POV Thanatos.
Evelina and I stopped near the translucent barrier that encompassed an area of five miles (8 kilometers).
— We've come very close. Behind this barrier, there will be a spatial teleporter. Morena must be waiting for us, — I said, releasing Evelina from my grasp.
She climbed off me and stretched her body, yawning, — Ah, I'm so tired. I hope that bitch won't give us any trouble!
I sighed and slapped Evelina on the ass, saying, — Just don't express yourself like that in front of her, and we won't have any problems.
The brunette pouted and tried to bite my shoulder, but I evaded her childish attack and embraced Evelina's petite body.
— Thanatos, let me go!
— I'll never let you go. For your bad behavior, you'll sit on my shoulder like a kidnapped princess, — I said, seating the struggling Evelina on myself.
I walked into the dome, and after five minutes, we reached the undead military camp with an army guarding their own spatial teleporter.
Dark Liches, zombie wolves, other predatory animals, and regular zombies glanced at us only once and then continued with their own business.
— Hello, dear Thanatos! You cause so many problems that I'm starting to regret indulging your childish games and my own infatuated heart, — Morena said in a lyrical tone, striking a seductive pose.
Turning around, I saw a truly terrifying beauty for the first time. The Pale Queen of the Undead looked like a hungry succubus tempting prey with her violet cherry.
The Empress gracefully walked towards us with Evelina, staring intently into my eyes.
She was a deadly bomb that I willingly wanted to surrender to: ashen hair bathed in violet fire, a semi-naked slender body covered in ephemeral clothing, and two sharpened whips that brought death to anyone they touched.
— You're stunning, — I sincerely complimented, surveying her from head to toe.
— Hey, Thanatos! Don't compliment that painted bitch! — Evelina grumbled, hugging me tightly.
— Hoo-hoo-hoo, thank you for the appraisal. I was prepared for this meeting, — Morena covered her mouth, letting out a light laugh. She glanced at the sulking Evelina, then shifted her gaze to the undead troops, saying, — You're all useless creatures! Quickly attack the base of those pathetic mortals and bring back their lifeless bodies with souls!
I silently watched as the undead army left the portal area, heading west towards our base.
Hm, I think they'll manage. At least the people close to me will live, as there's no one overwhelmingly powerful here except for Morena herself.
The undead quickly left us alone with the Empress. A protective dome covered the entire territory, preventing anyone from seeing or hearing our conversation.
Naively hoping for a favorable outcome, I tried to discuss the deal, — Morena, I came here to discuss...
— No, no-no! You came here to watch your beloved woman die, — she sharply interrupted me, shocking me with her last statement.
Morena looked at us and released a wave of suppression that instantly pinned Evelina to the ground.
*Screams*
— AA-A-A-AR-RH! THANATOS! IT HURTS, AAA-AH!
Evelina began screaming in pain. I immediately rushed to her side, trying to shield her. She felt a bit better, and I turned my angry gaze towards Morena, growling, — Remove that damn aura, or I'll wipe that smug smirk off your face, you creature!
— Oh, inconceivable! This is actually happening... Someone other than the Priestess is able to resist my suppression? So, it wasn't just my imagination that day, — Morena spoke to herself, disregarding my words.
— Ah... fuck, — Evelina gritted her teeth, trembling in agonizing torture.
— Release her right now! — I shouted again, continuing to shield Evelina with my own body.
If I attack Morena, the pressure on Evelina will intensify again, and she will start screaming.
What should I do? Should I call Nemesis and Spica? Try to reach out to my mother through the protective barrier? But how can I convey a message to anyone when I'm facing an unbelievably powerful Empress?
Kneeling, I covered Evelina and contemplated how to calm Morena down.
And then I realized one of the main mistakes that Spica pointed out to me during our joint skirmish...
I'm thinking too much!
...
Third Person POV.
Thanatos quickly drew his sword, shrouding it in the Chaos aura, and ran towards Morena to strike.
Without the protection, Evelina started screaming again as the pressure on her body increased.
*Slash*
Thanatos sliced through the air, attempting to cut Morena, but she evaded the attack and then grabbed and wrapped Thanatos' sword with two deadly whips.
— What the... — Thanatos tried to pull his sword out of her sharp tendrils, but he couldn't.
— Aaa-a-ahrhr... — lying under unbearable pressure, Evelina gasped heavily into the ground. Her asthma returned in full force.
The ground trembled beneath their feet, trees within a radius of 50 yards stripped of their leaves, and Morena raised an eyebrow, saying, — What's the point of your attack if you can't even strike me? Your girlfriend is suffering, screaming, and whimpering like a pathetic bitch, and all you can do is kneel before me!
In the next second, Morena crushed Thanatos' sword, breaking it in half. Then, she lightly struck Thanatos with her whip, throwing him towards the trembling Evelina.
— Aah, Thanatos! P-Please, run... run from her! — Evelina muttered through clenched teeth and bitter tears.
Thanatos lay near Evelina, trying to process the last information in his mind, «Morena broke the sword given by Nemesis! This is fucked up... how can I defeat her? I'll have to concentrate the Chaos energy in my fists and try to hit her in the torso or head.»
Morena laughed uncontrollably at the weakness of the white-haired boy, — Haha-ha, what's the use of your immunity when I can kill your annoying Evelina right now?
— Don't you dare! — Thanatos shouted at Morena, rushing towards her. He exerted all his strength in his swings, which Morena continuously evaded.
