Before I could even react—
*Stab…*
Something punched through my body.
"—Cough…!"
Blood gushing out of my mouth before the pain even registered. My knees buckled midair as my vision jolted, lagging behind reality by a fraction of a second.
I looked down.
A blade had grown out of my stomach.
The space where Seth had been was suddenly occupied by Lydia—no movement, no transition—just a replacement, as if reality had corrected itself.
His sword jutted through my abdomen from behind, slick with blood and steaming faintly as if my body itself rejected it too late, the impact was so clean I hadn't even felt the edge—only the aftermath.
"…Their master."
His breath brushed my ear as he leaned in close, voice so low it's almost freezing.
"That," he whispered slowly, as if savoring every syllable, "is a True Dragon's biggest flaw."
"Yuu!" Verdra screamed.
"Kill!" She ordered immediately.
In an instant, she and the two other True Dragons—under her True Dragon Supremacy skill's effect—surrounded him.
Verdra flashed behind him, hellfire roaring as she pulled her greatsword to her side, ready to cleave him in half.
Nyxia lunged sideways, lance intense with icy haze aimed straight for his heart.
Lydia rushed forward and raised her rifle, energy screaming on its end as it charged at point-blank range.
"Get your filthy hands off him!!" Verdra roared, fury distorting her voice as she swung—
—and suddenly, everything stopped.
Verdra froze mid-swing.
Nyxia halted mid-thrust.
Lydia's rifle dimmed, its charge dying silently.
At the same moment, my skull felt like it was about to split open from the inside.
A woman's voice—raw, shrill, and hateful—flooded my mind without mercy, without pause, without end…
[I hate you! I despise you! I'll kill you! Curse you! Go to hell! I hate you! I despise you! I'll kill you! Curse you! Go to hell! I hate you! I despise you! I'll kill you! Curse you! Go to hell! I hate you! I despise you! I'll kill you! Curse you! Go to hell! I hate you! I despise you! I'll kill you! Curse you! Go to hell! I hate you! I despise you! I'll kill you! Curse you! Go to hell! I hate you! I despise you! I'll kill you! Curse you! Go to hell! I hate you! I despise you! I'll kill you! Curse you! Go to hell! I hate you! I despise you! I'll kill you! Curse you! Go to hell! I hate you! I despise you! I'll kill you! Curse you! Go to hell! I hate you! I despise you! I'll kill you! Curse you! Go to hell! I hate you! I despise you! I'll kill you! Curse you! Go to hell! I hate you! I despise you! I'll kill you! Curse you! Go to hell! I hate you! I despise you! I'll kill you! Curse you! Go to hell! I hate you! I despise you! I'll kill you! Curse you! Go to hell!]
Over, and over, and over again, stacking on itself, shredding my thoughts, drowning everything else out—it wasn't sound—it was intent, pure and venomous—madness.
"Urgh—!" I choked, my body spasming as agony ripped through both flesh and mind.
What… the hell… is this…?
I can't— move—
I— can't think… straight.
"How do you like the lullaby?" Seth whispered, pressing his face closer to mine, voice dripping with satisfaction.
Then he twisted the sword.
"AAAARGH—!!"
My scream tore itself out of my throat as my sword slipped from my grip and vanished below down the barren ruins. The pain was absolute, worse than any wound I'd suffered since my arrival to this world—in my whole life—worse than broken bones or torn organs. This wasn't just damage.
This was…
violation.
"I'll introduce you properly," Seth said cheerfully, glancing at me with a grotesquely wide grin. "Meet Viscilla. She loves me so much that she never stopped singing her praise for me—not even after her unfortunate death."
The cursing intensified, drilling deeper into my mind, and for some unspeakable reason, my brain load keeps spiraling out of my control, making the intensity of the pain doubled.
—————————————————
Brain Load: 84%
—————————
"You can hear her too, can't you?" he continued softly. "Such a beautiful voice. Pity she's just an Artifact now… but my love for her never faded."
He leaned closer.
"So?" his tone sharp, and cruel. "How does it feel to be pierced by her?"
His expression suddenly twisted, eyes shining with something… broken.
"Aaah… I envy you."
His voice trembled with warped delight.
"To have your final moments drowned in her gentle, devine singing."
I couldn't even process his words. My thoughts were disintegrating, torn apart by excruciating pain, and pure unadulterated hatred that was not even my own.
"Ver… dra…" I whispered weakly as blood keep gushing out of my mouth.
Through my 3rd-person view, I saw them—Verdra, Nyxia, Lydia—floating still in the air. Their wings beat mechanically to maintain altitude, but their limbs hung limp, eyes vacant, expressions hollow. Like marionettes with their strings cut off.
