[N/A: Rather long chapter with no status at the end]

__

-- POV General --

"Please...I didn't kill anyone in this forest...let me join you"

Sarah who was on the ground spoke this sentence as she trembled, weak before this majestic she-wolf who towered over her with all her size. Freya stood straight, threatening, magnificent and captivated all eyes. Her black as night fur rustled in the wind and her cold, wild eyes looked at the woman before them. Fresh blood flowed from her mouth and wounded belly which made the scene even more mesmerizing.

"..."

Without answering Sarah, the she-wolf grabbed her in her mouth to simply throw her at her companion who was still standing in the middle. John had not moved and had watched his leader get a foot ripped off helplessly. He had been paralyzed by the scene and could already see himself being next despite his great confidence.

"Uuugh !"

The green-eyed woman was crashing into him, instantly bringing him back to reality. Those two humans were still in the ice cage and were in a mess. John had an injured leg that had been bitten by Freya and Sarah didn't even have a right foot. Neither of them could run, at least not very far, so they were stuck and doomed to certain death.

"Well...let's get started shall we ?"

The Empress was still on the other side of the arena but her voice could be heard throughout the clearing and beyond. She made the army and adventurers shudder as she began to move forward. Freya's footsteps were unnaturally slow and for good reason, she wanted to have time to speak and so she took her time. All the beings present could see a huge she-wolf walking gracefully and feel a cool wind blowing in rhythm with her steps.

"Sarah Ashray. You led a group of adventurers to my land to satisfy your unhealthy and unjust desires. You came here to capture, murder, and torture our friends, our families, and those I have sworn to protect. You hurt my soldiers and took pleasure in spilling the blood of innocent people who only wanted to defend themselves. You destroyed families, murdered children, tortured men, killed old, shattered lives and no doubt enjoyed every second. How many lives have you already taken ? No amount of deeds, no amount of torture and no amount of forgiveness will ever redeem your madness !"

As she listed Sarah's sins one by one, her voice grew colder and colder and her eyes more startling. At that moment, anyone who looked into her eyes would instantly become dizzy as her depth was so elusive and unbearable. Freya's voice grew colder and colder as she almost reached the two trembling humans. As the she-wolf now addressed John, behind her powerful voice, it was possible to hear growls that grew louder and more intimidating.

"John Vimbert. You are guilty of the same crimes as your leader, but that is not why you are here. You are here for a very simple but fatal reason, for you have sullied my family. You have insulted the Queen and the Princess and made threats against them that I will never forget. Insult me all you want, although there are always consequences, but those who dare to attack my wife and daughter will never find rest even in death. You have crossed the line that should not be crossed and I will not leave you until I break you physically and mentally !"

Freya was now growling distinctly and her voice trembled with anger. Only remembering John's words, the Empress could hardly contain her rage and lust for killing. Her demonic aura was not out, but an increasingly violent wind appeared in the clearing from her body. The she-wolf was angry, terrifying, cold yet calm, and of an unknown and deadly power.

"Humiliation, torture, imprisonment, lynching, murder and the list goes on ! You two, like all the other adventurers, represent the dark side of this humanity you are so proud of. A humanity unable to evolve and stuck in this black ocean of sins and crimes that keep repeating themselves over time. You have insulted me, insulted the Empire and its people, their freedoms, their precious lives and their right to exist ! Your greed, your beliefs and your selfishness will be the only reason you will never be forgiven or spared. I, Empress Freya of the Elysium Empire, for all of these crimes, condemn you both to live what you have always made others live. You will suffer, scream, cry, beg, bleed, burn and in the end only one option will be open to you... "

More than a judge, the Empress was like death delivering her judgment before bringing down her scythe on these humans. The clearing was still silent, shaken by the wind, everyone was transfixed, terrified and admiring as Freya finally arrived in front of Sarah and John finishing her sentence.

"...death !"

As the she-wolf spoke this one word, the wind ceased with a single blow and the ice cage disappeared just as quickly. All of the army soldiers without exception were on the ground, having failed to withstand this wave of frozen aura, coupled with the wind and the presence of their Empress.

"How powerful is she ?"

"That was only part...I don't know."

"I...I can't stop shaking..."

