Chapter 189: Chapter 189 – Twisted Nurturing

Raven’s expression shifted in an instant—from mocking to pure shock. Her eyes widened, as if she couldn’t believe I was just like her, planning to attack after the battle ended, and that we’d both struck at the same moment.

But I was faster. Only a fraction of a second, but it was enough.

Before her axe swing could touch my neck, my [Mindrender] had already shot from high to low. I didn’t try to block—I immediately counterattacked, taking the risk that her axe would hit.

The two weapons crossed the narrow space between us.

Swish-thud!

The sound of air from the axe that almost landed, then the sound of parting flesh.

My saber slashed diagonally from Raven’s left shoulder down to her right hip. Not overly deep, but enough for the simulator system to deem it a serious injury.

Raven’s body stiffened. The shocked expression on her face turned to… astonishment, then anger, and finally… acknowledgment. She looked at her wound, which was beginning to glow, then stared at me.

She didn’t vanish immediately. The system gave a few seconds.

“Bastard…” she hissed, but her voice wasn’t angry. Instead, there was a tone of being impressed. “You… were thinking the same thing from the start, huh?”

I nodded.

Raven gave a hoarse chuckle. Then, her body glowed, and in an instant, she vanished from the simulator. Eliminated.

Outside the Simulator

The host, who had almost run out of words following this chain of drama, finally found his voice again.

“INCREDIBLE! ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE! ADAM SOCHERON HAS DONE IT AGAIN! NOT ONLY FACING A MONSTER HORDE AND OTHER CONTESTANTS, HE ALSO MANAGED TO DEFEAT RAVEN FROM DRAKEFIELD IN A BRIEF, INTRICATE BATTLE! HE NEVER TRUSTED ANYONE! THIS IS A VALUABLE LESSON IN BATTLEFIELD AWARENESS!”

The camera showed a close-up of my face, now truly alone in the middle of the ruined, battle-scarred area.

“AND NOW… HE IS THE ONLY ONE LEFT STANDING IN THIS ZONE! ALL MONSTERS AND OTHER CONTESTANTS HAVE BEEN WIPED OUT! THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE VICTORY!”

I lifted my head, looking at the sky. The large rankings were still displayed there, the numbers constantly changing.

TOP 10 PARTICIPANTS:

1. YUKIE ICEBLOOD (NINE STARS) – 5,220 Points

2. LEONHARDT HALSTROM (ARCLIGHT) – 3,150 Points

3. ADAM SOCHERON (NINE STARS) – 3,080 Points

4. MAXIMUS TREYBERN (NINE STARS) – 1,950 Points

5. ISABEL MERCEDES (NINE STARS) – 1,800 Points

6. ISAAC MOONFALL (DRAKEFIELD) – 1,750 Points

7. SERAPHINA GRIMGEAR (GOTE) – 1,700 Points

8. ATTICUS ASHBORNE (LOCKFIELD) – 1,550 Points

9. IVY SILGRACE (ECHELON) – 1,500 Points

10. SIENNA FROSTELLE (DRAKEFIELD) – 1,250 Points

ACADEMY RANKING:

1. NINE STARS ACADEMY – 13,050 Points

2. ARCLIGHT ACADEMY – 4,500 Points

3. DRAKEFIELD ACADEMY – 4,200 Points

4. GOTE ACADEMY – 4,000 Points

5. LOCKFIELD ACADEMY – 3,800 Points

Over half an hour had passed. The five representatives from each of the thirty-six academies—one hundred eighty contestants—had been fighting fiercely. Their scores had increased drastically. Nine Stars was still leading by a significant margin, especially thanks to Yukie who kept adding points at an insane rate.

I let out a long sigh, deciding to leave this area and head somewhere else.

But fate had other plans.

As I walked down the ruined city street, from behind the corner of a collapsed building, emerged a figure I knew very well.

Maximus.

He stood in the middle of the road, about twenty meters from me. His uniform was a bit dirty, with a few scratches, but he looked like he still had plenty of energy left. His dark brown eyes stared at me coldly, and within them was an unconcealed fire of competition and hatred.

