The Villains Must Win-Chapter 284: Vampire Hunt 44

"You’re wrong!" she shouted, blocking another swing that nearly shattered her guard. "You think wiping them out will bring peace? It won’t! It’ll only breed more hatred, more bloodshed! The war will never end if you keep fighting it alone!" Selis shouted, trying to change to his mind even though she knew it was pointless.

Lucian’s expression twisted, anguish breaking through his mask of steel. "And you think trusting the vampires will?" He jerked his blade toward Emerald. "She’s a curse, Selis. Her very existence is poison! How many children will be turned into beasts because of her blood? How many families torn apart? If she still lives, the church wouldn’t stop to get her back, and the vampires would wage war to save her. It’s never ending! You think I can let that stand?!"

The clash of swords echoed louder, sparks flying with each furious strike. Selis felt her arms numbing, her breath burning in her chest. But she forced herself to meet his blade again and again, even as her body screamed.

And in between those deadly clashes, she saw it—the flicker of pain in his eyes, the shadow of guilt. He didn’t want to kill her. But he would. For humanity’s sake, he would bury his own heart.

That was Lucian. The man she loved. The man she hated in that moment.

Selis had miscalculated this time. She thought that if she wrapped Lucian around her finger—made him love her—he would bend to her will like the other men before.

But this was no ordinary man, and no ordinary world. Rank-A worlds weren’t so easily swayed by charm or desire. They weren’t fragile like the lower-ranked ones—here, strength and conviction burned too fiercely to be tamed.

Emerald watched like a queen observing her gladiators, her crimson gaze glowing brighter. "How delicious," she murmured. "The taste of sacrifice. Love turned against itself. You mortals are ever so entertaining."

"Shut up!" Selis snarled, breaking free from a lock and spinning into a strike aimed at Lucian’s side. He blocked it with ease, the force rattling her to her teeth.

Lucian pressed forward, his blade a storm. "Stand down, Selis! Don’t make me—"

"Don’t make you what?" she gasped between swings. "Kill me? Break me? Or worse—live with yourself after you’ve cut me down?!"

His jaw clenched. His eyes flashed. He struck harder.

The two danced in deadly rhythm, steel flashing, hearts colliding with every blow. Both of them bleeding, not from wounds, but from the agony of betraying each other.

And all the while, Emerald smiled, her laughter soft and velvety, as if she already knew how this tragedy would end.

Selis’s breath came in ragged gasps as the clash of steel rang sharp against the torchlit hall. Sparks scattered each time her blade met Lucian’s, the sound echoing like the tolling of a death bell. Her arms trembled, not from exhaustion, but from the heaviness that clung to her heart with every strike.

Lucian’s crimson eyes burned with purpose, sharp and unrelenting, yet Selis could feel it. He wasn’t cutting as deep as he could, wasn’t striking as true as he always did. His blade was always angled just enough to graze her armor, to deflect instead of pierce, to force her back but never end her life.

It hurt more than the blows themselves.

"Why . . . why are you holding back?" Selis shouted between breaths, parrying another strike that sent vibrations up her arm. Her lips trembled, and the words burned her throat. "If you want to kill me, then kill me! Don’t—don’t insult me by sparing me!"

Lucian’s blade halted inches from her cheek. His jaw tightened, his expression a war of emotions hidden beneath his usual steel mask. Then, his voice came low, sharp:

"You think I want to do this?" he growled, his breath hot with rage. "You think I enjoy raising my sword against you?" He shoved her back, forcing her to stumble before swinging again. His strikes were faster now, heavier, but she still noticed it—each one curved away at the last moment, his blade never once aiming for her heart or throat.

Even now . . . even when he swears he’ll kill me, he still won’t do it.

And that truth shattered her. Because she knew—it wasn’t that Lucian couldn’t kill her. It was that he wouldn’t. He loved her, and that made his strikes heavy with conflict.

But Emerald was another story. The chained vampire, watching with her velvet eyes, had Lucian’s every ounce of hate and purpose aimed at her. He didn’t hesitate when it came to her. And each time his blade swung toward Emerald’s throat, Selis had to throw herself between them.

"Damn it, Lucian!" Selis hissed, blocking him again, her arms aching from the force. "You’re not giving me a choice—"

Lucian’s eyes narrowed. "Neither are you."

And with that, his blade came crashing down harder, faster, pushing Selis further and further back. Sweat stung her eyes. Every movement was becoming more desperate. The sound of clashing steel filled the chamber like thunder, and with each strike, Selis felt her strength waning. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Still, he refused to land a killing blow. And that mercy was what cut her deepest of all.

Tears burned the corners of her eyes. He doesn’t want to kill me. But he will kill her. He’ll kill Emerald, and everything I’ve fought for will mean nothing.

Her sword shook in her hands. Do I betray him . . . or lose this game?

Her answer came the moment Lucian feinted left and swung right—straight for Emerald’s neck.

"NO!" Selis screamed.

She threw herself forward, her blade catching his in the last possible moment. The impact rattled her bones, nearly breaking her grip, but she stood firm.

Lucian’s crimson eyes widened for just a heartbeat, then darkened with cold resolve.

"You’re in my way." His voice was deathly quiet now, stripped of warmth.

For the first time since she’d met him, Selis felt true fear. Not because of his sword—but because of his resolve.

He was really going to kill Emerald. And if Selis stood in his way . . .

Then he’d cut her down too.

Her heart cracked in two at the thought. This man—this man she loved, who had shared his soul and body with her—was now ready to cast her aside for his mission.

And yet . . . wasn’t she doing the same?

Her knuckles whitened on her sword hilt. She had no choice. To protect Emerald, to win this game, she had to kill him.