"…What—did you… do— cough— to her…?"
He chuckled.
"Didn't I explain it already?"
His tone was patient—educational.
"A True Dragon's greatest weakness is their master. When their master dies, so do they."
He pressed the sword deeper—deliberately, slowly—twisting it as if searching for the most painful angle.
"Aaargh—!"
"And as for control?" he continued casually. "A draconic contract binds both souls. Just by touching either one… and both fall under my command."
"Hahaha…" His laughter echoed. "This is the part I truly adore—watching a puny creature clinging to a glimmer of hope, only for me to crush it completely. The current expressions you wear makes every tedious steps of this long process worth every trouble."
"Oh, and don't bother struggling," he added lightly. "You'll only tear yourself apart. Your soul already belongs to me, after all."
He tapped my forehead with a finger.
"Still, your ability to retain even a semblance of control over your body—after all my efforts to dismantle your mind—is nothing short of impressive."
"Either way!" he continued brightly. "Shall we get started with the skill-extraction process."
His hand moved toward my head.
Is— this it…?
Is this how I meet my end?
No escape from this acursed dungeon.
No revenge for those elven bastards.
Just erased— by the source of everything that ruined me.
…What a pathetic way to end a story.
…On a positive note… at least, the pain will be ended soon…
But then—
Her beautiful smile.
Her soothing voice.
Her cute pouty face.
Her gentle—dangerously enticing—body curves.
Verdra…
All flashed through my mind.
No…
I refuse,
I won't lose her.
I'd bargain even with the Demon Lord himself if it meant keeping that teasing smile of her!
I will not fall here.
Not in this filthy shithole!
With everything I had left—every scrap of will, every bit of strength—I forced my arms to move.
My hands clamped down on Seth's blade, flesh sizzling and splitting as blood poured from my palms.
"Ho?" Seth raised an eyebrow. "Still moving?"
He smiled wider.
"You never fail to amuse me, young boy. But I'm afraid—"
Then he twisted the sword again.
"—this is where it ends."
"Argh—!!"
I fought anyway. Desperately… uselessly. Blood dripped from my hands as my strength bled away with it.
in the end…
It's all futile.
—————————————————
Brain load: 95%
—————————
His hand finally settled on my forehead.
The pain worsened beyond what I had thought was already the worst.
The cursing voice screamed louder.
Reality warped on me. My senses twisted. My thoughts unraveled, one by one, slipping through my grasp as madness closing in, replacing all that's left of my sanity.
Everything blurred on me—
—as the world itself faded before my eyes.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Haaah—!" I gasped for air and jolted upright.
My lungs felt like severely crushed as if I'd just resurfaced from the ocean deepest depth—
—Actually, no, I'm fine.
I glanced down my stomach, there's no wounds nor scratch, even my shirt hadn't thorned, like I never got stabbed in the first place.
…What's happening here? Where am I?
As I surveyed my surroundings, my quandary answers itself.
For some reason, I found myself in a familiar place—a vast, endless white space stretching as far as eyes could see. There was no floor, no walls, no ceiling. I seemed to be floating, yet my body was seated as if on solid ground.
…This place again.
"My subconscious realm…" I muttered.
"So you already aware of this place," a man's voice came from behind me. "That'll save me some explaning."
"Someone had bring me here before…" I replied flatly as I stood up and turned toward the voice.
Standing there was a black-haired man in a black robe, roughly around 180cm (5.9 ft) tall with pointed ears. Behind him, 3 exceptionally beautiful women around 10 cm shorter than him stood elegantly.
Each of the womans was dressed in a similar looking loose, off-shoulder robe that carried a regal grace, exposing a restrained amount of cleavage—elegant and composed, suggesting confidence rather than seduction.
They were all painfully familiar.
After all, I had fought them to the death just moments ago.
Seth.
Nyxia.
Lydia.
Crona.
"Seth—no," I corrected myself, narrowing my eyes. "You're Verd, right?"
The man smiled, solemn but gentle. "I'm glad you can tell the difference between me and that monster."
"You radiates a different kind of aura," I shrugged. "and you're probably the reason why he lose control over his body earlier in our fight."
I exhaled softly. "So… why am I here? Am I dead already?"
"No. You're still alive…" His smile tightened slightly. "Barely, though. I was the one who brought you here—your soul—along with these lovely ladies'."
"My." Nyxia giggled gracefully beneath her palm.
Despite the daunting dark-blue horns that curled and branched menacingly from her head, her straight, snowy-white hair flowed reaching her ankles, swaying with serene grace as soothing, almost motherly tones slipped from her lips.