Each slip-up was accompanied by a personality humiliation from Morena's lips. She smeared not only Evelina with dirt but also Thanatos' pride.
He attempted to strike her with his fist multiple times, but Morena's reactions and perception were on a fundamental level. She remained relaxed, using no more than one percent of her strength.
— Thanatos, be aware that in about five minutes, Evelina will die for good, — Morena informed him about the brunette's condition.
For a moment, Thanatos was distracted, looking into Evelina's empty gaze. His girlfriend had almost stopped screaming and moaning in pain, as her body went numb and ceased to move.
— ENOUHG! Stop doing this to her, you stupid bitch! Why don't you attack me? —Thanatos tried to provoke Morena into an emotional response and make her focus on him, but she perfectly understood what he was trying to achieve.
— You've disappointed me, Thanatos... It seems my intuition has failed me... — Morena seemed to have lost the motivation to continue torturing them, but the deadly gaze in Thanatos' eyes gave her some hope. So, she asked, — And if I were to imagine that I'm your girlfriend, would you helplessly watch me being killed or raped by someone stronger than me? What's the point of having a man who can't even sacrifice anything for you...
Once again, Morena tilted her head to dodge Thanatos' furious hook. He looked exhausted and out of breath.
Shifting his gaze to the dying Evelina, Thanatos experienced unbearable psychological torment, «She will die if I don't do anything! Don't I have any trump cards against Morena? I can't call anyone for help, so I need to think of something urgently! I don't understand what kind of person resides in the soul of this heartless bitch.»
Thanatos normalized his heart rate, breathing, and cooled his mind. Looking at the disappointed gaze of the Empress, Thanatos seriously contemplated her soul.
«Soul... Vial of the Soul! EXACTLY! I know much more than any other stellar cultivator at the Stellar Nebula stage. And if I was able to meditate, possessing information about the detailed aspects of the Soul, then I am capable of displaying power that is not inferior to this stage of cultivation!» Realizing this, Thanatos continued to pretend to be a helpless man.
Morena became extremely bored. She was completely disillusioned with the fact that she risked everything for Thanatos. She drew the attention of the despotic Empress Niks, she literally planned to betray the main ally from the Great Sect, and destroyed her friendship with Femiarta that had lasted for a hundred thousand years, following her female intuition.
«What a fool I am! Did I really decide to believe in love at first sight? What's the point of a momentary passion if this boy is absolutely unpromising? His uncle is still the better option... I only used the speed of the Third Star System! Considering my high standards, a man should be capable of defeating opponents who surpass him in stars by ten times!»
While Morena began to regret her foolish actions, Thanatos, during the battle, entered the inner space of Soul Vial.
He touched his vessel, shouting, — Let all the energy of the Soul flow at maximum speed and strike once destructively! I BEG YOU, become one with me, make me stronger!
Thanatos abruptly opened his blood-red eyes in his own world, nourishing himself with Soul energy. He felt the vessel cracking due to Thanatos' overall lack of preparation for the super-powerful load.
Covering himself with a dense layer of Chaos, Thanatos took a low starting stance and dashed towards the pensive Morena.
— What has changed? — Morena clearly noticed that Thanatos had become tens of times stronger, so she activated about ten percent of her speed to dodge his powerful strike.
— CHOKE ON CHAOS! — Thanatos roared, accelerating even several times stronger.
*Flash*
Thanatos literally broke the sound barrier, accelerating from a standstill to astronomical two Machs (680.58 m/s), causing astonished expressions on the faces of Morena and Evelina.
Evelina, in a semi-conscious state, noticed how Thanatos turned into a dark red flash of light, producing a sonic boom near Morena.
Experiencing thirty minutes of deep disappointment before, Morena now experienced a momentary shock due to the vastly different speed of the white-haired boy.
Although Morena attempted to match his speed, he managed to deceive her by accelerating several times before delivering a powerful blow to her torso.
*Thud*
Thanatos' eyes turned red, and on his hands, in addition to Chaos, there formed a singularity compressed so strongly that upon contact with Morena's body, a millisecond black hole appeared, instantly swallowing the Empress's hand.
Since Morena didn't use all the strength of her own rank, she didn't even have time to scream. Thanatos' mighty strike knocked her out and threw her several hundred yards into the depths of the forest.
— Ah, fuck... shit! Aa-argh! — trembling with weakness, Thanatos leaned against the nearest bare tree.
His mind was clouded, his vision blurry, and his head and soul throbbed with pulsating pain.
— Thanatos! — feeling relieved after the disappearance of the imperial suppression, Evelina crawled on her knees towards her beloved man.
Tears welled up in Evelina's eyes, not because of the suffering she had endured but because Thanatos had done something impossible for her: he had saved her from death and surpassed his own limits despite Morena's immense strength.
— Thanatos, you saved us! — Evelina joyfully cried out, rushing into the arms of the exhausted boy. She hugged him tightly, wiping her tears on his dirty clothes.
She periodically kissed him on the neck, chin, and cheeks. Evelina felt a strong attachment to Thanatos.
Thanatos forced a fake smile that conveyed mixed feelings. He soothingly stroked Evelina's hair, saying, — I hate to disappoint you, but this definitely won't kill her. We don't have much time for a difficult choice: either run to Nemesis and Spica for help or try to do something with Morena while she's unconscious.
Evelina looked up at her beloved man with a wary gaze and, gritting her teeth, shouted amidst the chaotic emotions, — I'LL RUN FOR HELP, AND YOU RAPE THAT FILTHY CRITTER!"