As the CEO of the Jact Group, the leading fuel supplier for mechanized armor, Chierni held an extraordinarily high social standing in the Western Siwa Alliance.
Numerous senators and even high-ranking ministers within the Alliance had close personal ties with him.
And yet—
A man of such status and power, who should have been enjoying luxury and wealth,
Was now kneeling in fear in his own private garden.
The elite bodyguards who once surrounded him at all times were nowhere to be seen.
Or rather—
They had already been knocked unconscious and were now floating face-down in a nearby pond.
...
"Crack..."
With a crisp sound,
Under Chierni’s terrified gaze,
The contract renewal compass, which had been hovering before him,
Shattered instantly, dissolving into a wisp of black smoke before fading into the air.
At that moment,
The last fragile hope inside Chierni’s heart finally shattered into dust.
“No... h-how could this...”
His eyebrows twitched violently,
An unprecedented wave of fear and despair spread through his mind like a virus,
Twisting his once calm and elegant expression into something horrified and grotesque.
"This is impossible... I can’t have failed!"
Shaking his head furiously in denial,
Chierni instinctively turned his gaze behind him, seeking help.
And in the next moment—
A woman entered his sight.
A woman impossible to ignore.
She exuded a striking presence, a perfect blend of elegance and power.
Her simple white T-shirt hugged her lean, athletic frame,
While deep blue denim jeans gave off an air of casual sophistication,
As if every detail of her attire had been meticulously crafted,
Yet still radiated effortless style.
Her pant cuffs were rolled up slightly, revealing slender ankles,
An almost lazy nonchalance that somehow made her even more captivating.
Her short hair was like silk,
Ash-gray strands shimmering softly under the dim sunlight,
Accentuated by streaks of golden highlights,
Giving her an otherworldly, almost bewitching allure.
As the wind gently lifted her hair,
A faint, mesmerizing energy radiated from her every movement.
And then—
There were her eyes.
Blood-red.
Like polished rubies, gleaming with an icy, unfathomable light,
Holding an eerie ability to peer directly into one’s soul.
But most striking of all—
Perched atop her head,
Two furry, cat-like ears twitched slightly, capturing every sound.
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The fine gray fur of her ears gleamed under the light,
While the long, graceful tail behind her swayed with a deliberate, controlled rhythm,
Moving with an elegance that was both hypnotic and terrifying.
And with each subtle flick of her tail—
A suffocating curse energy descended upon Chierni,
Weighing him down like a thousand-ton anvil.
This oppressive force was precisely why—
Despite being a powerful Fourth-Tier warrior,
Chierni was completely immobilized, forced to remain kneeling on the ground.
...
Staring at this stunning yet utterly chilling cat-eared woman,
Chierni instinctively took a deep breath,
His body trembling from the sheer pressure of her presence.
Cat ears. Cat tail. Curse energy.
This woman was clearly not human.
Most people wouldn’t recognize who she was.
But as someone who had once participated in the Redemption Game,
Chierni knew her identity all too well.
One of the four retainers of the Earth Evil God—
——“Compassion.”——
The monster that had annihilated two entire army divisions of the Western Siwa Alliance single-handedly during the first battle against the Evil Gods.
Chierni had nearly unmatched status within the Western Siwa Alliance,
Able to walk freely without fear, even among government elites.
But in front of an Evil God’s retainer?
He wouldn’t dare harbor even the slightest thought of resistance.
Because—
In the current human cultivation system,
There were still three entire tiers above Fourth-Tier warriors:
Celestial Martial Realm, Gui Li Realm, and the legendary Divine Grace Realm,
The only realm said to be capable of standing against the Evil Gods.
The gap between each realm was as vast as an insurmountable chasm.
Chierni, a mere peak Fourth-Tier warrior,
Would already struggle against a Blood Curse-tier Fallen Beast,
Let alone a Retainer-tier being on par with a Gui Li Realm powerhouse.
There was no hope of resistance.
And so—
When Chierni lifted his gaze toward the cat-eared woman, his eyes were filled with nothing but fear and submission.
All of his usual pride and dignity had been completely abandoned, and his entire body shook as he bowed his head, his voice filled with desperate pleading:
"Lady Severine, p-please... give me one more chance! I—I just made a mistake! If I pick again, I swear I’ll get it right this time!"
There was even a hint of sobbing in his trembling voice.
However—
Chierni’s pitiful begging failed to move Severine in the slightest.
In fact—
Her expression darkened in displeasure.
She had never been fond of the fact that her boss had granted this pathetic human so much wealth and power a decade ago.
So now, seeing him grovel before her, she merely tilted her head slightly, her soft yet suffocating voice cutting through the air like a knife:
"The game only grants one chance. You should already know that."
Her scarlet gaze sharpened.
"Did anyone else who gambled their lives in the Redemption Game ever get a second chance just because they begged for it?"
"I—"
"The rules of the Redemption Game are absolute."
Her eyes narrowed dangerously.
The moment she spoke, chierni shuddered violently, the words he had been about to say died in his throat, as his mind was suddenly flooded with haunting memories from a decade ago.
Ah... that’s right...
Gaia Lobil’s rules never change.
Rules?
Hah...
If it weren’t for those damn rules, he wouldn’t be here facing this monster alone.
Failing to renew his contract meant that his soul, which had already been sold to the Earth Evil God, would collapse and disintegrate.
And Chierni did not want to die.
Unfortunately for Chierni, the being known as Severine had zero interest in his thoughts or excuses.
"Since you’ve failed to renew your contract... then I’ll be taking your soul on the boss’s behalf."
With that, Severine coldly raised her hand.
Golden-gray lightning crackled at her fingertips, coiling with a suffocating curse energy that thickened the air itself, pressing down on Chierni like a death sentence.
