Somewhere within the borders of the empire.
Hunter Leon, a one-horned human, was put in charge of interrogating the dragons. The hunter was part of The Order, wholeheartedly believing in what Alexander was.
Leon was one of the few S-Tier members who never doubted Elina. And as fate would have it, she was right about everything.
Being connected to Alexander was a whole experience on its own. The kind of power he wielded now was far more than he ever thought possible.
All he had to do was follow his master and everything would go alright, and that was exactly what he did.
In the first couple of days the dragons were brought to him, he did nothing. Leon opted to leave them locked up in separate cells to have the reality of their situation sink in--it would make things easier for him.
"It's time." Leon said to his team. "Let's start with their blue dragon. Bring him to the chamber."
"Yes."
Leon followed behind his men several minutes later. Arriving inside the sealed chamber, Leon looked at the dragon with an expressionless face.
The sealed chamber was only a couple of square meters in size, not having much room for anything else. It was a completely white space with nothing besides the hook hanging from the ceiling.
Drakorin was tied up at his wrist and hanged on the hook, dangling a few centimetres above the floor. In the four corners of the chamber were four other S-Tier hunters standing guard--well, not exactly.
The hunters had nothing to fear with their connection to Alexander. They could even feel his presence around them from time to time.
Moreover, the dragons had their strength and transformation ability completely sealed. They didn't have the strength they used to have, and any Class A hunter could give them a run for their money.
"Hello, there…" Leon said with a soft smile, moving to stand before the dragon. "You know how this goes, so we'll go straight to business." His eyes stared directly into the slitted ones of the dragon.
The dragon stared back with equal intensity. His time locked up did nothing to quell the anger and hatred for the hunters, especially their Veilwalker.
"What is your name?" Leon began with a simple question, waiting for the dragon to reply. But Drakorin just glared at the hunter, having no intention of talking.
"You can choose to remain silent…" Leon added, his tone devoid of any warmth. "However…"
A lightning-fast jab at the dragon's cheeks turned his head to the side, instantly drawing a loud groan and blood.
"This happens…" Leon sneered, walking around the dragon. "You may have been powerful before, but this is your new reality."
Drakorin's slitted eyes followed his movements, the rage burning in his eyes almost tangible. His cheeks were already swollen and blood leaked from his lips. A low growl escaped his lips, flashing his fangs, but he wasn't scaring anyone.
Even for a dragon, that blow was more than it could take. Drakroin was weakened like he hadn't been for a very long time.
"I'll ask again…" Leon came face to face with the dragon. "And this time, you won't have those teeth to growl like the animal you are.
"What is your name?" Leon asked a second time. Still, the dragon chose silence.
With no response from the dragon, Leon did what he said he would. A powerful punch to the gut forced the air out of the dragon's mouth.
The hunter took advantage of that opening and swept his jaws with an uppercut, shattering all his teeth and closing Drakorin's mouth shut.
"Mm….!!" Drakorin groaned in agony, the pain unbearable. Blood leaked from the damage, spilling over his chest and down his body to the floor.
"Next question." Leon suddenly said, catching the dragon off guard and out of the pain-induced reverie. "What is the level of your universe?"
Drakorin lowered his bloody face to the hunter, his glare still as powerful as ever. 'What's wrong with this person?' The dragon wondered, a trace of confusion in his eyes.
"Y-yo-you punch like a girl." Drakorin managed to utter with a chuckle, despite his missing essentials. "And if you seriously think you'll get anything out of me or from my companions, then you're sadly mistaken."
"Mm." Leon nodded, not taking any offence. "What level is your universe?"
'What the hell…?' Drakorin was confused again. Unlike Leon and the hunters in this universe, he and his companions were connected to one of the many Veilwalkers under the Supreme One.
'I don't remember even giving a hint of my name. And Zephyroth and Oryndrax wouldn't say a wor--'
"Mm…!!" Another groan escaped his lips when Leon sent another slap across his face, drawing more blood from the dragon.
"What level is your universe?" The question came again, but Drakorin was in no condition to hear him.
The slap echoed in a high-pitched tone in his ears, and the pain from the beatings wreaked his senses.
'These morons will regret doing this…' Drakorin thought vengefully, slowly raising his head to meet Leon's eyes. 'Just you wait… once your core is refined, you'll have nowhere to go. Going against a high-level universe with your puny strength is the greatest mistake you've ever made!'
Leon grinned slightly, once again confusing the dragon.
"Next question…" Leon continued, ignoring the dragon's questioning gaze. "What do you wish to do with this universe?"
"..."
Drakorin was now helpless. He expected the beatings to go on as the hunter pointlessly asked questions he would never get answers to. But whatever Leon was doing went against everything he knew about interrogation.
"W-what are you do-doing?" Drakorin was now curious, however, he couldn't help but shake his head as if he realized something. "If this is some kind of ploy, I'll say the same thing as before.
"You're wasting your time."
Leon said nothing at those words. Instead, he delivered another set of quick jabs at various points on the dragon, creating tiny shockwaves that shook the dragon's insides, dealing massive damage.
Drakorin was now a mess of broken bones, bloody from head to toe. But the dragon refused to say anything useful, keeping to his thoughts. He was in great pain, but it wasn't his first rodeo.
"What do you wish to do with this universe?"
'Claim it for the Supreme One, that's what!' Drakorin cried out in his head. 'Fucking hell… When will they be coming?!'
"This is enough for today." Leon said, but the dragon was already out of it. "Take him away and bring the black one."
Leon watched as Drakorin was carried away. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
'Good work, Leon.' A familiar voice echoed in his head. 'Interrogate the new ones as well. Their thoughts should be easier to guide in the right direction.'
'Yes, My Lord.'