Chapter 79: Double the Pain (Bonus Chapter for Fox String Transformation)

The air was thick with the scent of rust and mold, and a bone-chilling cold seeped from the icy stone walls, more piercing than ever before.

She didn’t even have time to steady herself before a sharp pain shot through her ankles—a pair of new, heavier magical shackles.

“Ugh…”

Ling Xiya let out a muffled groan and collapsed heavily to the ground.

The rough stone floor scraped her knees, drawing blood, but it was nowhere near as painful as the ache in her heart.

“Hehe… Ling Xiya, how does it feel?”

A flirtatious yet bone-chilling voice rang out from beyond the door.

It was Isayat.

She didn’t seem to leave immediately; instead, she lingered as if admiring a precious treasure about to shatter.

Through the thick cell door, she playfully observed the movements inside.

Ling Xiya gritted her teeth and did not respond.

She knew that any roar of anger or cry of despair would only become a source of amusement for her captor.

She had to endure.

She had to preserve her strength.

Even if there was only a sliver of hope, she had to find a chance to escape, or else…

However, Isayat clearly didn’t intend to grant her that “peace.”

“Why have you gone silent? Just outside the dungeon, weren’t you vowing so confidently to kill me?”

Isayat’s voice was full of mockery.

“Do you not even have the strength to stand up now? My dear maid?”

“You…”

Ling Xiya shook with rage.

“If you have the guts, then kill me!”

“Kill you?”

Isayat chuckled, the sound like a snake’s tongue slithering into Ling Xiya’s ears.

“That would be too easy for you. Ling Xiya, did you think dungeon life was just imprisonment and torture? That’s old news. This time, I’m going to let you experience what it truly means to have a ‘fate worse than death.'”

As Isayat’s words fell, Ling Xiya suddenly felt a strong wave of dizziness hit her.

Her consciousness began to blur, and countless spinning lights and shadows appeared before her eyes.

“What… what did you do to me?”

Ling Xiya discovered with horror that her body began to tremble uncontrollably, and an inexplicable fear rose from the depths of her heart.

“Nothing much,” Isayat’s voice sounded as if it were coming from far away, yet also as if it were echoing directly in her mind, carrying a weird magic.

“Just a little ‘mental conditioning.’ Aren’t you very brave? Aren’t you very firm? I want to see just how many ‘surprises’ your will can withstand.”

***

The following days were a true hell for Ling Xiya.

The physical torture never stopped.

Every day, she had only a pitiful amount of unpalatable food and murky water.

The weight of the shackles made even walking normally difficult.

The dark, damp environment caused her body to break out in eczema, which was incredibly itchy yet impossible to scratch.

Occasionally, Isayat would send someone down, not to treat her, but to “clean” her in a more brutal fashion, bringing only more pain and humiliation.

But all of this paled in comparison to the mental torture.

Isayat “visited” her almost every day.

Sometimes, she would stand outside the cell door, mocking her with the most vicious and biting words, recounting her past “obedience” and her current “degradation,” trampling her self-esteem underfoot.

“Look at you now, curled up in a corner like a dog.”

“Only I, only I can decide your life and death.”

“Give up, Ling Xiya. Become my Slave, and at least you’ll be able to live. It would be such a pity for a beauty like you to die.”

These words were like sharp knives, carving into Ling Xiya’s heart one by one.

She tried hard to argue, to lash out, but every time she spoke, she was met with either Isayat’s more insolent laughter or… a deeper Mental Attack—

Sometimes, she would be forcibly dragged into a state between waking and dreaming.

In this state, Isayat’s voice would become exceptionally gentle, like a mother’s whisper or a lover’s murmur.

“Ling Xiya, you’re tired… you’re really too tired…”

Isayat’s voice carried a strange, soothing power.

“Let it go, let go of your resistance… it’s all too heavy, it isn’t worth it.”

“Look at me, Ling Xiya. I can give you power, give you eternal life, give you everything you want… as long as you are willing to submit to me, as long as you are willing to become a part of me…”

“Only darkness, only I, can give you true peace…”

These words were like poison, silently seeping into the depths of Ling Xiya’s consciousness.

She fought desperately to resist, to wake up.

“No… I can’t… I can’t give in…”

She screamed in her heart, but her voice grew weaker and weaker.

Isayat’s brainwashing wasn’t something that happened overnight; it was like water dripping through stone, day after day, a subtle influence.

She would accurately find the most vulnerable parts of Ling Xiya’s heart and then strike a fatal blow.

She would make Ling Xiya remember the failures and pain she had experienced, magnifying her self-blame and regret.

She would make Ling Xiya crave power and hate her current situation amidst extreme exhaustion and despair.

“As long as you are willing, I can help you get revenge, I can give you the power to destroy heaven and earth…”

Ling Xiya’s will was like a small boat in a violent storm, liable to capsize at any moment.

She began to hallucinate frequently.

Once again, Isayat hypnotized her.

This time, her power seemed even stronger.

Ling Xiya felt her consciousness sinking into a warm, dark sea.

All the pain, struggle, and fear were slowly dissipating.

Isayat’s voice echoed in her ears like heavenly music:

“Sleep, Ling Xiya… give up your resistance, and you won’t suffer anymore…”

“See, the darkness isn’t scary. It’s very warm, very comfortable…”

“Join me, become my power, and you will have everything…”

Ling Xiya’s eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

She felt as if she were about to fall asleep.

The temptation of completely relaxing and letting go of everything was so immense.

The corners of her mouth even turned up slightly in an unconscious, relieved smile.

“Yes… just like that… give up…”

Isayat’s voice was filled with satisfaction.

“I will wear down your will bit by bit, twisting everything about you bit by bit, until you willingly kneel before me and beg for my grace.”

“Your soul… I must have it!”

Isayat’s voice, carrying unquestionable determination and madness, echoed in the empty dungeon and was deeply branded into Ling Xiya’s heart.

Afterward, Ling Xiya collapsed on the ground, her strength seemingly drained away.

That feeling of being on the verge of sinking just now had actually made her feel… pleasure…

[The gifts will be sent out collectively later. It’s definitely not because I’m being lazy, I just got a bit too fired up playing Blue Archive lately… sorry]