Chapter 48: Surrender Part 1

Celina was incredibly terrified. In her eyes, Vorst already belonged to Mersa, and she was... she was fine with that. She wasn’t afraid of losing him because, in truth, she had never had him to begin with. Yes, that’s right. She was fine with just being next to him. What she feared most was the warmth in his crystal-clear green eyes turning cold when he looked at her. If Vorst were to gaze at her with disdain, she knew she wouldn't be able to live with herself. And now, just a single thought—irrational and unfounded—was enough to break her down. Was she turning into a Savage?

The "Savage" was a widely known mental illness that emerged alongside the sub-races. An affected person would slowly become more wild, gradually losing all sense of reason. The onset of a mental breakdown often began with the thrill of battle—a joy in killing. It slowly eroded the mind, turning a person into an animal. No one cared for the afflicted; even those who crossed the threshold would fully immerse themselves in the pleasure and let reason drift away. They were considered broken.

No matter where you are, beings with lower intelligence are looked down upon, and this was no different among young adults. "Savages" were considered especially repulsive... And that was her greatest fear. If he, the man she liked, looked at her with cold eyes...

This wasn’t a normal situation either. The usual Celina Za would have been able to think through this calmly. But now, after over a month of psychological turmoil between her feelings and her mind, she was utterly exhausted. With his presence so close behind her, she couldn’t help but panic... If he were to see her as a "Savage," she wouldn’t be able to live with herself!

Vorst held the crying girl in his arms. She could no longer control herself, and feeling his warmth, she started bawling openly. With a difficult expression, he squeezed her tightly. He didn’t know what was happening, but he understood that she was scared—terrified, even. When it came to the people he cared about, he was good at noticing subtle changes in their demeanor. What was causing this? He extended his senses to their maximum, determined to find and destroy the enemy who had caused her such fear. He would annihilate them completely.

Inside his soul, Kaya had a mixed expression on her face. The serpent understood the source of Celina’s fear. Her gaze shifted to the young man sitting on the throne...

He was barely keeping his anger in check, but the chilling aura he emitted spoke volumes more than any curse could. This was Marcdrak, her Shujin-sama. Right now, he was searching for the enemy. Who had dared to scare his girl? Who had dared to touch his woman? Who was responsible? What enemy did he need to eliminate? Who did he have to kill?

The young adult was gone—only Lord Marcdrak remained. A violet aura materialized around him in faint circles, but its gentleness was a facade. If anyone dared to approach him carelessly right now, they would be disintegrated completely. Calla, lying on his lap, raised her head—though he was furious, his anger would never harm them.

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"Calla," he muttered.

Marc was too preoccupied with searching for his "enemy" to notice the true cause of Celina’s fear. Calla had a hunch, which was immediately confirmed when she saw the guilty expression on Kaya's face.

Kaya moved in front of him and knelt, lowering her head as low as she could.

"Please forgive me, Shujin-sama," Kaya said.

The proud serpent had lost all her authority. She was utterly at his mercy. "There is no one. The fear Celina feels right now is due to a situation in her mind. Although I’m not sure about the details, she’s scared that you will throw her away. If you’re looking for someone to blame—it’s me."

Indeed, it was Kaya who had stopped Mersa from confronting Nova and Celina earlier, pushing the two to the brink of sanity. The reasoning was clear: the two would have certainly objected if the issue was addressed directly. They wouldn’t have been willing to take away Mersa’s happiness. Their rational minds would have resisted, and if they weren’t willing, Kaya and the others would have had to soften the blow.

But a weakened mind becomes vulnerable, and that’s what happened to Celina. Although the chance of her turning into a "Savage" was zero, just the thought of the boy behind her giving her a look of disdain was enough to push her over the edge.

"I’m sorry, Shujin-sama. Your Kaya has disappointed you," Kaya said, unable to lift her head.

Aegis, the first white serpent, left her side and writhed toward Marcdrak, begging him to forgive its mistress.

"Aegis, come back," Kaya commanded, her voice stern. She was ashamed of her failure. How could she ask for his forgiveness when she couldn’t even forgive herself? But Aegis didn’t listen. It continued to beg on her behalf, wanting to share her burden. The creature had a mind of its own and didn’t always obey her commands.

Marcdrak stood up from his throne and walked toward Kaya, whose gaze was still firmly locked on the floor. He passed the snake and reached her, lifting her chin to meet his emerald eyes.

"Anastasia Orochi," he said.

His words pierced through her. Those stern words hurt more than any other punishment could. He had always called her Kaya, through good and bad, in countless life-and-death situations. But now...

"Shujin-sama..." she began, her face contorted with regret. His thumb pressed against her lips, silencing her.

"It’s fine. Just be more careful in the future," he said, his hand moving to pet her head.

"Calla, Lily, Kaya. I’ll leave the battlefield to you," Marcdrak commanded.

The color returned to Kaya’s face. Though Marcdrak never really punished them, just his sad expression was enough to fill them with regret. He would never hurt them, so the thought of hurting him was more painful than anything else in the world.

"Yes, Shujin-sama. Your Kaya will not fail you this time," Kaya vowed, a dangerous fire lighting up in her eyes.

Lily sighed. In the face of an overzealous Kaya, the redhead already pitied their enemies. They were about to enter a world of despair.

"M'lord, I shall bring you victory," Calla added, sparks appearing in the pure black eyes of the Archangel of Slaughter.

"It has been a while since I went all out," Lily said, the competitive spirit igniting in the former Lord of Betrayal.

Marcdrak watched them leave, shaking his head in resignation. He had a more pressing matter to resolve now...

A drone controlled by Celina suddenly made a critical mistake and was heavily hit by the swarming Mechs. In just a matter of seconds, it was destroyed.

"Za-senpai!" Mersa shouted.

Mersa was right next to the drone when it happened. She hadn’t reacted in time because she hadn’t expected it. These opponents weren’t a challenge for the usual Celina, and if something happened to that bot...

Her thoughts were abruptly cut off by a private channel that opened on her screen. The source was from one of her controlled bots.

"Za-chan is fine. She was just out of it a little. Marc is consoling her now. Just leave it to our Lord Marcdrak," came the cheerful voice of the demoness, Lily, calming her down.

A white blade appeared next to Mersa. The one-meter blade floating beside the White Wolf Collos looked like a small dagger. Mersa was prepared for this day—the day when, in the "outside" world, she would no longer be the only one.

Mersa’s breathing returned to normal. "That’s right, if it’s Za-senpai and Aria-senpai..." she thought.

She didn’t mind; in fact, she welcomed them. She understood the pain of not being able to be with the one they loved. After Lily confirmed that Mersa had calmed down, the white blade vanished from the White Wolf M-Collos’s sight. In fact, it disappeared from everyone’s sight...

Lily activated her (Omen of Deceit). The Camouflage System on her white bot was enhanced beyond the limits of science, making it nearly impossible to detect. No sight, no sound, no presence—it was truly hidden.

Mechs started to drop one after another, seemingly for no reason. But if one were to closely inspect the fallen ones, they would see a stab mark directly piercing their energy crystals. One hit was a critical hit—one unblockable strike, and they were done. Although powerful, it wasn’t as terrifying as before she reached the back lines. In front of the invisible <Loki>, the enemy engineers equipped in their M-Armors were busily repairing damaged Mechs...

A cold smile appeared on the demoness’s luscious lips. They were enemies of her Emperor Marcdrak, and she would eliminate anything that threatened him. The phantom blade moved... and with every strike, a life was harvested. Without fail.