Seraphina opened her eyes. The Violet light reflected in her wide, stunned pupils.
'Dark Violet...'
Her mind flashed back to her childhood history books.
Rank S. The color of Emperors. The color of Arch-Mages. The color of Monsters.
She couldn't believe it. She reached down with her other hand and pinched her arm hard.
Ouch.
It hurt.
"It's not a dream," she whispered, her voice breaking. "It's real"
The Dull Grey trash was dead. Standing here was Seraphina Valerius, the Void Empress.
Slowly, Seraphina turned her head to look at Lysander. The Violet light from the orb cast ominous shadows across her face.
He was standing there, arms crossed, his red mask glowing. The man who had found her in the dirt. The man who had given her a second life. The man who had just turned her into a god.
Something inside Seraphina snapped.
'You did this...'
Her eyes lost their innocent wonder and darkened into a terrifying, obsessive abyss.
'My soul, my body, my magic... it all belongs to you, Zero. No one else is allowed to touch me. Only you'
She stared at his chest, her imagination running wild, completely ignoring the shock of the moment.
'I can't pay you back with money. I can pay you back with loyalty. That isn't enough'
A dark blush crept up her neck.
'I will give you a legacy. I will give you heirs
Strong ones'
She stood there, hand still on the glowing orb, lost in a fever dream of the future.
'Our children... they won't be Rank F trash like I was. No. If I am Rank S, and Zero is... a God... our children will be rulers of this world'
She narrowed her eyes, visualizing it perfectly.
'A son... his name will be Gorgon. Yes... Gorgon. He will be massive like his father, with skin like iron. He will crush the skulls of anyone who disrespects our family'
Her smile widened, looking slightly deranged.
'And a daughter... Zeya. She will be beautiful, with silver hair like mine and those piercing red eyes of his. She will destroy kingdoms with a wave of her hand'
She looked at Lysander's broad shoulders, her breath hitching.
'How many should we have? Five? Six?'
Her eyes sparkled with a dangerous determination.
'No... why stop there? As many as you want,
Zero. I will bear you an entire army. We will fill this cabin... no, we will fill a castle with our perfect, S-Rank bloodline. And if anyone tries to stop us... if any Royal Family tries to touch our children... Gorgon and Zeya will burn them to ash'
Lysander watched her. He expected her to cry. He expected her to cheer.
Instead, she was staring at him with a deadpan, unblinking gaze, a strange smile plastered on her face while the ominous Violet light bathed her from below.
"Seraphina?" Lysander asked, taking a small step back.
She didn't answer. She just kept staring at him, dissecting him with her eyes.
"System," Lysander thought nervously.
"Why is she looking at me like I am a piece of meat?"
[However, Master is advised to lock his bedroom door at night]
Lysander felt a shiver run down his spine that had nothing to do with the cold morning air.
"Okay, that's enough!" Lysander barked, snatching the orb away from her hand.
The violet light vanished.
Seraphina blinked, snapping out of her trance.
"Yes, Lord Zero?" she asked sweetly, as if she hadn't just been planning their tenth anniversary.
"You... go stand over there," Lysander muttered. "Elara, you're next."
"Elara, you're next," Lysander commanded, his voice tight with unease after Seraphina's strange reaction.
Elara stepped forward. She didn't walk; she prowled. Her golden eyes flicked toward Seraphina with a challenge. 'Violet light? Hmph. Watch this, human'
She stood before Lysander, her new height nearly matching his. She could smell the scent of the forest and iron on him. It was intoxicating.
"I won't disappoint you, Lord Zero," Elara purred, her voice vibrating in her chest.
She slammed her clawed hand onto the crystal orb.
ROAAAR!
There was no hum this time. There was a sound like a distant lion roaring at the sun.
The orb didn't just glow; it erupted.
A blinding, scorching Prismatic Gold light exploded from the sphere. It was hot,
intense, and wild. It looked like a miniature sun had just been born in her palm. The light formed the faint silhouette of a massive beast jaws wide open, consuming the world.
Rank S: The Solar Shadow-Stalker.
Elara stared into the gold light. Her pupils contracted into razor-thin slits.
