Chapter 30: Torture is also Diplomacy
The moment the female ghost in blood stained red pajamas heard the word "bathtub," her pupils shrank. Even her shoulders trembled.
"As expected."
Asagiri caught the change immediately. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"Then this will be easy."
Before the words had fully settled, he grabbed the red clothed ghost by her wet black hair, dragged her out of the stairwell, and shoved open the door into the hotel corridor.
Asuna glanced up at the number plate above the stairwell entrance.
Seventh floor.
She followed at once.
Bang!!!
Asagiri didn't waste a second. He located the nearest room, kicked the door open, and hauled the struggling ghost inside like luggage with an attitude problem.
"Violet, go to the bathroom and fill the bathtub with water."
The ghost was pinned to the carpet by Human Asura, thrashing nonstop. But with her own severed arm still stuffed in her mouth, all she could produce were muffled, nearly inaudible whimpers.
Asuna didn't hesitate. She nodded once, went straight into the bathroom, and turned on the faucet.
Water roared into the tub. The level rose steadily.
While waiting, she didn't stand idle. She scanned the bathroom carefully, refusing to miss even the smallest detail that might matter later.
Just as she'd suspected, this really was a high end hotel. Not only the suite where Players first appeared, but even this ordinary double room had a spacious bathroom with clear wet dry separation. The bathtub, shower, and toilet were all partitioned into separate sections, divided by opaque frosted glass.
Asuna tested the faucet handle.
Only cold water poured out.
"Is the hot water system down…?"
As a young lady from a wealthy family, she knew hotels like this did not use small household heaters. They relied on large gas boilers, then distributed hot water through pipes and floor tanks.
She filed that away.
They'd been in the Dungeon for around forty minutes. If not for the red clothed ghost currently being "captured" by Asagiri, the place would look like a normal operating hotel. The corridor lights were on, meaning power hadn't been cut. There were no bloodstains on the carpet or walls. Honestly, the horror atmosphere was far weaker than Kyozan Mental Hospital.
So far, the only clear abnormality was this: a hotel that looked perfectly functional, but had no hot water.
"Is it ready?"
Asagiri's voice came from behind.
Asuna turned. He stood at the bathroom entrance, still gripping the ghost's hair in one hand, his expression calm. Her own expression was… complicated.
"Yes. Almost."
"Good." His tone stayed even. "Then let's begin."
He dragged the ghost closer and then glanced at Asuna with a smile.
"Do you want to watch, or wait outside?"
"You're underestimating me."
Asuna crossed her arms and frowned.
"It's just dunking it in water and torturing it. It's not human. Don't worry. I'm not going to feel pity for it."
"With that, I'm reassured."
Asagiri walked to the tub. Without warning, he yanked the ghost's hair and slammed her head against the edge of the bathtub.
The impact echoed in the small room.
He crouched down, stared straight into her eyes, and saw it clearly. The moment she caught sight of the water's surface, fear flooded her gaze. She seemed like she wanted to say something.
Asagiri shook his head.
"Forget it. It's come to this, and I'm too lazy to keep negotiating."
His voice was quiet, almost bored.
"I'm too lazy to talk, and you're not worth listening to. After you suffer a little, you'll understand."
He tilted his head slightly, eyes cold.
"And if you don't understand, I don't care. This is a perfect chance to test whether water can drown a Banshee, and if it can, exactly how long it takes."
Asagiri stood.
Human Asura stepped into the bathroom behind him, a towering black silhouette that made the air feel heavy.
Then, under Asuna's stunned gaze, Human Asura tore off the ghost's remaining arm and both legs as if ripping apart a rag doll.
Asuna's stomach turned. Her instincts screamed at her to look away.
But she didn't speak.
It was brutal, yet undeniably secure. The more intact the Banshee was, the more chances she had to fight back.
Asagiri dismissed Human Asura. Then, still holding the ghost by her hair, he lowered her body into the tub, inch by inch.
"Mmmph! Mmmph!!!"
The moment her torso touched the water, the ghost convulsed violently. She tried to scream, but the arm still jammed in her mouth reduced it to muffled, broken whimpers.
"No pain," Asagiri said mildly. "It'll be over soon."
Then he smiled.
"Of course, even if you are in pain, I don't care. The more pain you're in, the more fun it is for me. So keep it up."
"Mmmph! Mmmph!!!"
Asagiri lifted his hand, about to force her head under.
His phone vibrated.
He paused.
With one hand, he held the limbless ghost steady. With the other, he reached into his pocket, took out his phone, and opened the app with the eye icon.
[Diplomat passive skill activated, Diplomacy method type: Intimidation of Fear]
[Diplomacy effect: Outstanding]
Asagiri's smile widened.
"The app saved you."
He lifted the ghost out of the tub and tossed her onto the floor. Then he reached down, pulled the severed arm from her mouth, and looked down at her with a gentleness that felt far more terrifying than cruelty.
"Since that's the case, I'll give you one chance."
His voice was calm.
"Can you talk?"
The ghost's body shook. She tried to curl away, but without limbs she couldn't even manage that.
She could only tremble like a leaf beneath his shadow.
A few seconds passed.
Then the bloodstains on her red pajamas began to fade, draining away until the fabric turned into a dull yellow white.
Her throat rasped, and a hoarse voice finally clawed its way out.
"Yes… I can talk…"
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