The Heavenly Empress' Assassin

Next to a secluded mountain village nestled within a forested valley, there ran a sheltered creek extending from a nearby lake. It was neither too deep nor the currents too dangerous, so the children were allowed to play in it, which they frequently did. However, because spring had merely just begun a short while ago, it was still too cold outside. As a result, the only ones going to the streamlet were usually the housewives or young women who would be washing their family's clothing there.

One early morning, a girl maybe 16 years of age, with a youthful appearance akin to a goddess reborn in the mortal realm, carried a basket of dirty clothes with her as she strolled towards the creek. She was humming a cheerful tune that she had heard from a travelling bard a few days ago and was just about to begin scrubbing the laundry clean when she spied something unusual from the corner of her eye: There was an unfamiliar young man lying on the riverbank!

Startled by this discovery, she was about to run away, but then she noticed that this person appeared to be unconscious and deathly pale. Concerned about his well-being, she timidly approached and scrutinized the fellow.

He had white hair that she had only seen on the village's elders before, but was clearly not too much older than herself. His body was lean but muscular, incredibly well-built. His clothes, although reminiscent of an adventurous mercenary's attire, was clearly made out of luxurious materials that she couldn't even name. Every single part of him exuded grace, nobility and beauty to a degree that it took her breath away.

Confronted with a handsome man with an otherworldly charm, innocent and inexperienced as she was, a strong blush couldn't help but creep on her cheeks. Fortunately, the excessive paleness which she had noticed earlier, alongside with the fact that he was perspiring heavily, as if he had a high fever, quickly snapped her out of her risqué fantasies.

"Oh no, he's really burning up! What do I do?!"

After having placed a hand on the stranger's forehead to feel his temperature, the girl began to panic for a bit, before calming down and making a decision. No matter who this person was, she would try her best to nurse him back to health! As there were no doctors in the village and her parents were out to sell their recent produce, she could only rely on the wisdom of her forebears which had been taught to her since childhood.

The main reason as to why she decided to help was because this person was clearly someone of extraordinary origin. If something happened to him close to her village, the entire place might be wiped out in retaliation. Additionally, his heavenly looks were also a significant factor. As the one treating him, nobody would complain if she snuck a few glances, or accidentally brushed against him, right?

Fortunately for the girl, she lived at the very edge of the village, not too far from the small river. So even with her relatively meagre strength, she could still carry the young man to her home, albeit with difficulty. It would have been a lot easier if someone had noticed her and had offered to help out, but it looked like she was the one who had woken up the earliest in her direct neighbourhood.

Left all alone at home with a man for the first time, she couldn't help but get distracted once more as she stealthily snuck a few glances at him now that she had laid him down on her bed to rest.

She wasn't a deviant, though, so she soon regained her senses and soaked a piece of cloth in the cold water outside. After cleaning up his sweat, she placed the makeshift towel on his forehead, intending to lower his excessively high temperature this way.

"I hope you get better soon..."

Shooting another glance at him, she left to do the chores that she had interrupted earlier due to his sudden appearance.

One day flew by in peace and tranquillity. The girl dutifully took care of the young man, far too sheepish and well-raised to take any excessive advantage of him.

The next morning, on a mountain path leading towards the village, a very good-looking, albeit dishevelled young woman clad in decent clothes that had been ripped apart into mere rags hurried along the road.

In her hand she was holding an item that had been wrapped in multiple layers of spare fabric, making observers unable to figure out what it was. She was covered in dozens of wounds that could be spied due to the damaged nature of her attire, but didn't seem to be particularly bothered by them. She had light brown hair and reddish-brown eyes, which were currently filled with resolution, hatred and anticipation.

"I think I should have made it in time..."

Muttering to herself, she retraced the steps that she had taken during the past five months. She was what one would call a 'Regressor', a person with the ability to–after one's death–send one's mind and memory back to a very specific point in the past. This was the first time that she had made use of this ability, and it was all for the express goal of eliminating the one who had killed her–the villainous Theodore Winter!

Thinking about the man whom she had sworn fealty to in her past–or perhaps future–life, she couldn't help but clench her teeth, bone-deep hatred clouding her mind. Contrary to him, this was her home world. She didn't have a transcendent background of any sort, yet had been detected by the Heavenly Dao as someone qualified to partake in the competition. Until she met Theodore, she had never met her match and was confident in her chances!

Alas, a single spar with him had eliminated her delusions of grandeur. He was simply in a league of his own! For the first time, she had felt like her defeated opponents: Lost and confused. That was when he had reached out to her, asking if she would like to tread on this path to greatness together!

Initially conflicted, then flattered and relieved, she agreed and took his hand, transforming from a genius in her own right into his first Follower. In this entire world, and even a few beyond, she had been his most steadfast supporter! Over time, the two of them even had a few intimate encounters that gave her a bit of hope. While she was aware that she did not qualify to be the wife of someone with such an exalted status, surely, the spot of a lover would be achievable?

It was at the end of the third round of the competition, after the two of them had spent around 1,600 years with each other. Right before the fourth round began, Theodore had suddenly murdered her. He didn't speak or give her any explanation, but the unbothered look in his eyes as he snuffed out her life would forever be etched into her memory!

Fortunately, she had always kept one of her Talents a secret, even from him–primarily because she feared that some terrifying enemy might one day read his mind and discover it. 'Regression', while not a Unique-grade Talent, did not impose an upper limit on the number of times that she could revive. Able to repeat the same events infinitely, one could call it an ability with some of the highest growth potential in existence!

Never had she thought that Theodore would be the one to trigger it for the first time, though. For a while after her return to the past, she had been isolating herself and crying her eyes out until she finally made her decision. If Theodore would just use her and toss her aside without a second thought, then she would eliminate this threat in the cradle!

