The Scum Emperor's Redemption System

Chapter 94 Eternal Punishment

she had heard worse, much worse. and the truth stung, yes, but she was self-aware. that was the problem, wasn't it? she knew exactly what she was, and what she had done. but knowing was never enough to change.

"shut up," argider muttered, her voice thick with frustration.

"why?" the man's voice was sharp, full of mockery. "do you think, in this timeline, you can get better?"

she didn't know. in truth, she had no idea what her other selves had done. no clue if they were any better, or worse than this one. but she didn't hesitate to answer. "yes."

a collective, almost disappointed breath rippled through the air. they all exchanged glances, some incredulous, others downright amused. then, a single voice broke the tension.

"she can." explore stories on empire

it was alvator. the smug, insufferable voice of reason. he floated lazily around the man, spinning in the air like he had all the time in the world. "i've seen her progress. baby steps, at least..."

the group went silent, turning their attention back to argider. she felt their gazes shift, studying her like some oddity on display.

and that's when it hit them: why? why does she look so different right now?

"how did you become a woman?"

argider shifted awkwardly, eyes darting. she hadn't even asked herself that question.

alvator shrugged, not a care in the world. "don't ask me," he said, his voice indifferent. "i'm just here for the chaos."

argider gave a small, sheepish smile. "i don't know either," she admitted, rubbing the back of her neck. "i just... i gained this redemption system... or something."

"redemption system?" fialova scoffed, her gaze narrowing. the words almost sounded like a joke, but there was no humor in this situation. the physical evidence of everything they had seen, every shift in reality, every collapse of the world, was there. this wasn't some whimsical notion; it was far more terrifying than that.

fialova's eyes turned cold again as she glanced at her companions. "it seems she's treating my other version well in her timeline. she even gave her magic..." the words were laced with reluctance, like the taste of something bitter on her tongue.

"well, if you're serious, then..." islo's voice was cold, detached, like he'd heard this kind of defiance a thousand times before. with a sudden, swift motion, he grabbed argider's wrist.

a thunder of raw, searing energy shot through her body, hot and electric, like fire coursing through her veins.

it was as if her very cells were being rearranged, torn apart, and put back together again. her body tensed involuntarily, but she couldn't move, couldn't even breathe as the power wrapped around her, binding her.

for a moment, everything went black. the world vanished, and in its place, there was nothing but that pulsating, overwhelming energy.

then, like a brand being burned into her skin, a symbol appeared on her hand. it wasn't just a mark, it seared into her, a dark, intricate sigil that seemed to pulse with a life of its own.

"if you do anything against me," islo's voice echoed in her mind, now colder than ever, "you're dead."

she opened her mouth to speak, to argue, but before she could form a sound, the world cracked around her once again. the fabric of reality split apart like brittle glass, and everything she had just witnessed, everything she had just felt, was torn away in an instant.

the next thing she knew, there was nothing but a crushing sense of weightlessness. space, vast, endless space, swallowed her whole. her body spun uncontrollably, as if she were floating in the void, surrounded by the cold, empty abyss.

but then, nothing.

her body slammed against something soft, and she gasped, her breath catching in her throat. the sudden shift from the vastness of space to... bed?

her mind couldn't keep up.

she blinked rapidly, trying to understand what had just happened. one moment, she was being marked, bound by energy, and the next?

she was lying on a bed.

argider rubbed her eyes in disbelief. how had she gotten here? what just happened? she felt the weight of the mark still on her hand, but now it was quiet, dormant. almost too still.

was she still part of some twisted game? or had she just been granted some kind of twisted mercy?