The creature’s appearance was that of a beautiful woman, but there was something deeply unsettling about her.
Her skin was deathly pale, and her lips were a vivid, unnatural shade of red, curved into a wicked smile. She leaned closer, her cold breath brushing against Lillian’s skin.
“Who… who are you?” Lillian managed to whisper, her voice trembling.
The woman chuckled softly, the sound sending shivers down Lillian’s spine. “Oh I’m no one~
I am but a humble observer of this little drama. Call me the Crimson Lady? Well not like it matters~”
Lillian’s mind raced. Trying to come up with a sudden solution for her new ordeal but nothing came to mind under the being’s mysterious gaze.
The Crimson Lady’s eyes flicked up to where Lily was still battling the monstrous golem-like creature. “Your sister is quite the fighter, isn’t she? But I wonder, how long can she last without your support?”
Lillian’s fear turned to anger. “Don’t you dare hurt her!”
The Crimson Lady laughed, the sound echoing eerily through the frosty mist. “Oh, I have no intention of harming her. I’m simply here to… enjoy the show.” She licked her lips again, the gesture disturbingly sensual.
“I was actually going to watch this whole spectacle from the sidelines, but it seems the factor I introduced was too much for the two of you should I have put in less blood than usual, perhaps?”
“What… are you talking about?” Lillian managed to croak, her voice weak and strained. “Nothing – but you better not force it, you know? Talking will only hasten your death,” the Crimson Lady replied with a sickly-sweet smile.
Although Lillian wanted to deny her words, she knew deep down that the monster in front of her was right.
She should have died immediately after taking that direct hit from the creature above.
The only reason she survived was due to her assassin instincts, which had kicked in just in time to let her apply enough mana to block some of the damage.
Even then, the damage she took was still severe.
Lillian wasn’t a knight or a fighter; she was an assassin, someone who relied heavily on quick and fast reflexes. Injuries were not an option for her or her sister. With her broken ribs, non- functioning lung, and burning flesh, just standing up was a miracle, her mana the only thing keeping her body functioning.
The Crimson Lady watched her with a bemused expression, as if she were a fascinating, dying insect. “You’re quite resilient for a mere mortal. Your struggle is… delightful.”
Lillian gritted her teeth, her mind racing for a way out of this dire situation.
She couldn’t afford to waste any more time or energy on this creature.
Her sister needed her, and they both needed to get out of this place alive.
“Since it’s my fault that things would go rather boring- tell me, young girl, do you want to live?” the Crimson Lady said with a smirk.
“…???” Lillian’s eyes narrowed in confusion and suspicion.
“Don’t look at me like that… I know you understand what I mean, right?” The lady gathered something in her pale white hand.
Red, chaotic energy compressed intensely before transforming into a diamond-shaped crystal the size of a small pebble.
“Your sister needs you, no? All you need to do is eat this, and all your problems will be solved!” she said with one eye closed, a playful yet menacing glint in her gaze.
Sensing the dangerous energy emanating from the stone, Lillian hesitated.
Something inside her tempted her to take it, like a voice of survival whispering for her to grasp this lifeline. But as clumsy and air-headed as she might sometimes act, she wasn’t a fool.
She knew there were bound to be consequences for taking such a suspicious object. She didn’t even fully understand why this woman had suddenly appeared.
Most of all, based on the way she had been speaking all this time, Lillian realized they were in this predicament because of her.
How could she take something from a monster that had started this in the first place?
“What are you hesitating for? If you just take this, then all your problems will be solved,” the Crimson Lady urged, her tone dripping with false kindness.
Lillian clenched her fists, her body trembling with pain and exhaustion. “Why should I trust you? You’re the one who put us in this situation!”
The Crimson Lady laughed softly, the sound chilling and echoing through the frosty air. “True, but I’m also offering you a way out. Think about it-if I wanted you dead, you’d already be lying lifeless on the ground. This is a gift, a chance to save yourself and your sister.”
Lillian’s mind raced. The energy from the crystal was potent, almost overwhelmingly so. She could feel the promise of power within it, enough to heal her injuries and give her the strength to fight. But at what cost?
Her thoughts were interrupted by another wave of pain coursing through her body, making her gasp. She glanced up at the sky, where her sister Lily was still engaged in a fierce battle with the monstrous golem. She couldn’t leave her to fight alone.
Desperation gnawed at her, but she couldn’t ignore the voice of reason. “What’s the catch?” Lillian demanded, her voice shaking.
The Crimson Lady’s smile widened, revealing sharp, pearly teeth. “Catch? Theer’s none really~ Right now, all you need to know is that this will save you and your sister. The choice is
yours.”
