Ren leaped backward in a blur, his body moving with unnatural precision as he activated the Huntress's Domain, the ability he'd claid from Kyouka now flowing through him like second nature.
The air around him shimred faintly as a simple domain expanded outward, turning the cramped room into his personal hunting ground. Every twitch of muscle, every shift in weight, felt perfect, instinctive.
He dodged the golden threads that Lan Jia had woven through the air like a spider's web, slipping between them as if they moved in slow motion.
But Lan Jia didn't press the attack.
She simply stood there, arms folded beneath her ample chest, a sweet, poisonous smile curving her lips. Her golden eyes glead with amusent, like a cat watching a mouse realize the trap was already sprung.
Ren's stomach twisted. He knew that look. She was planning sothing, and whatever it was, it wouldn't be good.
Astrid stood a few paces behind him, breathing hard, her red hair sticking to her forehead trying her best to breathe properly. She was strong...stronger than most, but against this woman? Ren knew better. Astrid couldn't take Lan Jia head-on. No one here could. The only smart move was escape.
Problem was, Lan Jia was blocking the only exit.
Ren's gaze flicked to his system panel, the translucent blue screen hovering in his vision.
Na: Ren Arakawa
Level: [9]
Blessing: Yandere Believer
Sex: Male
[Attributes]
STR (Strength): 4
AGI (Agility): 4
VIT (Vitality): 6
INT (Intelligence): 4
CHAR (Charm): 10
**Available Points:** 4
[Skills]
Heartsteal – [Level 1]
Imperial Qi – [Level 2]
Healing Grace – [Level 1]
Huntress's Domain – [Level 5]
[Affection Tracker]
??? – 100% (MAXED OUT — RUN.)
Lan iling – 85%
Tachibana Kyouka – 88%
Tachibana Hiyori – 30%
Tachibana Misa – 90%
Annaliese Morgenstern (Anna) – 66%
Nina Raj – 67%
Four points. If he dumped them all into Agility, could he outrun her? With Huntress's Domain active, he was supposed to be untouchable inside his own territory. Maybe, just maybe, he could slip past her and bolt.
But it was a gamble. A huge one.
Before he could decide, Lan Jia moved.
Golden tendrils erupted from her back like living silk, faster than thought. They shot toward him, coiling around his wrists before he could fully react. The threads were warm, almost loving as they slithered up his arms, caressing his skin with gentle, possessive strokes.
Ren gritted his teeth, straining against them. "Get off !"
Lan Jia began walking toward him, hips swaying with every slow, deliberate step. Her smile never wavered.
"Baby," she purred, voice soft and intimate, as if they were alone in a bedroom instead of a ruined room. "You've picked up a few new tricks. That domain… very cute. But it's not enough. Not nearly enough to challenge a goddess or ."
She stopped inches away, tilting her head. One golden thread brushed his cheek like a lover's fingertip.
"You don't need all those other won," she whispered, breath warm against his ear. "I'll help you grow stronger. I'll carve out their pretty little faces… wear them for you. You can take ...over and over to gain their power through alone. Just you and , darling. Forever."
Ren's eyes widened in horror. A cold chill raced down his spine.
"What the fuck are you?" he shouted, voice cracking with disgust. "Why are you always following ? Stalking like so creep!"
Lan Jia giggled, pressing a finger to his lips.
"Oh, poor sweet baby. You really don't rember , do you?" Her eyes softened, almost tender. "Don't worry. Soon you will. Once we prove that so-called goddess of yours is full of nothing but bullshit."
Ren's jaw tightened. Talking to her was pointless. She never explained anything straight. Just cryptic hints, twisted promises, and that sickening affection.
No more hesitation.
He ntally slamd all four points into Strength.
His muscles surged with sudden power. Veins bulged along his arms as raw force flooded through him. With a guttural roar, Ren flexed and the golden threads binding his wrists snapped like dry twigs.
Lan Jia's eyes widened, genuine surprise flickering across her perfect face.
"Oh my," she murmured, licking her lips. "You really are hiding a beast in there."
"Dangerous, dangerous," she giggled, voice dripping with delight. "I should ta you before you get too wild."
More tendrils exploded from her back, dozens of them, whipping through the air like angry serpents.
But Ren was ready.
He thrust his hand forward, channeling Imperial Qi, the golden strands he'd inherited from iling. His own threads burst out, shimring with regal authority, eting Lan Jia's head-on.
Golden clashed against golden in a storm of sparks and cracking energy.
For a mont, they held.
Then Lan Jia's threads overpowered his, slicing through them like razor wire. They wrapped around his arms, his torso, his legs tightening with terrifying speed.
"Ti to go ho, darling," she cooed, stepping closer again. The threads spun faster, cocooning him layer by layer until he could barely twitch. "Mommy's going to take good care of you."
Ren struggled, grunting with effort, but the silk was unbreakable now.
Just as the threads tightened around his throat, a massive blur of silver flashed through the air.
CRACK!
A gigantic sword slamd into Lan Jia's cheek with earth-shaking force. The impact sent a visible fracture spider-webbing across her flawless skin like porcelain cracking under pressure. Golden ichor seeped from the wound instead of blood.
