Rise Of The Villain : In a World Ruled By Anomalies

Arthur looked at Athena with a complicated expression.

"It seems I obtained a spirit bloodline through one of the abilities granted by my System."

For several seconds, Athena simply stared at him.

Her golden eyes widened.

"What?"

The word came out sharper than she intended.

To Athena, obtaining a spirit bloodline so casually was absurd.

It went against every law she knew.

Bloodlines were not things one could simply obtain through luck. A person had to be born with one, inherit it, awaken it through a rare ritual, or receive it through an impossible stroke of fate.

The bloodline of spirits was even more extraordinary.

Spirits were proud beings. They guarded their heritage fiercely and regarded their bloodlines as sacred. Even half-spirits like Athena existed only because of forbidden unions and circumstances that could not easily be repeated.

Yet Arthur had somehow gained a bloodline connected to the First Spirit.

Just like that.

Athena’s expression became complicated.

’But System users themselves are absurd,’ she thought. ’Their entire existence is something that should not be possible.’

She looked down at the moon-shaped symbol on her wrist.

Then she looked at the sun-shaped symbol on Arthur’s wrist.

"If what you said is true," Athena said slowly, "then that explains why this happened."

Arthur raised an eyebrow.

Athena continued, her voice becoming more serious.

"If you had not been recognized as a spirit by the ritual, you would already be dead."

Arthur’s expression changed.

"When both our blood entered the circle, the weaker party should have died immediately."

She looked directly into his crimson eyes.

"The spiritual power generated through a bond between a human and a high-ranking spirit would have torn your body apart."

Arthur’s lips twitched.

"That is comforting."

Athena ignored him.

"But it seems the ritual acknowledged you as a spirit," she said. "And because you drank my blood during the ritual, it interpreted that contact as the completion of a spiritual vow."

Her face darkened.

"Everything went wrong after that."

Arthur thought about it for a moment.

Then he asked, "Do spirits suck blood during their marriages?"

Athena stared at him.

Then she sighed deeply.

"No, you idiot."

Arthur waited.

"Spirits normally finalize a marriage bond through physical contact," Athena explained. "A kiss, an embrace, or any contact that allows both parties to exchange spiritual energy willingly."

Her cheeks became slightly red.

"That exchange finalizes the vow."

Arthur’s eyes widened in understanding.

"So blood-drinking counted as physical contact too."

Athena reluctantly nodded.

"Yes."

Arthur looked at the sun-shaped mark on his wrist again.

"And we are now..."

"We are bound by a spiritual marriage vow," Athena said quietly.

The words hung heavily in the air.

Arthur fell silent.

Athena’s expression became frustrated.

"Regrettably, I do not know how to undo it. We will need to find a high-ranking spirit who understands ancient spirit bonds."

Arthur nodded slowly.

Then Athena pointed a finger at him.

"Until then, you will avoid all physical contact with me. Do you hear me?"

Arthur looked at her as though she had said something ridiculous.

"Why are you acting like a child? It is not like I am going to touch you, okay? I have standards."

A vein twitched on Athena’s forehead.

Arthur noticed the anger in her eyes and quickly changed the subject.

"Also, it looks like you have not noticed something."

Athena narrowed her eyes.

"What?"

"You are not wearing your veil."

For a moment, Athena froze.

Then realization struck her.

Her hand immediately moved toward her face.

The veil was gone.

It must have been destroyed in the explosion.

Athena’s eyes widened.

’How?’

She looked directly at Arthur.

’How is he looking at me without losing his sanity?’

Her face slowly turned red.

Arthur watched her reaction.

Then he gave her a smug smile.

"See? What did I tell you? You are not as beautiful as you think. Your charm does not affect me at all."

For the first time in a very long time, Athena felt genuinely irritated.

Of all people, it had to be Arthur.

The arrogant brat who mocked her every chance he got.

The one person who could see her face clearly and remain completely unaffected.

Athena folded her arms.

"Hmph. It does not matter."

She looked Arthur up and down.

"Compared to me, you still look like a dried squid."

Arthur’s mouth twitched.

"You really are an ungrateful wife, aren’t you?"

Athena’s face turned red.

"Who are you calling your wife?"

Arthur shrugged.

