A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

"What... is this?"

Someone whispered in horror as they had nearly demolished the entire relic and stripped away almost all of the throne's outer shell.

For Evora wasn't imprisoned on the throne, but within... a skeleton!

A complete skeleton emanating a pale golden light, distinctly different from the blood-red hue of the feasting flame.

The golden spine that had suddenly extracted and absorbed the other extraordinary beings was now piercing into Evora's spinal cord, continuously draining her power, just as Ansel had said.

"Tide...caller..."

While everyone was shocked by the identity of this skeleton, Ansel immediately noticed an even greater issue.

His perception penetrated the skull, discovering a dead "worm" curled up inside. Though clearly deceased, it continued to emit countless fine golden threads, radiating from the back of the skull and winding down the spine. It wasn't hard to imagine that if this skeleton were still alive, this "worm" would have embedded its myriad tendrils into the spine, living as a parasite!

"...Seeing this scene, I believe you should now trust some of my words," Ansel said softly. "Perhaps... we should consider moving Evora along with this corpse—"

Suddenly, Evora, who had been like a broken puppet, twitched.

At the same time, the endless sea of fire that had been burning quietly erupted into a violent tempest, surging with waves tens or hundreds of times more dangerous than before!

More terrifyingly, the entire space—the Realm Enigma containing this palace—began to distort violently with a despairing fluctuation. If they didn't retreat immediately, they risked being forever lost in the Enigma, experiencing the same despair Evora had endured!

"Quickly... save... me."

The convulsing Evora squeezed out desperate words through clenched teeth: "I can't... hold on… longer."

Unable to hold on... to the surrounding space?

Of course—those thirty-six rifts dramatically torn open in the main plane weren't Evora's attempt at destruction, nor had she lost control. They were precisely her cry for help, released when she could still control her power!

Without hesitation, Ansel rushed towards Evora, bound by the skeleton.

He summoned the remains of a few extraordinary beings not completely incinerated and hurled them at the golden skeleton. The golden spine, previously rooted in Evora's spine, instantly withdrew, writhing wildly in the blood flames. In a flash, it pierced through these extraordinary beings, absorbing them at a terrifying speed, then lunged towards Ansel with undiminished force!

Gleipnir transformed into a black blade, clashing with the spine. Amidst the piercing screech, Ansel's pupils flashed black, and a chaotic, frenzied abyssal aura surged forth, materializing and entwining like a persistent disease, freezing the spine in mid-air.

The power of the abyss isn't something you can just consume at will.

Ansel seized the opportunity to instantly appear before Evora, asking expressionlessly:

"Who captured you? Who are they?"

"Save... me!"

Though her hands were bound to the armrests, Evora still gripped Ansel's wrist tightly, her face contorted like a demon. Even in such dire circumstances, her tone held no plea, only madness and hatred.

"First... save me!"

"There's no time, you fool!"

Ansel's voice suddenly rose. A black beam of light struck the skeletal shackles restraining Evora's arms, barely creating a crack, far from breaking her bonds.

"Tell me, who exactly are they? What are they? What powers do they have?"

"Flamefeast... Conquering Heaven... Emperor..."

Evora uttered these words intermittently. Meanwhile, the golden spine had somehow digested the highly condensed abyssal substance Ansel had created and lunged at him again!

But Ansel didn't even turn, still staring intently at Evora: "You clearly can say more... What are you hiding!?"

"Heh... hehe." The barely human Evora twisted the corner of her half-intact face. "You said there's no time left... right... no time... left."

Behind Ansel, the golden spine was tightly wrapped by dozens of snake-like abyssal substances. The black markings on Nine's neck had spread upwards, covering nearly half of her left face, writhing and twisting like a living thing... even threatening to burrow into her eye socket, into her brain.

Yet she showed no signs of wavering. As long as Ansel didn't intend to leave, she wouldn't stop either.
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"An...sel!"

Evora suddenly lurched forward, roaring with all her might:

"This is... deposit! If you… want to know... the answer, come... save me again!"

In an instant, space seemed to undergo tens or hundreds of thousands of separations, twists, shatters, reconstructions, and leaps... The golden skeleton before Ansel's eyes, along with Evora imprisoned within it, all vanished.

"..."

Hydral turned around. Behind him was the constantly shrinking rift to the Realm Enigma, about to close.

Before completely losing control, Evora had sent him back to the starting point.

And in Ansel's ears, Evora's last mad words still echoed:

— I will create another chance, I won't die here.

"...Mr. Ansel."

An extremely weak voice sounded beside Ansel.

Swaying and pale-faced, Nine involuntarily fell into Ansel's arms.

"Is it... over?" she murmured, seemingly on the verge of fainting.

"...Yes, it's over."

Ansel instinctively held her seemingly weightless body. After taking a final look into the depths of the blood flames, he said softly, "Well done, Marlina."

Nine unconsciously grasped Ansel's collar, closed her eyes, and shook her head: "You still didn't get one thing. I didn't complete my task well. I'm sorry."

"You've done very well. Without you... none of this would have been possible."

Ansel stepped out of the Enigma Realm rift, returning to the main plane. Holding Nine, he looked down at the earth below and noticed that the raging, endless blood flames were... flowing backwards!

As the thirty-six rifts gradually closed, the flames flowed back into them!

But Ansel had no heart to focus on these matters now. Evora, the golden skeleton parasitized by the Tidecaller, the still unknown mysterious forces... he had many problems yet to face.

After a brief silence, Ansel spoke again: "You really are quite remark—"

He didn't finish his sentence, realizing Nine had already fallen into a deep sleep.

Thanks to the power Nine had excavated from the Abyss, Ansel knew she wasn't in mortal danger, but her condition was still dire.

Looking at her face - more eerie and bewitching with half covered in black markings, yet showing a smile of childlike peace and innocence as she slept in his arms - Ansel unconsciously reached out to touch Nine's cheek.

It was very cold, as if devoid of temperature.

Even Ansel hadn't anticipated that in this gamble where Seraphina and Ravenna could barely help...

The deciding factor would be the woman he cared least about, despised most... the one who could even abandon her own self.

Marlina Marlowe hadn't awakened her spiritual essence to reach great heights, nor had she broken through limits to elevate her extraordinary talents. The power she found in the Abyss, the one she most craved and desired… did nothing to enhance her own strength.

This power was — no matter how much power Ansel infused into her, or what kind of power, she could bear it perfectly without any side effects, as if she were Ansel's external incarnation.

At the same time, she could directly take on any negative effects for Ansel, including substantial damage and the Abyss's corrosion.

Lastly, she could transfer all the power she received back to Ansel, without any loss, unrestricted, at 100%, allowing Ansel to use her power as easily and naturally as his own.

Yes, this was Marlina, this was Nine's heartfelt vision, this was everything she craved, the gift she found in the Abyss.

— To become an unparalleled, perfect tool existing solely for Ansel.

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