Many of the soldiers who were part of the different sections, had exactly the same thoughts, the same words, and were slowly recovering from the already incredible sight. Freya was only level 33, but thanks to her system, she was much stronger, which was why the difference in power between her and her army was causing a stir. The 10 Commanders of the army were the only ones left standing and had their hearts beating at a mind-boggling rate.

"She is so impressive and..."

"Absolutely on another level !"

"The world has started to change since she appeared..."

The 10 half-humans were still fascinated and could not take their eyes off their Empress who kept shocking them more and more. Suddenly, four walls of ice appeared around Freya for several minutes before disappearing to reveal her again in her human form. She was dressed in white and wore a lavish imperial outfit reminiscent of what she wore on her wedding day. As the Empress adjusted her cloak, she turned her head to the female Commanders who rushed before her bowing.

"Do you need us, your Highness ?"

"Commander Caipy, bring in your best medic soldier who can heal with the light element. Commander Persea, keep those adventurers down. For the rest of you, continue to monitor the six humans still alive !"

"As you command !"

As they dispersed, the she-wolf watched the dryad mutter her incantations to conjure brambles from the ground. They grabbed Sarah and John still speechless by the arms and legs to keep them on the ground and on their backs. They were unable to move and could only wait desperately and in great fear for what would happen next. Sarah was crying for the first time, her face burned on one side seemed to throb and her tears mixed with her sweat as she spoke in a trembling voice.

"You...you're going to regret this one..one day !"

The Empress wasn't even touched by her condition and replied calmly and coldly.

"I never regret anything."

Behind Freya, as she stared at the green-eyed leader, Caipy had returned followed by an elf who was shaking like a leaf despite himself.

"Your Highness, this is our best light mage. His name is Nylian, he is level 11 and has just joined our army. I can assure you, however, that he is capable of surpassing himself and has good control over mana."

Nylian had lived in the forest all his life and had spent his time healing every being that needed his help. Because of this, he was not a fighter but a gifted light mage for his age.

"Will you be able to overcome what is about to happen ? If you don't think you can then you are free to walk away."

As the she-wolf turned her gaze to him to ask a question, the elf gasped before stammering out a few words.

"I...I think I can handle it your Highness."

Shaking her head in satisfaction, Freya knelt down to get closer to Sarah and John who still had no idea what was going to happen. The clearing was silent again and only Caipy and Nylian were close to the she-wolf much to the chagrin of those who dreamed of being close by.

"From now on, your descent into Hell begins !"

Finishing her sentence and without warning, Freya had pressed down on Sarah's right leg and John's left leg at the same time with a huge crack of bone. The she-wolf had controlled her force so as not to crush them to a pulp but had put enough of it on to leave large fractures.

"Aaaarg !!"

"Uuaarrg !!"

Two cries of pain echoed through the night as the two humans struggled desperately. Their legs were twisted and crushed and no longer responded to any commands sent by their brains as tendons were severed but the nerves were still intact.historical

"Let's continue !"

Without further ado, the Ice Empress began to break the bones of every part of their bodies. Sarah and John were screaming at the top of their lungs, begging, crying, choking on their saliva but nothing and no one could stop the she-wolf. Their arms, hips, shoulders, feet, ribs, fingers, everything was broken little by little. The pain was unbearable and the two humans could have passed out long ago if the Empress didn't keep them awake with ice spikes.

"Uurrrg ! Pl..please no more...aaaaaaargh !!"

"Aaaaaaaargh no I..noo aaargh !!"

The violet eyes of the beautiful young woman, shone with a dangerous glow and the same savage sadistic smile had appeared on her face again.

"The more you beg, the more I enjoy this moment ! Humans, this is just the beginning !"

Sarah and John's bodies had turned blue, motionless, aching and broken all over. The two adventurers wanted it all to stop but still didn't regret what they had done. Their eyes were revolted, saliva was dripping from their mouths and their faces were nothing but a grimace.

"So tell me, is it pleasant ?"

As she asked her question with a mockingly gentle tone, the Empress was sliding her fingers gently up and down their bodies. The way she was doing it could look very sensual excluding the fact that this one gesture was sending spasms of pain to both humans.

"N..n..no..ple..please..aaarg cough cough !!"

John spoke with difficulty and his arrogant eyes were now pleading at what he was going through. As Freya looked at him and enjoyed his expression, she replied forming two identical little ice daggers in her hands.

