"Go on, keep cursing."
Bahr's voice echoed through the empty stone chamber, laced with deliberately subdued mockery.
Water droplets seeped from the stone walls, sliding down cracks to form puddles that reflected the flickering torchlight. With a flick of his wrist, his long whip cracked sharply against the adjacent rock wall, sending a shower of fine stone dust cascading down.
"You were so mighty before, weren't you?"
Crack!
The sound of the lash rebounded off the stone walls, rippling through the chamber in layers. Sadi's body trembled violently, old wounds on her back throbbing with dull pain as her chest heaved and her breath came in ragged gasps that threatened to burst.
She bit down hard on her lower lip, tasting blood—her only means of preserving dignity now—and dug her nails deep into her palms, using the pain to force herself to stay conscious.
She should hate him. Hate this prisoner for challenging her authority. Hate him for reducing her to such a wretched state in this dank stone cell.
Yet seeing his steady posture as he wielded the whip, that immovable aura of oppression inexplicably made her weak, her fingertips trembling uncontrollably.
"You... if you've got the guts, aim at me..." Her voice came out fractured by fear, the trembling tail end betraying cowardice even to her own ears.
Regret flooded her the moment the words left her mouth. This wasn't like the Warden Chief she usually was.
Bahr's lashes grew heavier against the surrounding stone walls, venting all the humiliation he'd endured in Impel Down.
The crisp sound of leather striking stone reverberated endlessly, initially mingled with Sadi's blustering curses, until only stifled moans of pain remained.
Scattered liquor bottles rolled at their feet, occasionally clinking as they shattered, adding chaotic punctuation to the standoff. The torch in the corner flickered, stretching their shadows across the walls in grotesque silhouettes like some absurd shadow play.
Gradually, Bahr's movements slowed, his brow furrowing slightly.
He suddenly stopped, the long whip drooping to the ground with a quiver, dust settling into the puddles and sending up murky ripples.
This woman's state was... strange.
With the whipping ceased, a confusing mix of pain and disarray surged through Sadi, heating her entire body. Sweat dripped into her eyes, stinging so badly she couldn't open them, leaving tears and sweat to roll freely down her face, gathering at her chin before dripping onto her collar.
"You..." Her consciousness felt shrouded in thick fog. She opened her mouth, her voice raspy as if scraped by sandpaper, but swallowed whatever she'd meant to say.
She bit down hard on her tongue, using the pain to clear her head.
Sadi squeezed her eyes shut, her cheeks burning crimson. On one side was the pride of a Warden Chief; on the other, uncontrollable instinct. This internal war tormented her more than any physical pain. Never had she loathed losing composure like this.
Finally, her eyes snapped open, a flash of madness in their depths as she cried out, her voice sharp and loud: "If you've got the nerve, don't stop!"
The shout pierced the air, laced with sobs yet brimming with defiance, eerily reminiscent of her usual tone when interrogating prisoners—only now the target was herself, making it bitterly ironic. Even the water droplets on the walls seemed to tremble from the force of it.
Bahr stared at her tense form, inexplicable fury shooting straight to his temples. He hurled the whip to the ground with a thwack, kicking up dust that mixed with spilled liquor to splatter mud stains everywhere: "You're seriously pissing me off."
He'd wanted to return the humiliation tenfold, to make her taste fear—not witness this bizarre reaction! What the hell was this?
Bahr's gaze swept over the figure on the ground. Sadi's uniform was torn and tattered, hanging loosely from her body.
The marks from their earlier conflict flickered in the torchlight, revealing her disheveled state. Her shoulders trembled as she struggled to suppress something, but she couldn't hide the desolation in her eyes.
There was a strange stubbornness in her wretched appearance—like a flower battered by wind and rain, its leaves torn but its stem still standing tall. It was inexplicably irritating.
Bahr's frown deepened, his irritation mingled with something else, like a pebble stuck in his shoe. He kicked aside a shard of glass, the sharp scraping sound thickening the air.
He stepped forward, his hand moving toward the weapon belt at his waist. The metal buckle clicked under his grip. "Seems I need to open your eyes properly."
With a flick of his finger, the buckle snapped open. The black strap whistled as it was drawn out, sweeping over the scattered gravel and sending a chilling shiver down the spine.
Sadi flinched at the sight of the cold, gleaming strap, instinctively hunching her shoulders and pulling her neck back.
Time passed—how long, no one could say—before the stone chamber fell silent again. The torchlight dimmed, the crackling of burning oil the only sound left. The shadows settled like actors after a curtain call.
Bahr leisurely buttoned up his coat, then pulled out a cigarette case from his pocket. The lighter flared with an orange spark, smoke curling up to obscure the emotions in his eyes and dilute the tension in the air.
He glanced down at Sadi, curled up on the ground, none of her earlier arrogance left.
Her torn uniform clung to her, stained with sweat and dirt, like a discarded ragdoll. Strands of hair stuck to her damp cheeks, tear tracks glistening at the corners of her mouth. Her unfocused gaze was fixed on the ceiling, and faint whimpers occasionally escaped her throat.
Bahr took a deep drag, exhaling his frustration with the smoke. A sense of relief washed over him—most of the pent-up resentment from the past few days had finally been vented, like a clogged river finally cleared.
The cigarette burned down to his fingers. He crushed it out carelessly, the sound of his shoe grinding against the stub unnervingly crisp. He bent down to look at Sadi's pale face, his voice icy. "Weren't you the one who said you'd discipline me? Now it's you who needs to understand your place."
The words pierced her consciousness like a needle. Sadi shuddered violently, her scattered gaze sharpening with humiliation, fury, and confusion.
She opened her mouth, wanting to curse him—"Bastard!"—but only a broken whisper escaped, dissolving into the damp air as a weak sob.
Bahr straightened, looking down at her crumpled form. A cold smirk curled his lips—not one of triumph, but of mockery for this absurd farce.
He never repaid kindness with cruelty, but this woman had whipped him, humiliated him with her words. He remembered every detail. For enemies who provoked him first, he had to strike hard—anything less would be an insult to the suffering he'd endured.
His gaze lingered on her. Even in her disheveled state, torn and curled on the ground, that stubbornness remained—like a weed trampled into the mud but refusing to bow its head.
Bahr glanced at her dazed form, the corner of his mouth lifting in a sharp, mocking curve. His smile held an edge. That was just the interest. There'll be plenty more chances to collect.
This "reckoning" had only just begun.
He dusted off his coat and turned toward the depths of the stone chamber. The torchlight stretched his shadow long behind him, leaving the wretched scene in his wake.
Time to leave this damned Impel Down. This prison that caged countless sins couldn't hold him—just like it couldn't hold back the coming dawn.
--Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LegendaryTL
Thanks!