Reborn As The Villain-Chapter 342: SS - 24: Dying Hope

After making sure Sing reunited with her mother, Ruria and Lian left the two in the princess' room and hurriedly went down to the basement floors.

"—Strange."

"What is?"

"The magic item is still humming even though we crossed the barrier."

"Does that mean there's another door with the same rune somewhere here?"

"Most likely."

"Isn't it kind of strange to store a something so important in a mausoleum?" Ruria looked at the damp walls and stone-cold concrete floor as the two of them walked through the maze of coffins that seemed never-ending. They ahd already released the barrier that blocked Ruria's path before. "You'd think he would store it in some estate of his that nobody knows about."

"It's exactly because it's weird why this is the perfect place to keep documents or scrolls hidden."

"This whole family of three is weird..."

Lian glanced at Ruria from the side, noticing her frowning expression.

"You look like you have something on your mind. If it's something I can help with, do tell."

"How long have you been working for this family?"

"I served in Ko Johun's army as a doctor for about a year before word of my skills reached his ears which led to me becoming the imperial family's personal doctor, a position I've held ever since the war. Why do you ask?"

"The princess... Has she always been so... how do I put it—weird?"

"I'm not confident I can give you a clear answer since I haven't known her long... Is there anything specific you can tell me that you find weird?"

"That doll, she seems attached to it and never sleeps or bathes without it but can carry on without it when away from her room."

"The ugly doll... I think it's because she doesn't like being alone. The palace might be crawling with servants and guards but none of them are her people. She's a foreigner from another country whose father took over this empire by force. That doll is the only thing keeping her company when her mother and father cannot. It was also..." Lian sighed softly, "The last thing that was with her when she died."

"W-What?"

"The princess you've been taking care of all this time was the homunculus I created in my lab, a thing that's testament to the successful experiment of playing God. Her soul wasn't in a suitable state to retain her original self so a new Sing was born when I created her. The same goes for the empress."

The faint glow of lanterns barely reached the high ceiling, leaving much of the mausoleum in shadow as they walked. The air was cool, carrying the scent of old stone and dust. Their footsteps echoed as they walked deeper inside.

"Does Ko know...?"

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"Of course he does. He was the one who requested my services. Reviving the two of them was the reason he took me out of the army, believing my skills as an alchemist was good enough." She ran a hand over the edge of a nearby coffin. "By the time I got to them, their corpses had already begun to rot. But with the help of certain talismans that a select few shamans put on them, their souls were barely held together."

Ruria looked at Lian's back in silence.

"It's funny," Lian continued. "Both remember their past lives... but not the fact that they died. Maybe it's because their current bodies never experienced death so now they don't remember what death feels like. They go on as if nothing changed, but each holds on to something—Sing to that doll, and Zhoming to her need to feel human again."

'Goddess Melis works in mysterious ways,' Lian thought, exhaling softly.

Lian also walked in silence for a moment before speaking again. "What made you so interested in the princess?"

"Besides that ugly doll, she doesn't seem to like eating food unless it has crushed magic crystals mixed in. Back in the banquet hall, she sniffed a magic crystal like it was the most delicious thing in the world."

"Ah, that's just what homunculi typically eat," Lian said. "Think of magic dust like spices or salt—helps make even the worst food tolerable."

Suddenly, Lian held up a hand, "Monsters." She took out a few vials from her bag before pouring its contents on the stone floor.

Immediately after a green mist drifted through the narrow hall.

"The humming is getting louder so I'm positive our target is through here. But just to be safe, I used this decaying potion. This potion ignores all defence except magic defence, so there's no need to confront the monsters."

"How could you tell?"

"Their scents. I used a potion earlier that allows me to have the same sense of smell as a werewolf. Although my nose is going to burn for a few days once this wears off."

"You can make stuff for that? Do you have any for night vision? I didn't pay enough attention in my classes..."

"Eh, why would you need those?"

"..."

Lian replied noticing her silence, "It seems you're not just any ordinary Thief from some Thief Guild."

"Yeah."

