Transmigrated as the Villainess Princess - Chapter 137

Chapter 137: Unconscious
Richmond’s body slumped against the cold stone, his breath rattling in his throat before fading into silence.

His fingers twitched once before going completely limp. The glow in his eyes flickered and died.

Richard froze.

A sharp pang shot through his chest, and for a brief moment, he thought his heart had stopped too.

The creatures outside howled, their monstrous shrieks echoing through the ruins. They had sensed the weakness, the blood in the air, and they were growing restless.

“No,” Richard growled through clenched teeth. He refused to let this be the end.

His mind raced. His optical brain was fried from the earlier battle, and communications were completely cut off. No starships. No portals. No backup.

But there was one last option, one that was supposed to be impossible.

Cresencia.

Ahcehera’s secret space, a dimension only she could control. A sanctuary beyond reach, woven from her very soul.

No one else had ever entered it without Ahcehera’s control. But Richard wasn’t going to accept that. He couldn’t die without thinking of an escape.

His hands trembled as he pulled out a small dagger from his belt. He hesitated for only a second before slashing his palm. The pain was sharp, but he barely registered it.

He let the blood pool in his hand before pressing it to the cracked floor, murmuring an incantation that had been passed down through the Sirius royal line, an ancient spell used to open pathways between worlds.

But that wasn’t enough.

His bond with Ahcehera burned at the back of his mind, a tether stronger than steel. He focused on that connection, reaching for her with everything he had.

Then, he did something reckless.

With his free hand, he grasped Richmond’s wrist and channeled his own dark energy into the blood circle.

The air crackled, the array glowing ominously beneath them. Richard clenched his teeth, ignoring the searing pain shooting up his arm.

He poured everything into the spell, his strength, his desperation, his very essence. The creatures outside screamed as a blinding light erupted from the array.

The world warped.

The ruins vanished.

For a split second, there was nothing but darkness. Then, with a force that felt like being torn apart and stitched back together in an instant, they were somewhere else.

When Richard opened his eyes, he was lying on the soft, cool grass. A warm breeze brushed against his skin, carrying the faint scent of something familiar, moon lilies and stardust.

Cresencia.

He had done it. He had actually done it.

He forced himself upright, ignoring the pounding in his skull. Richmond lay beside him, his face pale, his body unnaturally still.

Richard’s breath hitched as he checked his pulse. It was faint, too faint. “Damn it, Richmond, don’t do this to me.”

His hands hovered over his brother, shaking. He knew basic healing techniques, but Richmond needed something more, something beyond his abilities.

Then, a presence stirred.

The ground shimmered, and from the air itself, golden tendrils of light formed into a shape, a glowing, ethereal figure.

Cresencia had sensed their arrival.

Richard’s heart pounded as he turned to face the manifestation of the space itself.

He had never seen it take form before, but he knew this presence belonged to the dimension Ahcehera had created.

“He’s dying,” Richard said hoarsely. “Help him.”

The golden figure tilted its head, observing Richmond’s broken body.

Then, the light shifted, wrapping around him like silk. Richard watched as the energy seeped into his wounds, but it wasn’t enough. Richmond’s breathing remained shallow.

The space trembled, almost as if it were hesitating.

“Not enough,” the voice echoed through Richard’s mind, neither male nor female. “Darkness runs too deep. He must choose.”

Richard stiffened. “Choose what?”

“To live… or to perish.”

A chill ran down Richard’s spine.

Cresencia was not a god. It did not grant life without cost. And Richmond…

Richmond had already crossed too many lines.

Somewhere, deep in the endless void of unconsciousness, Richmond felt himself drifting. There was no pain here. No cold. No warmth. Only silence. Yet, faintly, a voice called to him.

“Do you want to live?”

He didn’t answer.

For the first time in his life, he wasn’t sure. Richmond had always been a soldier, a leader, a man with unwavering resolve. But now, everything was uncertain.

He had lost too much. His body was failing. His soul was tainted by Zephyrion’s corruption. Maybe… Maybe it would be easier to let go.

But then, another voice broke through. “Richmond, you bastard, don’t you dare die on me!”

Richard.

A flicker of warmth stirred within him. And then, Khaterine’s face. I still need to save that citizen… I am a Major General after all.

Not the twisted, broken version Zephyrion had created, but the woman who had tried to choose the wrong path to save him.

The one who had smiled at him beneath a starlit sky. The one who had trusted and believed in him.

Even if she was lost to him now… even if she had become someone he could no longer reach… He couldn’t let go. Not yet.

With immense effort, Richmond willed himself to move toward the voice. Toward life.

A sudden gasp filled the air.

Richmond’s body convulsed as the golden light around him flared. His chest rose sharply, and his fingers twitched. Then, with a strangled breath, his eyes flew open.

Richard exhaled, sagging with relief. “You really don’t know how to take it easy, do you?”

Richmond groaned, his voice hoarse. “Shut up.”

But Richard could see it, the faintest glimmer of something new in Richmond’s gaze. A battle had been fought in the depths of his soul, and he had won. For now.

The golden figure began to fade, its purpose fulfilled. But before disappearing completely, it whispered one last warning.

“He walks a path between light and darkness. He must not falter.”

Richard clenched his fists. He understood the weight of those words. Richmond was alive, but the darkness inside him hadn’t vanished. It had only been restrained.

For how long? That was a question neither of them could answer.

But right now, all that mattered was that they were alive.

And they had a war to win.