Chapter 20: That Crazy Woman Again

[Ren’s POV]

"Ha... ha... ha..."

Ren’s lungs burned as he dragged his boots across the final stretch of rocky incline. Reaching the crest of the mountain, his knees gave out, and he hit the dirt with a ragged exhale. Just ahead, Miku, Liora, Ryu, and Reika strode onto the high plateau without shedding a single drop of sweat.

’What the hell are these people made of...?’ Ren thought, wiping a smear of grime from his forehead as he pushed himself up. He took a long, steadying breath to clear the oxygen deprivation before trailing behind them.

The lingering mountain fog shredded under a sharp gust of cold wind, revealing the full scale of the carnage spread across the plateau.

A dozen massive, mutated Aberrants lay scattered in violent disarray. Severed limbs, shattered obsidian hides, and disembodied torsos choked the stone path. Giant blue broadswords—translucent and humming with residual energy—were driven deep into the dead beasts’ chests, pinning them firmly to the mountain peak.

Near the center of the slaughter, a single figure knelt in the dirt, her body supported by one knee. She wore an off-shoulder blue dress, its regal silk torn and stained with dark crimson.

Princess Evelyn.

Ren stared at the mountain of dead B-Rank monsters, his eyes widening.

’Are you serious...?’ he thought, stunned by the sheer devastation before him. ’She wiped out eleven high-tier beasts all by herself? Even one of these things could dominate a mid-sized raid squad.’

According to his rough mental calculations, these corpses belonged to the same deadly monster classification as the behemoth he had encountered on his very first day in this world—the one that had wiped out six Royal Knights and ripped off his leg.

’If she took down an entire horde of them single-handedly... Princess Evelyn is a walking weapon.’

Reika pointed toward the kneeling figure. "That’s Princess Evelyn, isn’t it?"

Miku nodded, her eyes narrowing through the mist. "Looks like it."

"Let’s move," Ryu said, breaking into a quick jog toward the princess.

Liora lingered near the edge of the plateau, her gaze scanning the severed monster parts. "What in the world happened up here?" she muttered.

Ren stepped up beside Liora, taking in the scene. ’Yeah... what kind of fight went down here? And just how strong is this princess?’

"Princess Evelyn!" Miku called out as they closed the distance.

Evelyn’s head turned slowly. She pushed herself up from the stone with deliberate care, holding her left arm tight against her ribs. Reika immediately stepped forward, supporting Evelyn’s shoulder to keep her steady.

"Princess Evelyn, are you alright?" Reika asked, her eyes scanning the deep gash running down the royal’s forearm.

Ryu let out a soft exhale, offering a relieved smile. "Glad you’re safe."

"Finally..." Ren muttered under his breath, standing beside Liora while Reika and Miku hovered around the injured princess.

Evelyn blinked through her exhaustion, her icy blue eyes adjusting to the faces before her. "You all... why are you here?"

"Lady Elysia dispatched us to track you down," Miku explained gently, maintaining her support under Evelyn’s elbow. "Your sister was terrified something had happened to you in this sector."

A faint, fleeting smile crossed Evelyn’s pale lips. "I see..."

Her gaze drifted past Miku, inspecting the group. Her eyes lingered on Ryu, shifted to Ren, and finally rested on Liora with a nod of familiar recognition. When her focus returned to Ren and Ryu, her expression flattened into neutral caution. She clearly didn’t recognize either of them.

"Who are they?" Evelyn asked softly, her voice measured to avoid unnecessary offense.

Ren gave a polite, measured bow. "Ren Celestial."

"Ryu Celestial," Ryu added, mimicking the bow with crisp military precision.

Evelyn’s brow furrowed sharply. Her posture stiffened, her blue eyes turning ice-cold as she locked her gaze onto them.

"Celestial...?" she repeated, her tone dropping an octave.

Ren felt a chill run down his spine under her sudden, piercing scrutiny. *Why is she looking at us like we just confessed to a murder?*

The reaction felt far beyond standard royal caution. To Evelyn, the name itself was an immediate threat vector.

’Did I mess up the introduction? Is ’Celestial’ some kind of taboo around here?’ Ren cast a sideways glance at Ryu, looking for any clue. Ryu’s jaw was set tight, his stance unusually rigid.

"Hahaha..." Miku let out a stiff, nervous laugh, attempting to cut through the suffocating tension.

