Chapter 303: Let me show you what it means to be a....
[A/N: Just a small announcement... I am publishing another Novel named:
Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey.
If you guys are interested, give it a read and support me, everyone...
And
Thank You😎]
"20!"
Adriana furrowed her brow, her thoughts racing, 'So, Asher Eli is a go--'
As if Lilith had tapped into the stream of Adriana's thoughts... Well, to be completely transparent, Lilith had been eavesdropping on everyone's thoughts, so, indeed, she overheard Adriana's inner musings.
[No, He's certainly not a god nor a reincarnator]
Lilith emphatically shook her head thinking, 'I didn't sense any kind of distortion in his soul or any kind of divinity...'.
"18!" Discover new adventures at m-vl-em-pyr
[Then....]
[Recall the instance when my husband referred to 'That Thing'... that made us feel fear]
[.... Yes.... 'That Megalodon' right?]
Adriana hesitated, fear trickling through her veins as she vividly recalled those teeth that had etched into her memory.
[.... Yes..... But it wasn't the Megalodon]
[...Hmm?]
[....]
[Lilith?]
[You know who I am truly, right?]
"15!"
[.... Yes]
[Then that time.... Why did I find myself heightening my guard for a mere Mana Spirit?]
Adriana's frown deepened. On the day Eli summoned Megalodon, she distinctly remembered Lilith also assuming a vigilant stance, as if that monster posed a threat even to Lilith.
True, there was no way a born Mana Spirit from Mana Breathwork user could not possess a power similar to the Emperors...
The Ruler of Darkness standing on guard against a mere spirit... It was an incredulous notion.
Yet,
Lilith turned vigilant..... So that means, Another Ruler of Element.
The Rulers of Elements are the strongest entities and only they could each other fight on equal footing....
Megalodon was a Water Elemental spirit..... then that implies...
[The True Ruler of Sea, Jormungandr.... The World Serpent.... The Fallen God]
"10!"
Adriana gasped, her eyes widening in shock, and she visibly turned to Lilith.
Lilith didn't meet Adriana's gaze, maintaining her focus on her husband who was nearing the end of the countdown.
[I harboured doubts previously.... Sigh.... I scoffed off initially thinking it was just a normal spirit that had the same names, but now.... Seeing a Dimensional Beast scared a mere mortal.... It's laughable yet, something more attention is needed....
If my husband truly called the Megalodon, the Ancient beast.... then....
Megalodon was Jormungandr's servant....]
"8!"
Lilith continued,
[Megalodon never heeded anyone but Jormungandr, so....]
[So?]
Adriana gulped, hanging on to Lilith's every word.
[My husband embodies the spirit of Jormungandr~ My Darling~ is rocking!!!]
Lilith's tone abruptly shifted from serious contemplation to fangirling excitement.
"2!"
Adriana blinked in surprise.... 'That's not important!!'.... She yearned to delve deeper into the revelation, but,
[We'll discuss this later, Adriana]
"1!"
Eli previously fixated on Kayden, deliberately shifted his intense gaze towards the Dimensional Eater.
The Dimensional Eater involuntarily flinched at the sight of Eli's captivating ocean-blue pupils, radiating a mesmerizing brilliance.
'Gulp'
The monstrous Dimensional Eater, with its unnaturally wide-open maw, trembled as it saw the illusion of raw razor-sharp millions of teeth..... a primal fear etched into its brain, despite its lack of cognitive reasoning.
Torn between conflicting impulses, the creature found itself caught in a strange predicament. It grappled with the desire to flee, retaliate by sinking its teeth into Eli, or simply remain frozen in place. The fear gripping its heart seemed to override any coherent response.
So, all it could do was obediently stay put, not daring to make the slightest movement.
"Sit" Eli commanded with an air of calm authority.
"Hahahaah...." Kayden couldn't help but laugh at the unfolding scenario. While baffled by the unexpected turn of events, he reveled in the power dynamic playing out. Though he couldn't quite fathom why his supposed slave refrained from attacking Eli, he suspected the Vampire Queen's unseen influence.
Carter and Theo joined in the laughter, finding amusement in Eli's seemingly futile attempt to tame the unruly monster.
The four-legged monstrosity sighed audibly, surprising everyone by complying with Eli's command and sitting down. The unexpected obedience left everyone frozen in astonishment.
"Y-You!!" Kayden stammered, utterly taken aback. An overwhelming sense of shame and anger surged within him, driving him to contemplate swift retribution against the creature that dared to disgrace him.
Yet, before he could act on his impulses, a sudden "SSSHHHHH!!" resonated from Eli's very being. A radiant blue light emanated, compelling Kayden to squint and momentarily close his eyes.
