Crushing flags and claiming the Villainess-Chapter 163 - 162- Touched her

The moment Austin looked at the dead body, he knew that it was the doing of a demon, who wanted to frame Valerie.

Since he wanted to play along with the demon's plan and let Valerie get cornered, he thought of pretending to suspect her.

After all, to face Valerie, the Lord of Demonic monsters would most probably show up himself.

However, the moment he turned toward Valerie and saw those tears, he knew he couldn't keep up the act.

Later, when she was getting taken away, Austin knew that there was someone among the students keeping an eye on him and might try to obstruct him from chasing after Valerie, that's why he used his recently acquired skill [Mirage Sync] to create a clone of himself which did nothing but just to walk back and forth with a stressful look.

Leaving that behind, he dashed in the direction where Valerie was taken.

'This side…doesn't lead to the HQ.' Austin was not surprised. He expected Zevarath to corner Valerie to take her down.

He followed the general direction where the carriage was headed…however, the forest was too vast and it would be a disaster if the Demon General reached Valerie all alone.

She was strong, yes; however, not only does Zevarath have a huge demonic army, but he is an S-rank entity himself.

'Where they could have gone…' His feet slowly came to a halt as he realized he was reaching nowhere.

Although they left only a few minutes before Austin made an exit, the carriage seemed to have just vanished out of nowhere.

Austin kept searching left and right and climbed the tallest tree in the vicinity to search for her, however, it was fruitless.

'Where are you Valerie…' There was no sound of battle or magic nearby which was making him bothered.

Two S-ranks colliding should release enough battle cry for him to detect her location.

But at the moment, it seems he was standing in a graveyard…too eerily silent.

It was then,

*CLINK*

His ring gave a slight jolt to his finger before Austin raised it to his eye level.

The middle section of the ring parted and a small golden light orb rose from the ring.

Austin's eyes widened—he completely forgot about this artifact—and if it got activated then it meant,

'Valerie is in trouble…' As absurd as it sounds, that is the truth.

Austin followed the light orb. Thankfully, the faster he got, the light orb matched his pace.

"Huh?" Suddenly, he felt something heavy descending on his shoulder and the sky darkened for some reason.

However, he didn't have the time to assess the situation as he saw a horde of monsters advancing in his direction.

Austin looked at the light orb and found out that it was getting brighter—meaning, her condition was worsening.

Austin gritted his teeth and hurled himself into the air.

Blinding light erupted as he summoned Raijin, lightning surging around him like a raging storm. The demonic beasts hesitated, their snarls turning to wary growls.

Austin swung his axe high, his voice shaking the battlefield.

"STAY OUT OF MY WAY!"

CRACKLE!

BOOOOOOOM!

The axe struck down, and a torrent of lightning ripped through the nearest beast. The current exploded outward, leaping from one monster to the next. Flesh burned, bones snapped, and in an instant, a dozen creatures were reduced to smoking husks.

Austin made his way through the horde, burning anything that landed in his sight.

He was a furious being, his attention completely converged at reaching his beloved.

*SCREECH*

He didn't have to move much further before he came across two figures.

Austin was prepared for a battle to at least weaken the Demon…however, the moment he saw the Demon holding Valerie's hand…Austin's head turned blank.

His eyes were parted wide and his body completely stiff.

'Touched her…touched her….my Val…how….why….how can he…she is mine…he shouldn't have…why….why….WHY DID HE TOUCH HER?!'

Without him realizing Austin had summoned the Death Vow in his hand, pulled its string and a name left his lips,

'Zevarath…'

"What do we have here-" The demon General turned to look at him, while still holding his Valerie.

However, he couldn't finish his words as the flaming arrow pierced through his chest, and slowly, his body began to crumble.

Austin advanced toward them before picking Valerie in his arms.

Looking at the creature with immense anger still visible in his eyes, Austin said, "You shouldn't have touched her."

Zevarath had his eyes widened as he muttered, "You…aren't a human, are you?"

Austin didn't stay there to listen to the nonsense before he walked away with Valerie in his arms.

She looked feverish, but in his arms, she wasn't frowning anymore. She subconsciously snuggled closely in his arms and mumbled something inaudible.

Austin had a serene smile on his face as he manipulated his Shard and Wisp to take down any demon that approached them.

It was a scene out of a fairy tale—the Prince came to take his beloved from the evil being.

And now, he was taking her back.

------*------

"Huh?!" Austin was shocked to see the situation at the venue.

The tournament grounds were in ruins. Screams and roars clashed, echoing through the air. Smoke curled from burning stands, and the stench of blood was thick.

Students ran in every direction—some clutching wounds, others dragging fallen friends. Some didn't move at all, their lifeless bodies scattered across the battlefield.

Wyverns swooped down, their wings kicking up debris as their claws tore through anything in their path. Demonic beasts rampaged, crushing bones beneath their massive limbs. Snarling monsters lunged at terrified students, fangs sinking into flesh.

Swords clashed. Spells crackled. Blood sprayed. The ground was littered with broken weapons, shattered armor, and bodies—human and monster alike.

The once-proud arena was now a slaughterhouse.

"Your Highness!" Just as Austin was thinking of bringing Valerie to safety and fighting the monsters, someone came rushing in their way and addressed Austin.

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"Aren't you the head maid? Why are you here?" Austin recognized the woman. She was the head maid and someone who served the queen…but why was she here?

"Your Highness, the carriage in which your parents were traveling to the venue is attacked. All the soldiers are dead and only Sebastian is keeping them safe." The lady spoke in between her labored breathing. Looking closely, there was a severe injury on her forehead, too.

Austin gritted his teeth…how many are there actually?

He was contemplating where he should bring Valerie so she could remain safe when suddenly he found a demonic wolf heading in their direction.

"SHIT!" Austin summoned his Shard, ready to fight the monster…but the pace of the monster slowly slowed down, and ice began to creep its way from its paws to its head.

Austin blinked in surprise before he looked down at his beloved.

She was looking up at him with a soft smile before she moved her face and kissed the corner of his lips, "Go protect them…I will handle things here."

Austin parted his mouth to say something but then he just nodded and kissed her forehead, "Stay safe."

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