Chapter 167: The Wraith's Lament
The moment after, her hand stopped the man's attack. He suddenly vomited blood, with his right arm freezing instantly.
Yet, to avoid the blow, he jumped back and tore it off to avoid death.
"Hrrk... damn crazy bitch of the Tepes clan!"
Selene's eyes looked at the elder wraith with dull eyes, like he was an insect. However, she didn't seem to focus on him; instead, she circled her left hand in the air and snapped her fingers.
'That should be enough, don't blame me for this Nikolai.'
'Next time, you should be stronger.'
'Or I'll chain you in that dungeon so no other woman can touch you!'
A slight look of insanity appeared in her eyes, a flash of light in her blue eyes with dark red pupils, stepping close to the wounded old man.
"Oh? You know me, then why..."
"Why touch my man?"
Before the old man could react, a sudden cold spread through his body, a feeling of lethargy. He tried to correct himself, but he felt his body tilting.
In shock, he looked down to find his left leg snapped at the ankle. His foot froze to the ground—the right foot remained where he stood a moment ago before jumping.
"You bitch!"
He couldn't feel the sensation of blood or signs his wounds would heal, a feeling of dread. How long did he spend fighting countless battles and surviving on scraps? It took so many years for a spoilt princess to kill him.
"I refuse!"
Then she walked toward him with grace and poise like royalty. Selene walked elegantly across the ground with black stiletto heels and a black dress that outlined her curves.
With each step, she created a small step of ice.
Her red pupils glowed in the darkening snowstorm—she said, "Nikolai was right; it feels amazing to have fun doing what you like."
Suddenly, she appeared in front of the elder wraith, snapping her fingers. In an instant, chains of ice rose from the earth, piercing the body of the Elder.
Blood poured from his mouth as if draining all life out of him.
"You see, I don't like people who know what I truly am. Especially old, disgusting insects like you."
"What if my lovely Nikolai discovers the truth, and leaves me?"
Her dull iris and shimmering pupils felt eerie—even at death's door, the elder wraith felt a sense of terror. This woman wasn't normal. Her mind and brain were too deranged and obsessive.
"Y-You... Hrrk.... were supposed to be sealed..... in that god-forsaken place..."
"Hahahaha~ you know, you knew, how did you learn that?! Only a member of the Tepes family should know these details!"
"Ahhh~ a traitor, there are traitors to torture!"
With a snap of her finger, the chains pushed deeper into the man's flesh and bones while leaving no way for the blood to leak.
"Hrrkkk! Please spare me!" The Elder cried, "I'm sorry! I won't get involved with your interests! Y-You love that boy right... I'll leave him alone... I won't attack humans!"
Selene stood with a slightly confused look. Her twisted smile never once faded as her finger pressed against her cheek, deforming it slightly while the surrounding ice spun faster.
"You..."
She couldn't believe this insect. After all, this old man just hurt Nikolai, her sole purpose, so badly.
Besides, she decided to kill him from the moment she saw his ugly face.
She turned around, saying with an eerie yet childish voice.
"Begone."
In the blink of an eye, the entire area transformed into a wasteland of ice, frozen as far as one could see. The bodies and weapons became trapped in time; the elder wraith screamed in pain, only his neck up still unfrozen. Though his flesh slowly continued freezing.
Selene didn't look at the wraith. Instead, she stomped on his abdomen, shattering him into a thousand pieces. Each one sparkled like small stars until they faded into the distance. His head hit the ground, frozen with an expression of disbelief.
"Useless thing... now then~ it's time to pick up my darling."
'Ah... it seems I used too much power...'
"Until next time, Nikolai~ fufu, wait for me."
The moment Selene went down to pick up Nikolai, she whispered something into his ear. Her eyes had become clearer—she returned to the person she was before meeting the elder wraith.
Selene seemed stunned for a moment, her hair slowly turning blonde and her eyes bright red with black pupils. All the surrounding ice melted with the flicker of a flame.
"You really did your best... it seems you've far exceeded father's expectations and mine."
She lowered herself before lifting Nikolai's body, the ice and flames unable to hurt his body. Instead, he looked completely healed, with no more wounds or injuries.
"Good work, Nikolai."
Snap—!
"You're finally done?"
A sudden figure dropped from the air above. Nikita slammed down beside Selene, tossing several male corpses onto the old wraith, before letting out a long sigh. "These damn bastards... almost killing my future maid!" she yelled angrily.
