Yandere Levelling in Her World-Chapter 183 - 184: Piece of Cheese

The distant rumble of engines cut through the streets like a warning growl.

Headlights pierced the mist first, harsh white beams sweeping across the ruined ground where bodies and broken weapons lay scattered. Then came the vehicles: armored transports, six of them, tires crunching gravel as they formed a loose semicircle fifty meters from the gate.

Doors slammed open in unison. Dozens of boots hit the dirt. More soldiers in the same dark armor, more rifles humming with that sickening pale-blue glow.

Astrid's grip tightened on the blonde woman's collar. The traitor coughed, still dazed from the kick, but her eyes burned with hate.

"Backup's here," the blonde rasped. "You're fucked now, power slut."

Astrid dragged her backward step by step, keeping the woman's body between herself and the advancing line.

"You talk too much for someone who just got her ass handed to her," Astrid muttered.

More figures poured out, easily forty, maybe fifty. Some carried heavier equipment: portable neutralizer turrets being unfolded, cables snaking across the ground like veins. Floodlights snapped on, bathing the gate in cold white.

Astrid's stomach twisted. The scout party must have radioed everything the second the first shot was fired. This wasn't a raid anymore. This was an extermination.

She backed toward the massive iron gate, boots scraping. The blonde struggled weakly.

"Let—go—you bitch—"

"Shut it." Astrid hooked an arm around the woman's throat in a loose choke. "Or I snap your neck before they can save you."

The gate groaned as it cracked open just enough. Two of Astrid's fighters, Lena and Mara stood in the gap, rifles raised since they were the most effective weapons to fight against traitors in range when they have been neutralizing every range power attacks.

"Chief!" Lena shouted. "Get in!"

Astrid shoved the blonde forward, using her as a shield until she crossed the threshold. The moment her boots cleared the line, the gate slammed shut with a thunderous clang. Bolts slid home.

Inside, chaos waited but controlled chaos.

Women in mismatched combat gear sprinted across the courtyard. Children were already being herded toward the inner shelters. Alarms hadn't sounded yet, but the tension was electric.

Astrid released the blonde. The woman stumbled, only to be immediately tackled by four fighters who pinned her face-down on the cold stone.

"Get off me! You filthy power whores! You're all gonna burn!"

Astrid ignored the slurs. She raised her voice, sharp and commanding.

"Sound the full alarms! Red alert...everyone to battle stations! Barricade the secondary gates, prep the choke points! Snipers to the towers now!"

Bells and sirens erupted across Valkyrie Fang, a rising wail that shook the night.

Astrid looked down at her right hand. No glow. No hum of power. Just a neat, cauterized hole through the palm, blood dripping steadily. She flexed the fingers. They obeyed, but felt wrong. Empty. Like part of her soul had been scooped out.

She met Mara's eyes. The younger woman's face paled as she saw the wound.

"Chief… your power—"

"I know," Astrid cut her off quietly. "It's gone. At least in this hand. Maybe more if they hit me again."

Lena swallowed. "Then we can't hold. Not against that many neutralizers."

Astrid's jaw clenched. "We hold long enough."

She turned to the fighters restraining the blonde.

"Take her to the lab. Give her to Dr. Voss. Hand over that pistol too." She kicked the dropped energy weapon toward them. "Tell Voss to tear it apart, figure out how it works, how to block it, reverse it, anything. Go!"

The blonde thrashed harder.

"You think your little science bitch can save you? You're all dead! Traitors are coming for every last one of you cunts! Power sluts! Freaks! You'll beg for the beams before we're done!"

One of the fighters jammed a rag into the woman's mouth, muffling the tirade to furious grunts. They dragged her away, kicking and twisting, toward the underground corridors.

Astrid watched her disappear around the corner.

She exhaled slowly, then turned back to the gate. Through the narrow view slits, she could see the enemy forming ranks. Turrets deployed. Officers barking orders.

They weren't charging yet. They were waiting. Probably hoping the sight of overwhelming force would make Valkyrie Fang surrender.

Astrid touched the earpiece.

"All units, this is Astrid. We are under siege. Primary objective: protect the non-combatants. Secondary: buy time. If I give the evacuation order, everyone moves to Tunnel Sigma. No arguments. We live today so we can fight tomorrow."

