Betrayed, I Met The Demon Lord-Chapter 135 – SIDE: Anne, Part 2

"You look exactly the same, haha. What's your secret? A face-mask?" Anne asked as Van walked beside her, the two slipping out of the Capital unnoticed.

"Don't worry about it..." he replied with a smile, eyes forward, leading her across the plains toward a certain cave.

"Hmm... A dungeon for a date. You're really clueless, aren't you?"

"I guess..." he muttered simply, matching her pace as they entered the mouth of the cavern.

Something about the place made her skin crawl.

'Something feels... wrong...'

She glanced around warily, her footsteps faltering. Van was ahead now, pushing open an old wooden door embedded in the stone.

The sight inside made her stomach drop.

About a dozen students were bound and gagged, their eyes wide and desperate. Some were trembling. Others wept silently. She recognized them instantly—these were the same students who had mocked her, spread vile rumors about her. Now they looked terrified. Broken.

'...!!'

Her eyes flared as they locked onto the scene. And there, standing before the hostages, was one of the academy's magic professors—smirking like the devil herself.

"What the...!?" Anne turned sharply toward Van.

But Van was gone.

In his place stood a man she didn't recognize, wearing the same clothes—but his presence, his aura, his expression were twisted into someone else's.

SLAP.

The sound cracked through the cave like a whip. His hand struck her face, and she fell hard beside the others, gasping.

"Shut up, slave," he sneered, towering over her with cold eyes.

"You took yer sweet time, Avn," The female professor let out, unimpressed. "What, fancying little girls now?"

"Oh shut yer trap, Aicila," he snapped, his voice gruff and harsh, barely resembling Van's. "Not everyone's got that fancy magic of yers...!"

He leaned in close, his glare sharp as a blade.

Anne's breath caught.

'This... this is not Van...!! Those... those are... BANDITS!'

Panic surged in her chest. She stumbled backward, scrambling to her feet, heart pounding like it was trying to escape her ribcage.

Aicila turned on her heel, thrusting a finger at Anne. "Faux: Bind."

In an instant, magical ropes coiled around Anne's arms and legs, a spectral gag wrapping tightly across her mouth.

'Binding magic..!!' Her mind flared in alarm as her knees buckled. She crashed to the ground again—gagged, bound, helpless.

Aicila scoffed, shifting her gaze back to Avn—the man behind the illusion.

"Hmph. Excuses..." She crossed her arms. "You've got the rarest damn magic I've ever seen—'See-Memories-Of-Everyone-You-Want-And-Transform-To-The-Person-In-Their-Memories.' You don't get to make excuses."

At that moment, Anne and the kidnapped students all shared the same stunned thought:

'That's... a really convenient type of magic...'

Anne gritted her teeth behind the gag.

'Fuck... FUCK... But that doesn't change the situation...'

She looked down, rage boiling beneath her skin.

'I was fooled... FUCK...!! Of course he wouldn't really be here...!!'

'Why would he come back to me of all people...'

Anne's lips trembled as she stared at the man who had worn Van's face. A quiet sniffle escaped her, and she turned her eyes away.

The kidnappers continued arguing in the background, their voices muffled by the fog of dread sinking into the room.

'Fuck...! We're all FUCKED!' one student thought, tied and trembling. 'How the hell did a lowly kidnapper sneak into the academy!? And to think I believed her... when she said we'd get a reward for helping...!! FUCK!!!'

Another student glanced at Anne as she laid there bound.

'Tch... To think the cock-slut's here too...'

The girl's expression twisted behind the gag. 'Either way... No. No, I'm probably about to be sold into slavery, right? No... NO... I don't want to—MOMMY... MOMMY!!' Her cries were muffled sobs as tears streamed down her cheeks, soaking the gag.

'We're all doomed..!!' another thought desperately. 'These ropes...!! They're draining my mana... I can't cast a single spell!'

