Damn it, I didn't win

All his edge, all his resistance, all his hatred and obsession seemed like a laughable joke in the face of absolute strength.

Xingsu dropped heavily to one knee in the cold light that lay like a pool of blood. His chest heaved, cold sweat dripped constantly from his temples, and every muscle and bone ached piercingly. He looked up at the woman standing calmly before him, yet his eyes still refused to yield.

Crucabena tipped Xingsu's head up slightly with her sword, looking down at the boy who had suffered a wretched defeat but whose eyes remained defiant. Her voice held not a trace of warmth:

"I have to admit, you're one of the finest children I've ever seen. You already shine brightly enough. Unfortunately, courage and an edge alone are nowhere near enough to challenge my order. Survival of the fittest, blood and struggle-no one has ever been, or will ever be, an exception."

Bang! Crucabena kicked Xingsu in the chest.

The boy tumbled across the ground several times, then stubbornly used every ounce of his strength to prop up his upper body.

A tremendous force pulled at the back of Xingsu's neck, forcing his head upward. Crucabena crouched before him, her face full of mockery.

"You know, I'm almost reluctant to kill you. You're so outstanding, after all. Did those weak qualities of Clervie's influence you? Innocence? Kindness? How lovely they sound. Unfortunately, they're utterly useless! You've merely taken the wrong path. Eventually, you'll understand that I am the mother of the House of the Hearth. Following me and becoming king is the only right path!"

As though something else had occurred to her, Crucabena suddenly turned vicious, clamping both hands tightly around Xingsu's throat.

"You know, you and Peruere are my proudest masterpieces. I thought Clervie might learn something from the two of you, but instead, being together bred betrayal!"

"Cough... cough..." The pressure on his neck left Xingsu able to squeeze only broken gasps from his throat. The words he spat out were all fractured, intermittent breaths, hoarse and ragged. Every word consumed what little strength remained in his body. "For Clervie... to have... a mother... like you... cough... cough... is truly... her... tragedy..."

Crucabena laughed in her fury and slammed Xingsu hard onto the ground. "Still speaking up for Clervie, even now? Oh... right, I forgot to tell you. Clervie should be fighting your little sweetheart Peruere to the death right about now.

"That foolish child Clervie heard that I knew you were planning to assassinate me. She was willing to do anything to keep you alive. She's so easy to manipulate."

Heh, so that's it. No wonder Peruere still hasn't arrived. If it were me facing Clervie, I wouldn't have the heart to kill her either.

"Ah~ I wonder which of them will win... I still think more highly of Peruere. After all, I'm really looking forward to seeing you and Peruere fight to the death. Hehehe."

"Dream on..." Xingsu swayed as he tried to stand, only for Crucabena to casually strike him back to the ground.

"Crucabena! Kill me! As long as I'm alive, I'll kill you one day!" Blood stained the corner of Xingsu's mouth, but his tone was utterly firm.

"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, I know." Contrary to what Xingsu had imagined, Crucabena was not angry in the slightest. Instead, she came over and stroked his head affectionately. Had the person before him not been Crucabena, he would have almost felt like an unruly child talking back to his mother.

Crucabena crouched and leaned gently toward his ear. "It's all right. If you're the child who survives to the end, I'll train you slowly until you've become exactly what I want.

"Even if you refuse to submit, that's all right too. As it happens, I know a learned doctor. I imagine changing someone's thoughts wouldn't be difficult for him.

"But I'd still rather you didn't end up in his hands. After all, when he goes mad, even I have to fear him a little. So, for your sake and mine, you'd better behave. Hohoho, hahahaha."

Xingsu's eyes briefly lost focus, and a chill swept through his body. Crucabena truly wasn't lying about this. Large-scale human experimentation, dissecting living people without anesthesia, researching forbidden resurrection techniques, treating the lives of his subordinates as worthless... saying Dottore's crimes were too numerous to record would be a compliment.

"Aren't you afraid that if you hand me over to Dottore, he'll give you back a monster?"

"Mm-hmm, at least that little monster would obediently do as I say, wouldn't he?"

"..."

This woman was insane.

This woman had to be insane.

I should never have tried to understand her with a normal person's way of thinking.

To have such a sick mindset, this woman truly was... pitiful.

"Don't look at me like that. I know exactly what I'm doing."

"...Lunatic."

"Mm-hmm, thank you for the compliment." A hint of... a smile actually appeared on Crucabena's face?

"Oh, it seems our guest has finally arrived. Little Xingsu, take a short nap for now."

"Mmph, mmph!" Crucabena took out a handkerchief and pressed it over Xingsu's nose and mouth. Already utterly exhausted, Xingsu no longer had the strength to resist her. He struggled reflexively for a moment, then passed out.

Contrary to what Crucabena thought, Clervie had not actually held Peruere up.

Crucabena's plan had been to place Xingsu and Peruere at the two farthest points within the area, have Clervie duel Peruere, deal with Xingsu herself, then finish off Peruere.

But since Clervie had chosen to die willingly beneath Peruere's sword, why had Peruere still failed to arrive in time?

"Ahahahahaha, I've finally caught you!"

Indeed, the one holding Peruere up was an unexpected minor figure-Scott.

"Didn't expect this, did you? I've been conserving my strength here, waiting for my chance, all to avenge the brothers and sisters who went before me!

"My poor beloved friends and family, my brothers and sisters! Every one of them was loyal and true, yet they all died just like that!"

"..." Peruere had no desire to listen to this man's nonsense. She raised her sword and thrust.

"Oh my, my dear lady, why such a temper? I'm so scared!" Scott dodged the thrust by a hair's breadth and ran off in one direction.

Peruere was just about to take a step when she suddenly sensed something wrong beneath her feet. Reacting swiftly, she avoided the trap on the ground with a backflip.

"Hehehe, not bad moves. To tell you the truth, I've filled this whole area with animal traps. Their exact locations are all in my head. If you want to kill me, come and get me! Hehehe, hahahaha!"

As luck would have it, this was also the only route to Xingsu.

Peruere now felt as sick as if she had swallowed a fly. How could anyone be so disgusting and shameless!