Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1352: Something is happening: Part-2

”Yawn... Gods, this is insufferable. Just standing here for hours, doing nothing but staring at the wall,” complained a man clad in battered armour, his sword resting against his hip, the royal emblem glinting in the hazy barrier-light. He stifled another yawn, eyes heavy with boredom as he shuffled near the shimmering edge.

”And the Empress is paying you for all this ’nothing,’ isn’t she? So shut your trap and do your duty, or she’ll have your tongue on a pike before sunset,” snapped another soldier, armoured in the same midnight-blue steel, his voice sharp and sour with annoyance.

Just like them, 15 soldiers stood together.

”I just don’t get it. If this enchanted barrier’s so strong, why do we have to be out here at all? Isn’t the magic supposed to keep the monsters out?” wondered a third. He reached out, letting his gloved, armoured fingers brush the shimmering surface.

”Well, think about it. If the barrier fails, we’re the first ones to get torn apart. That’s why the Empress tosses us a coin so we’ll stand here,” another muttered, amusement dancing in his eyes despite the grim joke.

Everyone shook their heads.

”Look at this land...” someone said, staring at the ground beneath his feet. Where he stood, lush grass and wildflowers thrived, but mere inches away, right outside the glowing shield, the earth withered and cracked, bleached to ash.

Beyond the barrier, nothing lived. The world was nothing but scorched soil, broken stones, and the slinking shadows of twisted monsters.

Some soldiers shivered, a chill prickling under their armour. Without the barrier, they’d be dead or turned to beasts!

”Sigh... I can’t count how many times I’ve thanked the Future Emperor Aether,” one said, ”If not for him, we’d all be rotting corpses by now, or worse.”

Others nodded, solemn agreement passing among the group. ”He’s the only reason any of us are breathing. Even without magic, even stripped of everything, we’re alive. That’s what matters, right?”

Everyone nodded.

They fell silent for a moment, haunted by the thought of their loved ones turning into nightmares, twisted by the same curse that plagued the lands.

So much could have been lost, if not for Aether. He was their saviour in every sense—a man whose name they would whisper in thanks, even if he never heard them.

”But think about it... the bastard is winning the hearts of the two most gorgeous and powerful women in the Empire,” someone grumbled.

Faces soured instantly.

”Doesn’t matter how dangerous she is. The Empress is still a vision—anyone would risk a finger just to see her up close,” muttered another, lips twisting in a half-smile. ”And that boy... a slave, turned hero. He saved the world and now he’s got not just one, but both the most beautiful women in the Empire by his side. Mother and daughter—gods, it’s unreal.”

”Damn it, now I’m getting worked up. Just thinking about it,” another spat, crossing his arms.

”Yeah, both mother and daughter! It’s got to be some kind of sorcery—no one has luck that good. I wonder who sleeps where, huh?” teased one, his grin wild.

”Hah! Watch your mouth, man. The Empress would have your head—and your balls—on a spike if she heard that filth. Didn’t she say the arrangement with Aether was just for appearances? To keep him bound to the Empire’s fate?” another shot back.

”Mmm... come to think of it, he’s even got beauties from other empires trailing after him now. It’s like the bastard is collecting them. It’s not fair!”

Everyone gritted their teeth, the group bristling with half-joking resentment, unable to decide if they admired Aether or wanted to trade places with him for just a single night.

”Even if it’s just in name, there might be a chance, you know? The Empress—she’s a woman in the end. She must have her own... pent-up needs, right? And who knows... maybe one night, she’ll force herself on that poor guy. Hahaha, I mean, come on—look at his innocent face. Doesn’t it make you want to watch him squirm, break him down, see him whimper and beg under you?” That soldier spoke in a lecherous, drawn-out tone, voice thick with crude amusement.

”...”

Everyone fell silent, staring at the man with expressions ranging from baffled to disgusted.

The man coughed awkwardly and tried to laugh it off. ”I—I need to take a piss,” he muttered, quickly turning and vanishing into the dark woods.

The others exchanged glances, then shook their heads and ignored him.

One muttered again,

”But to think we’re officially marrying both mother and daughter... Even though it was supposed to be disgusting and frowned upon, most of our people just don’t care. As long as Aether is here, nothing else matters.”

”Indeed... I suppose after staring death in the face, they’d rather side with the man who saved them. If it means surviving, who cares about tradition or scandal? At least he’ll protect them—”

Suddenly, a white spark flickered in the air between them, crackling and spinning.

”OI! What’s going on here?!”

Everyone flinched and stepped back as the spark circled faster and faster, until it flashed into a blinding sphere. From that swirling light, a single figure emerged—a tall, black metallic form, its surface gleaming, eyes in helmet blazing with an eerie red glow.

