Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1783: Was it… cringey or horrific?

*I… I can’t…Mff—!*

The rest of her words never escaped.

Aether’s hand shot forward with terrifying speed, his fingers wrapping around her delicate neck before effortlessly lifting her completely off the ground.

Her feet dangled helplessly above the cold metallic floor.

*Oi… oi… oi…* he muttered almost playfully, tilting his head as though disappointed rather than angry.

*You’re making this daddy saddddd*

He leaned closer until their faces were only inches apart.

*What a disobedient wife you are… hmm? Since when did you become so unruly?*

*A… A… Ae…ther…*

Her voice emerged only as broken, strangled gasps.

Her hands desperately clawed at his wrist. Her widened eyes bulged with horror.

Her husband…

The man who had always protected her…

Was choking her without the slightest hesitation.

The sheer contradiction shattered her understanding of reality.

She hoped everything was fake!

Nothing was real—

*This is real,* Aether said calmly, almost as if answering the confusion written across her face.

*I am your man… and I’ll be the only one.*

He pulled her closer, against her ear, his voice dropping into a chilling whisper that carried far more weight than a scream.

*And try doing your fucking job instead of sucking my dick, okay?

I’ve already given you equipment capable of protecting both you and your people, yet you’re still letting them die for nothing.

What kind of Queen does that make you?*

Aqualina’s eyes widened… when he said ‘You and your people’, No, Our People… this moment she understood… he was a lost cause!

His voice became colder.

*Huh?*

The pressure around her neck tightened slightly.

*Don’t disgust me any further.*

Then…

His gaze shifted downward.

His hand holding her wrist… where a thin azure sword shimmered with energy, the razor-sharp tip poised mere centimetres from his stomach.

Despite struggling to breathe, Aqualina’s free hand had silently drawn a thin azure sword.

For a brief second…

Neither of them moved.

Then Aether laughed.

*Hehehe~ My love… I love your guts. It makes me horrrnnyyy~ See? My dick was practically pulsing with hunger, desperate to bury itself inside your lovely pussy… but darling…*

His grin widened into something disturbingly warped as his fingers clamped her wrist tightly.

Crack…

His grip tightened with terrifying force.

*Aaargh!*

Agony exploded through Aqualina’s arm as the bones in her wrist groaned beneath the crushing pressure. It felt as though they would splinter apart at any second.

*Next time you try something like this…*

He whispered with an affectionate smile that somehow felt colder than death itself,

*There won’t be a single limb left for you to hold a weapon with. So be a good girl… and do as Daddy says~”

With a casual flick of his hand, he released her.

Thud!

Her body crashed heavily onto the cold metallic floor.

*Cough…! Cough…! Cough…!*

Violent coughs tore from her throat as she desperately sucked in air. Her entire body trembled while she clutched her bruised neck, where the outline of his fingers had already begun surfacing as deep crimson marks beneath her pale skin. Her abused wrist throbbed violently with every heartbeat, forcing her to cradle it against her chest.

Slowly…

She lifted her head.

Her tear-filled eyes burned with a mixture of fury, heartbreak, and despair as they locked onto him.

*I HATE YOU!!*

The scream echoed throughout the enormous chamber.

She hated this.

She hated the way her husband treated her as though she were nothing.

She hated the disgust in his gaze whenever he looked at her.

She hated that he no longer seemed capable of feeling anything for her.

Most of all…

She hated herself.

Hated that despite all her strength, despite being a Queen.

She couldn’t do a single thing to save the man standing before her.

It was as though the person before her wasn’t Aether anymore.

No…

He had become someone she could no longer understand.

Aether slowly crouched in front of her, his eyes quietly studying the hatred burning within hers.

Then…

He smiled.

A slow, delighted smile spread across his face as though her hatred was the most beautiful expression he had ever witnessed. The sight only seemed to excite whatever madness had taken root inside him.

*Oh, my love~* he breathed, almost intoxicated by the emotion radiating from her.

*Just look at you… so beautiful… yes… ah… yes…” His breathing grew uneven before a distorted laugh escaped his lips.

