Now, he had to see how that demon wolf situation was.
As he left the cave, William came to the place where the demon wolf was imprisoned. Under a large tree, it was tied up and suspended in the air using a complex rope technique that William had taught the fox girl, even though it was originally intended for a completely different purpose. He hadn't expected the technique to be used on a prisoner, but he had to admit that it was quite effective. All the embarrassing spots were completely exposed.
Although the demon wolf still possessed beast-like fur, her facial features were gradually approaching human-like characteristics. Not stunning, but certainly striking in her own wild way.
"Wolf-chan, tell me all the information you know about your tribe, and you won't have to continue hanging here."
"Hmph!" The demon wolf snorted coldly and turned her face away, refusing to look at William below.
For such a defiant captive, William naturally wouldn't be gentle. He found where the rope mechanism was secured, then began alternating the tension, tightening and loosening, tightening and loosening in a deliberate rhythm designed to wear down her resistance without causing actual harm.
After several repetitions, the demon wolf's composure was clearly beginning to crack. Her breathing had grown noticeably faster, her fine gray fur dampening with perspiration.
"Are you ready to speak now?" William asked lightly, observing her trembling form.
Though she was clearly being affected by the interrogation method, William secretly hoped she wouldn't surrender too easily. There was a certain satisfaction in breaking through stubborn resistance.
"I... won't tell you... anything!" The demon wolf's body shuddered, her voice barely controlled as defiance warred with discomfort.
Her breathing was clearly faster now, and her beautiful gray fur appeared darker from the sheen of sweat covering her body.
William was pleased with the demon wolf's continued resistance. He feigned regret, sighing dramatically. "Since you're still so stubborn, then I can only reluctantly continue this punishment."
"Perhaps it would be best to train you properly. Arisu and the others can't stay with me at all times. Your wild appearance could serve as a replacement, no matter how many times used, there would be no problem. Don't worry, I'll train you to be perfect for this purpose."
Hearing this, the demon wolf hanging in the air wanted to retort, but the strange sensations overwhelming her body left her without strength.
She could only glare at William viciously with eyes growing increasingly unfocused, managing to speak word by word through gritted fangs: "I... will... never... submit... to you!"
"How interesting. Then let's wait and see whether you surrender to me first, or whether I lose interest in you first."
Today, William had to break this demon wolf's will and extract information about the demon wolf clan from her. Originally, he'd planned to develop slowly and steadily, but now knowing there was another tribe eyeing the fox tribe, development progress would be too slow at its current pace.
If the other side discovered that their scout hadn't returned, they would likely conduct a thorough search. Such an investigation would easily reveal the fox tribe's location. If they discovered the tribe's current weakened state, the demon wolf tribe would surely attack.
The Fox tribe's current situation had no way to deal with such an assault from another tribe yet.
The interrogation continued as William methodically worked to break down her resistance. Despite her fierce exterior, cracks were beginning to show in her determination.
William cut the suspension rope with his claws and lowered the demon wolf to the ground, though the binding ropes remained secured. Suddenly, his face loomed large in the demon wolf's vision, making her feel genuinely confused and frightened.
Hanging in the air before, William's body had appeared small in her field of vision. But now that he'd suddenly drawn close, seeing his fearsome demon king visage up close, thick dread flowed through the depths of her soul.
William noticed the change in the demon wolf's mood and asked with a sneer, "What? Weren't you so wild when you were hanging in the air just now? Why do you suddenly have this expression now that I've brought you down? Are you a coward? If you're afraid of being devoured by me, quickly tell me all the information about the demon wolf tribe, so you can survive. Whether you can endure... isn't that better than saying it?"
As he spoke, William examined her form up and down, considering which approach to take next.
The wolf wouldn't willingly provide information, William was certain of that. So what he needed to consider now was how to truly break this demon wolf step by step, to thoroughly reshape her will. This was the top priority.
"No, it's impossible! I will never tell you any information, demon king. You might as well give up. Even if you devour me, you'll never get it!"
The demon wolf's eyes shone with fear, but her tone still carried firmness and a death-before-dishonor mentality.
As William had imagined, although she harbored great fear in her heart, she remained tight-lipped, preferring to be shattered like jade rather than preserved intact.
"Very well then. Since you insist, I can only continue until you wish for death, but that would be too merciful. I'll let your spirit crumble step by step. I'll show you what it means for life to be worse than death." As he spoke, William laughed with villainous relish.
That fearsome demon mouth opened slightly as sinister laughter echoed from within. In reality, William was simply smiling normally, the result just happened to sound terrifying due to his sovereign aura.
The fear in the bound demon wolf's eyes intensified. She could already imagine in her mind how he would slowly torture her.
"Do your worst! I won't—" Suddenly, her entire body went rigid, her eyes widening as every muscle tensed. Its waist trembled abruptly, lifting its body up, and the tail under its butt stiffened like a wooden stick.
Her mind went blank, the overwhelming stimulus causing her to temporarily lose the ability to think coherently.
It wondered, it was confused, what kind of magic had the other party cast to make it so unbearable.
The rope could no longer serve as a dam to hold back the flood.
William raised his eyebrows, a look of surprise passing through his eyes, he lifted his demon claw, which gleamed with a crystal shine, and a silver thread was pulled like this.
William regarded the demon wolf on the ground with a strange, knowing smile. "I didn't expect your sensitive points to be so easily accessible. In terms of characters from certain training manuals, you're merely a piece of fine jade specifically meant to be shaped. Just a slight touch with my claw reduced you to this state. If I used my tongue, wouldn't you ascend to heaven?"
The demon wolf's face burned with humiliation mixed with involuntary reactions she couldn't control. Her proud warrior spirit warred with her body's betrayal.
"This... this is merely physical weakness! My will remains unbroken!" she gasped out, trying desperately to maintain some shred of dignity.
"We'll see about that," William replied calmly. "We have all the time in the world, wolf-chan." He settled in for the long interrogation ahead, knowing that breaking her will was only a matter of time.