The Anomaly Beyond The System

Yesterday...

Only a few minutes after Lucian had left Bloodveil—

"My lord...!! My lord!!!"

A man’s desperate scream reverberated throughout the castle as he violently pushed open the massive doors leading into the throne hall.

The guards stationed outside reacted instantly, intercepting him before he could rush any further.

However, the moment they saw the sheer panic and urgency written all over his face, they only stopped him for a brief moment before allowing him to pass.

"My lord!!!"

He shouted once again, his voice cracking with desperation as he sprinted through the enormous throne hall.

His hurried footsteps echoed loudly across the polished floor until he finally came to a halt before the long staircase leading up to the throne.

"What is it that made you come here in such a state?

...Especially... with such a lack of respect?"

A deep, cold voice descended from above.

The man seated upon the throne slowly lowered his gaze toward the trembling guard below.

The guard instinctively shuddered, the mere pressure behind the Duke’s voice enough to make his heartbeat skip.

Immediately, he dropped to one knee before lowering his head in a respectful bow.

"T-The... T-The... D-Du..." His entire body trembled, the words almost refusing to leave his throat out of sheer fear.

"Speak properly."

The Duke’s heavy voice carried a faint trace of annoyance.

Hearing the command, the man straightened himself.

Trying to calm down, he took several hurried breaths before finally forcing himself to speak.

"T-The Duchess... Valentina Scarlett... is here!"

As though she had been waiting for the man to finish his sentence—

BOOOOOM—!!!

The gigantic doors behind him exploded apart.

The thick, massive wooden gates, sturdy enough to withstand even an SS Rank’s strength, were blasted clean off their hinges as though they had been made of nothing more than cardboard.

The guard flinched, almost feeling his soul leave his body as he instinctively covered his head.

The Duke, seated upon the throne, narrowed his eyes.

Then—

A deep chill suddenly spread throughout his body as he saw the woman slowly walking into the throne hall, her footsteps echoing through the silent chamber, accompanied by the unmistakable wet sound of dark red liquid splashing beneath her feet.

Her crimson flowing gown remained pristine, save for her forearms, which were covered in slick, thick blood.

With a sharp flick of her wrist, the fresh blood coating her pale hand splattered across the polished floor.

Her scarlet hair flowed menacingly behind her, its vibrant colour as brilliant as fresh blood, giving her an appearance that was both elegant...

And at the same time, overwhelmingly violent.

Her golden eyes slowly swept across the massive throne hall.

Yet within those mesmerizing eyes...

There was nothing but disappointment.

Her very demeanour, the confidence in her stride, made it feel as though she were the true owner of the entire castle rather than a mere intruder.

It took the Duke a few seconds before his gaze finally shifted past her.

Despite the composed expression on his face, the fingers resting upon the throne’s armrest subtly tightened the moment he saw the scene behind her.

Piles of bodies lay scattered beyond the destroyed entrance, some torn clean in half, while others were missing limbs, their corpses twisted into grotesque shapes.

Blood flowed through the destroyed entrance like a crimson river, the metallic scent instantly filling the throne hall.

"The guards were fucking weak... considering they were the ones who tried to attack me."

Valentina muttered in obvious frustration.

She had genuinely expected them to survive for at least a few seconds—considering they were the ones who had attacked her first.

But no...!

They were fucking pathetically weak.

Her gaze slowly drifted toward the trembling guard still kneeling in the centre of the hall. His complexion had long turned deathly pale, and his entire body shook violently. His widened eyes reflected nothing but terror.

"L-L-Lad...y—"

Before he could even utter another word—

Valentina’s golden eyes casually shifted toward him.

The man’s body abruptly stiffened before collapsing lifelessly onto the floor.

"Tsk... pathetic."

Shaking her head lightly, Valentina’s golden eyes finally settled upon the throne.

"Oi bi—huh...?

...Who the fuck are you?"

Her expression shifted into genuine confusion as she saw a man sitting upon the throne instead of the person she had expected.

"Lady Valentina..." the man muttered, his voice remaining composed.

But beneath that calm exterior lay undeniable turmoil—especially after realising he hadn’t heard a single thing despite the massacre that had just taken place outside his throne hall.

And now...

Hearing the way she addressed him...

’...Sigh.’

He inwardly sighed.

At this point, he had already become accustomed to her lack of manners and her sudden memory loss regarding him, even if he didn’t particularly enjoy it.

"...Do I know you?" Valentina repeated, a faint frown forming between her brows.

But then she waved her hand dismissively, using her mana to fling away the blood staining her hands.

"Anyways... call that bitch over here."

The Duke smiled wryly, a nearly imperceptible twitch appearing at the corner of his lips.

But just as he was about to answer—

Valentina’s eyes twitched faintly before her head abruptly snapped to the right.

SHHHHHHHHHH—!!

The air violently screamed as a gigantic spear of solid ice tore through the throne hall with terrifying speed.

Despite its immense size—large enough to resemble a frozen pillar—it shot toward her at a speed far surpassing that of a sniper’s bullet, ripping through the freezing air in its path.

The spear flew directly toward Valentina.

Yet...

Valentina merely raised one hand, casually, and effortlessly caught the spear by its very tip, as if catching an object lazily tossed toward her.

Her hand didn’t even recoil or tremble as the ice spear—or rather, the icy pillar—came to a complete stop.

"Valentina Scarlett."

An incomparably cold voice echoed throughout the throne castle, each word carrying an extreme chill as the owner of the voice calmly walked into the throne hall from one of the side corridors.

Her frost-silver hair cascaded elegantly down her back, gently swaying with each measured step she took.

The temperature throughout the entire hall immediately plummeted. Thin layers of frost silently spread across the marble floor beneath her feet.

Her icy-blue eyes settled coldly upon the crimson-haired woman before her, calm, cold, and completely emotionless.

She quietly observed Valentina, who still held the massive spear of ice in one hand as though it weighed absolutely nothing.

Valentina’s lips slowly curled into a wide smile as she gradually tightened her grip.

Crack. Crack.

CRACK—!!

The enormous spear shattered into countless crystalline fragments, the glittering shards scattering throughout the throne hall before dissolving into shimmering particles of frost.

"...Nivelle." Valentina tilted her head ever so slightly.

"Did you get weak?"

Her voice sounded almost concerned, but the obvious condescending tone and the mocking smirk curling at the corner of her lips completely ruined the act.

Nivelle Everfrost’s lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

Yet...

A faint sting pierced her pride as she watched her attack—one capable of seriously wounding even her own husband, the man seated upon the throne—get effortlessly destroyed through nothing but raw physical strength.

The only result her attack had managed to accomplish was leaving behind a paper-thin layer of frost across Valentina’s palm, along with a tiny cut that was barely noticeable.

However...

Even that insignificant wound visibly healed within a single second.

Throughout the entire exchange...

The man seated upon the throne never moved. His posture remained unchanged as his cold, unwavering gaze remained fixed upon the scarlet-haired woman standing in the centre of the throne hall.

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