That indescribable mass of constantly twisting, shifting shadow—formed from countless shattered memories and silver-gray energy—was forcibly ripped out of Astreia’s body by Laxana’s bare hands!
“No!!!”
Astreia’s first true scream of terror in recorded history came to an abrupt halt.
Wendy’s entire world collapsed the moment that silver-gray apparition appeared.
He watched, helpless.
The apparition, identical to Astreia in every way, was being strangled by Laxana’s pallid hand, struggling violently and silently. Its mouth was open, seemingly releasing a soundless roar and curse, but Wendy couldn’t hear a thing.
It was a fear born from the most primal instinct of living beings.
Then, something even more soul-shredding occurred.
Astreia, now deprived of that silver-gray apparition, had her fearsome Demon Flame Armor extinguish in an instant. Like an illusion stripped of its energy source, it dissolved into specks of purple light and scattered into the air.
Astreia’s body remained in its forward-leaning posture, but the light in her eyes had vanished, leaving them hollow and vacant. She stood frozen in place, like a puppet whose every string had been severed.
Then, under the pull of gravity, she toppled backward.
A dull thud.
“Thump.”
Her body crashed onto the soft bed, even bouncing once.
A strangled cry was wrenched from Wendy’s throat.
“Astreia!”
The fiery Witch Queen, who just moments ago had radiated boundless power and dominance, was now nothing more than a husk stripped of its soul.
Wendy forgot he was still kneeling in disgrace on the carpet. He scrambled to the bedside on all fours.
He reached out, trembling fingers brushing against Astreia’s cheek.
Cold.
Deathly cold.
Refusing to accept it, Wendy pressed his fingers beneath her nose.
No breath.
In a panic, he pressed his ear to her chest.
No heartbeat.
Wendy’s mind went completely blank with a ringing in his ears.
He couldn’t even sense the slightest fluctuation of magic from her body.
The Witch Queen who had stood above all, who had toyed with him so effortlessly—now lay there quietly, no different from the most ordinary sleeping beauty.
No, even less than a sleeping beauty.
She was simply an exquisite, soulless puppet.
“Stop yelling, Wendy.”
A voice so ethereal it seemed to carry an echo drifted from behind him.
Wendy turned stiffly.
Laxana floated there, serene, proudly displaying the silver-gray apparition that was still struggling futilely in her grasp.
“That thing? Just an empty shell now.”
“It’s all in here~”
Laxana shook the apparition she was throttling. Her dead silver eyes were filled with possessiveness twisted to the absolute extreme.
And on that face—indistinguishable from Astreia’s—was an expression of shock, fury, and… fear that Wendy had never seen before.
The silver-gray apparition writhed violently.
Wendy was completely paralyzed at the bedside.
A thought so horrifying it froze the blood in his veins began to fester, spread, and consume every corner of his mind in an instant.
He finally understood.
Everything connected.
The sacrificial self-destruction, the rejuvenation, the pathetic cries of “Daddy” meant to earn sympathy—all of it was a lie!
All of it was a meticulously crafted, utterly venomous trap!
Laxana’s self-destruction was never about resurrection. It was about completely shedding her physical body to transform into a ghost form that could bypass physical and conventional magical attacks, and ignore the restrictions of Astreia’s domain!
And the silver-haired little girl act afterward, those cries of “Daddy,” the deliberate provocation of Astreia that made Wendy protect her…
That wasn’t childish play at all. It was the most vicious feigning of weakness in the world!
She used the form that appealed to the softest, most defenseless part of his heart as a shield to get close to Astreia!
She used his guilt toward her to turn him, step by step, into the reason Astreia let down her guard.
She calculated Astreia’s pride perfectly, knowing Astreia would never go all out against a “child.”
She also calculated that he, driven by guilt and that word “Daddy,” would definitely protect her!
Then, in the instant Astreia was distracted, she struck with this fatal blow!
Soul Extraction!
That was Laxana’s true goal all along!
What a mad plan. What a terrifying scheme!
She staked her own life on a colossal gamble!
And he—he was the most critical, most foolish card in that entire game.
The moment this realization hit, goosebumps erupted across Wendy’s entire body.
And then.
A cold touch landed on his cheek.
Laxana had drifted silently to hover right before him.
The witch extended her other hand—the one not holding a soul—pale and ghostly, and gently caressed Wendy’s face.
The sensation was strange: cold, illusory, as if it could pierce through skin and touch bone directly.
A satisfied, morbid smile bloomed on Laxana’s face.
“You only have me now.”
“Now, my prince…”
Her fingertip traced along Wendy’s jawline, sliding slowly down to his Adam’s apple, drawing lazy circles.
The gesture was hauntingly similar to the way Astreia had teased him with her toe earlier.
“You don’t need to fear that wicked woman who only forces you anymore.”
“She can never bully you again.”
Laxana’s ethereal words carried a beguiling, hypnotic quality.
“I’ll give you true love. True eternity.”
“We’ll be together. Forever and ever.”
Wendy stood frozen, not daring to move a muscle.
He looked at Laxana before him—a ghost form more paranoid and more terrifying than ever before…
Then glanced left, at Astreia’s struggling soul being held in Laxana’s grip like a captured chick.
Finally, his peripheral vision landed on the bed.
The Witch Queen’s body—cold, completely unconscious, yet still breathtakingly beautiful…
“I…”
His lips trembled. Not a single word came out.
Seeing Wendy so terrified and helpless only made Laxana’s smile brighter, and far more sinister.
“See? You’re still being disobedient.”
She tilted her head, seeming a little troubled.
“You always need a little… persuasion to understand who truly cares for you.”
With that, she raised her left hand, lifting the silver-gray apparition she was gripping up to Wendy’s face.
“You care about her a lot, don’t you?”
A cold, utterly cruel smile spread across Laxana’s face.
Wendy’s heart pounded violently. An overwhelmingly ominous premonition made the blood in his veins feel like it was freezing solid.
“Is it… because she’s stronger than me?”
“No… no… Laxana, listen to me…”
But the newly reborn witch had no intention of listening to his explanation. She simply inspected the struggling soul in her hand with detached fascination.
“Then… we’ll just make her not so strong, okay?”
The words had barely left her lips.
Wendy’s pupils dilated in horror as Laxana opened her small mouth and gently inhaled toward Astreia’s soul.
“Ahhh——!!!”
A soul scream so piercing it defied language exploded directly inside Wendy’s mind!
The silver-gray apparition suddenly convulsed violently.
A portion of the silver-gray energy that composed her body was forcibly drawn into Laxana’s mouth!
And Laxana, after consuming that fragment of soul energy, closed her eyes and wore an expression of absolute satisfaction and intoxication.
Her body, which had been deathly pale and translucent, seemed to solidify just a little.
“The taste… not bad at all.”
She opened her eyes and flashed Wendy a smile that was somehow both innocent and evil.
“My prince, look.”
“If I eat all of her, I’ll become stronger than her.”
“And then… you’ll only look at me, won’t you?”
She extended her delicate pink tongue and slowly licked her lips. The gesture was like savoring a peerless delicacy.
“It’s over.”
Wendy completely collapsed.
His legs gave out and he slumped onto the carpet.
This time, truly…
Everything was over.