The sheer oppressive force of it caused sweat to pour down his face, his body trembling violently as pure, unfiltered terror burst from his widened eyes.
Sure—
Ten years ago, he had sold his soul to the Earth Evil God in exchange for his current power and wealth.
But now?
He was no longer the desperate man he had been back then.
In the past ten years, he had gained riches, status, and even a family.
Having so much to lose, there was no way he would accept death so easily.
Even if he lost the game,
He would still gamble for another chance.
And so—
Mustering every last ounce of courage,
Just as Severine was about to strike him down,
Chierni desperately shouted:
"Wait! Lady Severine! I lost the game... but that doesn’t mean I can’t still renew my contract, right?!"
"Hm?"
Hearing this, Severine paused,
The curse energy in her palm dissipating as she turned to look at him with a strange expression.
"You’re saying... you’ve found information on the Solrog Family?"
"N-No, not that... I’m deeply sorry, but after ten years of searching, I’ve found absolutely nothing on that family."
"Then what are you saying?"
"I do have something else!"
Chierni nodded furiously, his eyes shining with frantic desperation.
"I have information on Miss Bai Xingwu!"
—
The moment those words left his lips,
For the first time, the ever-cold and expressionless Severine revealed a flicker of shock.
But almost immediately,
Suspicion flooded her crimson slit-pupils.
"...Do you have proof?"
"I do! I do!"
Fumbling hastily, Chierni reached into his personal bag,
Pulling out a delicately crafted, antique hairpin and holding it up reverently.
"This—this is something I went through great trouble to obtain! It’s the hairpin Miss Bai Xingwu once used! If you trace its origins, you might be able to find her!"
—
Severine remained silent.
Instead, she stepped forward and took the hairpin from Chierni’s trembling hands, gazing at its intricate engravings with a pensive expression.
As he watched Severine’s eyes flicker with uncertainty,
Chierni’s lips curved upward slightly.
Yes.
Just as I expected.
—
Chierni knew that now that he had lost the game, he had only two ways to survive.
One: Provide intelligence on the Solrog Family.
Two: Give information about Bai Xingwu.
But after six long years of searching with his newfound wealth and influence,
He hadn’t found even the slightest lead on either.
So, if he wanted to live—
He had to bluff.
Trying to fool Severine with false intel on the Solrog Family was too risky—
After all, she seemed to already have some knowledge about them.
If he fed her lies, she might catch on immediately.
But Bai Xingwu?
Severine probably wasn’t as familiar with her.
If he fabricated something vague enough,
It might actually work.
And since Bai Xingwu was connected to the God-bestowed Daughters,
Using an artifact imbued with the same aura might just convince her...
Honestly,
Even Chierni himself didn’t know if this would actually trick Severine.
But at this point,
He had no choice but to bet everything on it.
And judging by her hesitant reaction...
It looked like he might have actually won.
His joy grew,
A faint glimmer of hope rising in his heart.
It was working!
If everything continued as planned,
He could—
—
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"Boom!"
Without warning—
Severine suddenly lifted her finger and aimed it directly at Chierni’s forehead.
?!!
"H-Huh?"
"Rumble!"
Before Chierni could even react,
A blinding flash of golden-gray lightning exploded before his eyes.
"W-Why—"
Before the question could even leave his lips,
His consciousness abruptly snapped.
In the next instant—
His entire head was engulfed in lightning.
Turned to ash in a split second.
His headless body swayed for a few moments,
Before finally collapsing lifelessly onto the ground.
—
Until the very end,
Chierni never understood why he had failed.
—
"Tch."
Looking down at the corpse, Severine clicked her tongue in disdain.
Her slender fingers tightened,
And with a light squeeze,
The hairpin in her grasp shattered into dust.
—
Bai Xingwu.
She was the most important person to the boss.
Trying to manipulate them with false information about her?
That was a death sentence.
With a cold snort,
Severine lifted her boot and pressed down firmly on Chierni’s corpse.
In the next instant,
Another surge of lightning crackled—
And Chierni’s body was completely incinerated,
Leaving nothing but scattered ashes.
—
With that settled,
Severine casually began placing explosives,
Preparing to clean up the scene and destroy all evidence.
And as she did,
She muttered to herself in mild curiosity:
"Hah. Did you really think I’d fall for that idiot’s lies? You actually bothered to send a voice transmission just to warn me?"
Of course,
She wasn’t talking to herself.
Because the moment she spoke,
A voice echoed softly in her mind.
——"I didn’t think you’d be fooled. I was just giving you a small reminder, that’s all."——
"Hm?"
Hearing that,
Severine’s eyebrow arched playfully.
"Sounds like you had another reason for contacting me, Ilena."
——"Yeah."——
"Go on. What is it?"
——"I need you to return to the Enigmatic Abyss as soon as possible."——
"Huh? What, you don’t trust the tentacle girl to watch the place?"
——"That’s part of it. But more importantly..."——
——"The boss has woken up."——
"...Oh, so that’s all—"
...
Wait.
What?
Severine’s playful smirk froze.
"Hold on—WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"
——"I said... the boss has woken up."——
Severine’s mind spun.
Of course, as one of Bai Lianyue’s retainers,
She had hoped for her boss to wake up soon.
But if the waking process was too sudden...
It might not be a good thing.
There hadn’t been enough time to prepare sufficient food and energy!
This was ten years too early!
As if sensing her panic,
Ilena’s gentle voice reassured her:
——"I’ll handle gathering food and energy. You go back and stay with the boss."——
——"Try to stop her from using her Evil God powers too much. If she keeps using them recklessly..."——
——"Her mind will only get worse."——
Severine exhaled deeply.
"Got it."