CHAPTER 170: | A DELIGHTFUL TREAT
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~ ? ~ West of the Lahaina Empire — In the Imperial Capital of the Peta Kingdom ~ ? ~
"Hihihi, sister, it seems that this pig had some energies left?" Disgust dripped from Shuxie's voice like sour milk curdling in the air, her words we're laced with that sharp edge of revulsion.
How dare this slimy excuse for a man covet her beloved sister, especially right after they'd sprung their ambush on the imperial capital? The nerve of him, panting and leering like some hound starved for months.
Her expressions, though still carrying that playful, mischievous glint that she always love to wore like her favorite mask, twisted with outright disgust, her ruby eyes narrowing into slits as she glared down at the man who was worse than a worm, worse than the grime under her boot.
Her disgust for men, that was already a simmering pot ready to boil over, magnified tenfold at the sight of this pig, one of the heirs to the Peta Kingdom, no less, squirming and stomped flat under her soles, his heavy breaths coming out in ragged, desperate huffs that made her skin crawl.
"Sister, how should we dispose of this pig?" For the second time, Shuxie spat the words, disgust thick and evident in her voice, coating her every syllable like a sticky tar.
She felt utterly filthy under his gaze, her spine quivering with that ludicrous, hungry stare of his. Oh, how she wanted nothing more than to crush this bastard's head right then and there, to feel the satisfying crunch under her heel and watch the life drain from those beady eyes.
But she couldn't, not yet. This man still had a role to play, as he was a key piece in luring the other nobles of the kingdom into their trap, like bait wriggling on a hook.
Left with no choice, Shuxie pressed her foot down harder, the sound of bones creaking and grinding with every ounce of strength she applied echoing through the opulent room.
The chamber was a treasure trove of ancient ornaments cluttering in every corner of it's wall, elaborate artworks depicting the stern faces of the past predecessors of the 'Peta Kingdom,' as their painted eyes seemed to watch the scene with silent judgment.
While fine glassworks, crafted from the purest, shimmering sands of distant dunes, gleamed on polished shelves, catching the faint torchlight and casting rainbow prisms across the marble floors.
The air hung heavy with the scent of aged wood and faint incense, a mix of sandalwood and myrrh that clung to the velvet drapes like a forgotten memory.
Fenda, meanwhile, could be seen examining one of those delicate glass pieces with keen interest, her fingers tracing the smooth, cool curves as if it held some secret that whispered of the past.
But Shuxie, still seething with disgust at the man's lecherous gaze, that slobbering, desperate look that made her stomach churn to no end, put even more pressure on her foot.
The crack of his skull fracturing rang out sharp and sudden, reverberating through the room like a thunderclap, snapping Fenda back from her reveries with a slow blink.
"Hmm, indeed..." whispered Fenda, her voice soft and distant as she lifted the glassware in her hand, tilting it this way and that to check its perfect symmetry.
She nodded with quiet satisfaction, the light playing off the crystal edges, then pointed its circular tip at the man-pig below. Peering through the glass like a curious child with a magnifying lens, she watched him writhe.
The man-pig, feeling her gaze pierce him, squealed just like a real swine, his voice high and frantic as he shouted, "Fenda!! Fenda!! Fenda!!" over and over again, like he was trapped in some enchanted loop, his words tumbling out in a mad, obsessive chant.
Shuxie, hearing that grating, piggish voice, felt goosebumps ripple up her spine like icy fingers tracing her skin. In her attempts to calm herself, she pressed her foot down harder, as the scent of blood oozed from the man's nose in thick, crimson rivulets that stained the intricate rug beneath him, the metallic tang of it mixing with the room's incense created a nauseating cocktail in the air.
He tried to lick at her soles, his tongue darting out pathetically, hoping taste her foot, but Shuxie, clearly revolted at the idea, clicked her tongue in pure disdain, as she pressed even harder. The man squealed again, louder this time, then switched his chant to "Feet!! Feet!! Feet!!" his voice cracking with desperation.