"You lot," Aicila's voice cracked like a whip, dragging their focus. Her eyes glinted with contempt. "Be silent. Or I'll rip your tongues out. Our buyer doesn't give a damn if you can speak."

She strode forward, heels echoing menacingly against the cave floor, stopping before a trembling male student. Without pause, she kicked him in the face. His body jerked sideways, but before he could recover, she stepped down on his shoulder, pinning him with ease.

Gasps rippled through the group as they tried to inch away, fear radiating from every bound body.

Aicila bent low, face inches from the boy's, her tone like ice. "You keep making a ruckus, I'll punish ya'. You hear me?"

The student didn't dare blink. His eyes locked with hers—wide, wild, terrified. He gave a frantic nod, his whole body trembling.

'She's... the... the devil..!!' he thought, cold sweat breaking over his skin as she finally stepped away.

Silence fell. A heavy, stifling quiet.

Avn grumbled under his breath, frustration etched across his face as he looked away.

Aicila caught it. With a sly chuckle, she sauntered toward him, slow and deliberate, leaning in close—her breath warm against his skin.

"You're so cute when you're jealous..." she whispered.

"No one's jealous..." he muttered, voice low, eyes avoiding hers. "I know you're just committed to the act... Why would I be jealous of you terrifying some kid..."

"Huuuh..." she hummed, leaning even closer. Her lips hovered just above his ear.

"Tell you what... if this plays out well..."

Her voice dropped to a sultry whisper.

"I'll make sure to punish you properly tonight. <3"

BA-DUMP.

His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard.

"Ye... Yeah... Alrigh'... sure..." he mumbled, cheeks flushing red.

Aicila chuckled, satisfied, and turned back to the students with a cruel smile.

"Now," she said firmly, her tone shifting, "if you all behave until the buyer arrives, you won't be harmed... though..."

Her smile widened, wicked and gleaming.

"I can't promise anything once you're sold."

A chorus of quiet sobs rippled through the room.

'Mommy...'

'Someone save us...!'

'We're doomed...'

But Anne's body tensed. Her jaw locked tight. Her gaze narrowed.

Then—she stood.

All eyes snapped to her.

'What...!?' they thought as one. 'She can still move...!? Even with those energy-draining ropes!?

Anne's muscles coiled with defiance. Her fists clenched, knuckles white.

"That bitch can still move, Aicila!" Avn shouted, backing up a step. "You shot a dud at her!"

"I didn't! That was my uLtiMaTe BiNdInG magic!" Aicila garbled, eyes comically wide as the ropes around Anne stretched unnaturally...

'You're not very convincing...' Van thought, deadpan.

Until—SNAP.

With a single motion, Anne tore through the bindings. The ropes shattered, disintegrating into a swirl of blue light. In one fluid motion, she yanked the gag from her mouth and tossed it aside.

'Anne... That... Cockslut... actually... broke free from that crazy binding!' one of the students thought, stunned. Her wide eyes shimmered—just slightly—with hope.

"You dare..." Anne growled, voice trembling with rage. "You dare wear his face... you bastard...!! YOU BASTARD!!! YOU DON'T GET TO WEAR HIS FACE!!!"

She threw out her arm.

"Fire Magic: Battleaxe Armament!"

Flames erupted from her palm, whirling violently as they molded into the shape of a massive, blazing battleaxe. The weapon's heat pulsed through the cavern, bathing everyone in orange light.

'But... but that spell takes a ridiculous amount of magic...!!' a boy thought, staring in disbelief. 'She was under energy-draining ropes too, right?! How the hell is she casting that!? She's not even a full sorceress, she's training to be a knight! Just... JUST HOW deep is her magic pool!?'

Aicila's expression tightened as the light of the weapon danced in her eyes.

"Avn. Step back," she ordered sharply. "She ain't someone you can deal with!"

She turned to Anne, raising her hand. "Alright, girly... You may have some talent, but yer—"

"Muscle: Infusion!" Anne roared, cutting her off.

Her body surged with power, muscles tightening, veins flaring with magic. She lunged straight at Avn, ignoring Aicila completely.