*Even your hatred belongs to me… every bit of it… Hehehehehe~*

His laughter echoed through the chamber with an uncanny rhythm that didn’t sound entirely human anymore.

Aqualina instinctively flinched.

That laugh…

It sent a freezing chill crawling across her spine.

Without another word, Aether rose and walked toward the remaining encapsular units lining the chamber.

Stopping before the panel, he casually pressed his ring against its circular interface.

“Do it.”

The ring emitted a pulse of blue light.

Immediately, RIN responded.

^Accessing Encapsular Systems…^

^Decoding Security Layers…^

^Decrypting Quantum Encryption…^

^Firewall Neutralized.^

^1%… 10%… 37%… 82%… 100%^

^Access Granted^

^Root Access Confirmed.^

“Oh?” Aether raised an eyebrow in genuine surprise. “That was way too fast.”

After all, these were newly manufactured Encapsulars. If their systems had already been locked and synchronised with the enemy, even gaining access would have been nearly impossible. Yet RIN said nothing.

Sssnnnngg~

A deep mechanical resonance rolled throughout the chamber.

One by one, the encapsulars slowly rose from the ground as crimson waves descended beneath them, lifting each capsule effortlessly into the air. Hidden anti-gravity stabilisers hummed in perfect synchronisation while countless red particles flowed along their sleek alloy shells like streams of liquid light.

Aether immediately got to work. He walked back and forth, collecting every item he had previously shown Aqualina before carefully stuffing them into the capsules.

Aqualina remained seated on the cold metallic floor, her vacant eyes absentmindedly following him. His long black hair dragged across the surface with every step, sweeping through blood and scattered fragments of shattered suits as he tirelessly walked back and forth.

Suddenly, he stopped.

Turning toward her, he tilted his head slightly.

*Help?*

Aqualina didn’t respond.

She simply sat there in silence, her lifeless gaze fixed upon him as though her body had forgotten how to move.

Aether merely shrugged.

Without another word, he resumed packing every remaining piece of equipment into the capsules before sealing each one shut with a mechanical click.

Aether quietly examined the equipment tightly packed inside each capsule before rubbing his chin with a doubtful expression.

*Hmm… It’s possible she’ll end up landing inside enemy territory, right?… If they catch her again… that won’t be good.*

He turned toward Aqualina.

*Do you know exactly where the portal was when they captured you?*

Aqualina remained silent.

Her trembling lips parted slightly before closing again. Every fibre of her being rejected the very thought of returning. Going back meant leaving him here…

Alone.

To become whatever this nightmare was slowly turning him into.

Aether waited for a few seconds.

*…Nah.*

He shrugged carelessly.

*She’ll be fine.*

As though the possibility no longer interested him, he walked toward the final empty capsule and activated it. The transparent crystal shell slid open with a mechanical hiss before he turned back toward her.

*N-No, Aether…* Aqualina took an unconscious step backwards, desperately shaking her head.

*I… I’m not going back. I’m not leaving you…*

Step!

The instant his foot touched the floor…

He was already standing before her.

The distance between them had vanished so completely that she never even saw him move.

Her pupils shrank.

*Hmm…* he casually hummed, holding up one of the strange devices he had crafted over the past four days.

*You see this? It’s an Energy Diffuser.*

He gently placed the weapon into her trembling hands before wrapping her fingers around its grip.

*This little thing helps you escape Unit-Class suits. Just pull the trigger… boom.* He gestured with childish enthusiasm.

*For roughly twenty seconds, it’ll completely disrupt their power systems. Their reactors shut down, their weapons go offline, and they’ll be sitting there like expensive piles of junk.*

His expression softened slightly.

*That should be enough for you to escape.*

Then his smile disappeared.

*But if you run into a Commander… don’t fight. Just run away.”

A brief pause followed.

*Okay… my love?*

“…”

Aqualina bit her lip.

Her fingers tightened around the Energy Diffuser.

*W-Why…?* she whispered, her voice trembling beneath the weight of tears.