A chorus of affirmatives crackled back.

She looked at her powerless hand again.

"One mistake," she whispered to herself. "Just one."

Then she squared her shoulders and walked toward the inner command post.

The fight wasn't over.

Not yet.

***

Meanwhile, across the city in a different kind of darkness…

Ren stepped out of the shadows onto smooth cobblestone. The mansion loomed ahead, old money, older secrets. Tall iron gates, ivy-choked walls, security cameras blinking like predator eyes.

He walked straight up the path. No hesitation. No sneaking.

One of the gates creaked open before he even reached it.

A tall woman in a black tactical vest stepped into the light. Short-cropped hair, earpiece, sidearm visible.

"Madame is expecting you," she said flatly.

Ren didn't reply. He just walked through.

Another guard, female, same uniform opened the heavy oak door as he approached. No words. Just a nod.

Inside, the foyer smelled of old books and expensive wood polish. Warm lamplight spilled from the sitting room.

Victoria sat on a deep leather sofa, legs crossed, silk night robe the color of midnight. A steaming mug rested on the side table. A thick novel lay open in her lap, reading glasses perched low on her nose.

She didn't look up.

"Come. Sit."

Ren walked over but stayed standing.

"Where is she?"

Victoria turned a page with deliberate slowness.

"I said sit."

"Where. Is. She."

Victoria finally lifted her gaze. The bitter twist of her mouth was unmistakable.

"That stubbornness… she got it from you. You rotted her brain."

Ren's voice stayed level. "You mean I taught her how to live like a person instead of being terrified of her selfish mother. So where is Anna?"

Victoria closed the book with a soft snap.

"She's not here."

Ren's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean she's missing." Victoria removed her glasses, folding them carefully. "Ever since that incident. I've been searching too."

Ren studied her face. Perfect makeup. Perfect posture. No redness around the eyes. No tremble in the voice.

"You don't look very sad."

Victoria rose in one fluid motion. She closed the distance until they were eye to eye—close enough that he could smell the faint jasmine of her perfume.

"She was my only daughter," she said, voice low and cutting. "She was supposed to continue my legacy. How dare you stand there and tell me I'm not sad when I've lost everything."

Ren didn't flinch.

"So you're not sad about losing your daughter. You're sad about losing your heir. Your tool." He tilted his head. "What if I fucked you right here and put a new kid in you? Would that make you forget about her?"

Victoria blinked once.

Then, to his surprise, she actually considered it, lips pursing as if running numbers.

"That's… not the worst idea." She stepped even closer, voice dropping to a murmur. "But I don't want your genes. I have money. I can buy the finest semen on the market. I don't need your filthy bloodline."

Ren snorted. "You're a waste of space. So why the hell did you drag me here if Anna isn't even around?"

Victoria smiled thinly. She reached into the pocket of her robe and produced a slim phone. The screen was already unlocked, a photo waiting.

She held it out.

Ren took it.

The image showed Anna but not the Anna he remembered.

Hair cropped short. Dark circles under her eyes. A tactical vest instead of normal clothes. She stood in some grimy alley, talking to two rough-looking figures whose faces were blurred.

Ren's grip tightened on the phone.

"What the hell is this?"

"I already found her," Victoria said. "But she refuses to come home. She's searching desperately for someone. Working with a group that will get her killed."

Ren's mind clicked the pieces together in an instant.

Me.

The front door slammed shut behind him.

Before he could turn, bodies hit him from all sides, four, maybe five women. Arms locked around his wrists, knees drove into the backs of his legs. He hit the floor hard, cheek pressed to cold marble.

Victoria stepped back, robe swishing.

"Yes," she said softly. "You really are a piece of cheese. The second she knows the person she's searching for is here… she'll come running back."

Ren struggled once, testing the holds. They didn't budge.

Victoria paused at the foot of the grand staircase, looking down at him.

"You asked if anyone could ever replace Annaliese." Her voice turned almost tender. "No one can. She's special. Her power is special. No one will take her from me. Not even you."

She turned and ascended the stairs without another word.

Ren stared after her, jaw clenched.

The guards tightened their grip.

Somewhere in the city, alarms still wailed at Valkyrie Fang.

And Anna, wherever she was...was moving closer.

The board was set.

And the pieces were finally colliding.