Chapter 1234: Paralyzing Effect Neutralized!
Inside the almost broken throne room, there was a tense silence… nobody dared to move an inch as they were utterly taken aback by the sudden escalation of things that no one had predicted.
Aether and Victor were utterly shocked by it, their expressions frozen as if carved from stone, as though their minds refused to process what had just unfolded before their eyes.
They had never predicted such an outcome… Morgana killing off Mary?
Just like that? Without hesitation?
They stared at the severed head that rolled upon the fractured floor… the blurriness already disappeared from the body—Mary was truly gone.
Aether looked at the dead body. He… honestly didn't expect Mary to die like that, not so abruptly.
What should he tell her daughter now?
How could he ever explain this cruel end?
Well, it was true that he had planned everything in ways similar to this outcome, weaving threads of inevitability into his schemes, but… this was far too sudden.
"So bitchy~" Morgana muttered with a small, sly grin as she looked at the headless body sprawled lifelessly across the floor.
"Daughter this~ Daughter that~ Does she think of anything other than her precious daughter? So damn annoying, bitch!"
Morgana snorted sharply, then kicked Mary's body aside with casual disdain.
"If you love your daughter that much, just spread her legs and fuck her pussy, bitch!!" she growled with a savage laugh, her eyes flicking to Aether and Victor. A sly grin widened across her lips.
She twisted her thin swords in her hand, the steel glinting in the dim light, as she moved toward the broken throne. Each step echoed with arrogance. Her hips swayed deliberately, seductively, as if she wanted every flicker of her movement to pull their gaze.
Aether, of course, did not fall for that trick… even if that tempting ass… that rhythm of her body was enough to stir hunger in lesser men, but not him.
He wasn't going to fall for that!
Believe him!
He had stared into the abyss far too many times to be undone by such a lowly ploy.
Hmph!
Anyway, Morgana sat upon the broken throne, her body sinking into its shattered glory as she muttered, "Yeah, it feels weird sitting here." Her fingers clenched around the cracked armrest, tapping with idle thought, yet her eyes were far from idle.
She looked at Aether and Victor, her expression torn between amusement and curiosity, as though she enjoyed their reactions as much as the throne beneath her.
"How did you find me? I mean… I am honestly surprised you were able to track me down." She tilted her head, "I was pretty sure I am good at hiding everything… Hmm… curious, curious." Her voice dropped into a low hum as she leaned forward.
Victor stared at her before his lips curled faintly.
Of course, it was easy… easier than she would ever admit. After all, Nightfire was the one who had uncovered it. Nightfire could smell his essence on those women he had been involved with.
That was the reason he had brought Nightfire to the Garden.
Initially, he hadn't thought anything of Morgana.
To him, she was just a nobody... rarely appearing, a shadow behind the curtains of the Void Empire, a Succubus Queen with little weight in the grander scheme.
But then something shifted, something made him look into her matters more carefully… it was when Aqualina got kidnapped.
Aqualina had sworn she saw a tail. Dora, too, had insisted she smelled the scent of a succubus lingering in the air.
And of course, it could have been anyone in the Void Empire, a place swarming with dark bloodlines and creatures of seduction. However… it didn't erase the fact that Morgana, who remained so close to Mary, might have been involved with something far more dangerous, right?
At first, it was just purely coincidental. He had no solid proof, no other direct evidence… until the opportunity presented itself in the most twisted way possible.
It was when she fucked him.
Sure, it wasn't what he had been hoping for, not at all. But he used that chance... he had no choice but to take advantage of the moment.
And when he was granted entry into the Garden, he brought Nightfire with him. Nightfire could smell the essence leaking from Morgana's skin.
He had never fucked anyone other than his wives… except this woman.
Which led, in the end, to this conclusion.
A strange, almost unbelievable way to uncover the truth.
A weird way to find!
But yeah, he found her for who she truly was and finally understood everything.
Of course, he wasn't going to explain this to her… not everything, not now.
Morgana shrugged when she noticed Victor and Aether refusing to answer her.
"Whatever," she said at last, tilting her head with an amused expression, a smirk curling on her lips. "Still though, you've got some damn nerve to play your little tricks against me, Victor… What if I told the Hunter, the so-called New Master, that you betrayed us? Do you think you could keep playing around like this, boy?"
Her grin sharpened, her eyes glowing with a dangerous light as they locked onto Victor.