During their plentiful pillow talks, the two of them had shared much about their respective lives. Therefore, she knew exactly what had happened to him immediately after entering this competition! Using her knowledge about the secrets of this world, as well as the exact timing of his arrival and weakened state, she began to make her preparations.

In truth, there were really only two steps to take. First, she searched for one of the ancient ruins buried in this world by the merciless flow of time, which she braved regardless of the danger. While it was still very difficult for her to explore them properly, due to her foreknowledge, she could barely reach a ceremonial dagger that this world's people classified as a 'low-grade divine artefact'. It wasn't close to the greatest treasures that were available, but it was the best that she could acquire and would be more than sufficient for her purposes.

This adventure had taken her almost the entire five months! Only recently did she escape the ruins and then rapidly rush towards the general area in which the remote mountain village that Theodore should have appeared in supposedly was located. Fortunately for her, she discovered it right on schedule.

Recalling her ex-lover's descriptions, she stealthily snuck around its outskirts until she reached a secluded creek, then she cautiously peeked through the open windows of the closest houses for a time.

'Found you!'

Relieved at having finally made it, a small smile played across her lips. But then she took note of the fact that someone else was also in the same room, currently placing a freshly soaked cold cloth on Theodore's forehead.

'My, my. Isn't she a beauty? How come he never told me about her?'

Raising an eyebrow, a passionate desire assaulted her heart as she carefully scrutinized this unusually captivating village girl. Despite her simple clothing and upbringing, if she was dressed up a little, then she would be able to rival even some of the most breathtaking descendants of a Named Family that she had come across. It was absurd how someone this outstanding could be born to utterly ordinary people, but miracles did indeed occur–she herself was another such exception.

Subconsciously licking her lips, the young woman now knew that there would be another great experience waiting for her after she had finally got her revenge–a delectable delight of the licentious variety. Having already embarked on her cultivation journey for a little bit, this body of hers surpassed ordinary people by quite a margin, so she didn't need to worry about any troubles so far from any prosperous areas.

Not waiting any longer, she strolled into the house uninvited.

"Who are you?!"

As she had made no effort to hide herself, the girl noticed the new arrival immediately and stumbled backwards, warily glancing at the young woman who was exuding a dangerous aura.

"Someone who has unfinished business with that patient of yours. And with you too, of course."

Mostly ignoring her prey, as she still had a few minutes of time, she cornered the girl without any shame and raised her chin with her hand, staring directly into those confused, terrified and distraught doe eyes of hers.

Utterly taken aback by the situation, the girl had no idea how to react. She was unable to back away any further, and the creepy behaviour of this woman made her feel extremely uncomfortable. Yet, she still spoke up, as she feared that this encounter might spell bad news for the gentleman whom she had been looking after.

"What kind of business do you have with him?"

Getting reminded of her original purpose, a horrifyingly heavy killing intent poured forth from the young woman's gaze, almost causing the girl to pee herself.

"I'm here to kill him."

Growing pale and shaking like a leaf, the girl balled up her fists. She was about to speak up for the young man, but another look at those spine-chilling eyes made her hold back the words that had been at the tip of her tongue, her mind going blank out of fear.

"You won't be able to stop me, so be obedient. I'll be quick. Now, follow me!"

Grabbing the girl's arm with her right hand and leading her along, not allowing for any defiance, she slung Theodore's body over her left shoulder and carried him outside, far away from the village, into the forest surrounding it. Only half an hour later did their brisk walk come to an end, and she dropped his body on the ground in front of her unceremoniously.

Then, she unwrapped the ornate dagger that she had been brought with her, causing the girl that she forcefully held close to her to pale even further, finding it difficult to stay on her feet.

However, contrary to what she had expected, the murderer-to-be did not stab her target. Rather, she laid the dagger to rest on top of his chest and patiently waited for something to happen, completely focused. Her grip on the girl's arm tightened a little, causing her pain, but she didn't dare to pipe up, too afraid of the consequences of doing so.

The young woman knew that Theodore was being sheltered by a life-saving treasure right now, but she was also aware–as he had told her so himself–that it would lose its protective effect the moment that he woke up. To be entirely certain of success, she had to obliterate him in his entirety at that very instant when he was at his weakest. After all, who knew what kind of Talents that he had kept to himself? Only by completely destroying his body would she be convinced of her success.

Eventually, Theodore's eyelids began to quiver ever so slightly. The second before they opened, the young woman quickly activated the self-destruction sequence that she had engraved into the dagger over the course of her journey here, then stepped backwards a few meters.

Any more than that wouldn't be necessary. Just like how an explosives expert could ensure that only a certain area would be affected by the blast, she knew exactly how to guarantee that the self-destruction would exclusively impact Theodore and his immediate surroundings.

Right as his eyes finally opened, the very space that he was in was utterly shredded to pieces, temporarily leaving behind a wound in the world itself. It occurred so quickly that the kidnapped girl hadn't even grasped what had happened before the world repaired itself, leaving behind nothing but empty air where Theodore had been earlier.

"Great, I succeeded! Then, it's finally time..."

Overjoyed, the young woman trembled, tears dripping down her cheeks. But at the same time, the desires that she had been suppressing since she had met this village girl finally burst forth.

With no regard for her consent, she 'gently' pushed her to the ground, pinning her beneath herself, excitedly starting to remove the girl's clothing in a playful, tortuously slow manner.

Both the frightened and crying victim who was trying to crawl away, but found herself helplessly overpowered, as well as the deviant about to traumatize her did not notice that the instant that they had turned away from the recently healed world's wound, a completely intact Theodore reappeared in that very spot.