Transmigrated as the Villainess Princess - Chapter 158

Chapter 158: Celestara Heiress
Azedreo and Aryndale tightened their grips on their weapons, their stances lowering as they prepared for an inevitable fight.

The tension between them and the mysterious woman was thick, their eyes locked onto her as she slowly straightened, dusting the frost from her cloak.

She made no move to attack, but the power radiating from her was undeniable. The air around her shimmered subtly, bending like ripples in time itself.

It was as if the very stars had woven themselves into her presence. Before either brother could demand answers, the woman smirked, tilting her head slightly.

“I see I’ve caused some confusion.” Her voice was smooth, commanding, yet almost amused. “Allow me to introduce myself.”

She took a deliberate step forward, unfazed by their battle-ready postures. “I am Zefaniarina, the eldest princess of the Celestara clan, from Karimiku Planet.”

The weight of her words slammed into them like a tidal wave.

Azedreo’s grip faltered for a split second. Celestara? The hidden clan that resided beyond the known edges of the galaxy, where cosmic magic reigned supreme?

Their abilities were said to be unlike anything in recorded history, the power to predict the movement of the stars, to see beyond space and time, to glimpse into the future and past alike.

Aryndale exhaled sharply. “You’re from Karimiku?”

Zefaniarina gave a small nod, her golden eyes gleaming like dying suns. “You seem surprised.”

“Of course, we’re surprised,” Azedreo snapped. “A princess from a kingdom that has remained hidden for millennia chose to attend school in Agartha?”

Zefaniarina’s laughter was like the chime of distant celestial bells.

“Agartha is no ordinary academy. Those who seek knowledge beyond the mortal realm are drawn here. Did you think only those from known planets were admitted?”

She arched an eyebrow. “Celestara has eyes everywhere. I had my reasons for coming.”

Aryndale’s jaw tightened, but his mind was racing elsewhere. “That still doesn’t explain why you look like our sister.”

Zefaniarina’s smile widened, an edge of knowing mischief in her expression. “Tell me… do you know your mother’s origins?”

The brothers stiffened. Azedreo’s lips parted slightly, but no words came out.

Before they could press her for answers, an ear-piercing howl tore through the ruins. The air plummeted to an unnatural cold, their breaths turning into thick mist.

The ground rumbled beneath them, ice spreading like a living entity, forming jagged spires that tore through the broken academy walls.

The shadows shifted, writhing as a monstrous force began to stir. Thousands of figures crawled from the frozen earth.

Iced creatures.

Their bodies were humanoid, yet grotesquely twisted, their flesh encased in layers of crystalline frost.

Their hollow eyes glowed with an eerie blue, their gaping mouths frozen mid-scream, as if they had died in agony and were now bound in an eternal torment.

Azedreo swore under his breath. “This place really doesn’t know when to let us breathe.”

Aryndale raised his sword, flames licking along the steel. “No time to think. We fight.”

Zefaniarina stepped back, her long coat billowing as she raised her hand. Celestial markings glowed on her fingertips, her presence shifting as if she were in sync with the cosmos itself.

The creatures charged.

Aryndale met them head-on, his sword slashing through the air, the enchanted flames bursting upon impact.

Ice shattered, but more rose to take their place. The creatures swarmed, their movements unnervingly synchronized.

Azedreo raised his palm, gathering a surge of crackling energy. “Burn.”

Lightning arced from his fingertips, ripping through the horde like a celestial storm. The creatures convulsed, ice cracking as the heat overwhelmed them.

Zefaniarina watched with calculating eyes, her expression unreadable. Then, she moved.

Her cosmic magic flared, stars blooming in the space around her. She traced an arc in the air, and portals flickered open, swallowing the iced creatures that attempted to reach her.

“I expected more resistance,” she murmured. “But these… they’re nothing but remnants of a failed experiment.”

Azedreo threw a blast of fire at another approaching cluster of creatures, his focus still on her. “What do you mean?”

Zefaniarina raised her hand again, and the stars shifted above them. The sky itself seemed to respond to her command.

“These creatures were not born from Agartha’s natural magic,” she said, voice edged with certainty.

“They were created. Artificial. Forced into existence by something, or someone, that seeks to control Agartha’s secrets.”

Aryndale slammed his sword into the ground, sending a fiery shockwave outward, disintegrating another group of creatures. “And you knew this?”

Zefaniarina’s gaze did not waver. “I had my suspicions.”

Azedreo narrowed his eyes. “Then what is the real purpose of Agartha?”

Zefaniarina hesitated, as if considering how much to reveal. But then, the air shifted again. The ice creatures suddenly stopped moving. For a brief moment, an unnatural silence fell.

Then, a sound resonated through the ruins, a low, distorted voice that did not belong to anything human. “You have meddled too much, Celestara child.”

Zefaniarina’s expression darkened. She turned sharply, looking beyond the battlefield. “Damn,” she muttered. “It’s here.”

Azedreo and Aryndale followed her gaze.

From the farthest ruins, the ice began to shift. It did not move like before, this was different. It coiled and pulsed, an entity of pure, living frost, sentient and wrathful.

Then, it took shape. A colossal figure emerged, its form shifting between ice and void, its presence more ancient than anything they had encountered.

It bore no face, only a gaping abyss where a head should be.

“You seek the truth,” it rumbled, its voice carrying across the shattered academy. “Then prove you are worthy of it.”

The temperature plummeted once more, ice creeping toward them as the creature descended upon them with unstoppable force.

Zefaniarina exhaled sharply, stepping forward. “We fight together.”

Azedreo and Aryndale exchanged glances. They had no idea what this entity was, nor did they fully trust Zefaniarina.

But they knew one thing. They were not walking away from this battle without answers. With a silent understanding, the three of them stood their ground.

The entity lunged, its massive, ice-clad arms crashing down, sending jagged shards through the frozen ruins.

Aryndale barely dodged, rolling aside before slashing his flaming sword across its arm. The fire hissed violently against the ice, but the creature did not flinch.

Azedreo summoned lightning, striking at its core, yet the abyss within it swallowed the attack whole.

Zefaniarina’s eyes gleamed. “A void being…” she murmured. “Its weakness isn’t fire or lightning. It’s balance.”

She raised her hands, cosmic magic weaving around her. “We must synchronize. Lend me your power, and we will bring this entity to its knees.”