The scholar was startled by Ankh's sudden intensity, but he quickly recovered.
He burst into maniacal laughter, his sickly face contorting as he roared, "You want to know the Leader's plans? You think you can make me talk with cheap threats?!"
Ankh's expression darkened. "Cheap threats? Let's see."
With a slight flick of his finger, Titan Gravity crashed down on the man.
"If you don't talk, I'll grind your bones to dust."
The repulsive force increased.
The man's body emitted sickening cracking sounds as he was pressed into the floorboards. Yet, through the agony, he remained stubborn.
"Bastard! Is that... all you've got?! Argh!!"
Ankh frowned.
'Are all the White Devil Cult's executives this tight-lipped?'
Torture wasn't working.
The man was a fanatic, and if Ankh handed him over to the Council now, he'd lose his chance to get answers.
He needed a new angle.
Ankh narrowed his eyes. His gaze shifted to the unconscious beauty lying beside the scholar.
A faint, mischievous smirk curled Ankh's lips.
Snap.
The gravity pressing down on the man vanished.
The scholar gasped for air, struggling to prop himself up on trembling arms.
He looked at Ankh in confusion.
'Why did he stop?'
"Brat! What trick... are you trying to pull now?" he spat, barely able to see through his pain.
Through his blurred vision, he saw Ankh grinning like a villain.
Before the scholar could react, the beautiful woman suddenly levitated into the air.
Ankh grabbed her and casually slung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
Panic finally cracked the scholar's mask.
He screamed, "What are you doing?! Come at me if you dare! Don't touch her!"
'Got you.'
'Finally found your weakness.'
Ankh deliberately adopted a lecherous expression.
He grinned widely. "What am I doing? Just what any man would love to do."
"Even with her face bruised, you can't deny she has a killer figure. Just look at this."
Ankh chuckled.
He raised his hand and gave the unconscious woman's backside a firm, audible slap.
Smack!
"Mmm..."
The sharp impact jolted her nerves.
Even in her unconscious state, she let out a soft, breathy moan against Ankh's back.
The scholar's eyes nearly popped out of his skull
. Veins bulged in his forehead. He looked ready to charge forward and flay Ankh alive with his bare hands.
Ankh looked at the agitated man, feigning surprise. "What? Not enjoying the show? I'm not exactly thrilled to give you a live performance either."
He adjusted the woman on his shoulder and turned toward the door. He tossed a sleazy remark over his shoulder as he walked.
"I'll come find you later to finish our chat. We're going to go have some 'fun' now."
The scholar's psychological defenses shattered instantly.
"Stop! Don't!"
"You bastard! You beast!"
"Wait... hold on! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"
Tears streamed from the man's eyes as he watched his beloved partner being dragged away.
The sheer stress nearly gave him a heart attack.
Hearing the desperate pleas, Ankh stopped.
The lecherous grin vanished instantly, replaced by cold boredom.
He turned around and unceremoniously tossed the woman back into the room.
"You should've just done this from the start," Ankh said icily. "Why force me to get my hands dirty?"
The scholar stared at the woman on the floor, relieved she was safe but humiliated beyond belief.
He glared at Ankh while gritting his teeth. "You despicable scum..."
Ankh frowned.
He raised his hand, forming a claw shape right above the unconscious woman's ass again.
"Wait! Don't!" the scholar shrieked.
"I'm busy," Ankh growled. "Don't make me get serious."
Thoroughly broken, the scholar finally gave up.
Slumping against the wall, he began to spill the cult's secrets.
Just as Ankh suspected, this man wasn't just a grunt; he was a junior executive.
The insider knowledge he possessed was far more valuable than anything the previous captives knew.
According to him, the White Devil Cult had been operating for nearly a decade.
They gathered followers through demon worship and hoarded ancient dark magic artifacts.
The Satan Soul that Mirajane had absorbed? That was their crown jewel—a terrifying artifact intended to create a supreme demon.
But the real shocker was their base of operations.
Despite being a cult, they had managed to covertly manipulate the monarch of a neighboring kingdom.
They essentially controlled an entire nation as their stronghold.
The blueprint for the Etherion, the live sacrifices in Mira's village—it was all preparation for war.
"Our ultimate goal," the scholar whispered, "is to conquer the Kingdom of Fiore and usurp its status on the continent."
Ankh couldn't help but scoff. "With just you lot? You think you can topple Fiore? A nation famous for being a neutral magic superpower?"
'These guys are delusional.'
Leaving the Royal Army aside, Fiore was home to the strongest Mage Guilds on the continent.
Just one of the Ten Wizard Saints—like Master Makarov—could probably wipe the floor with this cult.
"It's a pipe dream," Ankh said flatly. "This is suicide."
The scholar gritted his teeth, defensive despite his situation.
"The Leader possesses extraordinary power and unfathomable wisdom! We are merely pawns; we don't know the full extent of his plan..."
Ankh waved his hand dismissively. "Whatever. When I report this to the Council, your 'Leader' will be finished before he even launches a single ship."
Ankh wasn't worried.
A war would take years to prepare. By then, Ankh would be strong enough to crush the Cult Leader himself, even if the guy was a Wizard Saint level threat.
Just then, the door creaked open.
Mirajane walked in.
She had finished cleaning up the mess outside and tying up the other captives.
Fine beads of sweat trickled down her flushed cheeks.
Ankh rummaged in his pocket and handed her a handkerchief. "You've worked hard."
"Thanks," Mirajane murmured, wiping her face.
She looked around the room.
The atmosphere was... weird.
The unconscious woman was lying on the floor in a chaotic pose.
The scholar was slumped against the wall, looking physically unharmed but spiritually destroyed, staring at the floor with dead eyes.
Mirajane glanced suspiciously at Ankh. "What happened?"
Ankh kept his face completely straight.
He pointed a thumb at the scholar. "I asked him a few questions. He decided to be cooperative and confessed everything."
'So fast?' Mirajane's mouth opened in surprise.
She had only been gone for a few minutes!
She looked at Ankh with sparkling eyes full of admiration. "Amazing! I thought he looked like the stubborn type who would never crack!"
On the floor, the broken scholar heard her praise and nearly burst into tears.
'I have something to say, he thought desperately. I really have something to say.'
'Damn it all... you people are the real demons here.'