"Alright, is that so? Then I am leaving. You can deal with that curse yourself."

Athena’s eyes widened.

Then she remembered why all this chaos had begun.

The curse.

Her decreasing lifespan.

The transfer of life essence.

"Wait, wait, wait!"

She quickly grabbed Arthur’s hand.

Arthur looked down at their joined hands.

"Did you not say all forms of physical contact were prohibited?"

Athena glared at him.

"Do not mess with me. Keep your end of the deal."

Her gaze shifted toward the sun-shaped mark on Arthur’s wrist.

"Now that you have a spirit bloodline, you should be able to transfer lifespan much more easily."

Arthur smiled smugly.

"Only if you give me a kiss on the lips."

Slap!

Athena’s palm met his face.

───────────────

A few minutes later, Arthur and Athena sat once again at the center of the training facility.

A clear handprint marked Arthur’s cheek.

The damaged magic circle was gone.

Athena had completely erased the unstable formation, leaving only cracked stone beneath them.

Arthur sat with his legs crossed, rubbing his cheek.

Athena sat across from him with her arms folded.

Her expression remained cold.

"Listen carefully," she said.

Arthur nodded.

"Spirits can transfer or absorb a person’s lifespan through simple physical contact. But that process is extremely slow."

Arthur listened quietly.

"Even transferring one day of lifespan can take at least twenty minutes through ordinary contact."

Arthur’s eyes widened.

"Twenty minutes for one day?"

Athena nodded.

"However, a properly formed bond changes the process."

She looked at the moon mark on her wrist.

"Through a bonded connection, it only takes around ten minutes to transfer or absorb several months of lifespan."

Arthur frowned.

"That sounds useful."

"It is useful," Athena replied. "But it is also dangerous. If the transfer is too fast, the receiver may be unable to control the life essence. And if the giver transfers too much, they can damage their own life force."

Arthur was about to ask another question.

But Athena suddenly stopped.

Her body stiffened.

Then—

"Cough!"

Blood spilled from her mouth.

It splattered across the cracked floor.

Arthur’s expression immediately changed.

"Athena?"

She coughed again.

More blood dripped from her lips.

"Damn it," Athena muttered. "It seems I used too much power during the ritual... and to maintain the barriers."

Arthur immediately pulled a healing potion from his inventory.

"Are you alright? Take this."

Athena looked at the potion but did not reach for it.

Her breathing became ragged.

"It will not work."

Arthur frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"It is the curse," Athena said. "Whenever I push my power too far, it acts up."

She coughed again.

The blood on the floor grew darker.

"It gets worse because I am partially human."

Arthur’s eyes narrowed.

The curse was not merely reducing her lifespan.

It was attacking her.

Eating away at her whenever she used too much of her power.

Athena’s body swayed.

"We need to hurry," she said. "Before I lose consciousness."

Arthur’s expression darkened.

"Dammit. Just tell me what to do."

Athena reached forward and grabbed his hand.

Her palm was cold.

"Just trust me," she said.

Her voice had become faint.

"You may feel some pain. But endure it."

The moon and sun marks on their wrists began to glow.

"Will it to transfer slowly," Athena whispered. "Think of it like passing mana from your body into mine."

Arthur nodded.

He closed his eyes.

The symbols resonated.

A soft golden light emerged from his wrist and flowed through their joined hands.

Arthur felt a sharp but manageable pain.

It was not like losing mana.

It was deeper.

It felt as though a small part of his existence was being drawn away.

A small amount of his lifespan.

A thread of life essence.

Slowly, Arthur transferred it to Athena.

Athena began absorbing it.

For a few seconds, the pale color returned to her face.

Her breathing became slightly steadier.

But then her face turned even paler.

Her focus shattered.

The spiritual energy between them became unstable.

Athena’s hand slipped from Arthur’s.

She collapsed onto the floor.

"No..."

Her eyes widened with panic.

"Why is it acting up now? This has never happened before."

Arthur immediately moved closer.

"Hey, Athena! Talk to me. What is happening?"

Then Arthur saw it.

Inside Athena’s body, a strange black energy was moving wildly.

It crawled through her spiritual pathways like dark smoke.

It was violent.

Corrosive.

Hungry.

Arthur’s eyes narrowed.

’Is this what is causing it?’