Selena looked at Logan with unconcealed disgust.

Several minutes had already passed since the other controlled cultivators had been cleansed and sent away. At Selena’s orders, all of the nobles, ministers, guards, and cultivators who had recovered from the strange corruption were instructed to gather in the throne hall and wait for her arrival.

Only a handful of people remained inside the damaged study.

The room itself still bore the scars of the earlier battle. Cracks stretched across the marble floor, shattered furniture had been pushed aside, and sunlight streamed through the destroyed portions of the ceiling. Despite the destruction, William appeared completely unbothered by the state of the room.

He sat comfortably in a chair near one corner of the study, observing the situation with a calm expression while Logan remained suspended helplessly in the air.

During the past few minutes, Selena had repeatedly attempted to question him.

Unfortunately, every attempt had led nowhere.

"Logan."

Her voice was firm but controlled. "Think carefully about what you are doing."

She looked directly into his eyes. "You have a family. You have a son. Everything connected to you is at stake right now."

For a brief moment, it almost sounded as though she genuinely hoped he would come to his senses.

Unfortunately, Logan merely laughed. The sound that came from his mouth was unpleasant and filled with bitterness.

"Hah." His lips twisted into a crazed smile. "I am not going to fall for that, Selena."

His eyes narrowed. "I have known you for thousands of years."

There was resentment in his voice.

"You are not the type of ruler who simply forgives people. Even if I told you everything you wanted to know, I know exactly what would happen afterward."

His smile widened. "You would still behead my entire family."

Selena listened quietly. To Logan’s surprise, her expression softened slightly.

There was genuine sadness in her eyes.

"Logan."

She shook her head slowly.

"Seeing your family simply getting beheaded is still better than seeing their skins flayed alive and organs getting extracted one by one, trust me, Logan. Don’t force my hand."

Her voice remained calm.

"So please trust me when I say this."

A dangerous glint appeared in her eyes.

"Do not force my hand."

Logan laughed again. This time his laughter sounded almost unhinged.

"You think I am afraid of your threats?"

His voice rose.

"I know your true nature, Selena." The hatred in his gaze became increasingly obvious. "You are one of the cruelest rulers alive. The only person worse than you is the vampire queen. Your hands are stained with the blood of countless innocents."

Selena simply crossed her arms. A long sigh escaped her lips. For a moment, she looked more tired than angry.

"They were all like you, Logan."

Her expression gradually hardened.

"I gave every one of them a chance. I offered painless redemption."

The sadness disappeared from her face.

"Yet they refused." Her voice became colder.

"Every single one of them made the same choice you are making right now." She paused briefly.

"They never listened to me."

Then she shook her head. "Just like you."

Logan remained silent; his eyes continued to burn with hostility.

Meanwhile, William watched the exchange from his chair. After several more moments of pointless back-and-forth, he finally raised a hand.

"Miss Selena."

Selena turned toward him.

William smiled politely. "Would you like some assistance?"

He stretched lazily in his seat.

"I do have other things to take care of today, so I would rather not spend the entire afternoon listening to him refuse to answer questions."

Selena pinched the bridge of her nose. To be honest, she was reaching the end of her patience as well. Without saying much, she rested one hand on her waist and used the other to support herself against a nearby table.

Then she gestured toward Logan. The meaning was obvious.

Do whatever you want. William nodded.

He stood up from his chair and slowly walked toward the suspended Prime Minister. Logan stared at him.

Then, to both of their surprise, he suddenly burst into deranged laughter. The old elf attempted to spit toward William. The saliva never reached its target. It evaporated halfway through the air.

"Arghhhh!" Logan laughed loudly in a deranged manner.

"William Kaiser!"

His expression was filled with madness.

"You are finished; they are coming for you soon!"

His voice echoed through the damaged study.

"Hahahahaha!" William stopped directly in front of him.

His expression slowly became disgusted.

"Shut up." The smile disappeared from his face.

Then he tilted his head slightly. "Who gave you permission to speak?"

The atmosphere immediately changed. A terrifying pressure descended upon Logan.

William released a portion of his spiritual energy.

The effect was immediate. Logan’s mouth was suddenly forced open against his will.

His tongue extended outward involuntarily. The next moment, his jaws snapped shut.

Not enough to sever his tongue. Not enough to permanently injure him but to cause excruciating pain.

Logan’s entire body trembled. Even though he remained trapped within the Space Lock and could not move freely, the agony was visible across his face.

His eyes widened. Tears immediately formed in his eyes. Muffled sounds escaped his throat as pain surged through his body. William did not even bother looking impressed.

He simply watched the reaction for several moments. Then he raised his hand. A faint lunar glow appeared around his fingertips.

What followed was not particularly pleasant. William began dismantling Logan’s mental resistance piece by piece.

Using his lunar abilities, he weakened the elf’s emotional stability. His confidence slowly crumbled. His convictions weakened. The certainty that had sustained him began falling apart.

At the same time, William employed carefully crafted illusions using his. Logan found himself trapped within scenes designed specifically to attack his fears, regrets, failures, and insecurities.

Every emotional wound he had hidden over the centuries was exposed. Every doubt was magnified. Every fear became impossible to escape.

The process continued relentlessly, minute after minute.

Eventually, Logan stopped resisting. The fight against the external will left his eyes.

His confidence vanished; his mind simply gave up. Only then did William place the slave mark upon him.

The process completed smoothly. A few moments later, William turned around.

"Alright." He brushed his hands together casually. "I am done."

Then he walked back toward his chair. Behind him, Logan’s Space Lock disappeared. The old elf remained standing where he was.

Selena’s eyes widened. For a split second, she nearly attacked.

"What?" She immediately looked at William.

"What are you doing?" Her expression was filled with alarm.

"You just released him!" William sat down comfortably.

"Relax."

He leaned back.

"He is under my control now."