My Horny Stepmom Turns Me into Her Vampire Slave

Chapter 189: The fearsome princess

"W-Where the hell did all this strength come from, you damn princess?!" Evelyne snarls, under more pressure than at any point since the fight began.

There’s no trace left of the arrogance and superiority that had been written across her face.

Only fear and worry.

Mia’s scythe comes crashing down at her once again.

Evelyne leaps backward to avoid it, but before the scythe can even slam into the ground, Mia bursts forward and is already on top of her again.

This time, Evelyne can’t dodge.

Mia’s scythe comes crashing down with overwhelming force, and Evelyne barely has time to raise her daggers, crossing them above her head to block the devastating blow.

T-This has to be a joke... right?! Me... one of the legendary Crimson Requiem... struggling against some spoiled little brat?!

Evelyne’s feet sink into the ground under the crushing weight of Mia’s scythe as it keeps pressing down on her.

If Dorian and Lazarus saw me like this, they’d never shut up about me being the weakest one in the group... I can’t let that happen!

The aura surrounding Evelyne grows even stronger, becoming so overwhelming that Mia struggles to keep her footing and hold on to the shaft of her weapon.

Then Evelyne drives harder and harder with her legs. She had been on the verge of being forced to her knees, but little by little she rises back up, pushing the scythe away as she forces it upward.

For a brief moment, a faint grin spreads across Mia’s face.

That’s it... keep going, you bitch! Let it all out! I don’t want you holding back even a single shred of your Sanguis!

With one final, decisive push, Evelyne finally drives Mia’s assault back.

More than that, the force behind that last shove and the overwhelming energy now pouring out of her are enough to make Mia lose her grip on the scythe, sending it flying from her hands.

Acting on instinct, Mia leaps backward.

Her breathing is heavy and ragged. The aura surrounding her grows weaker with every passing second.

Evelyne’s, on the other hand, only keeps growing more intense.

"So what happened to all that swagger from a minute ago, you fucking princess?! You wanted to avenge your baby brother, huh? Poor idiot. Not only are you going to fail, I’m going to kill you the same way I killed him! Get ready to suffer more than you ever have in your entire life!"

A sadistic grin spreads across Mia’s face.

"You’re wrong, Evelyne. You’re the one who’s about to suffer."

"Wha—?"

Before Evelyne can even process what Mia just said, her knees give out beneath her. A heartbeat later, she collapses onto her side. Her body starts twisting across the ground, wracked by agonizing spasms, while piercing, gut-wrenching screams tear from her throat.

When Evelyne looks up at Mia, the unbearable pain gives way, if only for a moment, to pure terror the instant their eyes meet.

Pink, with slit-like golden pupils, just like a reptile’s.

The moment she sees them, Evelyne understands.

The Destruction Dragon Eyes.

She had been forced to release almost all of her Sanguis just to withstand Mia’s assault. There isn’t enough left inside her to keep the unstoppable flames burning within her under control.

She desperately tries to call her Sanguis back and contain the raging inferno, but it’s already too late.

The flames have already spread beyond the point of no return.

"Y-You damn little bitch... you deliberately chose not to use your divine artifact’s power... didn’t you?! You made me believe you couldn’t use it just to lower my guard... you disgusting, cowardly bitch...!" Evelyne growls, barely managing to force the words out through the unbearable pain.

"You’re wrong. I would’ve gladly used that power from the very beginning if I could have. But I was running out of strength, and I only had enough mana left to use it once. I noticed you were doing everything you could to be ready in case I used it, so I simply waited for the perfect moment to fire my one and only shot. That’s all," Mia replies with cold calm.

She retrieves the scythe lying a short distance away, then slowly walks toward Evelyne, who is now completely defenseless and only moments away from being consumed.

"If it’s any consolation..." Mia continues, now standing just a step away from her. "...if I’d been at full strength at the beginning of this fight, you would’ve been dead a long time ago."

"Who the fuck are you trying to kid, you little bitc—?"

SLASH!

An even more bloodcurdling scream than before erupts from Evelyne’s mouth as Mia’s scythe comes crashing down on her right arm, cleanly severing it.

But the screams don’t last long.

The excruciating pain, the blood, and the flames climbing up her throat completely smother every cry that tries to escape her mouth.

Mia stands over her, her hate-filled gaze locked on the dying Evelyne.

"I promised I’d make you pay for every bit of pain you inflicted on my little brother... and I’m going to make good on my word before Azkarith’s flames consume you completely!"

The scythe falls again, this time severing Evelyne’s right leg at the knee.

Then again, slicing through her left wrist, accompanied by a twisted grin and sadistic laughter that terrify Evelyne more than death itself.

"DIE, YOU WHORE! DIE! DIE! DIE!"

Her right thigh, then her left, then her left elbow, until not a single limb remains attached to her body.

Finally, Mia raises the scythe one last time, ready to drive it through Evelyne’s back.

But before the blade can fall, Evelyne’s body crumbles to ash.

Only now do Mia’s irises return to normal.

The scythe slips from her hand, and her whole body begins to tremble uncontrollably, shocked and horrified by what she has just done.

She knows full well that she wasn’t the one who consciously carried out that brutal execution. It was the other her—the cold, ruthless version of herself that emerges whenever she draws on the Tear of Azkarith’s magic.

And yet, that isn’t enough to quiet the fear coursing through her body as she realizes what she’s capable of when she taps into that power.

As much as she wanted the woman who killed her little brother to suffer, she never would’ve gone that far.

Mia shakes her head, trying to drive those thoughts away.

This isn’t the time to get lost in my own fears. I have to help Chris and Leon—

Cold.

Her body suddenly goes rigid the instant that icy sensation shoots through her.

Slowly, she lowers her gaze.

W-What...?

The tip of a sword is jutting out of her chest.

Behind her stands Dorian.

Gripped in his hand is the sword he drove through her back, piercing her heart clean through.

"MIAAAAAAA!"

Chris’s desperate scream reaches her from far away, and a single tear rolls down her cheek.

C-Chris... I’m sorry...

Her vision rapidly fades. Her eyes close. Her breathing stops. Her heart falls silent.

"And that makes two," Dorian remarks with satisfaction as he pulls his sword free from Mia’s back.

Finally, she collapses face-first into a pool of her own blood.