Lan Jia staggered sideways, the threads around Ren loosening for a split second.
She touched her cracked cheek, eyes narrowing with real anger for the first ti.
"You little pests," she hissed.
Ren twisted his head toward the entrance.
There stood Kyouka, Nina, and Selene, battle stances ready. Nina's hand was extended, having just used her giant greatsword. A cocky grin spread across her face.
"Oh wow," Nina said cheerfully, twirling her sword like a baton. "So you're the famous Lan Jia. Gotta say, the rumors didn't ntion you were this creepy. You were supposed to be dead by that attack...but what is this? Are you wearing so kind of a mask?"
Kyouka's eyes burned with cold fury, her bow already drawn. "Let him go."
Selene remained silent, shadows writhing around her feet like living smoke.
Lan Jia's smile vanished entirely. The crack on her face slowly sealed, but the rage in her golden eyes was unmistakable.
"It wasn't easy fixing this face last ti," she snarled. "You pests… you're all dead."
Like a monstrous spider unfolding, countless golden tendrils erupted from her back, hundreds of them, filling the chamber like a golden storm. They shot toward the three won at the entrance with murderous speed.
Kyouka started to sprint sideways with her daggers. Nina raised her sword. Selene with her pistol surged upward.
They wouldn't make it in ti.
But then—
BOOM!
Every single tendril exploded mid-air in a shower of golden sparks.
Astrid stepped forward from the side, hair wild and disheveled, a manic grin stretching across her face. Her hands catching the axe she just threw which might have caused the explosion.
"Well, well," she said lightly, brushing dust off her sleeve. "I think I just saw the real Lan Jia for a second there."
She glanced at the furious woman, eyes gleaming with satisfaction.
"And I'm really, really glad I didn't stay with her."
***
iling walked forward through ankle-deep water, her bare foot sending quiet ripples across the flooded ground. The Lan District had once been streets and courtyards. Now it was a wetland, half-swallowed by an area of the dungeon that had broken through to the east side and brought water with it.
Several won surrounded her, moving in a loose formation. Their eyes were sharp, their expressions cold.
"This place is better than most areas that are polluted with monsters," one woman muttered.
iling did not reply.
Ahead, a half-subrged building leaned to one side, its lower floor drowned. Moss and dungeon vines clung to the walls. As they approached, figures stepped out from behind broken pillars and collapsed roofs.
They were won, Chinese-looking, dressed in mismatched gear that belonged to several units of Lan family. Their eyes were greedy, hateful.
"That's her," one of them said. "Lady iling of the ruined Lan family."
"So she really ca back," another sneered. "Kill her. Take whatever she still has."
They rushed forward.
iling sighed softly.
Thin, almost invisible threads flickered into existence around her fingers.
"You shouldn't have done that," she said calmly.
The threads snapped forward.
There was no loud clash, no dramatic scream. The attackers froze mid-step, eyes wide. A heartbeat later, their bodies slid apart, cut cleanly as if brushed by air itself. They collapsed into the shallow water with dull splashes.
The won beside iling did not flinch.
One of them looked down at the bodies and spat. "Traitors of the family."
"They looted our vaults while the Lan na burned," another said. "They deserve worse."
More figures appeared from the ruins, but they hesitated when they saw the bodies on the ground.
"Take care of them," iling said.
"Yes, Lady iling."
Her escorts surged forward, steel and techniques flashing. Shouts echoed, then were quickly drowned by the sound of water and falling bodies.
iling continued alone.
She took a few more steps, then stopped.
Soone stood ahead, dry ground beneath her feet as if the water refused to touch her. A middle-aged woman with sharp eyes and neatly tied hair. She wore a familiar insignia, faded but unmistakable.
The woman smiled.
"Can you believe this is real, Lady iling?"
iling narrowed her eyes. "Gu Ma."
Gu Ma chuckled softly. "You still rember . I am honored."
"You were the right hand of Second Mother," iling said coldly. "She is dead."
"Yes," Gu Ma replied, her smile thinning. "Very unfortunate."
She stepped aside.
iling's breath caught.
Bound to a wooden pole stood a woman. Her hands were tied above her head, chains glowing faintly with sealing runes. Her skin shone softly, as if light lived beneath it. Large white wings rested behind her back, feathers trembling slightly, wet from the mist.
She looked unconscious, yet peaceful. Divine.
An angel.
"That's impossible," iling whispered.
Gu Ma looked at the bound figure with awe and fear mixed together. "To think those old tales were true. Angels. Divine ssengers."
She lowered her gaze and murmured, "Perhaps we were punished."
iling's voice was tight. "Punished for what?"
Gu Ma shrugged. "Maybe because we beca drunk on our own power. We ignored the heavens. Maybe because we sinned too much."
She laughed quietly, then turned her eyes back to iling.
"Or maybe," Gu Ma said with a slow smile, "it was because this thing was ant to be ours and what happened was a necessary sacrifice."
She pointed at the angel.
"Only ours."
iling's threads trembled, reacting to her emotions.
"Hand over that woman," iling said. "It is the only thing that can bring glory to our family again."
Gu Ma's smile widened. "Now! Now! Lady iling...why would I want that? Let's not be haste here."
Reviews
All reviews (0)