Beyond the Apocalypse
Chapter 193: Azarin Empire’s Goddess

Chapter 193: Azarin Empire’s Goddess

Jormungandr’s eyes widened as he heard the description. Even if size did not necessarily mean more power, it was still a very good measure, and to make golden light flood the sky, she had to be capable of extraordinary spellcasting power.

On the other hand, Vlad frowned as he heard those words and saw how the man described her. "I feel there is something wrong with his description."

"Do you think he is lying, Boss? My Mind Flicker spell should still be in action, compelling him to speak honestly, and the A.I. Chip detected no sign of lying," Jormungandr spoke with confusion as he stared at Vlad.

"No, it is not that." Vlad immediately shook his head, knowing the man was clearly in no condition to lie, but he still felt something wrong about that description. "I have a suspicion of what it could be, but I will make certain once I interrogate the others."

Vlad remained silent after that, as he had no more questions for the man. That was good since James fell unconscious less than a minute after the last answer.

Vlad showed little concern for James and threw him into the corner. The man was still of use, as his soul would be an excellent coin to use with the Legendary Devil of Hell.

"Bring a new one." Vlad’s voice echoed, and movement came from outside the interrogation room before the guards arrived with another man from the Azarin Empire.

The guards put the man on the chair and silently left. Vlad did not immediately start the interrogation as he waited for Jormungandr to recover. Many of the questions would involve the Church of Glory, and he needed the small yellow cat’s ability to overcome the brainwashing and compulsion within the man.

After nearly fifteen minutes, Jormungandr nodded, his eyes glowing with power as he shouted, "Answer our questions with honesty!"

The man, who seemed on the verge of a catatonic state, regained focus as those words reached his brain. He looked at the duo in silence, waiting.

"Name and position in the Azarin Empire." Like before, Vlad immediately asked the man to detail his name and position, as a higher rank would mean higher intelligence.

"My name is Ricardo Karon, and I am vice-captain of the third regiment of the Azarin Empire," Ricardo answered immediately, clearly under complete control of Jormungandr’s spell.

Vlad was a little disappointed with that answer, as a vice-captain was bound to have much less knowledge, but he still carried on with the questions, trying to learn anything the man could give him about the Azarin Empire.

"Have you ever seen the Goddess Lucia?" It was finally time to reach the question regarding the Goddess, and Vlad saw the man’s tremble and panic rise to the point that suicidal tendencies emerged.

Jormungandr acted quickly, using Nightmare Weaver to break the man’s compulsion. The small yellow cat was more careful this time, so the psychological damage only broke the brainwashing without inducing a state where the brain would shut down the body.

Ricardo’s face was full of hopelessness and tears as he answered, "I have never seen the Goddess, and now I will never see her."

Vlad frowned and sighed, realizing that while all people would constantly hear the voice of the Goddess, very few had the right to be in her presence. He then carried on with more questions, picking the man’s brain about the Church of Goddess Lucia but learning nothing new.

After knocking Ricardo unconscious and placing him alongside Captain James, Vlad ordered the arrival of a new prisoner. The next one to appear was a man with a skinny body, and the energy that flooded his energy pool was Magic.

Once Jormungandr’s energy and stamina returned to their peak, Vlad continued the interrogation. The new prisoner was named Kiron, and fortunately, he was also a captain of the Azarin Empire, so the knowledge the man could grant was very useful.

After the first barrage of questions about the Azarin Empire and its military, Vlad finally reached the critical part. "Have you ever seen the Goddess Lucia?"

Jormungandr’s Nightmare Weaver had already broken Kiron’s mental defenses, so he spoke with utter sadness. "She was the most beautiful existence. She was so little, yet her massive flaming wings could cover the heavens. The sun would hide in her presence."

Jormungandr could not help but frown as he heard those words. The depiction of Goddess Lucia was incredibly majestic, yet it was nowhere near the description Captain James gave them. He suspected deception, but the A.I. Chip made it clear neither showed signs of falsehood.

"Is one of them lying?" The small yellow cat could not help but turn toward Vlad, hoping for an answer.

"None is lying. I guess that when these people saw Goddess Lucia, what they were actually seeing was an illusion. That person is powerful, and there is no doubt she can amass Divine Force through prayers, but her power is not as crazy as they make it seem." Vlad confirmed the suspicion he had when he heard the first description, but he was still full of questions about this Goddess.

After obtaining all he could from the Mage, Vlad knocked out the man and put him with the rest before summoning the next prisoner. Things went on like that for more than fifteen hours until they interrogated every single one of the thirty-two prisoners.

Vlad and Jormungandr looked at each other after completing the interrogation and ordered the information in their minds.

"The Azarin Empire is massive and rapidly growing through the use of faith and Divine Power. There are three important figures: the Pope of the Church of Glory, a man capable of harnessing Divine Power in his energy pool, Jerome; the Emperor of the Azarin Empire, Dimitry, who can channel Divine Power into weapons and armor; and most importantly, the Goddess of the Church of Glory, Lucia, whose influence spreads across the entire empire and is the core of the xenophobia that rises among its people," Vlad spoke in a solemn voice, making sure to organize the names of the three most dangerous individuals.