?


    "Well then. Let''s hear it." Sam said as he sat down.


    In front of him was a clear ss wall and on the other side was the prisoner they came to visit; the dark-skinned woman named Antia. Much like what they did with Wolf a while ago, the woman had every part of her tied to arge chair leaving no room for movement.


    "Hey now, I know we are enemies, but isn''t it basic manners to show gratitude to those who save your life?"


    The dark-skinned woman stared at him for a while but said nothing.


    Considering that she''s capable of teleportation the restraints might be meaningless. The cell she''s in has been isted from the outside, but just in case she tries anything the mines in the restraints and those nted into her skin would instantly trigger blowing her to bits before she could put on a barrier.


    "Ah! Please pardon my rudeness. To think I would forget to introduce myself. My name is Sam Sanderson. You could say I''m the one in charge."


    That was as much as he could reveal this early in the conversation.


    "Not very talkative, I see." Sam shook his head. "Maybe we should try with your friend. Though he looks more of the silent type than you are."


    "You are making a mistake."


    Sam didn''t know whether she reacted to herrade being brought up or was just annoyed by the way he spoke. Either way, he managed to make her talk and that''s what''s important.


    "A mistake, huh. From my perspective you seem to be the one who''s in the wrong here."


    "..."


    "Invading our home and attacking us out of nowhere. It seems you had no intention of talking things out." Sam adjusted his sses before looking at the woman again.


    "Taking out the enemy leader right away is the most optimal tactic."


    "Well, a few words might''ve changed the situation. Is there a need for us to be enemies?"


    Of course, Sam understood that there is no chance of their first encounter being any different from what happened. Those people invaded using the gate connected to the Nephilim world, and obviously they didn''t juste across it by chance.


    Sam had a rough idea of how things looked on the other side thanks to the conversations he had with Wolf. The Bifrost should be located somewhere in the castle he built to serve as his stronghold in the war against the humans of his world. The only way those strangers could get to it is by taking over the entire thing, and they couldn''t possibly do that without defeating the Nephilim first.


    Incidentally he made sure both the interior and exterior looked like something out of a fantasy book, with many puzzles to solve and secrets to discover, all so Alice would have something to do even if she was on her own. There is nothing that could be considered dangerous, at least on the inside, however for someone who doesn''t know about the interior navigating their way around would''ve been quite challenging.


    "We did offer you a chance to surrender."


    The reply only made Sam hang his head. Her being so calm was within his expectations, still, it was somewhat irritating. As he went around the question he had in his mind, the dark-skinned woman spoke again, showing more willingness to engage in the conversation.


    "You have quite the impressive technology despite being a lower realm. It''s somewhat difficult to believe you only achieved interdimensional travel recently."


    If not for his newfound ability to control his emotions Sam was sure his face would''ve twitched, if he didn''t smile that is.


    "It''s such an honor to have our efforts recognized." He said, stering a fake smile on his face to hide the excitement he felt. "We might have only two worlds under our control so far so there is still a long way to go, but I''m sure we won''t be a lower realm for long."


    "Only one. You should''ve guessed that much by now."<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Yes. Though going by yesterday''s battle I''m sure we won''t have much trouble reiming it."


    Silence returned once more as the staring contest continued. The prisoner sighed after a while and muttered something to herself, but since the entire cell was monitored her words reached Sam''s ears nheless.


    "Just a lower realm dweller. What a waste of time."


    Ignoring her clearly condement Sam tried to prob more to see if he could learn anything without directly asking.


    "It seems you''re confident we have no chance against your people."


    "Obviously. Just to be clear, using me as a hostage won''t earn you anything. My life holds no value on its own."


    "Is that so? I thought higher realm dwellers had a higher moral system as well. To think you would abandon one of your own just because they were captured by the enemy."


    "A meager but necessary sacrifice. I''m happy to due for my lord."


    ''Aaand she slipped'' Sam thought.


    "What a cruel lord yours is. Well, I should''ve expected as much from someone who goes by Zeus."


    As if he had struck a sensitive cord, Antia''s expression stiffened. Once again Sam found himself forced to kill his emotions to keep his expression from changing.


    "Say, does his hate for humans still burns strong?" Sam said. "Is that why you''re so… different?


    "You… who are you?" Antia asked, now looking even more distressed.


    "Just a nobody,pared to that lord of yours." Shrugging once he went on. "But to think he would still be using flesh and bone to make his soldiers. Are you sure yours is the higher realm? Don''t you think all the blood is unnecessary?"


    "Watch your mouth, human. There is a limit to how much insolence I''m willing to tolerate."


    "Not that you have other options. You said it yourself, right? Your life holds no value so we can''t use you as a hostage. My friend is looking forward to dissecting you so you''ll probably be dead by the time your friendse back for a rematch."


    "..."


    Anger slowly took over the woman''s face. In front of Sam a small window appeared warning him of the change in her status. The sensors picked signs of her muscles contracting but from the looks of it she doesn''t seem to be able to generate enough strength to break them like this.


    She probably would be able to if she used her halo. The fact that she didn''t try to summon it meant that she knew her head will explode the moment she does.


    "For someone who''s willing to die for her lord you sure are clinging on to dear life. How about we make a deal? All you have to do is answer my question and if we reach an understanding with your allies you might get to leave this ce in one piece."


    Sam really did not want her to blow up so he hoped she would ept his deal. The dark-skinned woman continued to re at him, without a doubt thinking about how to kill him should she get her hands on him. Minutes pass without any response from her, but just when he was about to poke her once more she regained her calm all of a sudden as if something had just urred to her.


    "It''s truly unfortunate that I won''t be able to witness your demise." She said with a confident smile.


    From that point onward, no matter how much he tried Sam was unable to make her talk. After two hours of failed attempts he decided to call it quits and went on to visit his favorite prisoner, intending to ask her more about the reality-bending runes.