"Why are you so loud? What if you wake him up?"
"Hah? Shut up dyke! Nikolai sleeping~ so rare! Mmmh, so cute."
Nikita looked at his face and smiled.
"He must be dreaming... such a carefree expression," Selene said.
"Tch, whatever let's get moving back, I can already sense Mother coming,"
Nikita grunted in displeasure but then stared at Selene's changed appearance.
"You're back to being like that... I see, such a sly woman."
Selene didn't respond. Instead, she looked back and wondered what the strange black-haired cat was doing. Her eyes narrowed, and Selene observed Risa, who snuck closer. Despite her wounds, she could travel several metres in a single step using her win step.
"Is that her?"
"Yeah, her name is Risa or Lisa... I'm not sure but she smells of Nikolai. It has to be her."
"I see..."
There was a feeling of pain in Selene's chest, but she could only shake her head. She expected this situation, but after calming down, her gaze became fiercer towards the cat, which was now a few metres away.
"Risa, was it?"
Selene called out to the cat because she knew it was impossible to meet Nikolai like this.
'I do not want him to feel constricted and confined...' Discover exclusive tales at m,v--NovelBin.net
"Y-Yes! I am Risa..."
"I will leave Nikolai to you, we've already crushed the stronger wraiths. Now your human friends should be safe to enter."
"Though I am not sure if you really care right now..."
Risa's face seemed pale, but she scowled at Selene while looking fearful of Nikita after watching her fight. Though she vaguely knew the scents of the two women. She wasn't sure about their relationships and who they were to Nikolai but mostly guessed from the intensity of the scent.
"W-what... who...?"
"I am Nikolai's future wife—do not forget that."
"Eh... yes...."
"Take him and head towards the nest, you should be able to kill the remaining fiends with no issue. We have killed all that might have been a danger to him."
Nikita watched the awkward interaction between Risa and Selene with a wry smirk. She then tapped Risa's shoulder before running off towards the city centre.
"I'll be in contact, my little Squire!"
"Tsk..."
Risa clicked her tongue, but now she became linked with Nikita, which made things difficult for her.
"That scheming bitch... hmph!"
She turned back to Selene and froze when she saw the empty expression in her eyes. However, Selene didn't speak more and just left Nikolai on the rocks beside them, stroking his cheek once before she turned to leave.
"Ensure you convince him that the old man retreated at the sound of gunfire. Do not tell Nikolai I was here. Understood?"
'If I do this, he will think it was a dream, seeing me kill the elder wraith. Then I am sure he will still treat me well and won't become scared of me before our marriage... yes, I am sure that girl cannot ruin my chances.'
"Are you listening to me?" asked Selene.
"Yes! Yes! Please go... I don't want to get involved with either of you."
Risa showed disgust for a moment but suddenly found several red claws at her throat, the sharp nails of a vampire. Her gaze looked at Selene in terror, realising her power.
"Hold your tongue."
Selene hissed, her fangs showing slightly.
"I won't hurt Nikolai or do anything to make him sad, I promise... you see..."
"Do you understand who we both are to him?"
Selene pointed toward herself before pointing at Risa's forehead.
"I am the wife, you are the Tenga."
"T-Tenga?!"
"You are nothing more than a toy, to let him blow off steam right now!"
This kind of comment made Risa angry, her claws growing as she growled towards Selene, although she didn't mind that kind of talk in bed when it was in person. She at least wanted some respect.
But Selene didn't pay attention to her anger or feelings; she simply patted Nikolai's cheeks and laughed at Risa.
"I am sorry, that was rude of me. But Nikolai doesn't belong to you. Don't forget that fact. Or you will live a brief life, little cat."
"Even nine lives won't save you."
Then Selene finally left the area, and the static blocking the radio waves opened up with Ryan's concerned voice.
"Pather 3, White Wolf! This is Panther 1 come in! Report your situation over."
The other group was fine—the sound of Brian shouting at the communication, along with the annoying Bruce, made Risa feel at ease, but Nikolai began to stir. It certainly didn't feel good.
"Panther - 1 this is Panther - 3 we are alive, the enemy was powerful but all current enemies are down. Over!"
Although Risa wanted to say more, she felt a sense of terror from those two women. It felt dangerous to speak the truth.
Instead, she told a small lie. All about what SHE saw and not what she heard or sensed.