"Hmm~" A seductive moan escaped Eli's lips, causing Kayden to stutter in surprise.
He inhaled a seductive smell....
Eagerly, Kayden opened his eyes, anticipating the owner of the alluring voice, 'Damn, I wanted to see the face of the wom--'
His thoughts came to an abrupt halt as he laid eyes on Eli, who appeared fresh and unscathed as if nothing had happened. To make matters more bewildering, it seemed like Eli was utilizing his...
"Don't use your damn charm!!" Kayden shouted, realizing he had nearly succumbed to Eli's enchantment. Everyone was well aware that Eli possessed the ability to captivate others through mysterious arts acquired from the Vampire Queen.
"Hmm~?" Eli tilted his head innocently.
"!!!" The faces of everyone present turned bright red, a collective reaction to Eli's combination of cuteness and sexiness.
"Hehe..." Eli giggled, revelling in the aftermath.
"W-What?" Kayden's face flushed intensely, struggling with a mix of embarrassment and conflicting thoughts. 'Why am I even thinking of these ideas?!'
Lilith's lips twitched as she observed the spectacle, noticing the blush on many women's faces. She snapped her fingers, dispersing tiny pink particles that brought everyone back to their senses.
Eli, sensing the shift, glanced at a higher platform before offering a small smile.
The collective realization dawned on everyone about the perilous nature of Eli's charm, especially among the male populace who found themselves yearning for the embrace of any woman..... as long as she was a woman.
'I-I need my wife/lover/sister/mother/ now!!' They thought. (No!! naughty things, just a feel and embrace of the opposite sex, that's all....) They wanted to make sure their personality had not been infected.
Kayden, fueled by a mixture of frustration and humiliation, harboured a burning desire to exact revenge on Eli and punish the slave who had blatantly ignored his orders.
/Hol--/
Before Kayden could complete his incantations, Eli delicately placed a finger on his lips, hushing any further utterance.
"Shhh!"
The abrupt silence sent a shiver down Kayden's spine, freezing him in place with an uneasy anticipation.
Ignoring the perturbed hero, Eli shifted his focus to the enigmatic 'Cute Puppy'.
His fingertips gently traced the tendrils of black mist seeping from the creature's fur, revealing no discernible reaction or indication of resistance.
The Dimensional Eater, almost resigned to its fate, stood motionless, a silent witness to the impending events.
"Chuckk!!"
"Ba-Dump, Ba-Dump"
Without a hint of hesitation, Eli reached into the monster's ethereal form, extracting its heart. To the bewilderment of onlookers, the creature showed no sign of astonishment or dread. Instead, it gazed at Eli with an enigmatic smile? before gracefully dispersing into myriad particles.
As the particles slowly dissipated, Eli's eyes lingered on the fading remnants. A sense of amusement flickered in his gaze, prompting him to contemplate the possibility that this formidable monster had, in an unexpected twist, accepted its fate without a struggle.
To be honest, Eli found himself perplexed by his own serenity in the face of the Dimensional Eater's arrival.
He had anticipated a turbulent encounter, expecting to lose a few limbs at the very least. Regardless of how he assessed the situation, the monster loomed over him with undeniable superiority..... Yet, as the creature drew near, Eli experienced an unexpected sensation..... Pain. Yes, genuine pain and suffering emanated from the monster.
It was as if the creature sought its own demise, despite its outwardly aggressive stance dictated by its master's orders. Strangely, the moment it approached Eli, its demeanour shifted from one of aggression to one of fear..... Eli, on the other hand, could only perceive unrelenting.... Pain radiates from its eyes.
Eli was baffled by his inexplicable ability to comprehend the emotions of a monster. The enigma of this newfound understanding perplexed him....
'What the fuck is happening to me?' Eli screamed when felt those feelings.... He was kind of scared as he started to change something he never knew.
He tried to torture this thing to understand what was happening but something told him it was 'Wrong'.
Though he wanted to fight this creature, seeing its suffering... Eli couldn't. He was not sure why felt sympathetic to a Monster but.... he had softened up a little for the past few days, so shrugged it off.
There was always a chance for him to fight many more in the future as long as Kayden was alive that was...
So, just as it wished Eli killed it without making it suffer any more.
As Eli laid eyes upon the creature's heart, an unexpected surge of fury coursed through his veins..... The source of his anger eluded him, yet the heart seemed to be a focal point for this intense emotion.
An unsettling desire crept over him.... an insatiable hunger for the heart. The need to devour it consumed his thoughts, echoing through his mind like a relentless nightmare.
