The Price of Deception

She pierced his heart.

This was the very scene from Iqiyah’s prophetic dream, one that had once filled her with profound dread.

Now, it had finally materialized into reality.

“Guh… ugh…”

A hoarse, gasping sound, like gas escaping, intermittently left Godia’s lips. His breath was as irretrievable as the life rapidly draining from him.

Simultaneously, embedded in his chest, the delicate, refined face of the True Ancestor stared intently at the staff plunged deep into his body.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah!”

Seraphina pushed with both hands, driving the staff even deeper into Godia’s flesh.

“With death upon you, do you have any confessions to make?”

“Y-yes… I do.”

Perhaps it was an acceptance of fate, or perhaps a genuine, heartfelt pang of conscience, but a flicker of remorse truly appeared on the True Ancestor’s face.

“I… no, you…”

“What about you?”

Unable to discern the True Ancestor’s words, Seraphina leaned closer, her head nearing the grotesque face before her.

“You should have… you should have stabbed my head.”

“!?”

Suddenly, as if experiencing a final burst of life, the True Ancestor’s frail hands shot out from Godia’s chest. They clamped onto Seraphina’s collar, fiercely yanking her towards his own body.

At the same instant, the head’s neck elongated, lunging directly for Seraphina’s face with lightning speed!

‘This is bad!’

Having witnessed this before, Seraphina understood the implication: the True Ancestor was attempting to possess her once more!

‘True Ancestor… must you make such a futile struggle even in the face of death?’

Seraphina made no move to retaliate. She simply watched the True Ancestor’s head lunge towards her face, only for it to halt, suspended in mid-air, just before contact.

‘That’s right… a deity cannot be defiled, cannot be touched.’

‘The True Ancestor’s actions were destined to be futile.’

“Oh, True Ancestor, why do you just… Guh!“

Just as Seraphina was about to utter a taunt, an object suddenly launched itself from her side, tackling her to the ground!

‘What? What’s happening?’

Raising her head, Seraphina looked at the figure tightly embracing her.

“Iqiyah?”

“Are… are you alright, Seraphina?”

“I’m fine…”

Gazing at Iqiyah, whose brow was furrowed with worry, Seraphina suddenly understood what had transpired.

‘This girl must have lunged forward to protect me, didn’t she?’

However, due to her lack of magic, her speed was far inferior to both the True Ancestor’s and Seraphina’s movements, causing her actions to be a beat too slow.

‘Ah, right, now isn’t the time to dwell on that.’

‘I need to deal with the True Ancestor quickly.’

Pushing against Iqiyah’s arms, Seraphina tried to free herself from the embrace. To her astonishment, no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t budge Iqiyah’s body even an inch.

‘Huh?’

Quickly glancing at herself, Seraphina realized that the golden light, which had been shimmering on her body and the staff, had vanished at some unknown moment.

“Iqiyah… let me go, quickly…!”

“Ah! Ah…”

Upon hearing her, Iqiyah promptly released her hold.

Freed from the embrace, Seraphina snatched the fallen staff from the ground and quickly rose, assuming a combat stance directed at Godia. Yet, she discovered that Godia’s chest was now a mangled mess of flesh and blood.

The elongated neck and grotesque limbs had vanished without a trace.

“Tsk!”

Realizing something was terribly wrong, Seraphina quickly lifted her head and scanned her surroundings, but saw no trace of that face.

It was then that Seraphina understood: the True Ancestor hadn’t been making a desperate last stand at all. He had no intention of continuing the fight.

Instead, he had aimed to draw Iqiyah into protecting Seraphina, seizing that moment to make his escape!

“…I’ve been tricked!”

Gathering all her strength, Seraphina prepared to give chase.

However, with just a single step, she noticed something amiss: she had completely lost the all-seeing speed she once possessed, reverting entirely to her former, frail self.

A nameless fury surged within her, filling her with immense vexation.

Throughout the past eighteen years, no matter how many grievances she suffered, how many failures she endured, or how many betrayals she faced, she had always suppressed her rage, never allowing it to spread.

But now… the anger within her blazed like a wildfire, raging uncontrollably.

Even more terrifying was the realization that the target of this wrath wasn’t the escaping True Ancestor, but… Iqiyah, who had tackled her!

‘Ah, damn it all! Why were you so foolish as to lunge at me?! If not for you, the True Ancestor might not have escaped!’

‘No, no, no, Iqiyah meant well. How could I blame her…?’

As her mind wrestled with conflicting thoughts, Seraphina felt a throbbing pain in her forehead.

Concurrently, an unfamiliar emptiness swiftly enveloped her body, draining her of all strength.

With a soft thud, Seraphina’s legs gave way. Clutching her head, she collapsed to her knees.

‘Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!’

Seraphina’s mind screamed, and in an instant, her consciousness returned to that white space.

“Scarlett! Seraphina! Just you wait…! I won’t let either of you off!”

It was the True Ancestor’s voice.

“True Ancestor! Goddess of Life! I’ll find you both eventually and sever your heads!”

This was Cardo’s voice.

Within the white space, the faces of both figures flashed in succession, weaving countless voices of hatred. They trapped Seraphina, relentlessly pouring their fury upon her, causing her head to ache as if it would split.

‘I’ll kill you!’

‘I’ll kill you!’

‘Someone save me!’

Seraphina wanted to cry out, but no sound escaped her.

Trapped between two immense furies, she had no right to speak.

Just as she was on the verge of breaking down—

“Seraphina…”

A gentle voice resonated.

A pair of warm arms wrapped around Seraphina, pulling her tightly into an embrace.

Instantly, Seraphina’s consciousness leaped from the flames of fury, detaching itself from the white space and returning to the real world.

Opening her eyes, she found herself pressed against a soft, yet somewhat modest, chest.

“Iqiyah… is that you?”

“It’s me…”

Iqiyah lowered her head, embracing Seraphina’s body tightly as if fearing she might vanish.

“I’m sorry…”

Within Iqiyah’s warm embrace, Seraphina’s inner fury vanished completely.

In its place, a profound sense of remorse settled.

‘Damn it, I truly deserve to die.’

Recalling her recent anger towards Iqiyah, Seraphina felt a sudden pang in her heart.

However, Iqiyah’s next words utterly disarmed Seraphina.

“Though I don’t know why you’re apologizing… if you want to, then say it all you like.”

“Whatever your feelings may be… I am willing to bear them all.”

“…”

As if having swallowed a lemon whole, Seraphina’s nose stung with a sharp ache.

To conceal her own unsightly emotions, she could only bury her head deeper into Iqiyah’s warmth.

****

Meanwhile… like oozing pus, a black liquid slowly seeped from the two black blades.

Then, from within that blackness, countless figures suddenly flew out, landing on the ground and transforming into a multitude of white-haired vampires.

“Huh?”

The first to speak was that familiar middle-aged voice.

“How am I alive again?”