Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Currently...

There was something about Aether that didn't make sense at all...

From the moment the Archpriestess laid her eyes on Aether... she saw something different.

It wasn't just about how he tried to help a stranger or even how he willingly gave up his life for Stella… No, it was something far beyond that.

The way his soul flared around him, radiating in a way she had never witnessed before—it was so pure, and yet, it was drenched in sin...

Something like that should not exist. Because even the smallest sin was enough to taint a person forever.

There was no such thing as purity once a sin was committed.

No matter how one tried to justify their actions, purity was lost the moment sin took root!!

And yet... Aether was both pure and sinned!

Something so utterly contradictory that it made her head spin.

The Archpriestess couldn't understand it, no matter how hard she tried!

But one thing was certain... Aether was the purest soul she had ever encountered—perhaps even on par with Snape himself!

And that's when she saw it.

Aether stepped forward, walking straight out of the roaring holy flames.

"I knew it!" she gasped, her voice trembling with shock and exhilaration.

A stunned silence fell over the onlookers.

No one moved.

No one breathed.

The impossible was happening right before their very eyes.

Aether emerged, completely unscathed. The holy flames that should have burned him to ash didn't even leave a single mark on his body. His clothes remained untouched, his expression unreadable, and yet… something about him was different.

His eyes—pure white. No pupils, no irises. Just an eerie, unsettling void of white, brimming with an unknown force and even the pulverized hand returned back!

"What is the meaning of this, Mother?!!" Master's furious voice shattered the silence, his rage echoing through the air as he lifted his hand. The holy flames, still burning wildly, surged even more violently toward Aether, this time with unrestrained fury.

But Aether didn't flinch.

He didn't step back.

Instead, he moved forward.

With slow, deliberate steps, he walked toward the flames, completely unfazed by their scorching intensity.

"BURN, YOU FUCKING BASTARD!!" Master roared, his face twisting with unrelenting fury as he thrust his hands forward, pouring everything he had into the flames.

The heat intensified, roaring louder, engulfing everything in its path.

But Aether just kept walking.

Master's heart pounded violently in his chest, his mind refusing to accept what was unfolding before him.

This wasn't possible!

How dare he?

A lowly sinner. A pathetic joke of a man. A filthy, immoral disgrace who had sinned more than anyone else here—how dare he defy the Holy Flames?!

No... No, it wasn't defiance...

The Holy Flames accepted him.

The realization made Master's blood run cold.

What the fuck?!

His grip tightened, his body trembling with fury and disbelief. He knew better than anyone how the Holy Flames worked.

They judged.

They punished.

They destroyed impurity without mercy!

More than that, they carried the essence of the Mother herself. Even if the flames were somehow weakened, the Mother's energy alone should have burned Aether to dust.

And yet—

'The fuck is this?!' Master's thoughts reeled as he pushed forward with everything he had, pouring an overwhelming surge of power into Aether, ignoring everyone else.

Meanwhile, the Archpriestess seized the moment. Using the chaos as her cover, she swiftly moved to heal the injured, her hands glowing as she restored those who had been caught in the earlier onslaught.

"What's going on here?" Dora muttered, her voice barely above a whisper as she clutched her aching hand, slowly feeling it return to normal.

"I... I don't know…" The Archpriestess hesitated, her throat dry. "Maybe Aether is... pure?"

Dora blinked at her in disbelief. "Pure? Him?" Her mind flashed back to every 'filthy' thing Aether had ever done—the teasing, the touching, the endless women in his bed.

Aether was many things, but pure?!

"Nah," Dora scoffed, shaking her head. "He must be using some kind of trick. If that bastard is pure, then I'll be a saint." But despite her words, she couldn't help but grin.

Whatever the reason, the fact that Aether could handle those flames meant he had an advantage.

The Archpriestess let out an awkward chuckle, then quickly turned away to focus on the others.

Meanwhile, Master's face contorted in sheer rage as he watched Aether walk through his flames like they were nothing. His frustration boiled over when he saw Aether casually stepping closer, his expression unreadable.

"Enough," Aether said, his voice eerily calm.

And in the next instant, he grabbed Master's wrist—the very hand that was unleashing the flames.

Master's entire body tensed. His mind went blank for a second.

What—?!

"H-How?" he stuttered, his voice barely escaping his lips.

Aether simply shrugged. "Life is full of miracles," he said nonchalantly.

Then, without warning—

BOOM!!