However—
"Go on," Victor interrupted calmly, his voice dripping with mockery, "it's not like I'm the only one who betrayed them… am I?"
That single remark made Morgana flinch, even if only slightly, her smile faltering for a heartbeat. "Huh?" she hissed.
Victor's smirk grew wider, crueller, as he stepped forward, each step deliberate, "Should I tell them who released Aqualina and her maid from the cube they were captured in?"
That made her flinch harder, "What are you talking about?"
"Haha… come on now," Victor sneered, his tone mocking yet edged with steel. "It's not that hard to figure out, you know? Master Snape always knew there was a mole in the organisation… but it was never Jack who betrayed him." His smirk deepened, "There's another mole, one who lived right under his nose."
He tilted his head, his smile sly, "A mole that wanted to play games. A mole that wanted to toy with everyone. While they fought and bled, she just sat in the corner, enjoying the spectacle, laughing behind her mask."
Victor's grin widened, "Now imagine this… if the Hunter were to find out, who do you think he would believe? Me? A man who only sought revenge for my beloved Master Snape~" His voice echoed sarcasm as his sly grin burned deeper into her.
"Or you?" he pressed, his tone turning colder, "The one who betrayed him right under his nose, destroying every careful plan he laid. Don't worry, I have all the proof… just like how I found you." Victor bared his teeth in a wicked grin.
Honestly, he didn't have any fucking proof.
Nothing solid, nothing he could shove into her face… other than the faint glimmer of hope that the crystal tucked away in the corner was silently recording everything now. That, at least, might be enough.
Morgana frowned, her lips curving downward. She wasn't an idiot—she didn't believe his words fully.
But at the same time… he had found her.
That alone was proof of his cunning.
Who knew what kind of trick he might be playing now, what cards he still had hidden?
"So this is revenge?" Morgana asked finally.
Victor shrugged lazily, "Maybe… maybe not…" he replied, and as he spoke, his eyes glowed dangerously.
Morgana raised her eyebrows, then gave a slow nod. She turned her gaze to Aether, who was silently watching this deadly game unfold.
"I really pity you," Morgana said, her tone suddenly playful, "Dragged into this without knowing anything… Honestly, I don't even know why, but I kind of liked you. That funny face of yours… Haha… you're so cute, you know~" She winked at him, her lips curving into a teasing smile.
Aether's lips twitched. But before he could act,
"That's why you have to die first!"
She vanished in a blur of motion, appearing before him in less than a breath, her metallic swords flashing as they crossed in the air—aimed to slice his body into pieces. The steel was inches away, ready to tear him apart… if not for Victor's sudden intervention.
His bare hands intercepted hers, holding them firm before they could reach Aether.
"I am your target!" Victor spat, his voice sharp as he kicked her side with brutal force.
But Morgana only shrugged, twisting her body with serpentine grace, dodging low as she swung to cut his leg—at least, that's what she thought.
Before the blade could taste blood, Aether's foot connected with her, a kick that sent her flying back across the fractured throne room, crashing against the broken stone.
Thud!
Morgana rolled across the fractured stone, her body twisting like a serpent before she finally caught her balance. She stood with a hiss of breath, one hand clenching her sides as her bones clicked audibly back into place. Her glowing eyes snapped toward Aether and Victor, who now stood together shoulder to shoulder, sly expressions carved into their faces as though the battle was already theirs to claim.
"Two versus one?" Victor asked with an amused tone, "Are you sure you can win this?"
Morgana smirked darkly, "Bitch, please," she sneered,"if anything, you're dying with him today!"
Tang!
Her swords clashed together with a metallic ring, sparks scattering in the dim throne room. Like a fluid dancer, she moved, her hips swaying, her tattered skirt flipping outward in a rainbow arc as she spun. Her heel slammed into the ground, a ripple of force surging outward like a shockwave.
Crack!
The floor cracked. A wave of crushing energy raced toward them.
Aether and Victor moved as one, leaping high, their figures vanishing into the air. Together they fired torrents of flame and ice, furious arcs that tore across the throne room like a storm.
Morgana only laughed, spinning in midair as her swords danced in wide arcs, slicing through fire and frost alike. Explosions of heat and shards of ice shattered across the broken pillars, spraying the throne room with molten steam.
Then, with a sudden flick, she hurled one of her swords at them, exploiting the gap she had forced.
