[FGO]: 88 

However, last night, the physical torture had already become somewhat tiresome for Ryou, so today he prepared a different approach.

He planned to subject them to psychological torment, driving them to the brink of collapse before finally killing them.

"Ladies, I apologize for the poor hospitality," Ryou said with a smile.

But the three women didn't even open their eyes, treating him as if he were air.

He didn't mind. He glanced at the three empty sets of bowls and plates nearby, immediately understanding the situation.

"I thought you would go on a hunger strike to show your resolve, but it seems you ate quite cleanly," he said with a malicious smile.

"It's because you want to see your beloved goddess again, isn't it?"

His words struck them like lightning, and they simultaneously opened their eyes to look at him.

"Humans are fascinating. They can die without hesitation for their beliefs, yet also live like mud for the same beliefs."

"You trash, scum, *** (five hundred words of curses omitted), what exactly are you trying to say?"

Cancer couldn't hold back and cursed like a shrew.

Bang!

Ryou swiftly kicked her in the chest, sending her...

Pfft!

She slammed into the wall behind her, spitting out blood, then collapsed to the ground like a shrimp.

"Ill-mannered wretch. If you can't speak properly, I can sew your mouth shut," Ryou said coldly.

"Grrr! What do you want? Come at me!"

Leo roared weakly, perhaps due to C's potion, sounding like a sick cat.

Beside her, Aquarius glared at Ryou.

"Ah~ Such touching sisterly love. It's so beautiful that it makes one want to destroy it completely!"

Ryou smiled devilishly.

Ignoring their glares, he continued, "Thanks to your goddess, two of my important family members were severely injured yesterday. One of them almost became disabled..."

"You deserve it! All of you from the Gudako Hotel deserve it! Anyone who opposes the goddess deserves to die!"

Cancer cursed viciously, enduring the pain in her chest.

He had already figured her out. She was like a stone in a latrine pit—stinky and hard.

He couldn't be bothered to teach her a lesson and simply dislocated her jaw.

Cancer could only glare at him and make muffled sounds.

Finally feeling some peace, He continued, "I am a person who repays kindness and seeks revenge, both day and night. So, I've decided to collect some interest from you."

He raised one finger.

"I will choose one of you, and in front of the other two, kill her."

The three women stared at him in shock.

"Damn it! Just kill me!"

Leo shouted, trying to stand tall.

"Please kill me," Aquarius said softly but firmly.

Cancer also made muffled cries, trying to move forward.

He feigned being moved by their noble sacrifice... just kidding!

"I haven't finished speaking. Why the rush? Initially, I wanted to choose myself, but seeing your deep sisterly bond moved me deeply, so I decided to let you choose."

Facing their confused looks, Ryou began to announce the rules of the game.

"I will give each of you a piece of paper. You can write down the name of the person you most want to die."

He handed them paper and pens.

The three women took the paper in a daze but didn't start writing. He added, "Oh, you can't write your name, and you can't leave it blank. If anyone dares to do so, I will kill all of you, in the most brutal way."

Ryou smiled warmly.

But none of the three dared to take his words as a joke.

Seeing their hesitation, he took out a finger-sized hourglass.

"I'll set a time limit. When time runs out, you all die."

He placed the hourglass in front of them.

Seeing their continued hesitation, Ryou's enticing voice rang out again.

"What's there to hesitate about? Just write down the name of the person you hate the most, and both you and your companions will be saved."

His voice was like a demonic whisper from the depths of hell, seeping into their minds and slowly affecting their judgment.

"Oh, and let's add a little reward: the two survivors will be set free. Think about it—not only will you get rid of the person you hate the most through me, but you'll also return to the embrace of your beloved goddess."

Ryou stopped speaking, but his words kept echoing in their minds, tempting them.

Just write the name! Go ahead, write it down! Just write the name of that annoying person, and you'll see your beloved goddess again, and your companions will be saved! All you have to do is move your pen!

A demonic voice seemed to echo in their minds, urging them to write.

Finally, as the sand in the hourglass ran low, the three women, trembling, almost simultaneously picked up their pens and wrote a name.

After finishing, they folded their papers multiple times, as if afraid someone might see, and handed them to him.

Ryou took the papers, opened them one by one, and suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahaha!"

His laughter was filled with endless mockery and ridicule.

"How should I put it? This result is exactly as I expected."

As he spoke, he displayed the papers.

One paper had the name Frey, which was Cancer's name.

The other two papers had the name Umi.

Upon seeing the result, Aquarius (Umi) widened her eyes in disbelief.

"Why is it like this..."

She instinctively looked at Frey and Leo (Reona), but both of them avoided her gaze.

"Is that so? So that's how it is..."

Umi's face showed an incredibly desolate smile.

The others, driven by jealousy, targeted her as the most favored by Athena.

"Women's jealousy is truly terrifying, hahaha~"

Ryou's face was filled with an extremely malicious smile.

Hearing his words, Frey and Reona felt utterly humiliated, as if they had been stripped naked, their faces turning pale with shame.

Ryou had calculated two possible outcomes: either the most disliked person would be chosen, or the most favored person would be chosen.

If three men were choosing, the former outcome was more likely. With three women, he was 90% sure they would choose the latter.

In women's minds, the one they hate the most equals the one who is most favored.

Moreover, Ryou had cunningly blocked the option of self-sacrifice and made the responsibility a shared one, making it easier to justify their choice.

Thus, they would calmly choose someone to die.

