Reincarnate as the Villainess's Husband - Chapter 47

Chapter 47: Survival instinct
Warning: This chapter contains a high level of brutality.

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The face of Marquis Alexsaz froze upon hearing Neonidas’s words, and he glanced around, desperately trying to comprehend how he had ended up in this situation. His grasp on reality refused to accept that a mere boy had come so close to ending his life in such a brief span of time. But the truth lay bare before him, as cold as ice. Neonidas had acted with cunning and strength. Yet, the marquis clung to the hope that his reliable forces were on their way, and so he refused to give in so quickly.

“Gelleon, Yuanna, Versillas, Mehtan, and Parnan—attack this arrogant brat and his companions immediately!”

At their father’s command, Marquis Alexsaz’s children sprang forward to attack. The dining hall descended into chaos, but as more men loyal to Neonidas entered the room, the marquis’s shock deepened. He couldn’t stop wondering what Neonidas had done to turn so many of his people against him.

Neonidas observed the chaos in the dining hall with calm detachment. His gaze was fixed on the violence and mayhem that erupted as Marquis Alexsaz’s children sprang into action. Noticing Yuanna beginning to cast a spell, Neonidas immediately used the power of the light element to teleport toward her.

“Let me teach you who you’re dealing with,”

In an instant, swords of light materialized in his hands, and he struck before Yuanna could complete her spell. Though she narrowly managed to defend herself, the force of the blow sent her stumbling to the ground.

Meanwhile, Gelleon charged at Neonidas with a massive sword. Neonidas teleported out of the way, reappearing behind Gelleon. With a swift swing of his light-infused sword, he shredded Gelleon’s armor. The man let out a scream of pain, but Neonidas’s face remained devoid of emotion.

Marquis Alexsaz watched the scene unfold with growing dread. Seeing his children being pushed back one by one deepened his sense of helplessness. He glanced around the room, frantically questioning why his reinforcements hadn’t arrived yet. “This is impossible! How can a boy and a wolf cause such devastation?” he muttered to himself.

Fenrilia, even in her diminished form, moved like a hurricane through the dining hall. She leapt at Parnan, sinking her teeth into his leg and toppling him to the ground. Compared to Neonidas, Fenrilia’s attacks were far more brutal and lethal. The marquis felt his hopes shatter completely, realizing the extent of Neonidas’s strength, bolstered by such a powerful ally.

Mehtan, thinking he had found an opening, began casting a spell to attack Neonidas from behind. But Neonidas’s sharp eyes caught the movement in the shadowy corner of the room. “I haven’t forgotten about you,” he said, teleporting in a flash to Mehtan’s side before he could finish his spell. With one swift motion, Neonidas swung his light sword, disrupting Mehtan’s magic. Then, without hesitation, he drove his sword-turned-hands into Mehtan’s leg to incapacitate him.

Amid the escalating chaos, Marquis Alexsaz desperately pondered how to salvage the situation. Neonidas, however, maintained his composure, stepping forward with calculated intent. All eyes turned to him.

Neonidas walked toward Marquis Alexsaz, his gaze fixed on the terrified man cornered against the wall. The fear on the marquis’s face brought a sense of triumph to Neonidas.

“You see, Marquis,” he said in a cold tone, “power is not measured by the resources you have, but by how you use them. And you, in that regard, are utterly incompetent.”

Neonidas’s words deepened the despair growing within the marquis. “Please… please don’t kill me! I swear I’ll do whatever you say from now on. I’ll even become your slave,” the marquis pleaded, falling to his knees. But his begging had no effect on Neonidas. If anything, it only fueled his sense of dominance.

“Too late,” Neonidas declared with chilling finality. The light swords appeared in his hands once again, and without a moment’s hesitation, he drove them into the marquis’s chest. The man collapsed to the ground, unable to even let out a last scream, his eyes wide with terror as he took his last breath.

The death of the marquis froze the chaos in the room for a moment. His children stared in shock at their father’s lifeless body, paralyzed by disbelief. But Neonidas had no intention of showing mercy.

Gelleon, fueled by rage, lunged forward from among his siblings. Neonidas, anticipating the attack, swiftly swung his glowing swords. With a single strike, he severed Gelleon’s neck, leaving him to collapse to the floor. The young man gasped for air, blood pouring from his throat, until he choked on his own blood and died within seconds.

Yuanna, witnessing her father’s and brother’s deaths, retreated in terror. Yet Neonidas didn’t give her a chance. He charged at her with terrifying speed, his light swords slashing in a cross, leaving her no opportunity to cast another spell. Yuanna screamed as her attempted defense failed, collapsing to the ground. However, Neonidas spared her life—she was a woman and might prove useful as a slave.

