A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

While the notion of the throne itself being problematic was already far-fetched, it at least had some semblance of logic, being a relic of the Sky Conquering Dynasty, intrinsically linked to the Flamefeast. The existence of a tool capable of draining a Flamefeast descendant's power, though implausible, was not entirely beyond reason.

In contrast, Ansel's assertion of a "mysterious force or individual" seemed utterly baseless.

Pablo, his expression conflicted, continued to advocate for Ansel, his tone gravely serious: "Lord Hydral, if you truly fear such a force exists, we could attempt to lure them out by slaying Evora. Surely they wouldn't allow her to perish before fully extracting the Flamefeast's power."

He was offering Ansel a way out — implicitly urging him to abandon his efforts to preserve Evora's life.

Without exaggeration, every extraordinary being present knew they might perish in this inferno. They had not been coerced but had willingly stepped into peril to slay Evora and end the Flamefeast's dominance.

For the sake of... a new order.

They would not—could not—compromise.

Observing the increasingly frigid gazes of the extraordinary beings, Ansel slowly lowered his eyes.

From the moment he began his persuasion, he had been prepared for failure, knowing it was not the right choice, yet attempting it nonetheless.

Truly compassionate extraordinary beings, those who genuinely cared for the empire and its people, were far too rare.

They should not die here, not in this struggle between himself and fate.

But a choice had to be made.

As Ansel opened his eyes, his sea-blue irises had been engulfed by an inky darkness.

"Disperse!"

The extraordinary beings, their vigilance already at its peak, reacted almost instantaneously. Only a handful, those who had maintained unwavering faith in Ansel, believing he could truly improve the empire, remained, their expressions a mix of bewilderment, bitterness, and disappointment.

"Evora must live."

While most dismissed Ansel's words as nonsense or an attempt to forcibly protect Evora, even those who harbored some trust in him couldn't fathom his fixation on this mysterious force.

The trump card of fate, the murderer of his mother...

Ansel had to find them.

Evora... had to live!

Hydral's voice echoed through the endless blood flames as he amassed an immense power in his palm within an instant. The extraordinary beings, on guard due to Ansel's previous words, thought they could easily counter this assault. But they made the same mistake as the Duke of Wyvern's group.

Just as the Duke hadn't anticipated their alliance with Ansel, these beings hadn't expected... Faust to stand unwaveringly by Hydral's side at this moment.

And they had underestimated him.

In a flash, the countermeasures and plans conceived by these battle-hardened extraordinary beings were torn asunder by the suddenly intensified abyssal corruption.

Despite their caution and vigilance, they couldn't withstand the abyssal erosion unleashed by Faust.

—Because it wasn't truly "Faust's" power, but... Hydral's own!

From the beginning, while Faust had been providing the protective abyssal matter to shield them from the feasting flames, the power itself and the intricate control over it came entirely from Ansel.

In other words... the current "Faust" was no different from a medium through which Ansel secretly manipulated abyssal power to influence the extraordinary beings.

Like the Duke of Wyvern's group before them, these individuals succumbed to pure madness. Though it lasted only a few brief minutes, it was enough to ensure their death by the devouring feasting flame.

Ansel then slowly turned his gaze to the remaining five individuals.

These five were both the first to assist Ansel in his counterattack and those who hadn't immediately shown hostility towards him earlier.

Ansel should have dealt with them as well. These incredibly powerful extraordinary beings, if determined to hide, might prove difficult for him to locate after leaving this place.

Their knowledge of Ansel's true nature could potentially cause unnecessary obstacles in his future plans to tame the other two protagonists.

"Mr. Ansel..."

The "Faust" who had approached Hydral finally dropped her disguise. A bewitching-faced girl with black feathers growing at her temples spoke with some difficulty: "Are you... still going to give them a chance?"

Finally freed from maintaining the abyssal matter for so many people, Nine's condition had improved somewhat, but her physical form had suffered irreversible damage. Serpentine black patterns emerged on her snow-white neck, not exactly ugly, but far from beautiful, evoking a sense of... dread.

"Lord Hydral," Pablo looked at Ansel with a bitter expression.

"What exactly... do you want?"

As Flamelle's student, he had seen the young Ansel countless times. He sincerely believed Ansel was the one who could change the empire.

But now, his address had changed from "Ansel" to "Lord Hydral," and the righteous, kind child he once knew seemed to have vanished.

"I didn't lie, Lord Pablo," Ansel responded softly. "Evora's survival is crucial to me. There truly is another force within the Enigma Realm. I must... obtain what I need from Evora."

"Change will still come, and the new order you all long for will certainly arrive. I can guarantee you all that Evora... will not appear in the empire."

"I also hope you can promise me not to tell anyone about what happened here today."

Nine, standing behind Ansel, silently withdrew her gaze from his profile.

...So that's how it is, Mr. Ansel.

The white-robed bishop Dusk shook his head: "It seems we have no other choice."

Whether Ansel's words were true, whether he would fulfill his promise - did it matter?

It no longer mattered. The existence of Faust and Nine was enough to prove that... Ansel had been calculating everything from the beginning.

They would help Ansel, not because they accepted his rhetoric, but because they believed Ansel alone might truly be unable to break Evora's bonds, thus needing their assistance.

They would compromise, not because they saw Ansel's hidden difficulties, but because if they didn't, their fate would be nothing more than ashes in the flames.

So... Evora's cry for help was real. So Ansel truly came to save Evora.

The surviving extraordinary beings, even Pablo, no longer trusted Ansel. The facts had been established in their eyes.
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Ansel knew their thoughts, but it didn't matter. As long as they could keep the secret, keep Ansel Hydral's true face hidden, it was enough.

...Even if they became pawns of fate, "unnecessary obstacles" were merely unnecessary, not a major problem.

"Then, let's begin."

Ansel's form once again twisted and expanded, transforming into his true nine-headed serpent form: "After rescuing Evora, I will amply reward you all for your efforts."

The black sun, infused with endless death energy, condensed once more. A light beam that annihilated even the feasting flame struck directly at the throne beneath Evora. The remaining extraordinary beings silently channeled their ether, unleashing devastatingly powerful spells in succession.

Soon, the golden metal of the throne rapidly shattered, peeled off, and fell away. The golden light binding Evora grew increasingly brilliant, coalescing into a more distinct form. As the throne's facade collapsed, the expressions of the extraordinary beings... became increasingly horrified.

Because they saw what that "golden strip" truly was - the one that had suddenly extracted from the throne's backrest, capable of draining an extraordinary being to the point of erasing their existence in mere seconds.

It was a complete... spine!

Hidden within the backrest of this broken throne was an still-moving spine!

And if the backrest was a spine, then this entire throne...

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