Aether's fist drove into Master's abdomen with full force. A violent shockwave erupted from the impact, shaking the very air around them. Master's eyes bulged as he choked on his own breath. Blood spewed from his lips as the sheer force sent his body convulsing backwards.

But Aether didn't stop.

He held onto Master's wrist, yanking him forward—

Another devastating punch crashed into his ribs.

Then another.

BOOM!!

Then another.

BOOM!!

Then another.

BOOM!!

Aether's blows rained down like a storm, relentless, merciless. Master barely had time to react before Aether's knee slammed into his gut.

And then—

BOOM!!

Aether delivered a brutal kick to his chest, sending him soaring into the air like a ragdoll.

Master's body twisted midair, gasping for breath—

But before he could even register what was happening—

Dora appeared above him, her figure cutting through the air with deadly precision.

A smirk crossed her lips. "You look like you're having a rough day," she teased.

And then she spun—

Her leg swung out—

BOOM!!!

Her foot connected with Master's face with bone-shattering force.

The ground cracked violently as his body slammed into it like a meteor. Dust exploded into the air, debris flying in every direction.

Master groaned, barely able to move, but his fury refused to die. Gritting his teeth, he raised his trembling hand, attempting to summon flames to hold them back.

But before he could—

"Tch. That's the only trick you've got left?" Aether mocked, amusement dancing in his eyes. He lazily waved his hand, and the flames—

Vanished.

Just like that.

Master's breath hitched.

Gone?!

Impossible!!

He struggled to understand, his mind spinning out of control. How?! How was Aether doing this?!

Still, even Aether himself wasn't sure. He didn't know how he could do it, nor what exactly had changed within him…

But did it really matter?

He winning that's all!

Master clenched his fists, his entire body trembling. "How dare y—"

Before he could finish, a voice cut him off.

"Take this!"

The Archpriestess suddenly appeared, her holy flames igniting in her palm. Without hesitation, she hurled them straight into Master's face.

PUFF!

His cheek sizzled as the flames licked at his skin.

"Ow!" he yelped, recoiling in pain, though it wasn't nearly as devastating as it should have been.

The Archpriestess smirked.

With a quick step forward, she raised her leg—

And with all her strength, she kicked him just as he had kicked her before.

"Yeah… I don't like owing people," she muttered under her breath as Master crashed into the ground once more.

In midair, Master gritted his teeth, refusing to be taken down so easily despite the relentless attacks raining upon him. He swung his arms in a desperate attempt to regain control, summoning a burst of scorching flames to push his enemies away from him and regain the upper hand.

But just as he steadied himself in the air, preparing for another strike, Sandra appeared out of nowhere with terrifying speed, her blade flashing with deadly intent as she aimed straight for his heart.

Her expression was unwavering, her attack precise and ruthless, determined to land the killing blow before he could react.

Just as the tip of her knife neared his chest, about to sink into his flesh, Master's sword materialized in his hand with a burst of dark energy. Without hesitation, he slashed toward her with full force, aiming to cut her down before she could reach him.

Sandra's eyes widened in shock, realizing too late that she had already committed to the attack with no way to pull back in time. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears as the blade came dangerously close, ready to tear through her body before she could even blink.

But then—

A blinding flash of red tore through the battlefield, moving faster than the eye could track, and Mary appeared in an instant. Her crimson sword cut through the air with deadly precision, slicing down with all her might before Master's strike could land on Sandra.

Chuccckkk!

Master's scream tore through the battlefield as blood sprayed into the air in a violent arc, his expression twisting in sheer agony. His hand—severed at the wrist—fell uselessly to the ground, the dull blade slipping from his grip and clattering against the stone below.

"Ahh…!" Master groaned, his face contorted with unbearable pain, his body jerking violently from the shock. But before he could react or summon another counterattack, something far stronger took hold of him, wrapping around his body in an unseen grip.

Thin, invisible threads coiled tightly around his limbs, restricting his every movement before he could even attempt to recover. No matter how much he struggled, the threads only tightened further, holding him in place like an unbreakable trap.

And then—

BOOOMMMM!!!

He was yanked downward with terrifying force, his body pulled from the sky and slammed into the ground with a deafening crash. The sheer impact sent shockwaves across the battlefield, shaking the earth beneath them as dust and debris exploded into the air from the force.

"Arghhh!" Master groaned in sheer agony, his entire form trembling from the violent impact, but even as his back cracked against the stone, he still struggled.

His muscles strained, pushing his body to its absolute limits in a desperate attempt to break free from the invisible binds.

The threads tightened further, refusing to let him move even an inch despite his efforts.

