Chapter 179: Loki Battles His Second Cousin?
Chapter 179: Loki Battles His Second Cousin?
Leaving Angelica’s bedroom, I looked down at my torn clothing and let out a long, heavy sigh. I coughed into my hand, a sheepish grin tugging at my lips. Yeah, telling an excited werewolf to wait until later was a profoundly dumb idea.
Worse—or better, depending on how you looked at it—she had somehow unlocked the Second Wind ability. How the hell was an honest gigolo supposed to make a living when his werewolf wife possessed infinite stamina and could go on and on forever?
"Master Husband, your night is booked," a quiet voice called out from the shadows.
Pandora stepped to my side with her usual eerie, flawless grace. She was already holding a fresh, neatly folded set of clothes.
"I recommend visiting Lisa and Celia next," Pandora advised, her voice a calm, analytical murmur. "They should be easier to sneak away from at the end of your session. After them, you should visit Ayala. Then, come to the room shared by Andra and me; she requires your blood. Since Lana is six months pregnant, she should be your final stop so you can rest before returning to the academy."
I tilted my head, looking at my quiet maid-wife as I began stripping out of the shredded fabric. "Wife, you said Andra needs to feed already? Is she out of the Life Bottle blood supply I gave her?"
As I slid my arms into a soft, comfortable set of nightwear, Pandora explained the situation. "Queen Camila Dark has granted Andra special permission to drink straight from the source now, a reward for going above and beyond in her service to the King."
I paused, a wry smile forming. Ah. Camila knew I wanted to let Andra drink from me during sex, but she didn’t want to upset the established hierarchy.
My clever wife found a roundabout way to give us exactly what we wanted.
Nodding in understanding, I pulled the glowing Soul Lamp out of my inventory—the very one Angelica had handed over to me. I held it out toward Pandora.
"Pandora, this technically belonged to you, even if it was your prison... Do you want it back?"
Pandora stared at the lamp, freezing in place. Her gaze darted between my eyes and the artifact, her expression a shifting mask of deep contemplation.
Suddenly, she reached out, gripping my hands with shocking force and pinning them firmly against the surface of the lamp.
Her breath hitched. When she spoke, her voice began to fluctuate wildly, layering over itself. Right before my eyes, her appearance began to distort. The white sclera, the irises, and the pupils of her eyes instantly bled into an ink-black void. Starting from the roots, her hair darkened, a deep, abyssal black cascading down to the very tips.
"Shadow King, my husband," she commanded, her voice vibrating with an ancient, regal resonance. "You must keep this vile thing sealed within your heart. Never let another soul touch it. This is our token of love, the anchor that binds our two souls together. As long as it remains guarded in your heart, I can never be pulled back inside. Not only that, but this item will anchor you—it will keep your soul from being forcefully ripped away to travel to the Plane of Life."
Looking into those endless black eyes, recognition struck me like a bolt of lightning. This was the other half of Pandora. This was the primordial entity I had made passionate love to within my magic core, back when Puck, the Fate Spider, had first tied her to me as my wife.
"My Fairy Queen," I whispered, my heart racing. "Are you fully back?"
Pandora’s slender, dark-veined hand cupped my cheek. She leaned in, pressing her lips to mine in a breathless, devastating kiss that felt like it was physically dragging the soul right out of my chest.
When she finally parted from me, she spoke with the absolute, unyielding authority of a true sovereign. "I have always been with you as Pandora Cross, my love. I am only able to seize full control briefly to ensure your safety. This is the one thing you must do for me, my Shadow King."
I leaned forward, gently kissing her lips again as the blackness began to recede from her hair and eyes. Just as her intense emotions tightened back into her usual cold, unflappable calm, she whispered one final, mind-blowing truth.
"You were the King of Fairies, Oberon," she murmured, a trace of amusement bleeding through her regal tone. "Haha... And now, you are my husband. Life is full of beautiful irony. The merging of Dark and Life... who could have predicted it?"
In the next blink, the abyssal energy vanished. Pandora was entirely back to normal. She adjusted her collar, staring at me with a serious, deadpan expression as she flipped right back into maid mode.
"Hurry, Husband. You are late, now that I have delayed you."