"BASTAAAAAARD!!" Anne screamed, charging forward, her flaming battleaxe raised high. "YOU DON'T GET TO WEAR HIS FACE!!!"

Aicila clicked her tongue under her breath as Anne barreled past her.

'Hotheaded... Too hotheaded.'

"Faux: Shield Maiden." Aicila called out.

A crimson glowing spiked shield materialized between Avn and the axe just in time. Anne's eyes flared, her instincts kicking in. She stopped herself mid-swing and veered sideways, hitting the ground in a low slide. As she came to a halt, she spun to face Aicila—only to spot a second spiked shield behind her, aimed at where she would have landed if she'd jumped back instead.

'Fuck…' Anne's gaze sharpened.

'If I'd jumped back, I'd be impaled… This bitch... She may not be a real academy teacher, but she's got serious battlefield experience. I need to keep my eyes on her, dammit!!'

She swallowed hard, battleaxe steady in her grip.

Her gaze held firm on Alicia, yet instinctively, her attention flicked to the cheek where she’d been slapped.

‘…I didn’t notice before, but it doesn’t hurt at all.’

Her eyes shifted toward the man who had worn Van’s face.

‘Was he just weak? Then why did I fall from the force of that slap—’

"I'm genuinely surprised," Aicila said, drawing her attention back as she approached with slow, deliberate steps.

"I was sure you'd fall for that... Seems like you’ve got quite the battle sense, don’t ya, girl?"

Meanwhile, Avn—or rather, Van—watched from the sidelines, throat dry, eyes bouncing between them.

'Hey, hey, hey! Alicia… We're not actually trying to impale her, right?! Aren't you going too far!?'

Alicia, in her professor disguise, didn't look back—but it was as if she heard his thoughts.

'Hmph. You wanted this to look realistic, didn't you?' her thoughts came cold and calm, 'Besides, she's her mother's daughter. If she couldn't even surprise me a little, I wouldn't bother continuing this charade. Just be a good boy and let me handle it from here.'

He sighed.

'Haah... It may have been some time since then... But, I geuss you'll always be the Demon Lord, won't you?' He thought with a smile as he looked at her. 'Alright. You got this.'

"First time I’m hearing about this kind of magic. You two… You ain’t from around here, huh?" Anne growled.

‘She said Faux... Just what is Faux magic?’

‘That spike shield she summoned looked solid and red… like it was made out of... Blood? Was it blood? She materialized it in an instant... A form of metal magic?! What the hell is Faux, damn it!?’

Alicia sighed. "...I’ll make it simple. I use fire. That’s my bound element."

"Fire…!?"

Alicia then raised her palm, looking at it half-lidded.

"I emit fire using my mana, then compress the flame into a single point—so tight it stops behaving like fire."

"Then I duplicate that point. Hundreds of thousands of times across a shape I envision... say, a spiked shield."

Anne gulped. ‘..!!’

"Every millimeter of that shield contains multiple points like that."

'What…?' Anne’s face paled. 'But… that shield was the size of my body! Just how—how the hell is that possible!?'

"Each one is like a dot of concentrated heat. Alone, they’re nothing. But arranged together..."

Alicia raised her hand. A crimson blade shimmered into existence—alive, radiant, vibrating with dense energy.

"...it’s like painting with embers. Dot by dot. Until the shape becomes real."

Anne instinctively stepped back.

‘Is… her mana infinite!? That looks like a real steel blade… but it’s all flame!? She compressed fire until it looked solid... That’s insane…!’

"The density is so extreme, you don’t feel the heat. But it cuts through anything."

Alicia pointed the blade at her.

"If I had to name it… it’s a perfected version of your battleaxe armament."

Anne tensed, gripping her axe in both hands as she met Alicia’s eyes.

"Faux: Crimson Blade." Alicia called out.

Alicia grinned, her voice low and sharp.

"Now show me... Show me your worth as a slave."

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