The World Is Mine For The Taking

Chapter 168: Chapter 25 - King's Game, Part 2 (7)

Heads were sent flying through the air, their blood spraying from the neck stumps like gruesome fountains. The headless bodies remained standing for a moment, blood gushing from their necks before they collapsed to the ground.

"Wha...?" I managed to gasp, the shock reverberating through me like a thunderclap. What had just unfolded before my eyes?

"This body's a bit gnarly, but it'll do," remarked a man. But that couldn't be right. The man had just been decapitated in front of me, yet here he stood, whole and unharmed. It was as if someone had assumed his identity after killing him.

"Oh, but it seems there's something even more enticing," the man added, his tongue flicking over the blood-slicked blade that had wrought the carnage, his gaze fixated on me with predatory intent.

Not sexual, though. It was more akin to hunger than lust.

The way she spoke was seductive, yet she wasn't a woman. Her mannerisms, however, were distinctly feminine. It seemed the person who had taken on the man's form must have been a woman.

"Who the hell are you?! What the fuck did you just do?!" the leader exclaimed, his shock palpable after witnessing the sudden violence. It was no wonder; two of his comrades had just been slain in an instant. Those two had been fighting for vengeance, but at least their deaths had been swift, sparing them from prolonged agony.

"Oh, quiet down. If I want to escape from that monster, then I'll need to drink that woman's blood. Come to me, you bitch!" she declared, her voice echoing with a chilling determination before she lunged towards me with alarming speed.

"Wha...?!"

"Princess!"

The woman who had just taken on a man's form moved with incredible speed. It was lightning-fast, almost inhuman. Her movements were so rapid that it was hard to believe she was even human. She moved with such velocity that even if you tried to follow her, you wouldn't catch her in motion. She seemed to vanish from one spot and reappear right in front of me.

I had no time to react, no time to activate my skill or defend myself. I was completely caught off guard by the sheer speed of her attack.

Luckily, Johanne intervened just in time, blocking the assault.

"Nghhh!" Johanne groaned, feeling the impact of the woman's powerful attack reverberate through his body. His wrist nearly shattered under the force of it, but he gritted his teeth and stood his ground, defending me. However, he couldn't shield me completely, and I ended up with a slight cut from the woman's blade.

The woman stepped back, licking her blade. "A small droplet of blood will do just fine." With that, her appearance changed, morphing into my own.

"How...?!" Johanne exclaimed, clearly taken aback by the sudden transformation.

This was unexpected. I never imagined such a skill existed—one that could change a person's appearance to that of another. Then again, skills were incredibly diverse, so it wasn't entirely surprising to encounter something so unusual.

"A fine body. Perfect for a woman like me, wouldn't you say?" the woman who now mirrored my appearance remarked. "Now, I just need to make my escape before—"

"Not so fast," interjected a man with a deep, commanding voice. Instantly, I felt my knees buckle under the weight of that voice. The pressure emanating from that alone was almost tangible, overwhelming me and leaving me feeling weak.

"What... What is this...?" Johanne wore the same bewildered expression as me.

"Johanne, don't move," I instructed, my voice tense with urgency.

That's right. We couldn't afford to make any sudden moves in a situation like this, and Johanne understood that. He complied, frozen in place alongside me.

"Here he comes..." the woman murmured, a hint of excitement in her voice. "Now then," she declared, locking eyes with me before suddenly seizing me and twirling me around. My senses spun as the world whirled around me, leaving me disoriented when she finally came to a stop.

"What did you do?" I demanded, my head throbbing from the abrupt motion, my hand instinctively reaching to steady myself.

"What did you do?" she echoed in perfect synchronization, her own hand pressed against her forehead, mimicking my gesture.

"Huh?" I exclaimed in confusion.

"Huh?" she echoed, perfectly mimicking my tone and expression.

She was copying me. She was... copying me so flawlessly that it felt like I was staring into a mirror.

"W-What are you doing?" I stammered, my voice trembling with uncertainty.

"W-What are you doing?" she echoed, her tone matching mine with eerie accuracy.