"I'll give you a recipe for one later." After saying so, she took out another vial, "The decay should've killed them by now but the fumes are still in the corridor so I'll need to get rid of those since I don't want the same to happen to us."

She threw the vial in the corridor. After the sound of breaking glass resounded, a white mist engulfed the corridor and a hissing sound echoed as if a fire was being put out.

"Let's go. It shouldn't be far now."

**

Panick-stricken voices echoed among the nobles, all watching in fear as the Inner Martials were being overwhelmed by Funiji's martials. Such a thing was unprecedented since Ko's personal army were considered the strongest in this entire empire and its kingdoms, not just Moon Plum city.

"Gah!" one of the Inner Martials tried to use a martial skill but his opponent wouldn't give him that opportunity.

This banquet was meant to celebrate the birth of a new inner martial but it all transcended into chaos once Funiji invaded.

Another Inner Martial, seeing his fallen comrade collapse, let out a furious roar and charged. His sword flashed, swinging in a brutal arc at the closest enemy. The strike was met with a swift parry, the force of the impact rattling up his arm. He pivoted on his heel and struck again—faster, harder—but Funiji's warriors were relentless.

A second enemy lunged from the side. The Inner Martial barely twisted in time to block, but the sheer strength behind the blow sent him staggering. Another attack came from behind. He ducked, narrowly avoiding a decapitating slash, then countered with a vicious upward strike that nicked his opponent's shoulder.

No time to celebrate. More were closing in. He had to keep moving.

Another Inner Martial fought beside him, exchanging rapid strikes with a scarred warrior wielding dual sabers. The clash of metal against metal was deafening. A well-aimed kick sent the Inner Martial stumbling, and before he could recover, his opponent's blade found its mark. He crumpled with a sharp gasp, blood pooling beneath him.

The tide was turning—against them.

What was once a disciplined formation was now scattered chaos. The palace guards and Inner Martials, the pride of Ko's forces, were being overwhelmed, their numbers thinning as Funiji's warriors pressed forward with ruthless efficiency.

This banquet had been meant to celebrate the rise of a new Inner Martial, a symbol of strength and honor. Now, it was a massacre. The only remaining combatants left were a dozen regular martials and four Inner Martials.

The large blue-robed figure seemed to be the most troublesome to deal with so two of the Inner Martials focused on him.

Nobles scrambled to retreat, but there was nowhere to run. Some cowered behind overturned tables, others tried to push through the back exits, only to find them blocked by guards who dared not abandon their posts. A few clutched decorative daggers, their hands shaking, knowing full well they were useless.

The walls of Moon Plum City had never been breached. The Inner Martials had never lost. But tonight, both those certainties were crumbling.

As if on cue to scare them some more, another explosion rang out from a distant district in the city, making the nobles cower even more.

No one knew how it would end.

In the midst of all that chaos for anyone to even notice, a young woman appeared out of thin air, her white hair gently flowing down when she landed. Immediately, she looked at the chaos happening with widened eyes and the bodies lying everywhere. Of course, those bodies weren't that of the nobles but the martials that attacked the "intruders".

'I... I expected a little chaos but not to this extend.' No one seemed to have noticed Kohana. She looked around, noticing that Arnold's clone was idly standing by, looking at the conflict in a strange daze.

She quickly emptied a nearby table and climbed on top of it. Tapping her delicate heel on the table with all her might, she caught the attention of the nobles and commoners.

"All of you, listen to me!" Kohana's voice rang out, clear and firm despite the chaos around her. Her loud command turned everyone's eyes toward her, and with that also the responsibility she has as the next Empress.

"I am Kohana of the Zhurosan Imperial Family, one of the only surviving children of the emperor that Ko slayed in cold blood during the Five Sects war! I am here to end his rule once and for all! There's no need to fear Ko anymore. You don't have to follow him out of terror or desperation! I will restore my family's legacy. I will rebuild what was lost! None of you will be punished if you stand with me." She swept her gaze across the crowd, her expression a mixture of determination and desperation. "This is your chance to break free from the chains of oppression! Join me, and we can forge a new future together."