Fenda, on the other hand, wasn't bothered in the slightest by his squealing, it was as if the noise was just distant wind howling outside the palace walls. She strolled over casually, the hem of her gown whispering against the cool stone floor, then lifted her left foot a few inches from the ground.
With a swift, almost elegant kick, she slammed it into the man's head, the impact of her attack sent a dull thud through the room as his spine snapped with a sickening crack.
His head bent at an unnatural angle, eyes glazing over as death instantly claimed him, and she coldly murmured, "Hmm, that's better." The words hung in the air, laced with a chilling finality, the silence that followed broken only by the faint drip of blood pooling on the floor.
"Fuwah! Finally, that pig is gone!!" exclaimed Shuxie in a jovial tone, her relief washing over her like a cool breeze after a stifling heatwave. She felt a wave of lightness now that her sister hadn't let such a foul creature touch her any further, not that he ever had a real chance, anyway. The thought almost made her giggle, the absurdity of it all tickling her sense of humor despite the gore.
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Fenda stared at the glassware for a moment longer, her ruby eyes reflecting its shine, then elegantly squatted down, her movements graceful as a dancer's. She placed it delicately on the man's lolling head, balancing it just because she felt like it fitted the scenery, then smiled softly, a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, as she whispered again, "Hmm, that's better."
Though her words echoed like what she'd said earlier, the eeriness of her actions painted a different picture entirely, like a shadow creeping across a sunlit room. The glass teetered slightly on the uneven surface of his skull, catching the light in a mocking sparkle.
Shuxie wasn't the least bit disturbed by her beloved sister's sudden shift in attitude, after all, their messiah had warned them about this. That once they started transitioning from duchess to the queen lineage, the chances that their moods would be swayed by their ancient bloodlines were sky-high.
Just look at Fenda, the last stubborn red strands in her hair were slowly fading to silver, like autumn leaves giving way to winter frost, mirroring the rest of her flowing locks.
As for Shuxie, the few lingering green strands that had clung to her head were already a vibrant silver, she was fully that of a queen lineage now, wielding cursed blood with ease, she was now an official noble creature of the night. The newfound power her transition brought her, thrummed in her veins like a dark symphony, making her feel alive in ways the daylight world could never understand.
"Hihihi, sister, stop being weird and let us finish our task," Shuxie teased, her voice bubbling with that familiar playfulness, even as three maids with subtle silver strands glinting in their hairlines glided into the room like silent shadows.
They set to work dressing Shuxie and Fenda in fresh finery, their hands quick and precise, the rustle of silk and lace filling the air with a soft, luxurious hush.
But Fenda, still lost in her own ethereal world, whispered absently, "I wonder how many stars are there in the night sky? Perhaps more than the blood I could count?" Her words drifted out like smoke, poetic and detached, leaving a trail of mystery in the incense-scented room, the maids disturbed at the heir state, with his neck bent unnaturally with a glassware eerily placed in his head, exchanged subtle glances at each other but said nothing.
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~ ? ~ West of the Lahaina Empire — In the outskirts of the Peta Kingdom Military Barracks ~ ? ~
Two figures clashed fiercely amidst the endless dunes of the Sahara deserts, their silhouettes blurred against the relentless sun as their weapons clashed together as it's impact beating down like a hammer on an anvil.
Each thunderous exchange sent plumes of golden sand exploding in all directions, the grains whispering and hissing as they scattered, followed by bone-rattling shockwaves that rippled through the air like distant thunder.
The heat shimmered off the ground, distorting the horizon into wavy mirages, while the acrid scent of sweat and churned earth mingled with the dry, baked aroma of the desert itself.
Their faces were etched with grim seriousness, brows furrowed and jaws set, portraying the raw intensity of a battle where every move could tip the scales between life and death.
Kairo, though brimming with confidence that he could at least defeat Henry or leave him with grave injuries, didn't let arrogance cloud his judgment.
He knew better than to assume outright victory, his true goal wasn't to win this duel but to stage his own death so that he could convincingly, slip away from the watchful eyes of the Hopy See without raising suspicion. The thought lingered in his mind like a shadow, fueling his calculated strikes amid the chaos.