I let out a rich laugh, storing the Soul Lamp securely inside my chest cavity where my core resided. I waved a hand at my beautiful, enigmatic companion. "Keep evolving, but never change... I love you just the way you are, my wife Pandora Cross."
As I turned and sprinted down the stairs to kick off my marathon night, the placid, robotic look on Pandora’s face softened. A tender, mocking smile touched her lips as she watched my retreating back.
"I won't change, dummy Shadow King," she muttered softly to the empty hallway. "You are the one changing... for the better."
True to Pandora's flawless scheduling, the rest of my night was a whirlwind of absolute ecstasy.
My first stop was the shared quarters of Lisa and Celia. Slipping into their bed, I was instantly enveloped by soft skin, eager sighs, and warm tangled limbs. Making love to both of them at the same time was pure bliss, their contrasting rhythms driving me wild until we were all left breathless and satisfied.
With no time to waste, I slipped out of their sheets and rushed over to Ayala’s room. I didn't even make it to her bed; she dragged me straight into the steaming bathroom. The shower was easily the Amazon's absolute favorite place to create literal monsters, and by the time we were through bending each other over against the tile walls, we had entirely drained a few precious Water magic cores just to keep the hot water running.
Next came Andra and Pandora’s room. The two maids were waiting for me on the bed, looking like a dream. Slipping between them, I gave myself fully to the pair. As I buried myself inside Andra's tight, welcoming warmth, I guided her head down to my neck, letting her sink her fangs into my flesh for her very first live feeding. The rush was intoxicating for both of us. My blood, heavily saturated by my Death magic core, acted like a massive dose of premium alcohol to her system. Within minutes of drinking her fill, Andra was completely smashed, her eyes unfocused and a blissful, drunken smile plastered on her face as she slumped against the pillows.
Finally, in the early hours of the morning, I crawled into Lana's room. She pulled my exhausted body into her arms, molding her soft shape against me and using me as a giant hug-pillow, careful of her six-month pregnant belly. Sheltered in her gentle warmth, I finally drifted off to sleep.
Creak... Creak...
The rhythmic groaning of the luxurious carriage wheels signaled our short transit toward the Royal Academy. Inside the spacious cabin, Ayala, Lisa, and Frigg sat across from me. Lana and Angelica flanked my sides, leaning against me comfortably.
[Loki, do not forget that I am accompanying you to the Inner Sea,] Frigg’s voice echoed directly into my mind, her telepathic tone carrying the weight of a stern, protective older sister. [Hurry up and achieve your breakthrough to a 7th Circle Summoner so we can depart. I can sense your progress in the Vanguard and Necromancer paths, but you are neglecting your Life core. Your Summoner class is lagging behind.]
I shifted my gaze to Frigg, offering her a deeply apologetic, silent look. Across from me, she sat with her legs elegantly crossed, her hands resting firmly on her knee. Her expression was hard and strict, but as she caught my silent plea for mercy, the corners of her lips twitched upward into a small smile.
[Sorry, Frigg,] I replied back through our mental link. [I’ll make it my absolute priority. I promise I’ll hit the 7th Circle by the time we are ready to travel to the Mermaid Kingdom. Thank you for patience.]
Creak—Neigh!
The carriage suddenly lurched to a violent halt, the horses crying out in protest just outside the academy's massive front gates.
Before any of us could process the sudden stop, Angelica’s newly enhanced, hyper-sharp werewolf senses picked up the intruders. Her eyes narrowed.
"Oh?" Angelica murmured, a dangerous mix of amusement and annoyance bleeding into her voice. "Ayala, it seems your people's lovely ambassadors are back for you again. Looks like you can't run from them anymore. Loki, they are here to drag Ayala and Layla away from you. Go handle it. Call me if you need me to tear someone apart."
Angelica clearly wanted to avoid causing a massive diplomatic incident right outside the school gates, which was why she was sending just the two of us out to defuse it.
As Ayala and I stepped down from the carriage, Lana’s voice rang out from inside, sharp and protective. "Frigg, go with him. Support Loki, understood?"
Frigg didn't need to be told twice. Moving with fluid, lethal grace, she stepped out of the carriage right behind me, her massive Hero Reaper Longsword cradled securely in her arms.