'Eat, Eat, Eat, Eat....!!' His consciousness became a chant of voracity, the words reverberating with an eerie intensity.
"""NNNOOOO!!!"""
Kayden, Carter, and several mercenaries and traders screamed in agony as if their families died in front of them.
"W-What?"
"T-That's all!"
"I-I thought there were the strongest monsters!!"
"Is that monster really a Dimensional Eater??"
"Where is the epic fight I was waiting for?"
The audience chattered among themselves as they couldn't even believe it. They eagerly waited after Kayden's prideful announcement and hyped everyone..... yet it died without any resistance, some even started to doubt whether it was truly a dimensional eater or something else.
.... Even though Kayden gave a huge build-up.
Ignoring their heartfelt cries, Eli fixated on the black heart. His breath hardened, and his throat went dry. One thing was certain.... it would be delicious to consume that heart.
Despite the tantalizing allure, Eli exerted control over his newfound urges, 'No soul crystal....' he noted an important thing he initially wanted after seeing the monster, tossing the heart towards Adriana.
Their eyes met before a silent nod of understanding passed between them.
Kayden finally snapped out of his fearful stupor, contemplating summoning another Dimensional Eater. However, he hesitated, considering the substantial mana loss and the time required to tame such a creature.
Eli then returned his focus to Kayden, he didn't want that Hero to speak any more shit so instead..... Eli was going to speak some shit before deciding to finish it with some revenge,
Eli lightly tapped the ground with his foot, and immediately,
"Cough!"
Kayden convulsed, coughing up blood as he witnessed his domain crumbling.
"Hehehe..." Lilith giggled, a sense of pride washing over her.
Mana Breathing
'Deep Inhale'
"Hero, you called me a backstabbing, selfish man, right?" Eli stood before Kayden, who struggled to recover from the backlash caused by the breakdown of his domain.
"Y-Yeah-Cough- What's wrong with that?" Kayden retorted with an arrogant demeanour, refusing to let Asher Eli diminish his stature.
"Then, are you a Hero?" Eli queried, crouching down.
Examining the pitiable state of Kayden, Eli displayed a face of pity..... intentionally provoking Kayden further.
"Y-Yes, I am a HERO!! -Cough-"
"For whom?"
"Who? Of course, for my people!!" Kayden declared with pride.
"Your people?"
"Yes"
"..." Eli stood up, surveying the arena where a faction of people harboured a collective desire to end his life.
"So, he is the hero?" Eli inquired.
"....Y-Yes," someone in the crowd responded, eliciting energetic shouts from the rest.
"Yes, he's our hero!"
"He's willing to do anything for his nation. Of course, he's the hero, who else could be?"
"Kayden is the Hero of Theos Kingdom!!"
"Hmm" Eli nodded thoughtfully and turned his gaze back to Kayden, who appeared nearly recovered from the backslash.
"Then who am I?" Eli questioned, wearing a puzzled expression.
"H-Huh?"
"O-Of course, you're the villain!!"
"You backstabber!!"
"You ugly bastard!"
"You psychopath!"
"You defiled our Saintess!!"
....
..
The crowd hurled numerous derogatory terms at Eli.
Listening to the accusations, Eli nodded with an impassive expression before posing a single question to them,
"Why?"
"H-Huh?" The crowd was taken aback as Eli's voice adopted an emotionless tone.
"Did I hurt your family?"
"..."
"Did I hurt your loved ones?"
"..."
"Did I betray any of you?"
"..."
"Did I really rape a woman against her will?"
"...T-Th--'
"Did you guys witness me assaulting a saintess?"
"..."
"No... Nothing, right?"
Eli concluded his questions, met with silence from the audience. Eli's smile widened, while scepticism spread across the faces of the onlookers.
"You know, when a parent constantly treats their child as if they're worthless...
Telling them they aren't the best, that they can't do a single thing....
Those words can truly impact a child's mind. It's as if they start believing that's who they are"
A hushed silence fell over the crowd as Eli's words settled in.
Eli continued,
"And this is how society operates. When individuals are labelled as 'That Kind,' regardless of their innocence, the weight of those expectations can corrupt their minds, shaping their behaviour to conform to society's perceptions"
'Gulp'
A collective gulp resonated through the crowd as they sensed the gravity of Eli's words.
"So, let me show you what it means to be a---"
"DIE, YOU BASTARD!!" Kayden bellowed, attempting to thrust his sword into Eli's back.
"AAAARRRRRRHHHHHH!!!"
Eli caught Kayden's throat with indifferent eyes, "I have yet to settle my old balance...!"