*Why are you refusing to listen to me?*

Instead of answering…

He simply bent down.

Before she could react, one arm slid beneath her legs while the other wrapped around her waist.

*W-Wait!*

She struggled violently.

She pushed against his chest.

She kicked.

She struck his shoulders with everything she had.

Yet…

It felt no different from a child trying to escape an adult.

He carried her as effortlessly as if she weighed nothing more than a sack slung over his shoulder.

*N-No! Let me go! Aether!*

Ignoring every protest, he casually tossed her into the open capsule.

Thud.

Before she could climb back out, he rested one hand against the capsule’s frame.

“Once you pass through the portal, the capsule unlocks itself automatically… right?”

^Yes. I have already reprogrammed the release protocol.^

*Good.*

Without the slightest hesitation…

The crystal shell sealed shut.

Sssnnnngg~

Layers of transparent alloy slid together, locking with airtight precision. Red holographic symbols rippled across the reinforced glass before fading into a dormant glow.

Aqualina stood trapped inside.

Her trembling hands slowly pressed against the transparent wall as she silently stared at him.

There were countless things she wanted to say.

Countless emotions suffocating her heart.

Yet…

Not a single word came out.

*I love you~*

Aether smiled brightly as though nothing had happened.

One by one, he dragged each floating capsule toward the portal before giving them a firm shove. Every capsule disappeared into the swirling dimensional vortex, vanishing beneath layers of distorted space.

Eventually…

Only Aqualina’s remained.

He stopped.

Instead of pushing it immediately, he wrapped both arms around the capsule, pressing his forehead against the transparent surface with exaggerated affection.

*D-Darling… I’m going to miss you…* he whimpered dramatically.

“I love you so much… I love you until death itself… I love you for all eternity… sniff… sniff… Even if you killed your daughter… sniff… sniff… I’d still love you… That’s how much I love you… sniff…*

His voice overflowed with devotion.

His face overflowed with longing.

Yet…

Aqualina simply stared back.

Expressionless.

Because she couldn’t feel a single ounce of sincerity.

Not warmth.

Not love.

Not pain.

Nothing.

Every word sounded perfectly rehearsed.

Like flawless acting performed by someone who had forgotten what love actually felt like.

Aether eventually released the capsule before gently patting its surface.

*Take care, beauty. Stay safe.* His cheerful smile returned.

*Darling will love you until the end of the world, so don’t die… otherwise…* He giggled softly.

*…I might just drag you back from death itself~ Hehe~ Mumma~!*

He blew an exaggerated kiss.

Then…

Bang!

He kicked only her capsule.

Unlike all the others.

The sudden impact sent it hurtling straight toward the portal.

!!

Veins instantly bulged across Aqualina’s forehead.

Even now… He just had to kick hers.

The capsule vanished into the swirling dimensional storm.

The chamber became silent.

The very next second…

Aether’s knees buckled.

He collapsed onto the floor.

“OH, MY DEAR!! I’M SO LONELY!! WHERE ARE MY LOVELY? SNIFFFFFFF WHERE ARE YOU?! PLEASE DON’T LEAVE ME!! SNIFFF!!”

His miserable cries echoed throughout the chamber as he clutched at empty air, rolling across the metallic floor like a heartbroken child abandoned by the entire world.

Even RIN felt speechless.

…What a cringe.

Of course…

She wisely kept that opinion to herself.

Who knew where this lunatic would decide to shove her consciousness if she offended him?

“Don’t worry, dear…” Aether sniffled dramatically between fake sobs.

“Once I finish everything here… I’ll come back… take care of everyone who forgot me… and make sure to fill them up as well… sniff… sniff…”

Suddenly…

His crying stopped.

“Arrgh!”

A pained groan echoed from somewhere behind him.

Someone…

Had finally regained consciousness.

Instantly…

Aether’s neck twisted.

Crack!

His head rotated a full 180 degrees with an unnatural snap, eyes locking onto the figure awakening inside one of the remaining capsules.

A terrifying grin slowly stretched across his face.

“HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE~!!”