A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

"Seventh stage, empire, everything..."

In Ephesande's eyes, the last vestige of rationality had vanished.

From a state of slight suppression, barely unaffected by the Abyss, she suddenly reverted to the sixth stage, recklessly wielding immense power. The boundless information of the world and the eternal erosion of the Abyss had obliterated all her sanity.

The frenzied mad Empress laughed maniacally, "Destroy you all... destroy! Worthless things... useless trash that cannot elevate me... everything... destroy!"

The blazing celestial light at the center of the colossal blade had already descended upon Ephesande's head. The entire imperial capital, the land within the range of the giant blade, was cleaved in two even before the edge made contact!

No, it wasn't just the imperial capital, but the entire land that Ephesande had elevated into the sky.

Even the ground below bore a chasm stretching to the horizon, an endless abyss that might have extended tens of thousands of meters, or even further.

Yet, this pillar of light halted… a meter above Ephesande's head.

The steel demon god wielding the giant blade could not press the edge down any further, for the four true deities of this world were… this inviolable.

Countless extraordinary beings witnessing this scene were left breathless.

Was it over? Was the Empress's majesty truly unchallengeable? Did Hydral... that young Hydral, have any other tricks up his sleeve?

"Hehehe... hahaha! Do you think you can kill me with this toy? Kill me with it? Ansel... child, have you not grown up?"

Ephesande's expression was utterly deranged, her twisted smile and demeanor sending chills down spines. After halting the giant blade of the mechanical deity, she did not counterattack but spread her arms wide, letting the blood flames truly... burn the sky!

The night sky was…was…was incinerated into daylight!

"This is my power... this is my strength! I can erase the night and turn it into day, I can burn the entire continent to ashes... the Lost Sea, the sky, the Zero Point Enigma, everything is my fuel, my nourishment! Including you, Ansel... you were meant to be mine, you are mine!"

In the sky, a colossal hand of blood flames, spanning a thousand meters, reached for the God of the Machine. Ephesande, her eyes crazed and blood-red, screamed, "Give me your power, give me—"

Suddenly, the blood flame hand froze in mid-air, and in an instant, truly in just a moment, the giant hand, along with countless blood flames, vanished into nothingness.

Then, a more harrowing scream echoed above the imperial capital.

A small, insignificant flame, compared to the overwhelming blood flames that could erase the night, burned on Ephesande.

Yet, this flame caused her to emit the most wretched cries, and as it burned more fiercely, it quickly spread over her entire body, consuming her completely.

"This is..." Ravenna was slightly stunned, "Why would she be—"

"Flamefeast, as pure humans, are the most complex among the divine species."

Ansel said leisurely, "Being born as royalty, they experience the thrill of ruling over everything more intensely than anyone else. Therefore... Flamefeast are more prone to selfishness, determined to survive at all costs, just like Ephesande."

"In other words... they are the most difficult divine species to follow the proper steps and achieve succession."

"Then, why has Flamefeast been able to pass down so perfectly through generations? Naturally, it's because they have their ultimate restrictive measures."

The young Hydral cast his gaze towards the second sun above the imperial capital, the eternally burning Source Flame of Flamefeast.

"The Flamefeast Emperor, before the end, throws himself into the Source Flame. The crown absorbs the power of the previous generation and finally infuses it into the next emperor. In other words, the Source Flame itself is stronger than the emperor because it is the origin of Flamefeast's power."

"And when an emperor's mind has completely collapsed, utterly eroded by the Abyss..."

Ansel squinted slightly, looking at the flame-engulfed, agonizing Ephesande, and murmured softly:

"The Source Flame will... actively reclaim its power, ensuring the continuation of Flamefeast's legacy."

Ravenna fully understood, "So, this was your true plan, to drive Ephesande to this completely insane state, forcing the Source Flame to kill her?"

"Only a divine species can kill another divine species."

Ansel said this, looking at Ravenna with a half-smile, "Since dear Venna didn't give me that chance, I naturally had to find another way."

"You couldn't possibly believe that the Phantasm Armament could truly rival the power of a divine species, could you?"

"...I know."

Ravenna said this, but she still seemed somewhat unwilling.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

How many layers of negative effects had been stacked on Ephesande in this battle?

First, there were the mental issues, being struck by fate while peering into the path of ascension, possibly affected by the negative influence of the Abyssal Sermon. Then, Ansel forcibly suppressed her rank to between the fifth and sixth stages.

Additionally, there was Evora, clad in Etheric Armament, restricting her, and Seraphina arriving in time to shatter Ephesande's sanity and dignity with a single punch... Under such circumstances, this Phantasm Armament, which could conquer the continent, could at most fight her to a standstill.

And when Ephesande fully regained her power, she was instantly unbeatable.

"Taking such great risks and burdens," Ravenna clutched her chest, frowning, "yet the gap still seems endless."

"Regretting stopping me now?"

"...Hmph, do you regret it?"

Ansel just smiled and said nothing.

Seraphina, who couldn't understand what the two were saying, tilted her head, "So, is she doomed?"

"According to Ansel, she should be," Ravenna said thoughtfully, looking at Ephesande, who was being burned by the Source Flame and couldn't even scream, "but..."

"But, if we follow the trajectory of fate—"

Ansel was saying this when, in the next second, Ephesande, who was being consumed by the Source Flame, suddenly lifted her head. Trembling, she aimed at the God from the Machine, seemingly wanting to take down Ansel and the others before her death, startling Seraphina.

In an instant, Ephesande, now a burning figure being incinerated bit by bit, shifted her target to … another person—her daughter.

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