"I had already planned a skill on this subject, so I don't see why I should add another one."
"I was supposed to have eternal rest!! You disturbed my cycle. When I think that I was supposed to party alongside celestial beings with unlimited mead, dancing the hula hoop, I suddenly feel pain," retorted Aelion, feigning a small tear in his eye.
The entity knew perfectly well what he was up to. Seeing him try this trick was even more amusing, so she decided to grant him that.
"So be it, I will send you my daughters through the system you like so much."
At these words, a ball of light appeared in her hand. She blew the ball toward Aelion, who watched it make its little way before entering his chest. He hadn't felt anything in particular, only a slight warmth spreading through his body.
"Why don't you finish your cup?" she asked curiously.
"I don't know what this is... I have a strange feeling..."
"I thought you wanted an overpowered skill?"
As soon as he heard that, he immediately understood what she meant. He hastily swallowed all the contents of the cup. A wave of energy and an unknown force invaded his entire body, flowing through all the channels and pressure points, releasing everything that was blocked.
"May your kindness and attention touch the girls. I, the primordial goddess of night and magic, bless you. May you live happy days."
An instant later, everything went black. The cold floor where he had landed woke him up. Aelion was no longer floating. He touched his whole body to check if he was alright.
Aelion stood up and looked around, impressed. He had only seen such places in books and certain fantasy illustrations. It was a castle. More precisely, he was in the hall of a gigantic mansion.
The mansion was built of dark stone and obsidian. Gigantic stained-glass windows had replaced the ordinary ones. The architecture was worthy of the Victorian era, mixed with a hint of an arrangement unknown to him.
Behind him, a central staircase led to the upper levels of the mansion. Two imposing structures were placed beside the staircase, representing a knight and a woman holding an orb in her hand.
"Magnificent," he said, enchanted and eager to explore.
Aelion began climbing the staircase when suddenly, a lightning bolt tore through the ceiling of the castle and struck the ground. Not once, not twice, but seven consecutive times. Through the dust raised by the thunderbolts, a most divine form was revealed.
Good God... I mean Goddess.
It was a beautiful woman, dark, alluring, and seductive. Long crimson hair flowed over her entire body. Her attire was elegant and regal, displaying both her surreal curves and her piercing red eyes. A body as perfect as he had ever seen. A full bosom that bounced with each step. The young woman seemed lost and disoriented. She did not recognize this place where she had landed.
Wasn't I supposed to be dead? thought the woman, scanning the hall with her gaze. When her eyes fell upon Aelion, they narrowed.
Aelion felt it immediately: this was not just a beautiful woman, she radiated power and danger. His brain screamed to flee, but his body could not follow that thought. Above him, two spikes of blood floated, and with a gesture, the young woman made them strike down upon him; one pierced his hand and pinned it to the banister of the staircase, while the second drove deep into one of his feet.
A sharp pain spread through his body. Aelion screamed, but it did not affect his captor. His blood flowed along the armrest and down the steps of the staircase, staining the black marble with a hot, burning crimson red.
"Who are you? Where am I? Are you the one who brought me here? These are the questions I will have you answer if you wish to stay alive," added the woman coldly, with no emotion in her voice.
Her voice echoed with her steps as she approached. Staining her beautiful clothes, she climbed the steps fouled by the reddish liquid that flowed from Aelion. As for the blood running down the railings, she dipped her finger into it and placed it into her mouth.
Her tongue welcomed the guest, swirling and twisting around it like a windmill; the woman savored the liquid eagerly and vigorously. Her finger was almost sucked in by force under the pressure. The saliva mixing with the tongue's movements made the scene, for the lone spectator, arousing.
The mixture of pain and arousal felt almost bizarre to Aelion.
Damn it, what am I thinking?I should be figuring out how to get out of here.
When her plump lips finally released the finger, leaving a subtle trail of viscous liquid at the tip, the young man finally had the chance to speak.
"I am Ae—"
Ding! Ding! Ding!
[The SSS-rank Villain-Taming skill reacts strongly to your interaction!]
[Target identified: "Villain" – Blood Empress]
[Do you want to attempt to tame her? Y/N]
Of course!!
Aelion stretched out his arms, hoping for a powerful reaction after activating the skill. However, nothing happened. A red light enveloped the woman. Her eyes widened, her breathing quickened slightly. A faint shiver ran down her spine. She seemed about to falter but held on. Her confidence wavered slightly, but she regained her composure. This time, she was no longer the cold and merciless woman; a trace of emotion pierced her face. That was what enraged her the most.
"You... pathetic little insect!! What have you done to me?" she cried, her tone vengeful and wild.
A bloody red aura emanated from her body. She slashed her palm with her nails, and the blood that flowed from it transformed and solidified into a blood sword.
What?! Why didn't the skill work? It was supposed to—
"I should have killed you the moment I laid eyes on you. Insects like you have nothing good in them. Even the blood running through your veins is wasted on a vile existence like you!!!"
The sword delivered a diagonal strike, slashing across his torso. Then came a frenzy of wide cuts, relentlessly lacerating his chest. Aelion eventually lost his grasp on reality, engulfed in the pain that rang through his mind.
At the very end, the blade severed his neck. His blood spurted like a geyser, raining down on the one who had ended his life without remorse.
[You are dead]