Standing squarely in the center of the academy entrance, blocking all incoming traffic, were six heavily armed Amazon women. They wore revealing, lightweight leather bikini armor that showed off an intimidating amount of dense, athletic muscle.
My eyes immediately locked onto the woman leading the pack, and a sudden jolt of recognition hit me.
Ayala stepped up beside me, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. Her voice dripped with pure irritation. "Diana, Daughter of Shana. I have told your scouts repeatedly that neither my daughter nor I are returning to the Isles. We are marrying into the Balder Kingdom. Turn around and go back to your duties."
Diana stood at an imposing six-foot-three—just an inch shorter than Ayala herself. She possessed the exact same fiery red hair and striking green eyes as me. She radiated the heavy, pressurized aura of a newly advanced 7th Circle Fire Full Knight, and a pair of massive, intimidating greatswords were strapped to her back.
Holy shit. This was the exact same battle-crazy Amazon I had crossed paths with back when I was using my Hao Hun identity!
The Amazon Princess lifted her chin, staring down at us with absolute arrogance. "You tricked our scouts last time, Ayala. We went back and verified the records—you still haven't officially wed Loki Sky. By the direct decree of Amazon Queen Hervor, you will come with us right now. If you resist, we are officially authorized to treat you as an active enemy of the Amazon Nation."
The moment I stepped up to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ayala, the atmospheric pressure around the gates shifted drastically. The gathering crowd of onlookers watched with a volatile mix of confusion, dark amusement, and mounting bloodlust.
I gestured toward the loudmouthed leader, looking over at Ayala. "Are these girls just blowing hot air, or are they actively threatening my family?"
Diana’s eyes snapped to me, her temper flaring instantly. "Why you...! Who do you think you are to interfere in the internal matters of the Amazons—wait a minute..."
"First of all," I interrupted, pointing visual emphasis to my pristine academy uniform, the grand archway of the gates, and then to Ayala. "I am a student at the very school you are currently blocking. This beautiful woman right here is my teacher, and you are standing in the sovereign territory of the Balder Kingdom, not your isolated Amazon Isles. Secondly, this 'traitor' is my lover, and she's the mother of my child. So yeah, this has everything to do with me. If you don't pack up your little circus and leave my family alone in the next ten seconds, I will personally summon a 9th Circle Kyuubi that loves nothing more than eating weak, chewy Amazons for breakfast."
Shing!
The sound of metal scraping leather echoed across the courtyard as Diana drew her twin greatswords. The blades were forged from a deep, abyssal Black Iron, catching the morning light as she held them out in an aggressive, dual-wielding stance.
She let out a guttural, feral growl. "Loki Sky?! You... you are that horrific Amazon Devil! Ayala, how dare you mate with an absolute monster! Girls, kill Loki Sky!"
Whoosh!
Diana exploded forward, kicking up a cloud of dust as she lunged at me with her massive twin blades. Behind her, the five remaining Amazon warriors didn't hesitate, drawing their axes and spears to charge right alongside their princess.
I didn't blink. I calmly glanced to my right. "Frigg, if you please?"
Before the Valkyrie or Ayala could even realize what I was doing, my hands moved in a blur of pure, kleptomaniac instinct. In one fluid, impossibly fast motion, my left hand ripped Frigg’s legendary Hero Reaper Longsword straight out of the sheath she was holding. Simultaneously, my right hand snatched Ayala's heavy Wolf Fang blade right from her hip.
My green eyes flashed, completely consumed by an explosive wave of primal rage, raw bloodlust, and absolute killing intent.
At the exact same fraction of a second, Diana and I roared out our battle cries in perfect, terrifying unison, as if we had spent weeks rehearsing the script.
""BULL RUSH STUN!""
But while Diana's assault was backed by a standard, single-element crimson Fire Aura, my dual-wielded counterattack violently fused the volatile elements of Air and Fire together, manifesting a devastating, high-tier Scorching Aura that coated both stolen blades.
To the terrified students and guards watching from the sidelines, it looked as if two celestial bodies had just torn through the sky. A blinding streak of pure crimson fire and a roaring comet of brilliant blue-white flames collided dead-center in the air, triggering a cataclysmic, deafening explosion.
CLANG! CLANG! BOOM!