granting knowledge but not any kind of common sense or decency. I would have worked with you. I extended my hand in friendship, but you slapped it away and ran off to join the Astrologer’s harem. Was his little boy body pleasing for you, miss nugget?” I asked with all the spite I had. It was a lot of spite.

“Thank you Captain. You have confirmed my trust in you. What I have planned for her is the worst punishment imaginable. It took quite a bit of thinking to make it work in her condition, but she enjoys manipulating people and scheming. Then I will let her do that to earn her bread,” I said with a grin that would make even the Joker shudder in fear at the pure evil I was channeling right now. Even the Captain gave me a worried look.

“I thought you would torture her, or lock her up,” he replied.

“And let her make trouble. Oh no. Definitely not. That would be a kindness after what she endured at the hands of the Divine Empress. She is a human nugget after all. No, I came up with a punishment far, far worse. One that even I would kill myself over. If this doesn’t break her very soul, then I have no idea what will.”

‘I am sorry! Please!’ She begged, but I didn’t care.

“If you can guess, what I have come up with in my sick, twisted mind, then I will give you a bit of mercy. Just a small bit. Trust me, you will want every bit you can get,” I challenged the Avatar.

‘You are going to chain me up in the plaza and make me beg for food and water,’ she said.

“Oh, that is a good guess. But no. And you are out of guesses. Chaining you up and making you beg was something I considered, but no. It is not horrible enough. In fact, I don’t think this form of torture has ever been employed as torture. Do you know of Franz Kafka?” I asked.

‘Who is he? Your master Fleshcrafter you have kept in secret?’ she asked.

“No. He was an author from Germany or a nearby country a century or so ago. And of all the books I have read, of all the crazy and horrible things people have come up with over the years. His brand of torture was so horrible and depraved, they invented their own name for it, Kafkaesque. A true marvel that can crush the soul of any living thing.” I smiled evilly. The punishment I was about to inflict on her was truly inspired.

For someone that couldn’t be killed or harmed, I would grind their soul down with this most horrible form of torture. It was absolutely brutal and took all her attention to handle. The poor souls that would have to interact with her would be on punishment detail and spread the word of the soul crushing torture this truly was.

I lifted up her vertical table with one hand and began heading towards the plaza. Captain Francis right behind me. I wondered how long it would take for her to kill herself. I was sure she would be able to last a year or two. But a decade, a century? Eventually she would kill herself. No one could resist Kafkaesque torture.

It was impossible, by its very nature, it was designed to inflict the most amount of soul crushing despair possible. And if it wasn’t enough, it could easily be increased a bit. Since she had to keep herself alive, that meant she had to endure this torture to eat and drink. To get restorations. It would consume her in a way that physical or mental torture wouldn’t be able to.

In time, she might even become a soulless husk as her very identity was consumed in the hell I had planned. I shuddered a bit at my pure evilness and my smile threatened to split my face. ‘Information. I will give you information.’

“Don’t care Avatar. You could tell me the color of the Almighty System’s underclothes and it wouldn’t matter. This punishment is eternal and there will be no escape. In fact, you will be well cared for. With food, water, restorations. Also, as a reminder to all of what a horrible person you are. The Almighty System didn’t do that, you did that. No clemency for you. As Emperor, your sentence is eternal,” I replied merrily.

Nothing would change my mind. Not even a meta-point. Alright that would change my mind. I would just kill her to prevent any shenanigans in the future. But this was the next best thing. This punishment would be legendary. To kill the unkillable, I would have to use methods that should never be used.