A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

Chapter 236: Remarkable Seraphina- III

Ansel took a seat opposite Flamelle, with Seraphina following suit, positioning herself behind Ansel in the same manner as the two pact heads behind Flamelle.

The young girl couldn't help but surreptitiously size up the towering, muscular man standing behind Flamelle. Suddenly, she felt a pang of insecurity — not out of fear of the man, but out of worry... that she wouldn't eventually transform into such a terrifying figure, would she?

She is already tall enough now; any taller would be too much! And all those muscles... they are hideous!

"I was organizing a game for Her Majesty, Father, as you probably know," Ansel said with a smile, taking a sip of the wine poured by Saville.

"Oh... Ephesande is causing trouble again, I see," Flamelle nodded, "Did any of that mess affect you?"

"No, I'm fine," Ansel replied calmly.

"That's good," the mature Hydral laughed heartily, "Otherwise, the City of Celestia wouldn't be enough for me to tear down, hahaha—"

One was calm and polite, the other was quite enthusiastic. The atmosphere between father and son was indeed strange, but seeing that the other pact heads seemed unfazed, Seraphina chose to remain silent.

From the memories that Ansel had shared with her, even a fool like Seraphina could piece together some factors. Recalling the experiences Ansel had been through, her heart involuntarily ached.

"Ephesande won't last much longer. At the slowest, two years; at the fastest, half a year, and she'll have to embrace the Source Flame," Flamelle sighed, "But she doesn't seem like the type to wait for death. I'm worried she might resort to any means necessary to cling to life. The path of the Dragon Clan is only for the Dragon Clan. If she truly reaches a dead end...

she might very well throw herself into the Lost Sea in search of a glimmer of hope."

"But before that—"

The man said with a smile, "I'll help you kill her, Ansel. Don't worry."

Seraphina was taken aback, unable to react in time.

Flamelle noticed Seraphina's expression and turned his slightly surprised gaze to Ansel, "Ans, haven't you told our little Seraphina anything?"

"...I've told her some things," Ansel's eyes were slightly downcast, "Seraphina doesn't need to know too much right now. As long as she remains pure, she doesn't need to worry about meaningless things."

"Ans, Ans... A pact head is there to help us bear our burdens, not the other way around."

"Do you comprehend the difference between the Heavenly Road and the Abyss?" he inquired.

The young girl shook her head awkwardly in embarrassment.

"The distinction lies in the fact that..." Ansel raised his glass, peering through the crystalline walls and the shimmering liquid within, as if gazing into an entirely different realm, "on the Heavenly Road, one must first elevate the spirit and flesh in unison through the first and second stages before beginning to engage with the essence.

However, those who embark on the path of the Abyss touch upon the essence from the very outset with their souls."

"... Ah?" Seraphina, befuddled, questioned, "Doesn't that make those who traverse the Abyss stronger?"

"Undoubtedly," Ansel's fingertips began to emit a faint black mist. Lawrence, perched upon Saville's shoulder, shuddered and quickly sought refuge on the other shoulder. Tyrus's expression shifted subtly, while Toradon, in contrast, displayed an obsessed and yearning look.

Ansel, fixated on his fingertips, murmured softly, "But the issue is that the Abyss, in granting you power, always exacts a price from you."

"This is a blank sheet of paper."

Flamelle conjured a sheet of paper out of thin air, shook it, and explained to Seraphina, "Consider it akin to a person's soul, and then..."

With his other hand, he formed a sphere of water: "This symbolizes transcendence."

"To step onto the path of the Abyss is to submerge this blank sheet directly into the water," He elucidated.

"As you absorb transcendence, it also invades and transforms your soul, and should you reach a certain threshold..."

The paper, now thoroughly soaked and fragile, disintegrated into pieces under Flamelle's gentle tug.

Flamelle, having vividly illustrated the point to Seraphina, shrugged: "Transcendence will utterly destroy your very being."

"But... why does this happen?" Seraphina asked incredulously, "Transcendence... destroys the extraordinary beings? How is that possible? I've never felt anything like that."

"Because transcendence is, at root, an ascension—a brutally forceful ascension," Ansel spoke in a low voice. "It is achieved through understanding the world, thereby realizing one's own elevation."

Extraordinary beings achieve ascension through comprehending the essence, which is the very fabric of the world.

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