Forced to Sell Myself to the Female Lead After Killing the Male Lead

Amid the roar of the earth and the wailing of the heavens,

under the watchful eyes of the remaining members of the Heavenly Punishment Holy Church,

Romney gripped the hilt of his blade with both hands, unleashed his strongest battle technique, tore through the air with a single slash, and brought it down toward the pink-haired girl's neck!

Faced with the overwhelming attack rushing toward her,

the pink-haired girl didn't even have time to react.

She's dead.

That was the only thought left in everyone's minds.

As Romney's subordinates, most of the members of the Heavenly Punishment Holy Church were ruthless fugitives just like him. They eagerly anticipated the bloody sight of the little girl's head separating from her body.

Every pair of eyes gleamed with excitement,

all fixed upon Romney's blade.

However,

the next moment,

the scene they had been waiting for never came.

Under everyone's stunned and bewildered gaze,

after Romney's blade struck the girl's neck and sank into it ever so slightly...

it suddenly stopped for no apparent reason.

?!

Archbishop...?

Lord Archbishop?

Why...?

Why did he suddenly stop?

Countless similar questions surfaced in everyone's minds.

The most shocked person,

without question,

was Romney himself.

Because he knew perfectly well that he had poured every ounce of his strength into that strike.

There was absolutely no possibility that he had held back.

The truth was,

the moment his blade struck the girl's neck,

his strongest battle technique simply became stuck there.

It could not advance even a fraction of an inch.

What he had struck wasn't the slender neck of a young girl—

it was an indestructible fortress.

?!

W-What... what the hell is happening?!

Romney roared inwardly.

The joy that had just filled his heart vanished without a trace.

At that moment,

the pink-haired girl tilted her head slightly, looking thoroughly disappointed.

"Hm?"

"Why don't you..."

"...try using a little more strength?"

"You...!"

Damn you!

Hearing the girl's mocking words,

Romney gritted his teeth so hard they nearly cracked.

Every muscle in his body tightened.

White battle aura surged wildly from within him.

At that moment,

Romney exhausted every ounce of his strength once again.

Unfortunately,

the blade still failed to inflict the slightest injury upon the pink-haired girl.

Instead,

having reached its limit,

the enormous energy blade instantly shattered into countless fragments.

Along with it,

Romney's confidence crumbled as well.

M... monster...

The moment he met the girl's eyes—

which had somehow turned a brilliant crimson—

he seemed to see the phantom of an enormous monster looming behind her,

its gigantic hand tightly gripping his tiny body.

In an instant,

an unprecedented terror flooded Romney's mind.

To the utter confusion of everyone present,

the Archbishop of the Heavenly Punishment Holy Church suddenly began trembling uncontrollably.

Cold sweat streamed continuously down his forehead.

The next moment,

driven by pure survival instinct,

Romney immediately withdrew his blade and retreated at top speed,

opening as much distance as possible between himself and the pink-haired girl.

"You! You!"

"What... what exactly are you?!"

"Me?"

"I'm the Duke Family's young lady, of course~"

"That's nonsense!!"

"That girl is already dead!"

"You can't possibly be the Duke Family's daughter!"

"No!"

"You're not even human!"

"What kind of monster are you?!"

Hearing those words,

the pink-haired girl tilted her head slightly, looking somewhat displeased.

"Calling me a monster..."

"...that's rather rude."

"Though..."

"...you're not exactly wrong."

"I'm not human."

As she spoke,

after confirming that Avnora behind her had already fallen asleep,

the pink-haired girl raised an eyebrow.

"Enmm..."

"Now that I think about it..."

"...using this appearance doesn't seem very convenient."

"This... this appearance?"

"W-What do you mean?!"

Romney couldn't help asking.

However,

the pink-haired girl had no intention of answering.

She merely raised one hand

and snapped her fingers.

In an instant,

under the astonished gazes of Romney and the members of the Heavenly Punishment Holy Church,

a strange crimson energy suddenly overflowed from the girl's body.

Together with dozens of Blood Butterflies,

it instantly enveloped her completely.

?!!

Wh...

What's happening?!

Everyone instinctively tightened their grip on their weapons,

staring intently at the crimson radiance.

The next moment,

when the scarlet light faded,

the pink-haired girl had vanished.

Standing in her place instead

was an incomparably beautiful black-haired young woman.

Her phoenix-like brows and radiant eyes possessed a soul-stealing charm with every glance.

Her delicate, refined nose,

her skin as white as snow,

and the single touch of crimson upon her lips resembled a lonely red plum blossom blooming proudly within winter snow.

