A faint red glow pulsed around Celestia, flickering like embers in the consuming darkness. The Codex materialized in her hands, its ancient weight pressing into her palms. A sickening red pulse rippled through her veins, her muscles tightening, her breath hitching—then, her body gave in.
She collapsed.
Commander Leo hesitated for only a fraction of a second—but it was already too late.
He lunged, blade flashing, aiming for her heart.
Then—His sword shattered.
The Codex had moved on its own, materializing between them. The moment his steel touched its surface, the weapon broke apart like fragile glass, its fragments scattering uselessly across the floor.
Leo's breath caught in his throat.
A violent eruption of blood and wind exploded from Celestia's body, engulfing the darkness slightly. The very air thickened, heavy with the scent of iron. The storm twisted and churned, ripping into the walls, sinking into the ground, devouring everything in its reach.
Her hair, once pure white, darkened into a matte black, streaked with strands of silver
She exhaled slowly, the sound almost serene, though the world around her was anything but.
Her rapier pulsed.
A searing crimson glow bathed the blade in light, illuminating her form in the abyss. Her deep red eyes burned in the absolute darkness, the only visible source of life amid the void.
Leo took a step back. His hands trembled. He had fought countless battles, slain warriors and beasts alike—but this? This was something he had never signed up for.
He barely had time to think.
A single, effortless slash.
For a brief moment, there was silence.
Leo's body didn't just fall apart—it was obliterated.
The first slash severed him cleanly, but Celestia didn't stop.
In the blink of an eye, a storm of strikes followed—a blur of steel. Each slice tore deeper, carving through flesh, snapping bone, and rending muscle apart. His limbs, his torso, even his skull—nothing remained whole. The ground was painted in blood, the mutilated remnants of the once-proud commander scattered in every direction.
Celestia exhaled deeply, crimson mist rising from her lips.
She could see them all.
Every elf standing beyond the door, their silhouettes glowing like faint embers within the void of absolute darkness. Their breath, their movements, and their fear.
A wicked smirk curled onto her lips.
She surged forward.
The doors of the hotel exploded off their hinges as she sliced through the first elf in the hallway, his body cleaved in half before he could even process what had happened. His severed form barely had time to hit the floor before her hand shot out, gripping his throat. She hurled him forward—slamming his body against the elf behind him.
A sudden spark danced within Celestia's eyes.
His blood ignited.
A violent detonation of flesh and bone erupted, tearing both elves apart in an instant. A twist of gore and fire splattered across the hallway, painting the walls with what little remained of them.
She leapt onto the wall, her feet landing with perfect balance like a cat, she propelled herself forward, twisting through the air like a viper. Her rapier pulsed crimson—piercing through the chests of three elves before they even had time to react.
The hallway became nothing but baptized in blood.
With each flick of her blade, organs spilled onto the floor. Weaving between them, her rapier impaling hearts.
Then came the dragon-tempest.
Wind howled through the narrow corridor, sharp as razors, slashing into their bodies—slicing torsos open, severing limbs, and leaving only shredded remains behind.
The hallway fell silent.
Celestia stood amidst the carnage, bathing in the blood that scattered the hall.
But outside, the horror had only begun.
The forest howled.
Deep, guttural growls rumbled through the air, vibrating through the trees. The elves who had retreated into the woods did not last.
Screams tore through the night—brief, choked, and hopeless.
One elf ran.
She sprinted through the thick underbrush, her breath ragged, her hands trembling as she clutched a wound on her side. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears, her mind filled with a single thought: Escape.
Then—
They appeared.
Eyes like burning coals emerged from the darkness—dozens of them.
The wolves were not normal beasts. Their fur was black as the void, their forms shifting, flickering, as if they were both real and unreal. Their fangs dripped red, their very presence radiated hunger.
One of them lunged.
The elf barely had time to scream before massive jaws clamped onto her ribcage. A sickening crunch echoed through the trees as she was sent flying, her body crashing through bark and branches before slamming into the dirt.
She choked, spitting blood and saliva onto the ground. Her ribs were shattered, her bones completely broken.
She looked up—
The wolves circled her.
One raised a massive, clawed paw—then brought it down.
Her flesh peeled away beneath their relentless assault. Their fangs tore into her, ripping muscle from bone, devouring her piece by piece.
Her screams vanished within the minute.
Nothing remained besides silence.
The wolves howled into the night as they caught the scent of another elf and surged through the forest.
Perched high above the trees, the medic watched.
