Villainess X Villain: They are obsessed with each other!

Crypian held Alia tight against his chest. Her heart slammed hard against him.

From high above the broken hole, Rosalina’s angry shout crashed down like thunder.

"Easier said than done!" she yelled. "I nearly died trying to kill them!"

Crypian’s stomach twisted into a cold knot. His mouth turned dry.

All around them, the nightmare beasts snarled louder.

Their crocodile jaws snapped open and shut.

Slimy tentacles whipped the air and slapped the cracked stone edges, sending tiny rocks tumbling into the dark pit below.

He looked like a scared boy, shoulders hunched, legs shaky, face pressed into Alia’s hair.

But inside his head, everything stayed sharp and ice-cold.

He remembered the training room back home when he was only 5.

His father had thrown him in there with three older boys who carried wooden swords.

Crypian had nothing. Not even a stick.

"Know the situation," his father had said, voice flat and hard.

"If you are strong, fight. If you are weak, run. But if you are too weak to fight and too weak to run... then act."

Crypian had tried to fight that day. He got beaten fast. Blood poured from his nose.

He lay on the cold floor, crying.

His father had grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up. Eyes like steel.

"Wrong. You are weak today. So act weak. Make them think you are scared. Smile. Agree. Hide everything. Wait for the right moment. A Thorne does not roar like a lion. A Thorne waits in the grass like a fox."

Crypian never forgot.

Now, trapped in this hellish hole with death floating right above them and monsters all around, he did exactly that.

He let his shoulders slump even more.

He made his legs buckle so he dropped to one knee, pulling Alia down with him like he could no longer stand.

A soft, broken sound slipped from his throat, the perfect sound of a boy who had given up.

Crypian kissed the top of Alia’s head softly. His voice stayed shaky and weak for anyone listening.

But his thoughts burned clear and sharp.

’Something is protecting us,’ he thought.

’Every time those masked people tried to kill us, something strange happened. First the ceiling crashed down on that man.’

’Then the ground suddenly broke under the woman and she fell. It’s not normal. There’s a force stopping us from dying... and it’s probably because of my system.’

He remembered his past life clearly. No system. No crazy luck like this.

All of this only started after the system appeared. But he didn’t dare trust it completely.

Crypian stayed on one knee, still looking weak and terrified.

He lifted his eyes just a little and stared at the floating figures above, Julius, Rosalina, and the tiny woman.

They looked frustrated. Their body language showed they were trying to figure out what to do next.

He also noticed the nightmare beasts.

They growled and snapped their crocodile jaws, tentacles whipping angrily.

But strangely, they weren’t attacking him or Alia even though they were so close.

The beasts only glared upward at the three people floating in the air.

’They’re not coming after us,’ he thought. ’Only at them.’

His gaze then shifted to the Love Guardian, still pinned hard against the ground, struggling to move.

Crypian sent a quick mental message, keeping his face perfectly scared for anyone watching.

[Hey, how much time do you need for that?]

The Love Guardian’s voice echoed back inside his head, tired but steady.

[Master... just a few more minutes. Please hold on for a few minutes.]

Crypian felt a spark of annoyance rise up, but he pushed it down fast.

His face stayed the same, wide eyes, trembling lips, the look of a boy who had lost all hope.

[Hurry up!] he sent back, his mental tone sharp for just a second before he smoothed it out.

From the moment Rosalina had charged at them with her sword, Crypian had already been planning.

He had been ready to fight back if they tried to torture him or Alia.

He had been waiting for the perfect opening to kill one of them.

But when the Love Guardian told him there was a way to send them back to safety, even if it came with a heavy price, Crypian didn’t hesitate.

He couldn’t afford to care about the consequences right now.

He had no choice but to act weak, buy as much time as possible, and wait until they were safe.

Crypian gently stroked Alia’s hair, his touch soft and comforting on the outside.

His voice came out small and shaky when he whispered to her.

"We’ll be okay... I promise."

But deep down, his mind stayed cold and focused. He watched every small movement from the people above.

******

As Crypian was thinking what to do next, meanwhile Julius and Rosalina were hovering in the air above them.

Not much time had passed since Rosalina had burst out of the hole.

The nightmare beasts glared up at the group, their crocodile jaws snapping and slimy tentacles whipping angrily against the broken stone.

Tiny Elizabeth floated nearby, her tiny hands resting on her chin.

She thought quietly for a moment, then asked in a sharp voice, "Do you have any way to kill them?"

Julius stayed silent at first.

His mind raced through everything that had happened so far. He glanced down at Crypian and Alia.

The two of them huddled together on the ground. A deep frown formed on Julius’s face as he stared at them.

’Something is going on in his mind,’ Julius thought.

His frown grew even deeper. ’I was ignoring this, but it seems he has learned everything thoroughly.’

Julius knew Crypian’s past life too well.

The boy had been used as an assassin and killed by his own brother in the end.

Someone with that kind of life would be very good at handling any kind of situations.

Julius was sure the fear was fake.

’But at this point, why is he still acting?’ Julius wondered.

He couldn’t figure it out. One thing he knew for sure, whatever was happening, he needed to kill Crypian today. No matter what.

Julius turned to Rosalina, his voice calm but firm.

"You kill the nightmare beasts." His gaze stayed fixed on Crypian below. "And I will..."

Before he could finish speaking, a bright light suddenly shot out from the Love Guardian’s body. It flashed through the hall like lightning.

Julius jerked his head toward the light. The moment he saw it, all the color drained from his face. His eyes went wide with shock.

He spun around fast and looked straight at Crypian.

Their eyes met.

In that exact moment, a cold spark lit up in Crypian’s eyes.

The scared look disappeared in a flash. His lips moved, and he muttered two clear words.

"Good bye!"