Her exquisitely shaped cheeks,

paired with flawless, tender skin and ruby-like crimson eyes of breathtaking clarity,

made her seem less like a mortal...

and more like a masterpiece personally crafted by the Creator,

or perhaps an immortal fairy walking among the world of men.

Her jet-black hair,

its ends stained blood-red,

flowed like a waterfall all the way down to her small, perfectly rounded hips.

The black off-shoulder gauze dress she wore perfectly accentuated her slender, graceful figure.

Her long, smooth, perfectly proportioned legs were left completely exposed,

while her snow-white bare feet rested upon the frozen ground,

utterly unaffected by the biting cold.

The elegant black-haired girl radiated a bewitching allure every moment she stood there.

Even Romney,

whose entire body was trembling with fear,

couldn't help losing himself for a brief instant upon seeing such unparalleled beauty.

However,

the very next moment,

he regained his senses.

His face twisted violently from overwhelming shock.

How... how is this possible?!

Feeling the irresistible invisible pressure emanating from the black-haired girl,

Romney unconsciously stopped breathing.

His brown eyes trembled violently.

"Who..."

"Who exactly are you?"

Facing Romney's question,

the black-haired girl slowly revealed a captivating smile.

The smile was enchanting.

Yet beneath its beauty lay a chilling coldness

and unmistakable killing intent.

"Since you're about to die..."

"...there's no need for you to know."

As she spoke,

the black-haired girl slowly raised one hand.

The instant he saw that movement,

Romney bit down hard on his lips.

Although he had no idea what this girl intended,

or why she had disguised herself as the Duke Family's daughter,

one thing was beyond doubt.

The killing intent she radiated...

was absolutely real.

She truly intended to kill him.

In that case,

he absolutely could not sit around waiting to die!

"Brothers!"

"This thing is dangerous!"

"Attack together!!"

Gathering pure white battle aura around his blade once again,

Romney shouted loudly.

His roar immediately snapped the remaining members of the Heavenly Punishment Holy Church out of their daze.

Their eyes filled with hostility as they glared at the black-haired girl.

The next instant,

as Romney's aura erupted,

the cultists, having received the signal,

released ghostly howls,

fully unleashed the battle aura throughout their bodies,

brandished their weapons,

and fearlessly charged toward the black-haired girl from every direction.

However,

Romney—

who should have leaped into battle alongside his subordinates—

after charging forward together with them for only a few steps,

suddenly jolted.

He abruptly turned around,

transformed into a streak of white light,

and fled in the exact opposite direction at full speed.

Fight my ass!

Run!!

Romney roared inwardly.

The moment his previous attack had proven completely ineffective,

he had already realized how terrifying the black-haired girl truly was.

He had no idea who she really was,

but she absolutely possessed strength above the Eighth Tier.

That terrifying body...

had probably reached the Peak Eighth Tier!

Even their overwhelmingly powerful Cult Leader had never given him such suffocating pressure.

Yet this black-haired girl...

merely making eye contact with her

had been enough to make his very soul tremble.

That thing...

was an absolute monster!

Run!

He had to run!

If he didn't run now,

he was going to die!

Glancing back at the subordinates charging forward in his place,

a cruel smile slowly spread across Romney's face.

Heh...

Buy me some time, would you?

With a cold laugh,

Romney poured every last trace of battle aura into enhancing his speed.

He instantly transformed into a bolt of white lightning.

In the blink of an eye,

he had already burst out of the Earl's estate.

Seeing that the black-haired girl had not pursued him,

wild joy instantly surged within Romney's heart.

I escaped...

Did I actually escape?!

However,

just as that thought crossed his mind,

an unprecedented sense of danger exploded within his heart.

The Archbishop's pupils contracted violently.

His heart seemed to stop beating.

He instinctively turned his head toward the estate behind him.

At that exact instant,

an utterly despair-inducing force—

a power so overwhelming that resistance itself felt meaningless—

entered Romney's perception.

T-That...

Shadow of Silence Power?!

T-That girl...

She's an Abyss Demon?!

The very instant that conclusion formed,

a crimson flash burst forth from deep within the estate behind him.

The next moment,

under Romney's horrified gaze,

dozens of crimson chains formed entirely from scarlet energy shot toward him from behind.

In an instant,

they tightly bound the rapidly fleeing Romney,

leaving him utterly unable to move.

?!!

No...

No!!

"Someone...!!"

"HELP MEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

Bound by such terrifying power,

Romney's heart was completely consumed by fear.

He let out a hoarse scream for help,

struggling desperately in a futile attempt to break free from the chains.

Unfortunately,

every effort was useless.

Then,

accompanied by Romney's agonized screams,

the chains suddenly recoiled,

violently dragging him back toward the estate.