He smirked, a fleeting curl of his lips amid the sweat-streaked grime on his face, then hefted his massive battle axe, the metal gleaming dully under the scorching sun as he charged forward.
Henry met him head-on, charging like a wild beast untamed by the polished veneer of nobility, his muscles bulging under his armor, eyes wild with feral glee.
But Kairo merely chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that cut through the whipping wind, as he timed his axe's swing perfectly with Henry's incoming halberd.
Yet Henry, ever the unpredictable storm, slashed his halberd sideways instead of downward, the blade whistling through the hot air with deadly precision.
It caught Kairo off guard, slicing through his pauldrons like they were mere parchment, the metal screeching in protest as it parted.
But before the spear could burrow deep into his shoulder though, Kairo lashed out with a powerful kick to Henry's stomach, the impact landing with a meaty thud that sent Henry tumbling backward, rolling across the scorching sands in a cloud of dust, grains sticking to his sweat-slicked skin.
Kairo didn't waste a breath, he charged again, his battle axe slashing toward Henry's neck in a spiraling arc, the weapon humming through the air with lethal intent, kicking up more sand that stung his eyes and coated his tongue with grit.
Henry smirked at the oncoming threat, his lips pulling back in a mad grin that revealed teeth stained with blood from an earlier nick, then shouted with all his might, his voice booming across the dunes like a war cry. "This is fun! This is fun, Kairo!!" The words echoed with unhinged joy, vibrating in the heavy, heat-laden air.
He rolled to the side just in time, the axe embedding into the sand with a heavy thunk, sending vibrations up Kairo's arms.
Henry's halberd counterattacked in a swift, blurring strike aimed at Kairo's face, the polearm slicing the wind with a sharp whoosh.
Kairo, thanks to his agile build, that was similar to a lean and wiry desert fox, dodged it effortlessly, the blade grazing close enough to feel the rush of air on his cheeks.
He grabbed Henry's spear shaft in a vise-like grip, yanking him forward with undaunted force, pulling the madman off balance. In the next heartbeat, Kairo's axe let out a threatening roar, as it cleaved toward Henry's head, the sun glinting off the edge like a promise of doom.
Though pulled so suddenly that his footing faltered, Henry didn't see this as a disadvantage, if anything, it fueled his frenzy.
He stared at the axe descending menacingly, its shadow falling across his face, and burst out in an uproarious roar, cackling with insanity alight in his eyes, those wild, burning orbs reflecting the sheer thrill of the fight.
How could he not laugh? When there was someone matching his firepower, blow for blow, in this blistering hellscape where the sun baked their armor hot enough to sear flesh.
His smile widened into something almost demonic, then in the next second, he let go of all reason, allowing the axe to crash through his helmet with a resounding clang and crunch, digging into his forehead.
Blood welled up immediately, hot and sticky, cascading down his face and covering his vision in a crimson haze, the metallic taste flooding his mouth as he bit his tongue in the impact.
To Kairo's dismay, Henry redirected the axe in a desperate twist before it could fully behead him, at the cost of his helmet shattering apart, revealing his lion-like mane of tangled hair whipping in the wind and his fierce brown pupils glaring through the blood.
His bearded face twisted into a savage smile, beads of sweat flying off as he swung his halberd back, catching Kairo off guard once more.
The consequences of his carelessness was one of his pauldrons, which he used to block Henry's attack, immediately shattered under the force of his halberd, as the metal fragments of the pauldrons embedded to the sand like glass fragments, and pain exploded in his shoulder, it was a deep, throbbing agony that made his arm feel like it was on fire.
But instead of pressing the advantage, Henry merely stood there, his halberd rested casually on his shoulder, the weapon's blade dripping with sand and a hint of blood.
He smiled, wide and unhinged, as the battle ground to a tense standstill, both fighters locked in a staring contest amid the swirling dust, their heavy breaths the only sound breaking the desert's oppressive silence.