"Yet the three of us are having so much fun aren't we ? kufufu~"

Gently cutting John's leather armor to reveal a hairy, blue, sweaty torso, she began to make an incision from the neck down to the navel. Sarah was already out of armor and could only look on in horror at what her companion was experiencing. The man gritted his teeth and found this pain more bearable than the last one as suddenly the ice dagger went in slightly deeper to peel off his skin.

"Aaaaaaargh !"

"Kufufu~"

The sadistic she-wolf began to scalp the skin of his torso as blood spurted onto his previously pristine white clothes. The epidermis was gradually separating from John's body as he screamed louder and louder, chilling the blood of the spectators. Amongst his screams, a horrible sound could be heard, as if a viscous garment was being torn off, it was the sound of skin being torn off. The scene was difficult to watch and many of the soldiers looked away as the trapped humans began to vomit or faint. Freya she was still very calm and enjoying herself madly as she sensually licked her bloody lips.

"Your turn now !"

The Empress now turned to Sarah as she motioned to the trembling elf to stop John from bleeding out. He had fainted unable to take it anymore and his spirit was breaking a little more with each passing second.

"No...no please not me, I...I regret everything !"

The young woman with the broken body knew very well that the same thing was going to happen to her and shook her head strongly, screaming and destroying her throat.

"No ! Monster don't come near me ! Aaarg ! Please ! Noooo I...I...aaarg it hurts !"

Freya didn't care for her pleas that even gave her chills and started the same thing on the human plunged in despair.

"Aaaaaaaaarghh !!"

___

Sarah and John were conscious again as they had both passed out from the pain. Their bodies were still broken and now without skin but Nylian's magic had eased the pain to keep them awake though it was still unbearable.

"Let's move on !"

It had already been over an hour since Freya had been working to remove every bit of skin from these humans and now they were ready for the finale. A fire had been made at her side and cutting Persea's brambles with her daggers she heated her katana until it glowed. Her black blade was now red and crackling as the she-wolf began to draw on their bodies.

"AAaaaaaaa..."

"...."

From screaming, the two were no longer able to get any sound out and their eyes had begun to grow increasingly vacant. Their throats were dry, sore and their minds wished for only one thing, death. Freya drew three recognizable symbols on their torsos, a sun, a crescent moon and a star. Their skinless bodies crackled and a burning smell rose in the clearing as everyone could see blisters forming and bursting from the heat. Their skin was melting as they went and the Empress smiled.

"..K..kill.."

"U..us.."

The two humans couldn't take it anymore and had managed to say those two words just before the she-wolf sliced their hands and tongues with her sword. They were choking and as Sarah and John were about to die, the Empress grabbed their necks to lift them up and look them in the eye, her fangs sharper than ever.

"You shouldn't have made me angry !"

After finishing her sentence, she would sink her teeth into Sarah's neck to rip her throat out in a sharp, precise motion and break John's with a simple squeeze. The she-wolf's face was covered in blood as she threw the two not-yet-dead and convulsing humans to the floor.

____

The four humans who were still alive and able to think had witnessed this spectacle and could not help but tremble.

Jet was mourning the death of the one he loved and his broken heart was bleeding with deep sadness and visceral fear for Freya. As for Loyd, he was on his knees and said nothing. The bald adventurer had given up all desire to resist and was patiently waiting for his death, knowing that it would come soon.

The twins were also trembling like the other two, but they held hands to give themselves courage. They had not given up the idea of talking with Freya before they died, because June and May also knew very well that they would not be spared. They had come to this forest with the idea of accomplishing the mission and even if they weren't as crazy as her former companions and were starting to repent...the twins had to die.

"Good !"

Without warning, Freya transformed back into a gigantic wolf before tearing the two bodies apart in her powerful jaw. This last scene was violent, bloody, merciless, and horrible to watch like everything that had gone before. After she had finished tearing the two humans to pieces, the she-wolf looked up.

The Empress stood there, majestic, dangerous, beautiful, deadly and ruthless. Her mouth was dripping with blood, her black hair had turned scarlet, but her violet eyes still shone brightly. As she raised her head to the moon, the imperial she-wolf let out a loud, commanding howl.

As she howled into the darkness, as if driven by some unknown force and primal instinct, absolutely everyone knelt before the powerful and terrifying Empress. Even Vig and Alayna, who were not yet official citizens of the Empire, bowed their heads in silent respect, awe and admiration.

The Empress had made her judgment.