Into the Apocalypse: Saving My Favorite Villain-Chapter 86: Temptation

All eyes were on us the moment we stepped out of the cars.

It wasn’t surprising, really. Part of the attention came simply from the size of our group — a wave of black uniforms, heavy boots, and dangerous auras spilling out onto the cracked asphalt. But the other part... well, anyone with functioning eyes could see it.

Cassel’s subordinates were outrageously handsome.

It was almost comedic how synchronized the crowd’s reaction was — heads turning, jaws dropping, whispers fluttering like moth wings. Men and women alike, each one of them so striking that even in this dystopian hell, even with death lurking behind every shadow, people still stopped to stare.

But that wasn’t the true reason everyone watched us so intently.

The name Team Cassel carried weight. Heavy, dangerous, legendary weight.

People whispered about them in the dark. Mothers used their names to scare children into obedience. Survivors told stories around dying fires:

A man who could summon lightning at will.

A leader who could kill thousands of zombies with a single strike.

A monster stronger than the monsters outside the walls.

In a world where the weak could do nothing but wait for death, how could they not idolize the strong? How could they not worship someone like Cassel — someone who walked like he owned the earth itself, someone who moved with the presence of a natural predator?

The looks we received varied — jealousy from the insecure, admiration from the hopeful, fear from the weak-hearted... and, of course, hostility from idiots who thought they were important.

People like Cecil and Mary.

Their stares burned like needles, sharp and poisonous. Cecil’s clenched jaw, Mary’s pinched lips — as if our mere existence offended them.

Excuse me? Did we murder your parents or something?

I wanted to say that so badly. The sentence sat right on the tip of my tongue, itching to be released. But I... reluctantly swallowed the urge. Not because I was scared — I wasn’t — but because I didn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble for Cassel.

He was my villain, my man, my favorite danger. The least I could do was not pick fights in the first five minutes.

Cassel’s fingers slipped between mine, firm and possessive, as if he were wordlessly claiming me in front of the entire gathering. His grip never loosened, not for a second, as he stepped forward to address the crowd.

"Have all four participating teams arrived for the mission?"

His voice carried far, calm yet so heavy it pressed against people’s skin. Naturally, as the leader of his own team, Cassel directed his question at the commanders of the other squads.

Two men and one woman stepped out to meet him.

They introduced themselves with stiff professionalism, their voices unsteady beneath his overwhelming aura. They discussed routes, identified potential dangers, and made necessary preparations.

I would’ve stepped aside and let them handle their boring strategic stuff, but Cassel tightened his hold on my hand — a silent order, or rather a silent refusal to let me leave.

And honestly? Once I saw Cecil swaggering forward with Mary clinging proudly to his side, standing there like some divine heroine in front of my Cassel...

Yeah. Suddenly I had zero intention of going anywhere.

In the middle of their serious discussion, Mary suddenly fluttered forward like a delicate butterfly on a mission.

"Mr. Zancroft," she began sweetly, her voice dipped in honey and poison, "I don’t think it’s appropriate for a woman to stand here beside you. Why not let her wait with the others while we discuss the mission?"

Her sugary voice nearly gave me diabetes.

What exactly are you trying to say, sweetheart? Why beat around the bush?

Just say it clearly:

You think I’m a useless woman who doesn’t deserve to stand among people with abilities.

Wow. How original.

Have the heroines of this world turned into green-tea bitches now?

How boring.

I tilted my head, letting a slow smile curl my lips. "Miss Mary, how is my presence — or my absence-any of your concern?"

Her expression froze as I’d just slapped her. Then, as if remembering her role as the saintly, fragile, beloved heroine, her eyes instantly shimmered with fake tears.

"Miss Rosalia, I-I’m sorry if I offended you," she stammered. "I only thought you might get tired waiting here... I didn’t mean... I just wanted to—"

She trailed off with trembling lips, perfect for her act.

Right on cue, Cecil’s expression darkened, twisted with righteous indignation. As if Mary were a rare, fragile lotus he must protect at all costs.

The other two commanders looked displeased as well — a predictable response. In this story’s universe, every man seemed cursed with the inability to resist the heroine’s pitiful gaze.

