Rise of the Lustful Evil Monarch (Re)

Third Person's POV

The very instant the serpent's fangs were about to close on her, the chain yanked her back with terrifying force, and her body snapped away from the beast's maw in a blur.

The snake's jaws clashed shut with a deafening CLANG and sliced through the empty air and sent shockwaves across the lake.

Velcy's head spun, and her breath was caught in her throat as the world became a whirlwind of colors and motion.

Before she could comprehend anything, she was gently caught in Ethan's arms midair.

He applied a deft reverse-force technique to absorb the momentum and landed with a sharp slide across the grass that tore lines into the earth beneath his boots.

He slowly straightened while still holding the trembling Velcy in his arms.

His crimson eyes narrowed, and his pupils reflected the beast before him as it rose from the water like a true horror.

A towering serpentine monstrosity unfurled from the lake with three massive heads and each bearing rows of jagged teeth and crowned by cruel crimson slit eyes.

The serpent's scales shimmered in shades of black and purple, and its wings, which were thin and leathery like a bat's, snapped open with a thunderous gust and lifting its grotesque body into the sky.

It was over ten meters long with its body thick as an old oak trunk that radiated an oppressive aura that would break a lesser cultivator's spirit on the spot.

But Ethan didn't flinch.

He wasn't troubled by a mere demonic beast, no matter how grotesque.

No, his real concern was the source of the tight frown forming on his face, the one who stood atop the beast's three heads.

They were a handful of figures, some in flesh, some forged of gleaming black metal that balanced effortlessly atop the serpent's heads.

Their armor glinted in the dying sunlight, and several bore weapons that were already drawn.

There were familiar faces among them, and he could see them distorted by hate or metal masks.

But it was the one at the front, the tall figure cloaked in shadows and unmistakable menace was the one that caused a slight tension in Ethan's mind, and his jaw instinctively tightened on seeing them.

So, they came prepared, he thought as his eyes shone with a calm radiance.

Unlucky them, I will bury them in this forest.

The group of five that stood imposingly in the back included a hulking red-haired demon whose presence oozed menace.

The malicious grin curling on his lips and the crude, arrogant posture it gave off led to Ethan recognizing him instantly.

It was that red-haired Declan guy.

The very same demon who had oh-so-generously 'gifted' him the Black Dragon Saber at the Adventurer's Guild with an obviously unwilling heart.

And wow, it seemed he wanted to scream that there was no need for deception.

Declan looked at them with a sneer etched deep into his features while his fiery eyes occasionally darted toward Virelle, who had, at some point, drawn a red veil across her face and hid her delicate and beautiful features.

She now stood beside Ethan in a silent and brooding mode whole her jaw was tight, and her eyes locked on the enemies like sharpened blades.

Beside them, Velcy gasped for breath, and her budding chest rose and fell rapidly.

The brush with death had left its mark.

Her pupils were dilated in fear, and her face was pale, and as her survival instincts kicked in, her transformation to her cat form emerged.

Silvery white streaks overtook her dull grey hair, and her fluffy white cat-like ears popped out of her head while a soft white tail burst out behind her and started twitching with raw tension.

She clung to Ethan like a lifeline yet her eyes, those wide sky-blue slits remained fixed on the monstrous serpent.

She strongly faced down its three glowing red eyes whose each of which brimmed with unholy intent, corruption, and the cold hunger of a predator.

However, to the red-haired demon's dismay and anger, Ethan didn't spare him a second more of attention.

His expression remained calm, and his lips curled into a thin line as his gaze slid to the one who truly intrigued him, the young man in crimson brocade robes at the forefront.

With short-cropped black hair, smooth and short dark red horns curled just above his temples, and smoldering red eyes, the man exuded power and command.

He seemed like a warlord as he was handsome, dignified, and fully composed… that is, until Ethan noticed the way his gaze lingered on someone.

The demon who he assumed to be the lecherous Duke's close family member was staring at Velcy with focus.

His stare was not one of curiosity or confusion but of immense amazement and adoration.

He seemed utterly fascinated and it seemed as if her sudden transformation had awakened something primal in him, and his sharp gaze devoured every twitch of her trembling form.

Seeing this, Ethan's brows rose slightly.

What he feared earlier happened. Velcy's unexpected and exceptional beauty had managed to attract some unwanted flies.

Though Velcy, on the other hand, remained still in his arms and her body trembled slightly but she didn't avert her gaze.

But on the contrary, she glared at the ogling young warlord with a look that could ignite the air between them.

Her pupils glinted with hatred and righteous fury and a low growl seemed to build at the back of her throat.

That look was something Ethan had never seen in her before, and it was simply not from some fear or anger.

But it was indignation and rage born not from terror but seemingly insult.

Ethan could sense an almost royal and cold-blooded wrath that made her seem older and nobler.

Her aura clearly screamed,

How dare you… you dare attack and ogle me this way, you wretched filth?

It wasn't just personal, but it seemed like an attack on her pride and something deep inside her existence.