What was she trying to accomplish? That question lingered for only a moment before it was answered in the most terrifying manner.

"Hiii?!" I gasped, nearly buckling under the weight of fear that washed over me.

Before me stood a man, his face concealed by a smooth, featureless mask, clad in dark clothing that seemed to absorb all light around him. His presence exuded such malevolence that it was impossible to gauge its depth—it was like staring into an abyss.

And that abyss was staring back at me.

Now I understood why this woman had taken on my appearance. It was a desperate attempt to confuse the man behind the mask, to make him question which of us was real. Whether he even knew who I was, despite being a Princess, was uncertain. But it seemed unlikely that he cared. He exuded an aura of indifference to the world, as if his sole purpose was to bring death.

The woman copying my appearance was clearly foolish for attempting such a stunt. She seemed to have overlooked the numerous loopholes in her plan. Firstly, the man could easily dispatch both of us simultaneously if he couldn't distinguish between us. Taking chances was not his style—he would likely eliminate us both without hesitation.

Secondly, if she managed to escape with my appearance, albeit slim chances, she could have a shot at freedom. However, by remaining here with my likeness, she only increased her risk of being killed by the man. These were just a few loopholes I could identify, but I was certain there were more.

When he appeared, he cast a scrutinizing gaze upon both of us.

I attempted to steady my trembling legs, but they betrayed me, causing me to collapse to my knees once more, and then I involuntarily relieved myself again. The sheer terror that emanated from the man was overwhelming. I couldn't believe that I was experiencing this humiliation for the second time in such a short span.

Just yesterday, I had embarrassed myself in front of Leon, and now, I had done it again. It was beyond embarrassing.

As I emptied my bladder, I noticed that the woman beside me remained dry. The man turned his attention to her, and in the blink of an eye, he was right before us. He seized the woman by the neck and hoisted her up.

"Gahhhh!"

"You seem to enjoy playing games," the man remarked, his voice cold and devoid of emotion.

"How the fuck did you know? Ugh. Is it because she peed herself? If I pee myself too, will I be spared?"

"How about we put that to the test?" the man taunted, his bloodlust exploding forth like a violent storm. The woman's eyes widened in terror, her screams echoing through the air as she desperately struggled against his iron grip. But it was futile; his strength was unyielding, holding her in place as if she were nothing more than a rag doll tossed about in the wind.

Her cries pierced the tense atmosphere, a symphony of fear and desperation that filled the air. Every movement she made was met with resistance, the man's grasp unyielding and immovable like the weight of a mountain pressing down upon her.

Just as it seemed there was no escape from the man's relentless onslaught, a new voice shattered the silence. It reverberated through the chaos, cutting through the tension like a blade. It was the leader of the group we had clashed with earlier, his presence casting a shadow over the scene.

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"Can I beg you to spare her life?"

We all turned to face him, even the man. But as my eyes landed on him, a sense of unease washed over me. There was something distinctly different about this man compared to the one we had been battling moments ago. His presence seemed to radiate a power far greater than before. What was going on?

"And who might you be?" the man inquired, his tone betraying a hint of suspicion. It seemed he, too, sensed that something was amiss with this man.

The leader let out a sinister chuckle, his voice dripping with amusement. "Oh, come on now. I know I'm not exactly memorable after you've bested me, but completely forgetting me stings a bit, doesn't it?" he taunted. "Well, I suppose it's to be expected from someone as formidable and all-powerful as you, Mephisto."

His words sent a chill down my spine, and my eyes widened in realization. Mephisto. That name carried a weight of dread and fear.

"Mephisto? The... The one behind that catastrophic incident months ago?" Johanne gasped, his shock evident.

Yes, indeed. Mephisto was the name associated with chaos and destruction. He had slipped through the grasp of the royal knights, outmaneuvered the magic knights, and left a trail of devastation that stained the kingdom's reputation.

That's right. The name Mephisto was seared into my consciousness like a brand. He was the man with a target painted on his back, his head fetching a hefty bounty. Renowned as the master of deception, he was known to wear many faces, a shadowy figure lurking in the depths of the kingdom's darkest nightmares.