Chapter 3: The Blood Princess’s Reckoning

In the gloomy corner, the click of heels echoed.

The maiden, who danced in darkness, now emerged from the shadows with an elegant, cat-like stride.

Her hair was an unsettling shade of red, as if steeped in fresh blood. A playful smile danced on her lips, lending her an alluring, almost seductive charm, while the ample curves of her chest swayed provocatively with each step.

All of this, of course, was easy to notice — provided one could overlook the agate-colored vertical pupils that gleamed in her eyes.

Blood-red and radiating a chilling light, her very presence was like a crimson rose blooming by the roadside: beautiful, yet laced with deadly poison.

Anyone who dared to approach her carelessly would, without realizing it, be pierced to death by her thorns.

“The immense amount of Corrosive Force — you deliberately injected it, didn’t you?”

Mo Ya withdrew his gaze from her and turned it towards Shakia on the battlefield.

True to her title as the Ice Witch, Shakia’s silver spear was now encased in a layer of ice spikes, enhancing its already formidable sharpness.

“Yes, I injected it.”

Blood Princess admitted readily, without offering any explanation.

“You released the Corrosives too, didn’t you?”

Mo Ya did not turn around, simply continuing his inquiry. A hint of coldness, however, had crept into his eyes.

The outcome was already clear: the unruly Corrosive that had just perished by his hand had clearly been under this woman’s command. Otherwise, Mo Ya could not fathom why it would have attacked him.

Her purpose, too, was glaringly obvious: to test just how much his strength as a king had diminished.

Blood Princess was indeed such a terrifying woman.

Upon hearing Mo Ya’s words, Blood Princess said nothing. Instead, she took another step and embraced Mo Ya from behind.

Mo Ya felt the warmth emanating from his back as Blood Princess subtly pressed her ample chest against him, swaying her body back and forth. Her eyes held a hint of bewitchment.

“You are entirely correct, my noble King.”

She twisted her body wantonly, completely disregarding their current surroundings, simply holding Mo Ya tightly.

Fortunately, the location Mo Ya had chosen was already somewhat secluded, and coupled with the Corrosives’ agitation, the area was virtually deserted. Otherwise, he truly wouldn’t have known how to resolve the situation.

Moreover, Mo Ya distinctly felt a rising heat in his body. This couldn’t continue, at least not under these circumstances.

As he made this judgment, Mo Ya swiftly lowered his center of gravity, breaking free from Blood Princess’s embrace.

At the same moment, Blood Princess’s expression trembled as if she had suffered a severe blow. If one were to disregard what had transpired moments before, she would have given the impression of a helpless, vulnerable woman.

“Why? Why did you avoid me, my King?”

She spoke, her eyes seeming somewhat lost, tinged with despair and confusion.

Mo Ya merely looked at her calmly, gently squeezing out a few words from his throat.

“I am no longer a King. I am merely a magic apprentice.”

“No! A King is a King! That will never change, no matter what. You are my eternal King! So, why would you learn the magic of such lowly creatures as humans? It only diminishes your status!”

“That’s not right. From the moment my title was stripped, I ceased to be King. Furthermore, most of my Corrosive Force has been sealed, and I am far from what I once was.”

Mo Ya spoke, clenching his fists. A sense of humiliation, the indignity of being schemed against, intensified within his heart.

He made a decision then and there.

‘Just you wait. Don’t let me find any weakness, and hide yourself well in the shadows.’

‘Otherwise, I cannot say what I might do.’

“Ah… ah… it’s not like that. A King should be high above all.”

Hearing Mo Ya’s words, Blood Princess seemed to suddenly lose her composure. Her body swayed uncontrollably on the ground, losing her balance, much like a drunken traveler.

“Blood Princess…”

Mo Ya knew in his heart that when it came to loyalty, no one revered him more than she did.

When he was cast out by the Corrosive World, not a single soul followed him, not one stood by his side. It was then that he first felt true loneliness.

Now, a month later, Blood Princess had appeared before him. No one knew what she had done during that month, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was that she was truly here, standing before the King she served. Beyond that, nothing else needed to be said.

Mo Ya knew that if he desired it, her body, her very being, could easily be his. Yet, Mo Ya did not act on it; he respected everything about Blood Princess.

“A King should be high above all… yes… high above… Ah, so… so that’s how it is.”

Blood Princess, who had been swaying, suddenly stopped. She regained her balance, and light once again gleamed in her eyes, as if her reason had returned.

Blood Princess walked to Mo Ya’s front and raised her right hand. In response, a crimson surge of energy abruptly swirled up from the ground, coalescing at her fingertips.

Following her gaze, her finger pointed directly at Shakia, the Ice Witch, who was still dancing amidst the battle.

“Hey…”

“It’s alright, my King. You’ve merely been misled by these humans. Yes… that’s it! Please wait a moment longer; I will make you see clearly at once! You don’t need to hide your Corrosive Force at all; just release it all. This power is hundreds of times stronger than magic!”

“Blood Princess!”

Mo Ya was slightly angered.

“Go… bring the King back! My King, who belongs only to me!”

Blood Princess laughed maniacally, unleashing the sphere of blood energy that had condensed in her hand.

The blood energy swiftly tore through the street and plunged into the battlefield.

Shakia was locked in combat with two Corrosives. It wasn’t that she couldn’t handle these low-level manifestations of negative thoughts.

Rather, she had detected a subtle anomaly: the Corrosive Force of these two Corrosives had suddenly intensified several times over since she had first captured them.

Such a surge in Corrosive Force would be impossible unless they had suddenly mutated into a higher-tier Corrosive.

Yet… they hadn’t developed any intelligence; they were merely biting and tearing aimlessly based on instinct.

This implied that behind them… something unseen was manipulating them.

Just as she was pondering this, one of the Corrosives lunged swiftly towards her.

“You truly are bothersome. Fine, I’ll just finish you off.”

A frigid aura radiated from her, stirring her ribbon-like black hair. The silver spear she wielded was now covered in ice, forming a spear of pure ice.

“Then, goodbye.”

She took a step back, shifting her weight to her lower body. Then, with a powerful leap, she thrust the ice spear towards the charging Corrosive.

The cold ice spear pierced through the Corrosive’s body without resistance, leaving only its gradually dissipating corpse still impaled on the weapon.

She watched the Corrosive she had slain with confidence, a smile gracing her lips.

However, the battle was far from over; in fact, it had only just begun. A blood-red spherical wave of energy surged towards her.

Her eyes widened with disbelief and shock, completely caught off guard by the sudden turn of events. At that moment, only one thought remained in her mind.

‘I can’t dodge it…’

In that instant, she had never felt death so close.

“Indeed, can humans truly never escape fate?”

She closed her eyes, preparing to await the arrival of her destiny.

But… that moment never came. She only felt the blast of wind whistling past her ears.

Shakia opened her eyes in disbelief.

Then, his figure entered her vision: a mysterious man clad in black, wearing a white mask, who had shielded her from the attack of death.

“…Why, my King…”

Blood Princess’s expression was incredibly complex.

“This is not yet the end point of your destiny.”

Beneath the mask, resided a King’s gentle heart.

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