Deviant: No Longer Human

With a slight shake of her head and removing her hand from her mouth, Elara replied, her voice carrying a bitter edge, "Not everyone. The princesses from the allied nations destined to arrive have not yet made their appearance. Messengers have already been dispatched to escort them here; we only await the New Lord\'s confirmation."

Wang Xiao nodded, casting another evaluative look at Elara. Despite the horrors that had just unfolded, he had to admit she was handling her responsibilities well. Since her \'initial baptism\' into this brutal new reality, she had proven herself capable.

As Wang Xiao\'s gaze shifted back to the women kneeling on the ground, a collective gasp of terror escaped them.

To their frightened eyes, his mere glance seemed to herald the approach of the grim reaper, coming directly for them next.

However, his gaze zeroed in on someone else, searching for a target lurking in the shadows. She tried to shrink away, attempting to hide her presence by hunching down, but Wang Xiao\'s eagle-eyed vision quickly picked her out. "You, step forward."

"Me?"

Wang Xiao\'s intense stare bore into Jhenny, who looked like she was about to bolt. "No, the one behind you, trying to keep out of sight."

All eyes swiveled to Jhenny, who facepalmed herself in exasperation before putting on a facade of innocence and reluctantly shuffling towards him with uneasy steps.

"Lord? Hehe... I\'m sorry about before. How about I give you a massage—ah!?" Her words were abruptly cut off as she gasped, her mouth opened wide against her will.

"Your tongue is sharp, but let\'s see if it\'s as sharp as a knife," Wang Xiao\'s ominous words hung heavy in the air, sending a shiver down Jhenny\'s spine before—

Swish!

Thud!

In the blink of an eye, Jhenny was caught off guard, her mouth still hanging open in shock. Then, with a sudden jolt, she heard something plummeting towards the ground and a rush of warmth flooded her mouth, tinged with the unmistakable metallic tang of blood.

Splurt!

"Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Her piercing scream sliced through the air, reverberating sharply. Ignoring her agonizing cries, he remained fixated on her, ensuring she was propelled through the air and crashed beneath the imposing figure of the angel statue, plunging into the fountain below.

Splash!

Jhenny, her feet submerged in the cool water up to her knees, struggled to maintain her balance before ultimately succumbing to the force and plunging beneath the surface.

"Ahh—"

As the echoes of her distressing screams reverberated throughout the air, a chilling sense of dread gripped the hearts of onlookers, signaling only the commencement of a horrifying ordeal.

"Hey, do you even know how to cook food?" Wang Xiao abruptly turned towards Aurora, his voice breaking the tension with a stark contrast to the chaos.

Aurora\'s mind screamed at her not to nod, but the piercing gaze from Wang Xiao seemed to mock her, silently asking, \'Are you really clueless about something so basic?\' Despite her hesitation, she reluctantly nodded.

Wang Xiao\'s voice cut through the tense atmosphere, commanding, "Good, then cook her," as he pointed towards Jhenny, now crumpled in the water.

!!

Jhenny body froze in fear as his finger singled her out.

"..."

"..."

"..."

The sudden silence that enveloped the place felt suffocating, as if time itself had come to a standstill.

Aurora\'s lips managed to form the words, "Are you sure...?"

In that moment, Jhenny\'s tear-filled eyes locked onto Wang Xiao, a mix of terror and desperate hope shining through.

Attempting to rise, she found herself weighed down as if a mountain rested upon her shoulders.

"Uuuuahhd!?" Jhenny\'s muffled plea filled the air, only to be met with Wang Xiao\'s feigned empathetic smile.

He disregarded Aurora and coldly instructed, "Do it, and raise the temperature slowly..."

!!!!

"Nnnfkxnns!"

Despite the blood trickling from her tongue, Jhenny\'s screams and tears filled the place, Aurora, conflicted but resolute, shook her head and followed instructions.

Wang Xiao\'s piercing gaze fell upon the others, who trembled in silence.

"The eight women with her, step forward," his voice, though not loud, reverberated in everyone\'s minds.

!!!

"It\'s her!"

"It\'s her too!"

The women began accusing and throwing out the eight companions, who pleaded in protest.

"It wasn\'t me—"

"Shut up, Genni! Don\'t let us suffer for your actions!"

"The lord asked you to step aside, don\'t provoke him!"

"What!?"

As chaos erupted, Wang Xiao\'s lips curled in a knowing smile. These eight had been Jhenny\'s closest allies, but in the face of consequences, loyalty crumbled like dust.

As eight women stood in front of Wang Xiao, trembling with nerves and tears streaming down their faces, he nodded for them to step aside and stand apart. With a reassuring smile, Wang Xiao then turned his gaze on the remaining group.

More than forty pairs of eyes fixed on Wang Xiao, their faces lit up with hopeful anticipation, as if they had already won his favor. But then, suddenly...

Snap!

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

The sound of tree branches breaking filled the air, as thousands of them twisted and writhed, encircling the women within the square. Their sharp, pointed edges seemed to glare menacingly at the terrified group.

"L-Lord!?"

"What does this mean?!"

Their voices trembled in fear, their panic palpable. Even Aurora, taken aback by the sudden turn of events, realized that these women, untouched by Asmodeous, held potential. But Wang Xiao had different intentions.

"Booom!

Booom!

Booom!

"Argh!"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"

Screams echoed through the air, each more horrifying than the last, as twigs and branches of all sizes, like a twisted circle of death, hurled themselves towards the helpless crowd. It was pure chaos, witnessing them being pierced to death while still alive.

"S... Save... Me..."

Some met their end instantly, while others slowly bled out. The terrifying scene sent chills down the spines of all who witnessed it, especially when Elara caught Wang Xiao\'s chilling smile as he gazed upon the pool of blood, causing her eyes to widen in horror.

The stench grew unbearable, assaulting their senses as—

"Ughhhh!"

Several of the women couldn\'t hold it in and vomited on the spot, causing Wang Xiao to visibly recoil in disgust. He then turned his attention to Jhenny, who suffered silently in unimaginable agony, her eyes filled with terror as she beheld the remains of once living beings before her.