We faced each other in sudden silence.

The air around us felt dense, filled with a tension that was almost visible. The atmosphere was anything but friendly.

And right at that moment, in my peripheral vision, a system notification appeared.

[Revenge Quest Generated]

A transparent window appeared before my eyes, visible only to me.

_______________

[REVENGE QUEST]

TARGET: Maximus Treybern

OBJECTIVE: Face him and defeat him in a humiliating manner.

REWARD: 3000 EXP and 1 Random Item.

[Accept: y / n]

_______________

I read the quest quickly. My system was responding to my hatred and my desire for revenge against Maximus.

While I was still processing it, Maximus spoke, his voice flat but full of challenge.

“Adam, let’s settle what happened in the locker room,” he said, his fists already clenched. A dangerous aura of power began radiating from his body.

I looked at him, then a cold, cynical smile spread across my lips. I casually selected ’y’ in the quest window before my eyes.

“Alright, Maximus,” I said, my voice now lower, more dangerous. “I’ll give you a lesson you’ll never forget.”

.

.

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A few hours earlier, in a quiet room within the Socheron estate before the tournament’s commotion began, Charlotte Haverty held the hands of her closest friend tightly. The air in the room was heavy, filled with a tension different from the tournament preparations outside.

“Del,” whispered Charlotte, her voice trembling with a mix of desperation and resolve. “Please… come to your senses. How long will you let yourself stay like this? This… this isn’t you.”

Delilah Socheron, the Star Witch, sat gracefully on a plush sofa. Her golden hair shimmered under the lamplight, her face calm yet with a strange light in her golden eyes. She looked at Charlotte with genuine, mild confusion.

“What do you mean, Charlie?” she asked, her voice gentle as always.

Charlotte took a deep breath, forcing herself to continue. “Are you going to let your life stay like this? Let him keep controlling you? Adam… that stepson of yours… is a monster.”

Delilah’s graceful expression changed. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and at the corner of her beautiful lips, a small, strange smile appeared.

“That’s true,” she answered, her voice becoming lower, more tremulous. “He is a monster, especially in bed.”

Charlotte felt as if she’d been slapped. She bit her lip, trying to ignore the indecent images that suddenly flashed in her own mind.

“D-Del, please be serious.”

“I am serious, Charlie,” Delilah leaned back, her eyes gleaming.

Charlotte, desperate, tried another approach. “Think of your daughters! Angeline… your sweet little angel. Did you see what that monster did to her? He corrupted her! She used to be such a sweet girl, but now…”

“Angeline is still the sweetest girl,” Delilah cut in firmly, but the smile on her face didn’t fade. “And she’s happier than ever.”

“And Gwen!” Charlotte pressed on, her voice rising. “Are you really okay with seeing her treated as less than an animal? She’s the child you were so proud of, right? Can you bear to see her fall that far?”

“Gwen deserved that,” Delilah answered, her voice flat this time, more like the dignified Star Witch. “It was necessary to make her better. I’ve seen what she’s been doing to Adam all this time. And Adam was only guiding her. After that… we’ve grown closer as a family.”

“Family?!” Charlotte felt like she was talking to a wall. She squeezed Delilah’s hands tighter. She couldn’t hold back anymore. Tears began to well in her eyes. “Please, Delilah! You are the Star Witch! We can’t keep going on like this! We’re just… nothing more than sex slaves for that monster! Fight his control! I know the real you inside must be suffering terribly, please come out!”

Delilah looked at her with a gaze that was suddenly full of pity, as if looking at a child who didn’t understand.

“You’re so strange, Charlie. I’m suffering? Haven’t you seen how much I enjoy it?” She paused for a moment, then continued with a voice full of pent-up passion.

“He is the only man who has ever wanted me that much. He loves me… and I love him. You know my two marriages were only contract marriages. Adam made me realize that no matter how strong I am, I’m still a woman who wants to be loved and cherished like any other woman.”

