Cordelia hissed, “Sooner or later, I will make you pay!”

Eric delivered two more merciless slaps.

Cordelia was sent flying and crashed hard against the wall before rolling to the ground. As she struggled to push herself up, her eyes burned with hatred.

Andrew shrugged. “He doesn’t care for women. So when he hits them, he never holds back. You’d better just give us what we want.”

Cordelia spat blood and snarled. “I would rather die than reveal anything. If you have the guts, then kill me!”

Andrew smirked. “Eric, looks like it’s time for you to use your trump card.”

Eric grabbed Cordelia by the hair and said coldly, “You’re as stubborn as a mule. Fool, your willpower and tough talk are useless against me.”

With that, he activated his Phantom Mirage, and energy ripples appeared.

Cordelia struggled for a moment, but her eyes soon lost their defiance, and her head drooped in submission.

Eric sneered and asked, “Where are you from?”

Cordelia obediently answered, “Auqania, the Crimson Flame Cult headquarters.”

Eric pressed further. “The brute in the Majestic Hotel, who was he?”

Cordelia answered, “He was a convict sent by the High Oracle, Mr. Dorian Haynes.”

Eric muttered, “Dorian Haynes… so that’s his name, a convict of the Crimson Flame Cult. One last question: Where did you take Shiloh?”

Cordelia opened her mouth to answer, but she suddenly let out a scream. Her face contorted as if in tremendous pain.

Eric snorted coldly. “Answer me. Where is Shiloh?”

He intensified his Phantom Mirage, making Cordelia’s head feel like it was about to explode.

Cordelia opened her mouth, blood streaming from her nose and eyes. Yet, all she could do was mumble nonsense. Even so, it took everything she had to force out those few words. Beyond that, she could say nothing, as if some mysterious power stopped her from speaking further.

Andrew realized something was wrong and told Eric to stop.

Eric scoffed. “She’s just a lowly woman. If she dies, who cares?”

Andrew frowned. “Stop. We still don’t know where Shiloh is. We worked hard to capture her, and if you kill her now, everything will be wasted.”

Eric finally withdrew his Phantom Mirage and let her go. “Fine. Then you ask her yourself.”

Andrew tore open the back of Cordelia’s dress, revealing a crimson tattoo between her shoulder blades. It was a small red serpent coiled in a circular mark, clearly a symbol of the Crimson Flame Cult.

At that moment, the serpent tattoo glowed with scorching heat, as if it might ignite.

When Andrew touched it, his fingertips burned and smoked, but his face showed no pain. He pressed his palm against her back and forced a stream of energy into her body.

Cordelia’s agonized expression eased slightly.

Andrew withdrew his charred hand and muttered, “This seems to be a vicious method of control. That red serpent is a kind of seal. Anyone marked with it will die the moment they reveal secrets their master wants hidden.”

Eric’s eyes widened. “What an incredible technique! Let me study it.”

He stared at the seal for a long time but could make nothing of it.

Andrew glanced at the unconscious Cordelia. “Let’s rest for two hours. When she wakes, we’ll question her again.”