"What a sweet way of speaking, Mr. Verd."
"You know me, Your Highness? We've never met directly if my memories still serve me right."
"Of course I know you. My husband speaks highly of you often."
"Ahaha…" Verd laughed awkwardly, scratching his cheek. "I hope he didn't share anything too embarrassing from our younger days."
"Oh, he did actually,"
Crona cut in at once, raising finger for counting. A bright, cheerful aura clung to her, brimming with unmistakable confidence—an energy that felt almost blinding when paired with her sunny, yellow hair and straight blue horns—while still maintaining the regal air around her.
"He told us about how you two snuck into a brothel only to get caught by his father's covert bodyguards, about how you nearly killed each other over a woman—only to get rejected by her afterward, about—"
"Alright! Alright! Halt. Please!" Verd interrupted hastily, face flushing. "We heard enough, Your Highness. Please spare me."
"Oh?" Crona tilted her head innocently. "I thought you wanted confirmation. Very well, I'll stop then."
"…Um," I interjected carefully. "Shouldn't I be getting out of here as soon as possible?"
"Ahem." Verd straightened. "There's no need to worry. We still have more than an hour before this spell expires. And from the outside, only a single second will pass."
"That's good to hear," I exhaled. "So… why gather us all here?"
"I—We are here to help you fight the 7th Epitome of Evil and—" Verd paused, frowning. "Why do you look so unenthusiastic? Where's that sarcastic mouth of yours that you always aimed at Seth gone?"
"Well, duh." I rolled my eyes. "I'm literally on the brink of death right now, Verdra's still under Seth's control, and that cursed sword's voice—his so-called 'lover'—is still kinda echoing in my head. Why would you expect me to be cheerful?"
"…That's better," he said plainly, smiling.
I… didn't responds.
"Come now," Verd continued. "Don't strain yourself. You'll fight better in a good mood. Try imagining something funny. Or—" he glanced at me meaningfully, "for a young boy like you… something sensual."
Verdra… my evaluation of your previous master—wannabe—just dropped by a point.
But something sensual, huh…?
(Aahn—!)
Without warning, vivid memories resurfaced—with Verdra beneath me, how I made her voice reduced into mere breathless, soft moans, as her composure completely shattered under my skin—
I violently shook my head.
Nope. Stop. Abort. Begone improper thought!
God, I hate teenage hormones—
—I already 18, though. Am I still a teenager, or am I an adult now…?
Either way, Sorry, Verdra—
…but that's your fault for being way too irresistibly beautiful.
Yeah. This isn't on me. This is just how a boy's brain works.
Yep, that's must be it.
Suddenly, an extreme chill ran down my spine.
I slowly creak my neck up.
All four of them were staring at me.
Grinning.
Every single one of them.
Even Lydia—who hadn't cracked a smile once since this whole debacle began.
W-why are they looking at me like that?
"Ah… young love," Nyxia said warmly.
"Hahaha!" Crona laughed heartily, completely betraying her regal aura—and her elegant hourglass figure. "I can't believe I actually got jealous over my daughter's boyfriend."
"At least," Lydia added calmly, closing her eyes. "she didn't fall for a brute with fake charisma like we did,"
Her crimson-red hair fluttered faintly with the motion, and with her bangs veiling her left eye down to her cheek, her true expression remained unreadable.
—And there's Verd, scratching his cheek.
"Sorry, Yuu," his voice echoed directly into my head. "I had to connect our souls together so that we could gather here, so… yeah."
…Wait a minute!
Realization struck like an Isekai-ng Truck-kun, as my face went pale in an instant.
"…P-please don't tell me that you all can read my mind."
"My, my." Nyxia giggled, radiating an unmistakable ara-ara aura.
"In that case, we won't tell you that we actually can." she told me telepathically.
"THANKS FOR THE CONFIRMATION!!" I shouted.
My face burned. I buried it in my hands, wishing—praying—to cease existing all together.
"Uuugh… I wanna crawl into a hole and get buried for a few millennia."
Crona stepped closer and threw an arm around my shoulder like an old drinking buddy. Due to our height difference, she had to bend down a little.
"No need to be embarrassed," she said cheerfully. "Yuu, right?"
I nodded weakly.
"Listen, Yuu. Thoughts like that are completely normal for a boy of your age. Honestly, it'd be weirder if you didn't have them."
"That's exactly why it's embarrassing…"
"Hahaha!" She laughed again. "So?"
"So?" I replied flatly, still hiding my face. "So what?"
"How far have you'd gone with our daughter?" she asked, teasing.
"…Why is that even a question?" I groaned. "You already heard my super embarrassing thoughts earlier, didn't you?!"