A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

Evora had fled far away after Ephesande took that punch from Seraphina, knowing that Ephesande would go completely mad. She had guessed Ansel's true plan at that moment.

Watching from a distance, she saw the utterly deranged Ephesande being consumed by the Source Flame, filled with uncontrollable joy.

When Ephesande was burned to ashes by the Source Flame, her crown would be within reach!

However, who could have imagined that the completely insane and incinerated Ephesande would, in an instant, lock onto Evora!

By the time Evora realized it, it was too late.

For at that moment, Ephesande was still... the supreme divine species.

Just as the Source Flame ignited everything about her, Ephesande, in an instant, planted an eternal flame on Evora before she could escape through spatial jump.

Then, Ephesande, wrapped in the Source Flame, transformed into a stream of light and flew towards the east, burning brightly.

*

"…Ephesande and Evora both met their demise."

Ansel sighed softly, "In the end, it was as It wished."

Ravenna gazed eastward, "Is this part of the original script of fate?"

"Yes, it is a crucial element in Its script."

Ravenna fell silent.

After a long while, she finally spoke, "So... hypothetically, if you truly inherited Mr. Flamelle's power, it would not merely be a matter of strength; you would have almost entirely disrupted the entire script of fate?"

"Otherwise?" Ansel said with a hint of amusement, "Do I seem like the type who would force my father to death purely for power?"

Seraphina looked around, unsure of what to say.

What exactly happened… during the time she was away?

Ansel, seeing Ravenna's silence, reached out to ruffle her hair gently, speaking warmly, "Don't overthink it, Venna. I told you, you made me choose the most correct path."

"But you... but I made you lose the chance to defeat It."

"So," Ansel smiled, "do you think I lost?"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

At this moment, the land elevated to the sky by Ephesande was being precariously balanced by all the fifth-stage sorcerers of the imperial capital, slowly descending.

Simultaneously, all the fifth-stage extraordinary beings of the capital and the entire empire focused their attention on one thing: the floating iron demon, the monster capable of… contending with the Empress.

What would it do next? What were the intentions of the young Hydral controlling it? Where had the contemporary Hydral gone?... The extraordinary beings had countless questions, and the answers to these questions would determine their next actions.

Before long, the figure of the young Hydral appeared on the shoulder of the iron demon.

This should have been the moment to declare his stance, his majesty, and his power to all extraordinary beings.

But Ansel did not; he merely leaned on the shoulder armor of the mechanical deity, looking up at the sky.

That was where the Nostrom floated, his gaze seemingly piercing through layers of barriers, through different spaces, finally resting on... the flower field where his parents slept peacefully.

"Venna, it has indeed succeeded once more."

Ansel, looking up, spoke softly, "It prevented me from gaining power in advance, ensuring that Ephesande and Evora followed their original paths, plunging the entire situation into the chaos… it most desired."

The Empress is as good as dead, yet the only one capable of inheriting her power, the Elder Princess, is also in an uncertain state of life and death. Flamelle has fallen into slumber, and Ansel has not inherited his father's power.

The entire empire... no longer has any apparent, true sixth-stage combat strength.

Undoubtedly, the empire will descend into genuine, utter turmoil and chaos, and such chaos is the prelude and beginning of a great upheaval.

Fate has won this round flawlessly, as always, calculating everything without error.

"But I do not believe I have lost, Ravenna."

He gently pulled Seraphina and Ravenna into an embrace, speaking with unparalleled serenity and satisfaction, "On the contrary, I have never felt... so content, so fulfilled in my victory."

To live on, to defeat It.

Not to be left with nothing but the goal of defeating It.

Father, Mother, Seri, Venna... and in the future, there will be more, many more reasons for me to live.

These are the reasons I must defeat It.

Ansel did not win this time, but he triumphed over… the death trap that fate had laid out for six years.

In the future, Ansel may still have to commit necessary evils, continuing his actions as a villain to overcome fate.

However, he will no longer sacrifice everything, destroy everything for that obsession. He will no longer challenge fate solely to defeat it.

Thus, Ansel won; he conquered the demon that fate had created in his heart.

Standing on the God from the Machine, Ansel gazed at the rising sun in the distance, tightly holding the hands of those beside him.

The dawn light fell on his shoulder. It was the kiss of freedom, the light of transformation.

*

Author's thought:

Done! I absolutely loved creating this epic battle scene. Each character was carefully crafted with their own storylines, hehe~ Whether it's the deserving protagonist Venna, the brave puppy Seri, Ansel with his harem number +1, the ultimate game-changer Evora, or the outrageously mad Empress... Oh, and I bet you noticed my Gundam obsession too xD

When I had my friend read this paragraph, one found it strange when they said, "Ansel lost but still won." It might seem a bit far-fetched. So, let me share the inspiration behind it:

I've long been indulged in a game which holds an important concept: "retreating to advance" , which is, Chess xD Chess is a strategic board game where players compete to capture the opponent's king by moving different types of pieces. In Chess, players need to protect their own pieces while seeking opportunities to attack the opponent and achieve victory.

This requires a balancing strategy, sometimes requiring temporary retreats or concessions to protect one's own pieces and gain advantageous positions for future attacks.

Assume Ansel and "fate" as two chess players. It's such a game, isn't it?