She stepped forward, placing a hand over her heart. "Ko has ruled through fear, through bloodshed, and through the destruction of our traditions. But what has he truly given you? Has he made your lives better? Have you thrived under his rule, or have you merely survived, cowering under his shadow lacking the consequence to voice any concerns about your country? Remember the war he started when we only wanted peace! When we only wanted to coexist! Innocents were slaughtered, families torn apart, a kingdom crumbling under tyranny! But we have a choice! We can fight back! We can reclaim what was taken from us!"

She turned her gaze toward the nobles, her voice unwavering. "And you, this country's nobles, you who have been used as pawns in his game—do you truly believe your wealth and titles protect you? How many of your own have been cut down simply for speaking out? How long before Ko decides you, too, are expendable? Align with me, and I swear, you will not be cast aside like trash. You will be part of something greater! A kingdom that does not rule through terror, but through unity! And I expect all of you to willingly attend your trials and admit your mistakes!"

She then looked toward the commoners, her eyes softening. "And you—your lives have been dictated by the whims of a tyrant. You have been silenced, ignored, made to suffer for the benefit of the few. But no longer. With me, you will have a voice again. You will have a future! Stand with me, and together, we will tear down this corruption and build something new!"

Kohana gulped hard as she looked at her people. She did her best to wear a confident expression and not show weakness. Even if she could not fight, she could demonstrate her might through her composure. Sometimes even during a war, the calmest individual can come off as the most powerful.

Even though she knew it wasn't Arnold, she wanted into the clone's arms and hide from the stares she was receiving.

But she settled with closing her eyes.

"Please remember the peaceful life you had before this tyrant took this empire from us!" Kohana screamed at the top of her lungs.

....

...

...

Timidly, Kohana opened her eyes after a long silence. The silence alone was about to crush her even more than simple rejection and scorn.

With another gulp, she tried to speak up again.

She wanted to remind them of the great emperor her father was and how her mother kept this empire safe on the frontlines.

But before she could get a word in—

"She's the cause of it all!" one of the nobles pointed at her with an accusatory finger.

"E-Eh?"

"He's right! It's no coincidence she appeared right after we were attacked!"

Kohana's head shot around the room, noticing the bodies on the ground. Not to mention the guards desperately trying to fight the assailants in one corner of this vast hall.

"N-No, we did not intend to harm any of the nobles or commoners, only the soldiers who sided with—" her voice was drowned out by their jeers and yells. Someone threw a glass at her which she avoided in time.

What has gotten into these people?

"If we don't take her down, His Majesty will think we planned this attack on the palace and execute many of us as a warning even if there's no evidence we did it!"

"He's right... That tyrant will execute us just like he did the sect leaders after the war... I don't want to die."

"I don't want to die..."

"I don't want to face Ko's wrath once he kills Funiji!"

"It's all her fault!"

All of them approached Kohana.

"L-Listen!" sensing the danger, she tried to calm them down, "N-None of you are in any danger even if the situation looks that way—"

"Ahhhhh!" before Kohana could get another word in, a horde consisting of the commoners and nobles charged at her.

"W-Wait, everyone! Please listen to m—" the table Kohana was standing on was pushed over, causing her to fall down, cracking her head on the marbled floor, sending stars into her vision. Before she could regain her footing, she was suddenly punched in the back of the head.

"Ugh!" she tried to get up again but a vase was thrown in her face and someone straddled her. "!"

The man straddling her punched her mercilessly. She tried to hold up her hands to defend herself but others joined him and held her arms down.

"S-St..."

Punch.

"Sto..."

Punch.

"Stop..."

Punch!

It didn't matter how much she pleaded, she was punched without mercy, several teeth flying out of her mouth.

Someone tore off the top of her dress and stabbed her breasts, causing her to convulse in pain, unable to break free.

"S-Sis!" Rasuke couldn't go help her because the martial he was fighting was too strong to get the upper hand. Soryu was able to take down the inner martial he was fighting but was stopped by a dozen other guards.

"Dammit!" he roared and tried to get through them as fast as he could, "I'll be right there, Kohana! Out of my way! Dammit!"

In all this chaos, the clone looked around.

