Transmigrated as the Villainess Princess - Chapter 111

Chapter 111: Emergency Rises
Ahcehera was still adjusting to the peaceful days after Carmela’s arrival, but the moment she was summoned to the palace by her father, she knew that something had gone terribly wrong.

She dressed swiftly, tying her silver hair into a neat ponytail and fastening the communication device on her wrist.

When she entered the imperial study, the atmosphere was tense. Her father, Emperor Dan Bloodstone, stood by the grand window overlooking the capital, his expression unreadable.

“The academy is under lockdown,” he said without preamble. “And something is happening on Agartha’s base. We lost contact with several units.”

Ahcehera stiffened. The academy going into lockdown was already concerning, but Agartha’s base was one of the most heavily fortified locations in the empire.

For it to experience disturbances at the same time meant there was more to this than just an isolated incident.

“Do we have reports on what caused it?” she asked.

Her father turned to her, his deep golden eyes sharp. “No solid reports yet, but it started last night. Whatever happened, it wasn’t an accident.”

Ahcehera exhaled. Richard was still occupied with dukedom affairs, meaning she would have to handle this alone. Not that she minded.

“Send me there,” she said.

Her father nodded. “Be careful.”

Ahcehera left the palace at once, boarding her personal spacecraft. As the pilot set coordinates for Agartha, she reviewed the last recorded transmissions from the base.

Distorted voices. A strange static. And a single phrase that made her skin crawl.

“The Nether Fire’s Guardian… is awakening.”

She tightened her grip on the armrest. No. That should be impossible. The Nether Fire is within Richard’s body.

The flight to Agartha was smooth, but the moment she descended onto the planet’s surface, she knew something was wrong.

The air felt thick, as if tainted by an unseen force. The skies were dim, the usual clarity of Agartha’s atmosphere replaced by an eerie, overcast gloom.

Even more unsettling was the silence. Agartha was one of the busiest planetary bases, always bustling with researchers, guards, and mechas patrolling.

But now, there was no one.

Ahcehera’s boots pressed into the slightly damp soil as she stepped off her ship. Her senses were on high alert.

The structures ahead stood eerily still. Some of the mechanical systems hummed faintly, but no personnel were manning them. It was as if the entire base had been… abandoned.

She activated her communicator, but all she got was static. Her gaze traveled over the landscape, and that was when she noticed it, decay.

The plants that surrounded the base were withered, their once-lush green leaves now charred and blackened.

The energy towers, which usually emitted a bright blue glow, flickered weakly, as if something was draining their power.

She walked forward cautiously, hand hovering near her weapon. As she approached the main entrance of the base, the automated doors opened sluggishly, their systems lagging.

Inside, the hallways were just as empty. Footsteps echoed, but they were hers alone.

She checked the security feed at the nearest terminal.

Corrupted data. The recordings cut off at a specific time last night. The last image captured? A shadowy figure standing at the entrance before the entire feed glitched out.

Her heart pounded.

She had to get to the control center.

Moving swiftly, she followed the empty corridors. Her instincts screamed at her to be on guard. Something about the stillness felt wrong, as if the base itself was watching her.

When she reached the control center, the doors were already ajar.

She pushed them open carefully.

Inside, the room was dark, only the faint glow of emergency lights illuminating the space.

The massive screens that once displayed mission reports and surveillance footage now flickered with erratic lines of code.

Then, she saw them. The missing personnel. Or what was left of them.

Bodies frozen in place, their skin turned ashen, their eyes empty, lifeless. There was no sign of struggle, no wounds. It was as if their souls had been drained away.

Ahcehera’s breath caught. This wasn’t a normal attack. It was something far worse.

She heard a noise. A low, guttural whisper. She spun around, weapon drawn. From the shadows, a figure emerged.

Tall. Cloaked in darkness. Eyes glowing an unnatural crimson hue.

Ahcehera’s grip on her weapon tightened.

The whispering continued, curling around her like tendrils of smoke. “You shouldn’t have come here.”

A chilling energy surged toward her. Ahcehera reacted instantly, dodging to the side. The console behind her exploded, sending sparks flying.

She raised her hand, summoning her energy to counter the next attack. But then, something else happened. The mark on her wrist burned.

The mark Richard had given her during the mating ceremony. And suddenly, she wasn’t alone.

A pulse of raw energy flooded through her, and in that moment, she felt Richard’s presence, his power surging through their bond.

Her vision sharpened. The figure before her faltered for the first time. And that was when she knew. This battle was only beginning.

Ahcehera didn’t hesitate. With a swift movement, she channeled the energy surging through her veins and launched an attack.

A concentrated blast of force erupted from her palm, aimed directly at the shadowed figure.

The attack collided with a barrier of dark mist, crackling against the unnatural energy before dispersing into the air.

The figure remained unfazed, but Ahcehera noticed something, it had stepped back.

A reaction.

Her presence, or rather, the bond between her and Richard, was affecting it.

“Why do you carry the scent of the Nether Fire?” the entity whispered, its voice distorted, shifting between tones as if multiple voices were speaking at once.

Ahcehera steadied herself. She had too many questions and too little time.”I should be asking you that,” she said coldly, masking her unease.

The figure’s eyes flickered, and for the briefest moment, she saw something else, a flash of recognition, of something almost… human.

Then, without warning, it vanished, disappearing into the shadows as if it had never been there.

Ahcehera exhaled, her pulse racing. Whatever had happened to Agartha was far from over. And now, she was certain.

This was only the beginning of something much worse.

Are the portals alive again? How did the Nether Fire’s guardian appear here? What about Richard?