She felt the power coursing through her womb, her heart, and her claws. She wasn't just a hunter anymore. She was an Apex Predator.
And an Apex Predator needs a mate.
Slowly, her gaze shifted from the orb to Lysander. Her tail began to swish behind her, not in irritation, but in a hypnotic, rhythmic motion.
'He did this...' Elara thought, her breath hitching. 'He made me a Queen'
The obsession hit her like a lightning bolt. It wasn't the cold, calculating obsession of Seraphina. It was a hot, instinctual, animalistic hunger.
'I am strong now. My body... it can handle anything. It can handle him'
Her eyes traveled over Lysander's body, visualizing what was beneath the armor.
'That Human girl... does she really think she is worthy?'
Elara sneered internally, casting a sharp side-glance at Seraphina.
'She doesn't have the standing to even touch my man. She is nothing. But me?'
Elara licked her lips unconsciously.
'I am a Cat-Kin. I am S-Rank. I am the only one strong enough to handle him'
Elara licked her lips unconsciously.
'I am a Cat-Kin. I am S-Rank. I can bear his children. Not just one or two. A whole litter'
She drifted into a vivid daydream, completely ignoring the blinding light in her hand.
She saw a castle on a hill. She saw Lysander sitting on a throne. And around him were dozens of children—strong, wild, with golden ears and red eyes.
'The first boy...' Elara thought, her heart pounding. 'He will be Leonidas. He will be the strongest warrior, just like his father. He will crush mountains'
'The first girl... Aurelia. She will have golden fur and magic that burns like the sun'
'And then Orion, Hunter, Felix, Zara...'
Her mind spiraled.
'Why stop there? Lord Zero is powerful. I am powerful. We can have ten. Twenty! We will create a new clan. The Zero Clan'
She imagined herself pregnant, her belly round with the future rulers of the world, with Lysander's hand resting on it. The thought made her knees weak and her tail puff up in sheer delight.
'I will give him an army born from my own body. We will populate the earth with our strength. No one will touch him. If anyone tries... my children will eat them'
She looked at Lysander with a gaze that was heavy with lust and devotion. It was the look of a lioness who had found her pride male and would kill anyone who tried to take him.
'You are mine, Zero. You just don't know it yet'
Lysander stood frozen.
On his left, Seraphina was staring at him with a creepy, possessive smile, mumbling about "destiny"
On his right, Elara was staring at him with dilated pupils, drooling slightly, and looking at him like he was a giant piece of steak.
The intensity of their "Love" (or madness) was creating a tangible pressure in the air.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
[DANGER DETECTED]
[SOURCE: ALLIES (SERAPHINA & ELARA)]
[THREAT TYPE: PREDATORY INSTINCTS]
Lysander felt a bead of cold sweat roll down his neck behind the mask.
"Okay! That's enough!"
He grabbed the orb from Elara's hand, cutting off the golden light.
"Both of you... calm down!" Lysander shouted, stepping back to create a safe distance. "Stop looking at me like that!"
Elara blinked, snapping out of her baby-naming trance. She wiped her mouth, but the hungry look in her eyes didn't disappear.
"As you wish, Lord Zero," Elara purred deeply. "For now"
Lysander looked at the sky.
"System... did I just make a mistake?"
[Master You wanted an army. You got a harem of S-Rank psychopaths. Good luck, User.]
"Okay, enough dreaming," Lysander said, putting the orb away. "You both have S-Rank Potential, but right now, your actual strength is still Rank F. You have the bodies of gods, but the experience of novices"
He looked at the dense forest.
"System, scan for a Dungeon. We need a training ground"
Ding!
[SCAN COMPLETE]
[Target: Goblin Hollow]
[Grade: Rank F]
[Distance: 500 meters North]
[Status: Active]
Perfect," Lysander thought. "It's close"
But then he paused. He looked back at the village. The women were weak. The children were playing. If he took Seraphina and Elara- his two strongest fighters-away, the village would be completely defenseless.
"If a stray Wolf or a Goblin scout attacks while we are gone... it will be a slaughter"
He needed a lookout. Someone who could alert him instantly
Suddenly, a figure stepped forward from the group of Women