“But it’s wrong!” Charlotte snapped, her voice hardening for the first time. “Everything he’s doing is wrong! IT’S ALL WRONG, DELILAH! YOU KNOW THAT, DON’T YOU?”

Delilah was silent for a moment. Then, in a calm yet deadly voice, she replied, “I understand what you mean, Charlie. Loving my stepson to the point of intimacy with him is wrong. Letting my stepson sleep with both my daughters is wrong. The four of us being together is wrong.”

She stopped, then that terrifyingly sweet smile spread across her lips.

“But does it matter? What matters is we are all happy and growing closer as a family. It may not be a normal family, but we are a family that loves each other the most. Besides… nothing else matters. The opinions of others, morals, rules… none of it matters.”

Charlotte stared at her, and in her heart, a small, desperate voice whispered, ’My best friend has fallen too deep. Is it really impossible to wake her up?’

Delilah seemed to read her mind.

“You seem dissatisfied?” she asked, tilting her head. “But weren’t you the one curious about what it felt like to be a real woman?”

Charlotte immediately flared up. “Dissatisfied?! He treats me lower than a prostitute! How could I possibly be satisfied being treated like that by that monster?!”

“Oh, Charlotte…” Delilah sighed a fake sigh, then her eyes sparkled mischievously. “But you were the one begging to be taken by my son that time. And you seemed to be enjoying it very much.”

Charlotte’s face flushed crimson, a mix of deep shame and burning anger, because deep down, it was true. “That—That’s because Adam did something to my body! That’s why I ended up like that! And Adam did something to your body too, Delilah! And to your daughters! That’s why you all became like this!”

Delilah wasn’t provoked. Instead, she smiled wider, more self-satisfied. “I know he did something to me and my daughters. But it doesn’t matter as long as we are happy.”

Her hand casually stroked her own voluptuous breasts beneath her dress. “Can’t you see these? Adam enlarged them until no bra fits properly, and made it so I could lactate. It’s truly amazing. I can do something I couldn’t do before as his mother.”

Charlotte blushed even deeper, unable to stop herself from glancing at Delilah’s chest, which indeed looked larger and fuller than before. She felt a shameful moisture beginning to seep between her own thighs. No. Not now.

“D-Del, stop with that lewd talk!” she protested, her voice weak.

But Delilah didn’t stop. She instead rose from the sofa, and with a graceful step that made Charlotte freeze, she approached.

“Oh, poor Charlie…” she whispered, her voice like a caress. “You’ve never been honest with yourself. You enjoyed it very much, didn’t you? Being treated like that.”

Before Charlotte could react, Delilah was too close. Her smooth but quick hand slipped inside Charlotte’s business skirt, past her panties, and directly touched her damp sex.

Charlotte choked, unable to move, unable to scream. She could only stare with wide eyes.

Delilah withdrew her hand, then raised it between them. On the tip of her delicate finger, unmistakable clear fluid glistened under the light.

“Look,” Delilah whispered, her voice full of triumph. “How naughty you are, Charlie. Just talking about my son gets you into this state.”

Charlotte felt the world spin. The deepest, most shameful humiliation crushed her. She wanted to disappear. Wanted the ground to swallow her.

But Delilah wasn’t finished. She brought her face closer, and in a voice only Charlotte could hear, she whispered something that pierced straight to the core of Charlotte’s hidden fears and desires.

“Be honest, Charlie. The reason you’re talking to me like this… is so I’ll tell Adam. So that my son will punish you harshly, right? Because that’s what you really want. To be punished. To be treated more roughly. Because that’s what arouses you.”

Each word was like a blow. Charlotte trembled. She couldn’t deny it. In her darkest heart, she knew it was true. And that knowledge destroyed her even more.

Delilah drew back, wiping her finger elegantly with a handkerchief, as if she had just done the most ordinary thing. “I’ll tell him, Charlie. Don’t worry. I’m a broad-minded woman. Tonight, after the tournament, I’ll make sure Adam gives you… the special lesson you so desperately want.”

Charlotte could no longer speak. She just sat there, her body trembling, caught between burning shame and the dark hope beginning to coil deep within her womb.

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