Chapter 182 182: Acting Out A Script To Fool The Devil
At Val's words, the Shadow Imposter's eyes widened in shock, "Huh?"
"You heard me," Val continued, "She interferes when I am talking with another girl. She bitches when I drink too much and drags me home when I am partying with my friends. She uses my money for every damn expense of the house. She has been leeching off of me since we got together. It makes me wonder if she approached me knowing I am a noble and if the only reason she is with me is my money. But I can't let her go. I detest the idea of another man touching my thing, or her living a happy life without me. So I have been meaning to kill her all this time. But rationality won every time. I couldn't just kill her. Everyone knows we are together. If she suddenly goes missing, I will be suspected. If authorities find out I killed her, my image would be ruined and the perfect life I have built up would be destroyed. So I have been waiting for a perfect opportunity. And today, I have finally got one. The authorities don't punish citizens for killing possessed people. They also have ways of determining if a person was possessed before they died. At this moment, even if I kill her, I won't be punished!"
As he spoke rapidly, Val's lips curled back into a smile that was anything but sweet. It seemed to be overflowing with joy but there was something else in it. It was twisted, warped by madness. It was the kind of smile that would chill the blood of the hardest criminal.
It was the smile... the smile of a God among devils!
The effect of that smile on the Shadow Imposter was immediate - a chill ran down her spine, and her body began trembling uncontrollably.
"It was said that you are her lover! Who knew he was planning to be her murderer all this time? You have fooled everyone..." The imposter muttered, a tone of disbelief clouding her words.
"And I intend to keep it that way. This secret will remain a secret as it will be buried here!" Val said, his voice oozing confidence. "And you couldn't have made it easier for me by possessing a weakling!"
'All of this is just an elaborate act. I've never, not even for a moment, considered killing Eliana. Among all the humans I've encountered, she is the one who matters most to me.'
'However, the situation I'm in doesn't offer many alternatives. I have to lie and hope this devil falls for it, releasing Eliana of its own volition. It's the only chance I have to turn the tables - to kill the devil and save Eliana.'
All these thoughts boil down to a single resolution within Val: 'I have to deceive this devil and safeguard my Eliana.'
Val was a complex individual, his feelings for Eliana a twisted mix of possession, obsession, and a budding love that was almost nonexistent.
He believed that Eliana was his, and his alone.
He was the only one entitled to love her, the only one entitled to cause her any harm. Her life was his to toy with, every fiber of her being his to mold as he pleased. It was he who had the right to decide if she should live or die, and he intended to make this decision only for his own benefit.
He harbored a minuscule amount of genuine affection for Eliana, but it was overshadowed by his obsession and possessiveness towards her powers.
Yes, he was fascinated by her powers, greedily desiring them for his own use.
On top of that, pride filled him at the thought of keeping such a powerful woman for himself, sheltered from the world, but at the mercy of his whims.
All in all, her well-being was significant to him, not out of any deep-seated love, but mostly because he saw her as a prized possession that was extremely valuable to him.
Thus, it wouldn't be wrong to say that he would go to great lengths to keep her safe!
'Let's put the play into the final act,' Val thought as he summoned his weapon from the confines of his storage-type cursed artifact.
The Shadow Imposter could only watch in abject horror as a sword shimmered into existence in Val's hand, materializing out of thin air.
Val's intentions became as clear as day, reflecting off the cold steel of his weapon. He was truly out for blood.
"With one attack, I will seal both of your fates!"
Saying so, Val brought down the sword with all the force he could muster.
The Shadow Imposter's eyes widened to the size of saucers as Voidslayer sped towards her with unerring accuracy.
In a desperate scramble for survival, she rolled back, but the merciless steel still sliced across her back, causing her to wail in pain. A spine-chilling scream came out of her mouth as blood gushed out from the fresh laceration on her back.
He was really gonna kill her along with his lover!
The scorching pain was an all too real reminder of the perilous situation she found herself in.
Through the haze of pain, she found the strength to lock eyes with Val and spoke, "You... You would really harm us..."
Any lingering doubts she might have harbored about his intentions were swept away by the cruelty he had just shown her. The man before her was a monster, a monster that would not hesitate to strike down his lover.
"Have you not heard a single word I've been saying? You're just like her. You both never listen! Oh well, it doesn't matter. You're about to die anyway. You dodged that, but you won't be able to dodge what's coming next." Val said.
He looked cold and utterly devoid of mercy.
Without any more words, he surged forward like a fierce hurricane. The sword in his hand reflected the predatory glint in his eyes, and the air around him swirled with the intense killing intent emnating off of him. He wanted to kill them, and he was going to do it now!
As he approached, the Shadow Imposter was thoroughly terrified.
Anyway, she had possessed a level 1 weakling who had holy power running through her veins, making her not an ideal target for possession.
With Eliana's body, the Shadow Imposter lacked the strength to defeat Val or even run away from him.
Moreover, If he cut the body she was possessing down, both she and Eliana would perish.
Her only hope for survival was to leave Eliana's body so that she would be able to use her full strength and escape!
As if putting this desperate plan into action, a dark figure shaped like a human with curves at all the right places seemed to seep out of Eliana's body.
It was the true form of the Shadow Imposter, and she had separated from Eliana!
After separating from Eliana, she quickly began to retreat from the scene.