A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

Ansel gazed at Seraphina, who could no longer muster any movement, and sighed softly.

Even at this juncture, Seraphina had failed to breach that boundary.

He began to wonder if fate itself had intervened… though such a thing should be impossible, it was equally inconceivable that Seraphina had not broken through to the fourth stage, despite two consecutive instances of intense pressure and being in optimal condition.

In the predetermined future, although the Sky Wolf Emperor’s life was steeped in blood and sorrow, her path of transcendence had been smooth sailing, barring her expulsion from the Frost Tower.

When breaking through boundaries, she had faced no difficulties, not even the slightest hindrance. The fourth stage, and even the fifth, had come to her naturally, as easily as breathing.

The Sky Wolf Emperor, who had carved a path of carnage to supremacy, had shed all encumbrances after ending the life of her sin-burdened sister. With the purest and truest conviction, she had ascended the highest echelons.

So what differentiated that Sky Wolf Emperor from the Seraphina of now?

The difference… the difference?

Ansel’s pupils trembled slightly.

Was the difference that Seraphina’s family survived, sparing her the agony of losing everything and ending her sister’s life with her own hands?

No, the most significant difference was… himself.

The one who had altered Seraphina Marlowe was none other than Ansel of Hydral.

How could I… have forgotten such a crucial detail?

Understanding of elements, strength of power, intensity of desire – these were all necessary conditions for a typical extraordinary being to advance from the third to the fourth stage.

But this applied only to ordinary transcendents.

For those possessing supreme talent, whose abilities surpassed the masses, geniuses and prodigies encountered only once in decades or centuries, some barriers were self-imposed.

What path to tread henceforth, whether one’s inner resolve was sufficiently steadfast, what manner of being one aimed to become… These introspections were not mandatory, yet every luminous, transcendent talent inevitably engaged in such self-interrogation.

It was unrelated to the constraints of the transcendent system, pertaining solely to themselves.

The Sky Wolf Emperor was sufficiently pure; her purity stemmed from having nothing left to lose, from knowing precisely what she desired. These two factors ensured her heart remained unwavering and clear, her strikes decisive and powerful.

But Seraphina… did she truly comprehend her actions and desires?

She had experienced too little, yet yearned for too much. The changes she sought were overwhelmingly difficult, yet her own life had been smooth sailing. Ansel of Hydral had robbed her of that decisiveness, that… purity.

In other words, if Seraphina were to achieve enlightenment, her greatest enemy would be… Discover exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire

Me?

Because I am the reviled demon, while she is the destined heroine.

“Ansel!”

Ravenna’s anxious cry jolted him back to reality. “Won’t you intervene? Seraphina is about to be crushed by that damn lizard!”

“…”

Seraphina… have you realized it?

In your current bestial state, you should be able to perceive this anomaly acutely.

I’ve influenced your life too profoundly. If you wish to proceed, if you desire to breach the fourth stage, you must make a choice.

Ansel hadn’t anticipated that the hidden peril of his decision to reciprocate Seraphina’s fervent love would manifest so soon.

[“Beasts cannot be tamed. A tamed beast is no beast, but livestock.”]

Seraphina had once answered Ansel thus.

The Beast King was destined to tread a path surpassing all else. On that day, Seraphina’s absolute dominion over her bestial nature had overwhelmed everything, leading Ansel to a crushing defeat and a decision most absurd to him.

Yet even now, Ansel harbored no regrets.

Rescuing Seraphina now might interrupt this process, but Ansel could never bring himself to do so.

“Wait a moment longer,” Ansel murmured, his gaze fixed intently on the immobilized, captive wolf.

“Just… wait a little longer.”

If he were to intervene now, he would never have chosen to kiss Seraphina in the first place.

Even in the face of bestial frenzy, even against the greed and desire that overwhelmed humanity, he trusted in the words she had sworn to him.

He refused to believe that fate could compel her to turn against him.

— Even without truly knowing Seraphina’s essence, believing her to be completely dominated by her bestial nature, Ansel still had faith… in that unbreakable vow.

*

This isn’t how it should be.

Why, at this crucial moment, am I still thinking of Ansel, still pondering matters related to him, trying to solve problems according to his mindset?

I understand now. I… care too much about Ansel.

Since falling for him, loving him, I have consulted him on everything, always considering his opinion, as if I couldn’t live or continue without him.

I have blindly followed Ansel’s arrangements, never questioning the reasons, always believing Ansel is right, that he is eternally correct. So I did nothing, thought nothing, simply obeying Ansel’s words.

Like a doll manipulated by Ansel, like an… ornament hanging from him.

But I… am neither a doll nor an ornament.

Ansel has never viewed me as such, so shouldn’t I reject becoming such a thing even more?

I want to become a fourth-stage extraordinary being, to grow stronger, to change this world. All of this was for my own greed, for my own desires.

It is for, and only for, myself.

In that instant, Seraphina seemed to hear something shatter in her daze.

Then, a dark red aura, utterly different from the previous crimson-black energy, surged skyward.

Even from towns dozens of kilometers away from Dispute Fortress, one could see the dark red pillar of energy seemingly connecting to the heavens.

A more pure, more extreme, more perfect aura of slaughter erupted from Seraphina’s suppressed, exhausted body. In the next moment, the ice-blue dragon’s claw descended.

Amidst the deafening roar, Ravenna instinctively gripped Ansel’s arm.

Miss scholar whispered, “She should be alright, shouldn’t she?”

“She…” Ansel paused.

Unlike the previous chaotic aura of slaughter, this dark red energy contained no trace of Hydral or the Abyss.

It was power belonging solely to Seraphina herself.

The youth smiled, “She’s fine. She’s doing great.”

“She succeeded.”

As he spoke, Seraphina, who should have been crushed by the ice-blue dragon’s claw, appeared in midair.

Ansel watched Seraphina floating in the air, his expression serene.

Even at this moment, when Seraphina’s essence seemed to be severing ties with Hydral, Ansel’s heart remained unwavering.

Even if this was the beast’s choice, he still—

“Ansel!”

Seraphina, floating in midair, suddenly turned back and called out Ansel’s name directly.

If not for Ansel’s assistance through Ravenna, screening all prying eyes and ears in the vicinity, leaving only ethereal fluctuations, Seraphina’s shout would have caused another major problem.

But what stunned Ansel wasn’t Seraphina calling out his name, but her… exuberant appearance.

Not just exuberant, but with a confidence and… pride she had never shown before.

How could this be the appearance of a… beast?

From beginning to end, had Seraphina been making choices with her human nature, never truly being— No… Had there never been a separation or contradiction between Seraphina’s human nature and beast nature from the start?

In that moment, Ansel finally grasped the truth of the situation. If Seraphina’s decision wasn’t driven by bestial impulse but by her complete self, then…

A voice seemed to whisper to Seraphina, not directly in her mind, but as a natural thought:

Ansel is like a shackle, and only by breaking free from his constraints can you achieve true freedom and limitless potential.

So now, make your final decision, Seraphina.

Even if you can’t sever the bond between Hydral and the pact head, even if you can’t cut off your feelings for him, you should no longer be suppressed or bound by him. You should do this, you should sever… your obedience to him.

–>