CHAPTER 336: CHAPTER-336.

Kaya stared at him silently. Her expression didn’t change—not a flicker of emotion, not a twitch of sympathy. Then, slowly, she turned away.

The mongoose’s eyes followed her warily as she walked toward the small wooden table. The faint light of the room caught the glassy sheen of grapes in a bowl and the smooth curve of a ceramic jug beside them. She reached out, her fingers brushing the jug’s cool surface.

No words. No warning.

Kaya turned, stepped back toward him, and—

BAM!

The jug shattered against his skull, fragments scattering like tiny sparks. Blood spilled instantly, trickling down his forehead in thin, dark lines.

The mongoose cried out, his body jerking back. "Agh—! Why the hell did you hit me?" he snarled, his voice trembling between rage and fear. "Didn’t I tell you everything you wanted to know?"

Kaya looked at him. Cold. Detached. As if she were examining a dead insect pinned under glass. Then, without a word, she raised her leg and kicked him square in the chest.

The impact was brutal. His body hit the floor with a heavy thud, air leaving his lungs in a gasp. She pressed her boot down on his chest, grinding it just enough to make him cough blood.

Her voice was low, but every syllable carried weight. "You think I wouldn’t know when someone’s lying?"

She leaned closer, her eyes narrowing. "I’ve dealt with your kind for years. I don’t need beast ears or magic. I can hear your heartbeat just fine—right through your lies."

The mongoose froze. The arrogance in his face faltered.

Kaya tilted her head, studying him with quiet curiosity. "Now..." she said softly, "what name did you just say?"

He hesitated, breath shaking.

Kaya’s boot pressed harder.

"Hmm? What was that? Cyrex?" she repeated, her tone like the edge of a blade. "syrex what? Repeat it."

Hearing that, the mongoose trembled, blood dripping from his lips. "I—I’m telling the truth," he rasped, coughing hard.

Kaya tilted her head, her expression unreadable for a moment—then she smiled. A bright, almost sweet smile.

"Oh... really?"

That single word sent a chill through the room. Even Veer, standing behind her, felt something cold crawl down his spine. He had never seen Kaya like this before, not fully. But that smile—those eyes—

They were the same as the day she killed his brother. Calm. Precise. Detached. A smile that didn’t reach her eyes but froze the air instead.

And he didn’t want to know what her anger could do.

Without another word, Kaya grabbed the mongoose by his collar and yanked him up. He tried to resist, but she was faster, stronger. She pulled him toward the table—

BAM!

The sound was sickening. His skull met the table edge with brutal force. The table cracked, splinters jumping in the air as blood smeared across the surface.

Kaya didn’t even blink. She looked at his shaking form, his face half-smeared in red, and said softly, "Ah, right. You said you don’t know anything... huh?"

The mongoose’s breath came in ragged bursts, eyes glassy, but she wasn’t done.

"Oh, you don’t remember?" Her tone was almost playful.

She reached behind her belt, pulling out a knife—a small, clean blade that gleamed faintly in the light. It had been a while since she’d touched it.

Then, with no hesitation, she drove it straight into his shoulder.

THUD.

His scream tore through the room. His body jerked, his blood staining the floor as he tried to twist away.

Kaya didn’t move. She didn’t flinch. She just stood there, watching him, eyes void of empathy—like she wasn’t even looking at a living being.

"You’re shaking," she said quietly. "Good. That means you can still feel."

Her hand twisted the knife slightly. The mongoose gasped in agony, his eyes wide with fear now—not rage. Fear.

And in that silence, Kaya’s voice dropped to a chilling whisper.

"Now, let’s try this again. Who. Sent. You?"

The mongoose trembled violently, every breath ragged, but he didn’t say a word. His teeth sank into his lower lip so hard that blood started to drip down his chin.

Kaya watched him quietly. Then, a faint smile tugged at her lips. She was... impressed.

That kind of silence didn’t come from courage—it came from fear. And this wasn’t just fear of pain or death. This was the kind of fear that crawled under your skin—the kind that came from knowing that the person who sent you could do worse than kill you.

Whoever had sent him... was powerful. Ruthless. Someone who made even Kaya’s prisoners tremble at the thought of betrayal.

And that, she decided, was a problem.

Something dark flickered in Kaya’s eyes—not quite anger, not quite curiosity, but something deeper. A strange, cold amusement that burned with quiet intensity. The kind of look she usually reserved for her favorite, most dangerous hobbies.

Everyone who knew Kaya feared one thing about her more than her weapons, more than her strength—

Her determination.

Once Kaya wanted an answer, she would get it. No matter how deep she had to dig. No matter what she had to break.

It was said among soldiers: If no one can make a man talk, send him to Commander Kaya.

And it wasn’t a joke. She’d made legends confess—men who had slit throats without blinking, monsters who had laughed under torture. They all broke under her calm.

And now, this trembling fool of a mongoose... had caught her interest.

Kaya crouched down to his level, her voice low, almost tender. "Very nice... very, very nice," she whispered.

Then her eyes shifted, scanning the room. Her gaze stopped on a broken piece of wood lying near the cracked table. Its jagged edge glinted faintly in the dim light.

She reached out and picked it up, weighing it in her hand, flipping it lightly once or twice. Then, with a small sigh, she gripped it tight—

—and drove it straight into his other shoulder.

A-H-H-H-H-H-H!

The mongoose’s scream tore through the room like a blade, raw and sharp. It echoed off the walls, making even Veer flinch. The sound was so piercing it made the air tremble.