Fenrilia, meanwhile, had finished off Parnan, tossing his lifeless body into a corner. Her crimson eyes locked onto the last remaining individuals in the room. Neonidas cast a glance at Fenrilia and signaled toward the marquis’s wife. Understanding his intent instantly, Fenrilia sprang forward. Marquis Alexsaz’s wife, belonging to a powerful family outside the duchy, was spared from death. Instead, Neonidas intended to use her for ransom or enslave her to extract value. Fenrilia merely intimidated her, ensuring she wouldn’t flee.

Mehtan, cowering behind a table, witnessed the horrifying scene unfold in fear. But Neonidas had already spotted him. He vaulted over the table in a flash and towered over Mehtan. “You can’t escape,” he said, his voice carrying the weight of death. Mehtan raised his hands in a futile attempt to cast a spell, but Neonidas ended him with a single strike.

The marquis’ four remaining sons were all over the age of twelve, were frozen with terror as they stood amidst the carnage. Neonidas knew their minds could not be easily molded after witnessing such horrors. Thus, he resolved to kill them all. What he truly sought, however, was the marquis’s illegitimate child. If such a child existed, Neonidas could easily manipulate them to claim the marquisate for his own purposes. If no illegitimate heir existed, he would resort to his backup plan.

Plan B involved taking Yuanna as a concubine and using her to produce a child who could inherit the marquisate. At eighteen, Yuanna was young and beautiful, making her an ideal candidate for bearing children. For now, however, Neonidas turned his attention back to the remaining sons fighting for their lives.

Standing amidst the bodies in the dining hall, Neonidas faced the marquis’s four remaining sons. His piercing gaze bore down on the trembling youths, their fear and anger evident. None of them had been able to protect their father or brothers, and they knew they were nothing more than prey in Neonidas’s eyes.

“The world is not a place where justice prevails,” Neonidas said with a dark certainty. “All of you will die simply because you bear the blood of Marquis Alexsaz… Isn’t that tragically ironic? Is human life really so worthless? Yes, it is. Only those who shape history give life meaning, and unfortunately, you are the losers in this story.”

After Parnan’s death, the young male child of the family, Versillas, trembled as he looked at his siblings. “W-we need to escape now!” His voice quivered with fear, and his body trembled, revealing the terror he felt inside.

However, escape was impossible in front of Neonidas. Light swords appeared once again, shining like a star in the middle of the room.

Neonidas moved without giving any of them the chance to flee. His first target was Versillas. The child tried to strike Neonidas with a knife, but this move was ineffective against Neonidas’ incredible speed. In a single strike, with his light sword, Neonidas pierced Versillas’s chest. The child screamed in pain before collapsing, never to rise again.

The remaining four brothers froze in horror as they watched Neonidas’s senseless slaughter. However, Neonidas fed off their fear. Fenrilia approached Neonidas and observed quietly. Neonidas briefly glanced at Fenrilia, then turned his attention to Marki’s wife’s unconscious body. He pointed at Fenrilia with his index finger, directing him forward. Fenrilia instantly understood Neonidas’ intentions and targeted the oldest brother, Parnan’s twin. She sank her teeth into the young man’s throat and brought him down, finishing him off.

The last three children weren’t as strong as their brothers. One of the middle sons, Kerdan, attacked Neonidas with a small sword given by his father, hoping for one last chance. But in Neonidas’s eyes, this effort was as futile as a fly’s struggle. Neonidas crossed his light swords and stabbed through Kerdan’s abdomen. The young boy fell to the ground, blood pouring from him, taking his last breath.

The last two children, trembling with terror, leaned against the wall. The youngest, Radan, looked at his brother with tears in his eyes. “S-save me, please!” he begged, his voice shaky and filled with fear. But the older child, Larian, pushed Radan back with his hands, trying to make a plan to survive.

Neonidas coldly watched the scene with amusement. “Survival instinct… how primitive.” His eyes narrowed as he saw Lirian grabbing a knife from the table to defend himself.

With a scream, Lirian rushed toward Neonidas. Neonidas stood still, waiting and waiting. When Lirian was just a few steps away, Neonidas raised his light swords in a cross. With a single blow, he shattered Lirian’s weak defense and drove his swords into his chest. The young man collapsed with a sharp cry of pain, still reaching out toward his brother as life left his eyes.

Neonidas pulled his gaze from the motionless Lirian and turned toward the last remaining child, Radan. The young boy, trapped against the wall, trembled with fear. His eyes were locked on Neonidas’s cold, shining swords. “Please! Please don’t kill me!” he cried, his words spilling uncontrollably from his mouth.

Neonidas slowly approached Radan. ” I’m sorry, child, but I hope you have a second life… Because this life you lived wasn’t worth living.” He paused for a moment, raising his light swords as he loomed over the child like a shadow. Radan, in fear, raised his hands, but it was nothing more than a desperate gesture. Neonidas drove his light swords into the child’s heart with a single strike.

As Radan slowly fell to the ground, Neonidas stepped back without hesitation. His eyes scanned the scene, now filled with corpses. There were no more male heirs from Marki’s lineage left, at least no visible ones.

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Should I see a psychologist because I enjoy writing this chapter?