Lillian’s heart pounded in her chest. She didn’t trust this woman, but the thought of losing her sister was unbearable. With a shaky hand, she reached out and took the crystal.
As soon as she touched it, a surge of power coursed through her, momentarily blinding her with its intensity. She hesitated for a split second longer, then, with a determined breath, she swallowed the crystal.
Instantly, she felt her wounds healing, the pain ebbing away. Strength flooded her limbs, and her vision cleared. She could feel her mana replenishing, becoming more potent than ever
before.
The Crimson Lady watched with a satisfied smirk.
“Good girl. Now, go and save your sister.”
The moment the lady said those words, darkness swallowed her whole before she disappeared from Lillian’s gaze, her presence vanishing like the mist they had always relied on.
Lillian frantically searched for the evil lady’s presence, but she was gone.
The only remaining proof of her existence was the power brewing inside Lillian.
Though she felt regret for taking and accepting a devil’s offer, she knew it was the only choice
she had.
Ignoring her conflicted thoughts for now, Lillian turned her attention to her sister’s clash with the black monstrous golem.
Tapping into her newfound power, she found the world around her moving slower and slower by the second. Her breathing calmed, and her senses sharpened.
As her red eyes transformed into sharp vertical pupils of a reptile, she felt her heart bursting with mana. Her body burned with power, and a red mist enveloped her.
There was only one thing left in her mind: ‘Kill.’
With a swift leap, Lillian propelled herself toward the golem, her enhanced speed turning her
into a blur.
…..
Returning to her empty hut, Liyana had an unending smile across her face.
“Did you wait long, Raijin?” she said playfully as she sat down next to the wolf, who had been carefully waiting for her return.
At first, she thought her fun would end the moment she saw one of the twins almost die because of the blood-infused monster she had sent, but as luck would have it, the girl somehow survived, allowing Liyana to make amends for her mistake.
She had come a long way and postponed some of her plans, not to mention she skipped the [Grand Nebula] today just for the two girls in front of her screen.
It would have been a real waste and a bore if they had just died a mundane death.
Since these two bugs were getting closer to her darling, it was only right for her to play with
them, right?
‘Would my dear cry if I presented their heads to him in a silver platter?’ she mused.
Just the thought of his face made her even more excited for the play she had in store for the
twins.
The expected reaction from the twins was already thrilling enough, but somehow imagining Riley’s face made her even more ecstatic.
With a delighted hum, she patted Raijin, the wolf’s fur warm and comforting under her hand. “Those two are quite fun, aren’t they, Raijin? Such spirited little things.”
The wolf, unable to reply, merely watched her with wary eyes. Liyana’s smile widened as she thought about the next steps in her plan.
The twins were strong and resourceful, but they were now marked by her chaotic power. She relished the thought of how they would struggle, fight, and ultimately break their bond as
they tried to kill one another.
The anticipation of watching the twins turn on each other was almost too delicious to bear.
Yet, there were other bugs buzzing around her dear Riley that she longed to have fun with as
well.
As the academy was currently under the [White Queen’s] territory, there was little to nothing she could do about it.
Her actions were to remain restricted there, her powers null and void as long as that porcelain
queen said so.
Although Liyana was annoyed by this limitation, she knew she had to bide her time until the
queen finally made a move.
She had already memorized the faces and names of the bugs she planned to play with once she entered the academy about a year and a half from now.
‘Seo, Snow, Rose, Alice, and many more… how does darling attract such peculiar people?’
she mused with a hearty chuckle. Each name rolled off her tongue with a mix of curiosity and
disdain.
‘Ha~ my dear… how do you make me go so crazy?’ she wondered silently, her voice tinged with both frustration and affection.
Riley was supposed to be a toy for her amusement, a toy for her to experience a speck of humanity she would never receive in her lifetime.
Yet, he had become so much more than that. He had become an obsession, a fixation that
drove her to the brink of madness.
She had intended for Riley to be just another plaything, a means to experience fleeting moments of humanity and connection.
But somewhere along the line, her feelings had twisted into something darker, more
profound.
The thought of him, the sight of him, even the mere mention of his name sent shivers down
her spine.
It was an addiction she couldn’t shake, a desire that consumed her every waking moment.
Liyana’s eyes glinted with a dangerous light as she thought about the future. She would play her part, abide by the restrictions, and wait patiently.
But when the time came, she would unleash chaos upon the academy and everyone in it.
“Just wait, my dear~” she whispered to herself, a sinister smile curling her lips. “Soon, I will be free to do as I please, and then… then the real fun will begin.” Smiling to herself Liyana’s thought wondered to the miserable face Riley will show her in the
future.