From the moment he announced the game rules, the three women were like moths caught in a web, no matter how they struggled, the outcome wouldn't change.

"Then let's begin!"

Ryou said as he took a step forward and stood in front of Umi.

Reona's hand clenched and relaxed repeatedly. Seeing him move, she gritted her teeth and shouted loudly.

"Wait, wait a minute! The previous round doesn't count. Choose me instead!"

However, whether she had given up or not, Umi simply clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and prayed softly.

"...May my soul return to the sea."

"So, you're willing to die for her?"

Ryou asked with a teasing look, seemingly in no hurry to act.

"That's right, so hurry up and..."

In the next moment, he suddenly grabbed Umi's neck and twisted it violently, laughing as he said, "But it's too late! You two can carry her resentment and despair, and live on miserably!"

At this moment, he smiled like a demon.

Crack!

The sound of bones breaking echoed in the air. Then, he gently released his hand, and Umi's body fell limply to the ground, lifeless.

"Congratulations, you two are free."

But at that moment, Reona felt the sounds around her fade away.

Umi's death-filled gaze seemed to be etched into her soul.

After sending off the two dazed, zombie-like girls, Ryou turned around with a pleased smile and walked into the hall of the hotel.

Jeanne was already waiting there.

"Jeanne? What's the matter, do you need something from me?"

Ryou smiled calmly, showing no sign that he had just killed a young girl and shattered the minds of two others.

"Please stop," Jeanne said with a pained expression.

"You want to stop me?"

His face gradually turned cold.

However, Jeanne shook her head.

"Revenge is sacred. I can't stop a man avenging his friends."

"Then you..."

"But I hope you won't torture others anymore. When you torture others, your own heart and soul suffer as well."

Ryou remained silent. Jeanne slowly approached and gently embraced him, resting his head on her chest so he could hear her heartbeat.

"Your heart is already scarred..."

The warmth of her embrace, and the gentle rhythm of her heartbeat, filled him with a sense of peace he hadn't felt in days. It was a peace that transcended physical desire.

Ryou slowly put his arms around Jeanne's slender waist.

Strangely, despite Jeanne's softness pressing against his face, he felt no arousal.

He felt enveloped in an incredibly warm light as if all the negative emotions and dark desires accumulated over the past few days were being purified.

I wish I could hold her like this forever...

After a long while, they slowly released each other. Ryou's expression returned to normal, the hostility on his face seemingly gone.

Jeanne, who had taken such a bold step, blushed deeply and stammered.

"A-anyway, you're our most important Master. Don't push yourself too hard next time, okay?"

With that, she ran away in embarrassment.

He reached out to grab her but was a step too slow. He could only smile bitterly as he watched her disappear around the corner.

"Phew, I've been so out of control these past few days. When did I become so lacking in self-restraint? I need to reflect on this."

Ryou muttered to himself as he walked down another corridor.

Neither Ryou nor Jeanne noticed that in the corner stood a silver-haired figure, her lips tightly pressed together, motionless. It was Syr, who had coincidentally come by.

After the sound of their footsteps completely faded, Syr stepped out with a complex expression on her face.

She thought for a moment, then her eyes showed a determined look as she turned and walked toward the exit.

...

Leaving Ryou aside, Athena and her party had returned to their base from Hades. However, some observant members noticed that they left with four people but returned with five.

The extra figure, clad in a tattered cloak that couldn't hide the small frame underneath, was wearing armor made entirely of bones.

Athena tossed her cloak to a maid and then seated herself on her familiar throne. She glanced at the small figure quietly following her and commanded,

"Alright, Berry, let Shou take you to rest."

The girl named Berry didn't say a word, only nodded slightly.

Seeing Berry's rude behavior, the Zodiac Twelve around Athena frowned. However, Athena didn't pursue the matter at all and directly instructed Shou,

"Shou, take her to rest."

"Yes, Goddess."

Shou quickly bowed and left, casting a cold, warning glance at Berry before departing. Throughout, Berry's face remained emotionless, like a doll.

As Athena watched Berry walk away, disgust appeared on her face.

"Breaking through the limits of the dead, and she's still just a puppet. Well, as long as she follows orders, she'll do as a pawn."

"Goddess, I have something to report."

At that moment, Sagittarius, with a large golden bow on her back and her right shoulder bandaged, knelt before the throne.

"What is it, Asuka?"

Asuka stood up and whispered into Athena's ear.

"Are you sure the information is accurate?"

After hearing Asuka's report, Athena couldn't help but show a surprised expression.

"Yes, I went to the Ishtar Familia's base to verify it, and I also inquired with nearby merchants. This matter has become so influential that even the guild couldn't suppress it. They had to send people to collect the bodies and then seal off the Ishtar Familia."

"Good! That wretched mad dog has indeed overstepped his bounds! I was 70% sure I could convince the gods before, but now he's boosted my confidence to 99%! Immediately invite the gods, I want to convene a divine assembly!"

Asuka, however, looked embarrassed.

"Well... Goddess, the guild has already formally issued an invitation for a divine assembly."

Athena scoffed.

"As expected of Zeus, he acts quickly!"

"Goddess, what should we do?"

Asuka asked.

"Since Zeus is willing to take the lead, let him have the spotlight. My only goal is to turn those gods, corrupted by their luxurious lives, into cannon fodder."

She waved her hand dismissively.

"Goddess, Leo and Cancer have returned!"

At that moment, a guard reported from outside the door.

"Hmm?"

Athena looked puzzled.

They had become Ryou's captives; how could they have returned?