The moment they saw the metallic intruder, dread swept through the group.

”Fuck you, bastards! Because of you, I lost my child!” roared one soldier, brandishing his sword and charging at the black figure with wild fury.

But before he could strike, the soldier froze, every muscle locking tight.

The others tensed, weapons drawn, eyes wide. ”S-Sam? Are you all right—?”

Thud!

The soldier collapsed, lifeless, a massive hole torn through his chest. The others went pale as they stared in horror—the metallic figure was holding Sam’s still-beating heart, squeezing it between metal fingers until it burst like fruit.

Faces twisted in rage and shock. ”KILL HIM!”

With a furious shout, the remaining soldiers rushed forward, swords raised high, slashing at the black figure’s gleaming body.

Steel rang against metal, but their blades barely scratched the surface—no dent, no blood, only the dull sound of steel on something far harder than iron.

”W-What the—”

Chkk!

”Arrgh!”

Chkkk!

”Arrgh!”

Chkkk!!

And in a single heartbeat, chaos erupted. Twelve soldiers fell, heads lopped from their shoulders, hearts ripped from their chests, some bodies cleaved in half by a force too swift for human eyes to follow.

The remaining two soldiers’ faces twisted in horror as they watched their comrades die, unable to do anything but stare. Their instincts screamed to run—to inform the Empress, maybe, but above all, to survive.

Without a word, they turned and bolted, fear driving their steps. But the metallic figure shifted, its hand dropping to its thigh. There came a harsh mechanical whirring, and with a snap, a strange gun slid from a concealed holster, locking into the figure’s grip.

The weapon gleamed in the sickly light... almost identical to the kind Aether had. The metallic intruder levelled the barrel at the fleeing soldiers and, without hesitation, squeezed the trigger.

BOOPPBB!

One soldier erupted in a spray of blood and shredded flesh, his body torn apart by something explosive, painting the ground in red. The last survivor stumbled, frozen in terror, collapsing as he scrambled backwards in blind panic.

”W-What? N-No! Arrrhhh!” he wailed, his scream echoing as the metallic figure closed in. The intruder seized him by the head as easily as plucking up a doll, tearing off his helmet with a single motion.

Meanwhile, the fifteenth soldier, the one who’d gone to relieve himself, had witnessed everything from behind a twisted old tree. His face drained of all colour, tears streaming down his cheeks as he clenched his fists, biting his lip until blood welled up.

Every one of his friends was dead. He turned, desperate, and sprinted into the darkness, knowing there was nothing left to save. At least he could warn the Empress.

At least their deaths wouldn’t be meaningless!!

Back at the barrier, the soldier in the metallic grip trembled uncontrollably. ”P-Please, let me go, please... I’ll tell you everything, sir... P-Please, I have a family, I beg you—” He sobbed, pleading for mercy.

But as he begged, the metallic figure’s chest began to glow with a strange light. A card, gleaming and etched with symbols, appeared, hovering just above the breastplate.

”And... and...—Arrhhh!”

The soldier... or the same man that Sandra caught, tied to the chair, roared, his body convulsing, veins bulging on his forehead, fighting some invisible force. His eyes rolled back as he struggled, barely conscious.

Aether listened intently, ”And what happened? What did that thing do to you? Tell me, now!” His crimson eyes blazed with fury as he leaned forward.

The man, now bound tightly to a wooden chair, groaned in agony. ”I... I... I...” He writhed in place, sweat and tears mingling on his skin.

Aether frowned; his manipulation should have worked—it always did until now.

Why was this man resisting?

”Tell me!” Aether snarled, gripping the man’s cheeks and forcing him to meet his gaze.

The man shuddered, stammering, ”I... I...” His voice trailed off, helpless.

Aether’s lips curled in irritation. Something was wrong.

This man had no strength to resist; something else was interfering—something beyond his control.

Aether drew back with a scowl. ”Well, that’s enough—”

”El Ko—”

BOOMMM!!

CHUUCCCKKKKK!!!

Suddenly, the man exploded in a shower of blood and bone, his flesh bursting apart, spraying gore across Aether’s stunned face. For a long moment, Aether could only blink, struggling to comprehend the carnage.

He stared at the empty chair, now slick with viscera, scraps of clothing, and rivers of blood dripping to the floor.

Wiping blood from his eyes, Aether caught a fleeting glimpse—a shimmer of golden light lingering on the chair, flickering once like the last gasp of a dying star, before vanishing completely.

”What the fuck just happened?!” Aqualina shouted, bursting into the room.