Thud!
The blade struck true, piercing Victor's shoulder. His teeth clenched, but instead of faltering, he gripped the weapon itself, yanking it free with insane force and hurling it back toward her. The shot cut the air like a meteor, crashing down where she stood—yet Morgana twisted her body, dodging it. The weapon stabbed deep into the stone, the ground splitting open like a gaping wound.
"Do you think you can escape after killing Mary?" Aether roared.
He was already in motion, his hand blazing with purple fire, the flames wrapping his arm. He lashed forward, but Morgana's laughter echoed as she raised her palm.
Black flames erupted, devouring his purple blaze like a predator swallowing prey.
She spun, her body twisting midair as her leg lashed out. Victor, who had tried to sneak behind her, took the kick full in the chest. "Bad boy~" she smirked, her sultry tone dripping with mockery, even as her other arm swept to block Aether's strike. Her wrist flicked, and from her sleeve a blade slid into her palm. She slashed an elegant, deadly 'X' in the air, sparks raining as steel tore against stone.
"Haha… it would be easy with you two," she taunted, her grin wicked, her eyes alight with cruelty. "After all… you're the ones who killed her. Aren't you?"
Her blade nicked their chests... They had escaped—just barely.
!~Ding~!
[Paralyzing Effect Neutralized!]
Aether exhaled with relief.
Morgana blinked with a flicker of surprise. They should have been on their knees, but instead, both Victor and Aether stood tall.
She smirked again, lips curling with amusement. "You guys really are something else," she muttered. Then, with a sharp kick against the ground, she blurred forward like a thunderbolt.
Victor and Aether reacted instantly. Their figures split apart, one to the left, one to the right. The throne room shook with the violence of their clash. Victor's ice burst outward, forming jagged spears that lunged at her from every direction, while Aether's purple fire blazed into a torrent that painted the entire hall in violet flame.
Morgana roared, spinning between them. She cut down ice spears with a single sweep of her sword, the shards shattering into razor-edged snow that stung against their skin. Her black fire surged against Aether's purple blaze, the two flames colliding in a violent explosion that sent a shockwave tearing through the throne room. Walls cracked, and the ceiling shuddered.
She lunged at Victor, her sword flashing in brutal arcs. Victor crossed his blade just in time, sparks spraying as steel ground against steel. Morgana twisted, her heel driving into his ribs. He staggered, but Aether was already there, leaping in with a blazing fist that smashed against her guard.
Her arm trembled from the impact, the ground beneath her feet cracking. She turned her blade into a whirl of black steel, striking upward, forcing Aether to backflip away.
Then, with a feral grin, she threw herself at them again.
They clashed in midair. Punches cracked ribs, blades slashed skin, blood and fire and ice mixing into a storm that consumed the throne room.
Victor's knee smashed into her stomach. Aether's elbow drove toward her spine. But Morgana twisted in impossible angles, her body moving with predatory grace, blocking both as she lashed out with her own counterstrike.
Her foot snapped into Victor's jaw, sending him reeling, while her blade slashed for Aether's throat. He ducked just in time, the strike cutting strands of his hair instead of flesh.
Snarling, she caught Aether's hand mid-punch, twisting it until bone creaked. Then, with a vicious roar, she slammed him down into the ground hard enough to leave a crater.
BOOMM!!
Aether groaned as he rolled back to his feet, Victor landing beside him. The two stood together once more, panting, eyes locked on Morgana. She smirked despite the blood trailing down her lip, her body injured but far from broken.
Aether glanced at Victor, who raised his eyebrows with a dry smirk. "Oh? Right… for a succubus, you're really good at fighting."
Morgana smirked back, "I'll take that as a compliment," she whispered, her voice low and sultry, before she vanished in a blur.
In the blink of an eye, she reappeared right before them, her blades raised, ready to cleave them both in half with a single sweeping horizontal slash.
But then—
"Haha… come on, Victor," Aether sneered with a sly grin, "She wasn't even a succubus to begin with!"
For a split second, Morgana froze mid-strike, her eyes widening in shock at his words. That tiny hesitation was all they needed.
Victor and Aether moved together, their legs snapping out at once.
BOOM!!
Their combined kick struck her squarely, blasting her back through the air. The throne room erupted with dust and debris, pillars collapsing and stone exploding outward from the force of impact.