"Princess Evelyn, please don’t be alarmed," Reika interjected smoothly. "Lady Elysia personally selected both of them for this retrieval mission."

Miku nodded frantically, backing Reika up while adjusting her grip on Evelyn’s arm.

Despite the explanation, Evelyn’s gaze remained fixed on the two men, sharp and unyielding.

Ryu broke the silence, stepping forward with his hands visible. "My apologies, Your Highness. I know our family name raises immediate suspicion."

Evelyn didn’t answer, her eyes demanding a clear explanation.

"You have no cause for concern," Ryu continued calmly. "We are not dark cultists, nor do we pay homage to the God of Darkness."

Ren’s breath hitched slightly, his mouth opening in subtle shock. *Wait... what?*

He processed Ryu’s words at high speed, piecing together the implicit lore. *Hold on... Celestial isn’t just a surname. It’s an ancient bloodline linked to dark deity worship?*

"Our bloodline was effectively wiped out," Ryu stated, his voice flat and devoid of emotion. "The main branch sacrificed themselves to fuel the dark shrines. Those of us who carry the name today are the descendants of those who rejected the cult and swore allegiance to the Kingdom."

As the explanation settled over the plateau, the intense hostility in Evelyn’s eyes melted into quiet understanding.

"I see..." Evelyn murmured, her shoulders relaxing slightly, though a faint layer of guard remained.

Ryu inclined his head respectfully.

Ren’s mind raced behind his calm facade. ’Wait a minute... God of Darkness?’

His chest tightened as a sudden, unsettling realization struck him. ’Could the ’God of Darkness’ Ryu is talking about be connected to the NYX Seal locked inside my System?’

The pieces clicked together with eerie precision, but this wasn’t the place to interrogate Ryu about ancient bloodline history.

Miku clapped her hands together, breaking Ren from his strategic internal loop. "Right! Hahaha... Princess, your sister is waiting for you, so we should really head back now. This dimensional pocket is territory controlled by the enemy, and we shouldn’t linger any longer than necessary."

"Are you sure you can just walk out of here?" Liora interjected, her arms crossed over her chest as she stepped forward.

The group turned toward the high elf, sensing the sudden weight in her tone.

"You made it into this dimension," Liora explained, her tone dry and matter-of-fact. "But leaving it won’t be as simple as turning around."

Evelyn frowned, scanning Liora’s face. "Wait... you’re a high-tier archmage from the Zephyrion Rift, aren’t you?"

Liora remained silent.

"You’ve been missing for over a month," Evelyn pressed, tilting her head slightly. "The elders of Zephyrion have been actively searching for you. I didn’t expect to run into you out here in an isolated dimensional breach."

Liora’s lips pressed into a thin line. She closed her eyes, refusing to offer a response, allowing the cold mountain wind to fill the quiet gap between them.

Ren observed Liora’s defensive body language, his analytical mind tracking every shift in her posture. ’Every time someone asks why she’s here or what she’s looking for, she completely shuts down. She’s definitely hiding something major.’

Before anyone could press Liora further, a deep, rhythmic tremor shook the plateau.

The granite bedrock cracked beneath their boots, forcing everyone to spread their feet to maintain their balance.

From the far edge of the cliff, a colossal shadow rose into view. A massive, bull-like beast hauled its towering frame onto the plateau, each heavy footstep rattling the mountain peak. It exhaled a thick plume of steam, its glowing red eyes locked onto the party as its jagged fangs dripped with bloodlust.

Everyone immediately dropped into combat stances, weapons drawn.

Then, the sharp, deliberate click of high heels echoed from behind the giant beast.

Vora stepped out from behind the monster’s towering leg, stopping with a sickening, graceful posture. Her glowing purple eyes burned with dark intent as a sadistic smile spread across her face.

"Well, well, well... so you’re all gathered here~~" Vora purred, her voice chilling the thin mountain air.

Ren’s face instantly soured. *Dammit, why does this psycho keep showing up?!*

Vora’s gaze bypassed Evelyn, ignored the armed party, and locked directly onto Ren. Her grin widened into something terrifyingly possessive.

"There you are... my husband."

Ren’s heart hammered against his ribs as a cold sweat broke out across his neck. Her focus was absolute, entirely targeting him.

’Shit, shit, shit! Why is this lunatic only after me?!’ Ren thought, a mix of disgust and panic surging through him. ’What the hell did the original owner of this body do before I transmigrated?!’