"Arrhhh!" Dora gritted her teeth, her entire body trembling as she pulled against the invisible force, her fingers shaking under the sheer strain. It felt as if she were trying to hold down an entire empire on her own, her fingers strained, causing blood to seep from it.

The others wasted no time as they took full advantage of the moment, their attacks coming in swift, merciless succession. They struck from every angle, each one aiming at the precise points that would weaken him further, refusing to give him a single moment of reprieve.

The only thing that had held them back before was the relentless holy flames that had shielded him, keeping them from getting close. But Aether's sudden immunity had thrown Master off balance, making it harder for him to maintain control over the battlefield.

Now, the group moved as a single unit, like a pack of predators circling their prey, ready to tear him apart from all sides.

Like a swarm of ants that had finally decided to take down the arrogant elephant that thought himself invincible for far too long.

"I... will..." Master groaned, his body trembling violently as he tried to push past the overwhelming force holding him down. He refused to accept defeat, his rage burning hotter than ever, his will refusing to break despite his situation.

"Nah, you're dying here, bastard!" Mary snapped without hesitation, her voice laced with fury as she glared down at him with nothing but murderous intent. Her grip tightened around her crimson sword before she drove it straight into his knee, pinning him to the ground.

"Arrhhh!!" Master howled in pain, his entire leg convulsing from the impact, but the blade kept him firmly locked in place.

Sandra wasted no time as she moved in next, her water knife glowing with an eerie blue hue as she plunged it into his side. The moment it pierced his flesh, a violent burst of icy energy exploded from the wound, instantly freezing half of his body in thick layers of ice.

Sharp icicles formed along his torso, locking him further in place as frost spread over his skin, making every movement agonizing. Cracks began to form as he struggled, his body instinctively fighting against the freezing effect, desperate to break free before it was too late.

But before he could even begin to escape—

"NOW!!" Dora shouted, her voice filled with sheer determination as she tightened her grip further, blood dripping from her hands.

At that exact moment—

Mary's crimson sword, Sandra's water knife, and the Archpriestess's holy flames surged forward in unison... All of their attacks aimed directly at Master's neck, prepared to end him once and for all before he could do any more damage.

Victory was within reach.

But then—

"Heh…Bombs!"

A dark, chilling chuckle suddenly echoed across the battlefield.

Everyone froze on instinct, their weapons halting just before impact, their gazes snapping toward him in confusion.

Master's lips curled into a twisted grin, his eyes gleaming with something far more sinister than before.

His expression was not one of a man who had accepted defeat—rather, it was one of someone who had been waiting for this exact moment.

"You fools," he rasped, his voice dripping with amusement, filled with nothing but sick pleasure.

And then—

"I've placed bombs inside the Maze Prison."

A sickening click echoed through the battlefield as a small, button-like stick device appeared in his remaining hand.

Their movements halted completely!

"Go ahead," Master sneered, his voice laced with wicked satisfaction. "Kill me. I dare you."

His finger hovered barely an inch over the detonator, trembling just enough to make it clear he was willing to press it at any moment.

"Bombs?" Sandra narrowed her eyes, though she hesitated for the first time, her blade pulling back slightly as uncertainty flickered across her face. "Do you really think we're going to believe that so easily?"

Master chuckled darkly, his head tilting ever so slightly as he met her gaze with an expression of pure malice.

"Oh, dear… you still don't understand me, do you?" His voice was mocking, his tone dripping with venomous confidence as he watched their reactions unfold. "Those children… they are my creations. Either I take them back with me, or—"

His smile widened into something truly monstrous as his fingers twitched ever so slightly over the button.

"Everything dies."

A heavy silence fell over the battlefield, they knew... he was the man who did literally anything for his gain!

Master exhaled slowly, letting the moment drag out, savouring the hesitation in their expressions.

"Let me go… and I won't do anything."

Aether's frown deepened as he immediately reached out through his connection....

Helena's voice echoed back in his mind, urgent and tense.

/No, Aether. No one has entered the building yet. The monsters are still keeping everyone occupied. However… I sensed something else inside those buildings. Something… wrong./

Master's eyes flickered toward the Archpriestess.

She was hesitating.

And that was exactly what he wanted.

Even if the others didn't care—she would.

Even if it was a fucking lie.

After all, she is Archpriestess!!

And... Of course, it was a lie.

But that didn't matter.

Because at this moment, everyone knew one undeniable truth—

Master always had a backup plan.

And if they pushed him any further…

He wouldn't hesitate to use it.... He would make sure they believe him fucking lie!!