He made eye contact with Kohana, who was being strangled and beaten by the very people she was meant to rule.

The nobles and commoners alike had turned into a frenzied mob, their once-loyal hands now tearing at her as if she were the root of all their suffering.

She reached out to him, her broken trembling fingers stretching through the chaos, pleading—not as a princess, not as a ruler, but as a human being desperate for salvation. Tears streamed down her bloodied face, mixing with dirt and sweat, her lips forming silent words.

A sudden hand seized her outstretched arm and twisted it sharply. CRACK.

A sickening snap echoed through the banquet hall. Kohana's entire body convulsed, her eyes wide with agony before a raw, bloodied scream tore from her throat. The crowd didn't stop. Another fist struck her cheek, knocking her head sideways, sending a sharp bolt of pain down her neck.

Then—a brutal punch to her jaw. A loud, sickening pop.

Her scream was cut short as her jaw dislocated, hanging uselessly as drool and blood seeped from her open mouth. Her breath came in ragged, wheezing gasps, the swelling around her eyes rendering the world into a blurred, shadowed haze.

Her eyes were bloodshot and bulging out of her sockets.

Her once-pristine gown was in tatters, ripped and pulled apart by hands of people who once reached out to hope with them. Her body trembled, her fingers twitching as she tried to push them away, but there were too many. All of it crushed her.

And then, through a bloody vision, she saw him.

A silhouette stood above the frenzied horde, his form dark against the dimming torchlight. Nova.

H...He... Help...

She tried to form the words, but only a strangled gurgle came out. Her swollen lips quivered, her mind barely clinging to consciousness.

Then, a sudden, chilling silence.

The hands gripping her loosened. The jeers turned into gasps.

Then—screams.

A wet, meaty slash rang out, followed by the sickening thud of a head hitting the banquet floor. Blood sprayed into the air like a macabre fountain, drenching the already stained marble tiles. The pressure on her body lifted as people scrambled back, but they weren't fast enough.

Nova moved like a shadow of death, his blade singing through flesh and bone with terrifying ease. A man who had been gripping Kohana's hair barely had time to turn before his torso split open, entrails spilling out like a burst sack of wine.

The nobles shrieked, tripping over one another in blind panic. A woman tried to beg, hands raised, but Nova skewered her through the mouth, silencing her in a spray of red.

The banquet hall became a slaughterhouse.

Men and women who had moments ago been reveling in Kohana's suffering now clawed at each other to escape, trampling over the bodies of the fallen. But there was no escape since the doors were locked from the outside.

Nova didn't even attempt to approach them anymore. He could send a torrent of flames at them where he stood and roast them all alive. But he merely watched.

One man, his trembling hands still clutching a shred of Kohana's dress, hurriedly dropped it and looked up just in time to see the tip of Nova's blade drive into his forehead. His eyes rolled back before his lifeless body crumpled onto the pile of corpses.

Within moments, the screaming stopped. The air smelled of iron and death, thick and suffocating.

Nova's bloodied face looked like a demon lurking in the shadows ready to send them all to hell.

"...." Nova licked the corner of his lips to taste the blood and inhaled deeply.

So, this is what it feels like to kill another human.

Why did it feel so fulfilling, so entertaining? Why did he feel the need to suppress the thoughts that were not his?

He looked back at the survivors.

All were too petrified to move so they could only tremble. When Nova was about to get ready to kill the survivors as well, a hand grabbed his pants. Then two whole arms wrapped around his waist.

Looking down, he saw a bloodied Kohana, her legs barely able to support her and a trail of blood and urine trailing behind her.

Her face was buried against him so he couldn't see her expression but her weak attempt to pull him back was enough to tell him what she wanted from him in that moment.

After looking at her fragile trembling frame silently, the clone bent down and picked her up.

In his powerful arms, it felt as if she became whole again, as if his presence alone healed her.

Though her body was trembling all over and she was stained by her own urine and blood, a warm feeling surrounded her as she rested her head against the clone.

As the adrenaline escaped her body, her breath became quieter.

Her head fell against Arnold's chest.

Then, the world became dark.

The "Hope of the Zhurosan Empire" died that day.