Sam is currently standing on a tree as he watched through the telescope. There is a faint smile on his face as he looked at the Grey-winged man hitting the concealed formation.

Actually, after the shadow was gone and the pigeon was sent, he already moved the whole set up backward.

As for the prisoners, Sam thought of something. He doesn't have any goals on this planet. He doesn't want to develop here or gain influence here. The ruling creatures of this planet are not exactly on friendly terms with him and it would be impossible to develop those friendly terms and these guys already knew most of the details about the players and the game they are playing.

So, he doesn't have to hide some of the cards he has in his hand.

After this thought came, he took the most highly powerful sedative and gave it to the prisoners. He then threw them into the chessboard as a temporary prison. Even if the sedative wore off, the most they can do is feel trapped in an unknown thing.

In fact, there is a high probability that they would even think that it was a side effect of the medicine.

Even they if they managed to figure out that it is a weird place that could be accessed by Sam remotely and after Sam released them, they went to their superiors and said that, it wouldn't matter much.

Even though these feathered have some connections with higher realms, it is only with Goddess Nike and after they left this place, they are directly sent to the Zeus army. And Zeus himself would have already known the possessions Sam has in his hands.

Anyway, now he shifted the camp and held the prisoners in the chessboard.

And the first day went on like this.

But he has fulfilled the promise he made to them.

So, by the time the grey-winged man returned to the city, he and his team saw something horrible.

Two large wooden crosses were nailed into the ground on their way back to the entrance of the city within the forest and on the two crosses, two feathered were killed and nailed down. There is a small paper note placed on one of them.

The grey-winged man went there and took a look at the paper note with shivering hands.

"One as promised and the other a bonus for destroying my previous hideout. Wait for another one tomorrow. Only one if you don't give me any extra surprises."

The team quickly took the bodies down and destroyed the cross. They carried the dead bodies back to the city and brought them near the temple, where the black-winged man is standing.

He read the note was becoming angry. Only his expression is showing that anger, he is not screaming or yelling. But when he remembered what is there at stake and what he was ordered, he couldn't help but force himself to calm down.

He walked into the temple.

In the temple, Arkiv and Grace are still inside the pool.

They became a lot more comfortable with time and often had some conversations.

"How long should I be here?"

Arkiv asked with a boring expression.

"Two more days in the pool. Eleven and half more months in the city."

"Trust me, I am not staying that long. In fact, there is a possibility that I might get out of this place by next week."

"Really? Do you think it would be that easy?"

"You won't understand. That guy outside doesn't have enough patience for things like this."

*snort*

"Stop hyping him so much. He is just a Pre-transcendent stage like me."

As she said, both of them saw the Black-winged elder coming.

He walked towards Arkiv and held him by the throat and pulled him out.

Arkiv is currently hanging by his throat like a rag doll without any clothes on, but there is a smile on his face.

"It seems like he managed to piss you off. Why don't you send me? Half of your problems will be gone."

"Do you think I am an idiot, kid? If I leave you, both of you will become one and became a massive pain in my ass. You are not going anywhere. But every time he kills someone from our side, then I will put you through the torture and throw you back into the pool.

You will heal, I will torture you again and throw you back into the pool.

I will do that until your spirit is broken if I have to. The orders are just not to kill you. Not to stay our hand completely."

"Seems like you have finally lost it. Do what you want. At the end of the day, I am walking out of this temple and the city alive, but by the time I walked out of them, if you would remain intact or not, is a whole another matter."

"Let us see who will break first. You and your friend or me and my citizens."

"Let us see."

"What the goddess said is right. You guys are cocky sons of bitches. How dare you not know your own worth? Just because you are chosen for some game?"

"I don't have to explain that, you will understand it as the time passed. Now if you don't mind, put me down for a second. I don't want to stay naked in front of a lady like that."

The black-winged man released the hand on the neck.

Arkiv landed on the floor and wore a new set of clothes as he stretched a bit.

"It seems like you are already healed, why didn't you say so earlier?" Grace asked from the pool.

"Say it and miss a chance to stay in the pool with a naked beauty? Am I a fool?"

Suddenly he felt some pressure. It came from the elder.

"Why so serious? Is she your daughter?" He looked at both their faces, one after another, and was surprised.

"Oh shit, she is indeed your daughter, isn't she? Damn, your wife must be much more beautiful."

The pressure intensified.

The man dragged Arkiv by his arm and started dragging him out. Arkiv looked at Grace as he left and winked at her with a smirk.

On the lower floor of the temple, the black-winged elder dragged Arkiv into an inner.

There is a woman who has brown wings sitting inside that room. Her wings are open, but she sat cross-legged on a small stone platform.

"Priestess."

The man greeted her politely.

"King Silva."

She greeted him back.

"You should know who this guy is, deal with him. We are trying to catch his friend for now. We want you to record what you can do to him."

"Record? You seem to have seen something disturbing."

"His friend is crucifying the feathered outside the city. He has another thirty hostages."

"A daring guy, isn't he?"

"I would like to see how daring he is after I am done with him. Please throw this guy into the pool after you are done with him."

With that King, Silva left the room.

The priestess looked at Arkiv who is also sizing her up and said.

"You can only blame your bad luck for being on the bad side of our goddess."

"Trust me, I am on the bad side of people your goddess couldn't touch. Actually, your goddess is the least of my concerns now."

The priestess raised an eyebrow and said.

"So, it is indeed true that you guys are some playthings for gods. How lucky do you have to be?"

"Trust me, we don't feel lucky."

"How could your puny minds fathom the blessing you have received. Being able to meet and interact with the gods of that calib.."

"Is your plan preaching me to death? If it is yes, it might actually work."

"Seems like you are actually excited for this. Let us go."

She took to him to the rear of the temple. There is a large stone platform under the open sky. There is a bunch of feathered on the edge of this platform surrounding it on the whole.

The platform is so big, they have to yell at each other to speak.

The lady flew into the air and threw Arkiv into the middle of the platform.

Arkiv maneuvered himself in mid-air and was about to land, but suddenly the gravity increased and he slammed himself into the ground.

"For you, the gravity on this platform is ten times that of normal. If you get used to it, it will increase. If you get used to it then too, it will increase again. It will keep on going until your spirit is broken."

Arkiv slammed his fists on the ground and tried to get up.

At this moment, a fireball hit him squarely on his back and he fell back on the ground again.

He looked at the bald feathered who threw it and cursed under his breath. He tried to stand up again and this time another attack came.

The process repeated for hours, Arkiv's body was ravaged badly, at least this time, the wounds are external. But he is still trying to stand up and failed.