His piercing gaze sliced through the void, seeing beyond the darkness, locking onto every creature that had descended upon the land. He observed the carnage with an almost lazy interest, as if the massacre unfolding beneath him were nothing more than an afterthought.
Then, he exhaled.
"I wasn't expecting this… from that girl," he muttered, his voice smooth, almost amused. His fingers tapped against his knee as he leaned forward, watching the slaughter with quiet fascination.
A low, rumbling laugh escaped his lips.
"Perhaps she will give me a challenge… someday."
His smirk widened.
Below, Celestia tore through the hotel like a force of nature.
Her boots barely touched the ground as she sprinted through the halls, moving too fast for elven eyes to comprehend. She vaulted from staircase to staircase, her form a blur of flashing steel, crimson mist, and howling wind.
She slashed left.
Three elves collapsed instantly, their heads rolling in separate directions before their bodies even hit the floor.
She thrust forward. Her rapier pierced an elf's chest—then twisted, the wind following her motion like a blade of its own, ripping his torso apart from the inside out.
The hallway erupted in chaos.
Panicked cries rang out as elves scrambled for cover, weapons drawn—but it didn't matter. Celestia wasn't stopping.
To them, she wasn't even a person anymore—she was death itself.
A flash of red.
A glow of white.
That's all they saw before their bodies split apart.
One elf simply blinked.
For a fleeting moment, he thought he was still standing. Then—
His world tilted.
He realized he was staring at his own legs—his torso severed cleanly from the waist. The razor-sharp winds had shredded him apart mid-motion, scattering his remains across the floor before he even understood he had been slain.
Blood splattered across Celestia's clear skin, spraying into her hair, but she simply wiped it away from her eyes as she continued.
Her crimson eyes burned through the darkness.
And with every step, every slash, every strike—
Nothing was left behind but corpses.
Celestia slowed to a stop, her boots splashing through the puddles of blood pooling across the marble floor.
She stood in the center of the lobby-turned-slaughterhouse, her chest rising and falling rapidly, her body trembling—not from exhaustion, but from something far deeper.
Pleasure.
She exhaled, then inhaled. Deeply. Slowly. Drinking in the thick, iron-scented air that clung to the space like a funeral shroud.
Her lips curled into a slow, trembling smile.
"My heart… it's pounding," she whispered, her voice uneven, breathless. She could feel it—the rush, the thrill, the intoxicating weight of the moment. A soft, shuddering laugh escaped her throat as she wiped a crimson-streaked hand across her forehead.
"The blood… the way it looks… the way it flows…"
She ran her tongue across her lips, smearing a speck of someone else's blood against them.
She chuckled.
A shiver crawled down her spine as her fingers twitched with lingering excitement. The fear—the sheer terror—she had felt within them… it was exquisite.
Their widened eyes, the shaking hands, the way their bodies crumbled under her blade—
She wanted to carve deeper.
She wanted to feel it again.
Celestia sighed, exhaling slowly.
Her racing heartbeat gradually slowed, though the wicked grin remained. She licked her lips, savoring the aftertaste of violence.
Then, the Codex materialized in her grasp.
With a flick of her wrist, she opened it once more, the pages twisting as if sentient, welcoming her touch.
━━━『 Villainous System 』━━━
Skill acquired: [Eclipse Slashes] Level: 30
Celestia's head snapped up.
The doors burst open.
An elf elder stumbled into the blood-soaked lobby, his face drained of color, his entire body trembling.
Celestia smirked.
Without hesitation, she vanished.
A sharp, howling gust of wind followed in her wake. The elf barely had time to blink before the world around him twisted—
Before he even realized what had happened, his arms fell to the floor.
Blood sprayed from his severed limbs in grotesque arcs, painting the air as Celestia stood behind him, her rapier humming with eerie, shadowed energy.
She tilted her head, watching with delight as he let out a gurgled scream of agony, his body convulsing from the sudden loss.
"Oops," she whispered, her voice dripping with mock innocence.
Her rapier flicked again. A dozen slashes carved into his flesh in an instant—precise, deep, cruel. He collapsed onto his knees, his body reduced to ribbons, his once dignified robes now tattered and drenched in his own blood.
Celestia leaned down, grabbing a fistful of his silver hair, yanking his head back.
"Tell me," she purred, her breath warm against his ear.
"How does it feel to be on your knees... about to die... to a member of the Solara family?"
She didn't give him the chance to answer.
The next strike split his throat open, and his head hit the ground with a wet thud.
Celestia sighed, shaking the blood from her blade as she smiled.