And indeed, Cecil exploded like an unstable bomb.

"You clumsy little ordinary girl!" he roared. "How dare you make my lady cry! She’s right — what are you even doing here while we leaders plan strategy? You can’t contribute to anything! You’re just a worthless, powerless nobody!"

He shouted so loudly that veins bulged in his neck, spittle flying as he jabbed his finger toward me.

But before he could point—

A deep, rough voice thundered across the clearing:

"You haven’t forgotten what happened the last time you raised that finger, have you... Little brother?"

Cassel didn’t shout.

He didn’t move.

He didn’t even lift an eyebrow.

Yet the force of his words slammed into Cecil like a physical blow. The wind itself seemed to stop, stunned into silence. Cecil’s face drained of color, his extended finger dropping instantly. He even took half a step back, eyes wide.

Calling Cecil a stupid, arrogant idiot wasn’t an exaggeration. I had no idea why the original author thought such a poorly written character could ever pass as a "hero."

Their definition of hero was... questionable at best. Alien at worst.

Cassel swept his black eyes over the gathered people — slow, controlled, lethal — and every person in the vicinity shrank away from his gaze.

When his attention finally landed on Mary, she flinched so violently she nearly stumbled, clutching Cecil’s sleeve as if Cassel were a walking plague.

Suddenly, I pinched Cassel’s waist — hard.

His head dipped immediately, bending toward me the same way a storm cloud would lower itself to examine a single flower.

I whispered, "Don’t look at that whore again, or—"

I thought it was quiet.

But surrounded by people with super-enhanced senses? Of course it wasn’t.

A sharp laugh burst out from one direction.

It belonged to the only female commander — a tall, muscular, fierce-looking woman with a long black braid and red earrings that swung with every breath she took. Her presence alone was enough to intimidate grown men into silence.

She covered her mouth, trying to suppress her laughter. "Sorry—sorry. Pretend I’m not here. Please, continue."

The heat rushed to my face, but I didn’t regret a single word. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Cassel smiled — a soft, amused, incredibly sweet smile — and lowered a gentle kiss to my forehead.

Then he murmured, "Be a good girl. Don’t worry — I won’t look at anyone if you don’t want me to."

The tenderness lasted exactly one heartbeat.

Because the moment he turned back toward the others, his expression transformed into something cold, cruel, and utterly untouchable.

"This is my lover," he said, his voice echoing like thunder. "My partner. In my team, she is more important than even myself — she is number one."

Everyone froze.

Even the wind dared not move.

"I don’t care who you are or what your status is. But listen carefully."

His pupils darkened, swallowing all light.

"If — and only if — any one of you even thinks for a moment about harming her—"

A faint blue spark ignited in his eyes.

Lightning crackled along his body, crawling over his skin, racing down his arms like living serpents. The air shook, vibrating with raw power.

One glance told enough.

Anything touched by that lightning would be annihilated in less than a heartbeat.

And yet...

The hand holding my waist was steady, warm, gentle.

The side of his body pressed against mine carried no electricity — not even a stray spark.

The storm surged everywhere except where I stood.

If there was ever proof of Cassel’s terrifying power — and even more terrifying control — it was this moment.

He could destroy the world.

But he would never harm me.

I felt no fear.

Not even a flicker.

Because I trusted him — my favorite villain, my beautiful monster, my deadly protector —

With every breath inside me.

Cassel truly looked like a monster born of thunder — a creature lazy in temperament, perhaps, but one that would annihilate and devour everything if someone so much as stepped on its tail.

This kind of protection — this kind of possessive, overwhelming danger — I loved it.

Heat began rising inside me, spreading so intensely it nearly burned through my thoughts until only a single idea remained... until only my villain, Cassel, existed in my mind.

Looking at that sharp, defined jawline... that regal, commanding figure of his...

It was no wonder my thoughts drifted into shameful territory.

Yes... No wonder at all.

It wasn’t that I was shameless or lacking modesty — no.

It was simply that this man was too seductive.

Too intoxicating.

Tempting enough to drive anyone insane.