Strike Back, Proud Goddess! - Chapter 524 - They’ve Left

Kurono Maou is a high school student who is sensitive of his sharp eyes and bad expression. No girlfriend but gifted with friends in his own way, he had been living a peaceful life.

Lucan Ironfist came from a noble family, but he wasn't the eldest son. When his brother became the head of the family and he turned 18, Lucan would become a commoner. A strange rule, but that's how it was. So Lucan began to think of a way to live a peaceful life.As he was considering this, his mother arranged for him to become a priest in another city. A priest didn't have to worry about food or housing, and all he had to do was watch over the temple and the statue.It was easy work, so he agreed and arrived at the city. One day, as he was watching over the temple and the statue, a poor-looking girl came to pray. When she prayed to God, light gathered around her body.Lucan was surprised and suddenly remembered the plot of a certain game. Originally, Lucan was from Earth and had traveled to this fantasy world. When he was on Earth, he played a game with a plot where a merchant family's illegitimate daughter, bullied by her family, awakened the power of a saint.Lucan decided to keep this secret and train the saint so that in the future, he could have an easy life and save himself from any crises.

In every story, there exists the hero and the villain, the protagonist and the antagonist.And like every story, the hero always wins, and always gets the girl.But what happens now that I died and became a villain in the last book I read? Not even a proper villain, but one that the protagonist kills in the early chapters.I don't want to die again, and I don't want that simp of a protagonist to walk all over me. Maybe I should just become a better villain.I've always admired the smart badass villains that took on the protagonist. Maybe I can be one of them, maybe I can win—the first villain to win against the hero.I'll rewrite this story into one where I become the greatest villain. Call me sick or evil, but it's my time to shine.

Zaiyila thought she had suffered enough—betrayed by her own mother and sold into marriage with a wealthy, aging man. But on the night of her pre-wedding ceremony, everything takes a dark and unexpected turn. A swarm of deadly snakes descends upon the gathering, killing her groom-to-be and throwing the hall into chaos. Fear spreads as the people recognize the serpents as the servants of the enigmatic and terrifying Snake King, Everett.When Everett himself arrives—a striking, horned man of unmatched beauty and power—Zaiyila finds herself drawn to him in ways she cannot explain. Despite the fear he inspires in others, she feels an unshakable connection to him, one that transcends the realm of logic. The moment she defies the fearful kneeling of the crowd, she unknowingly seals her fate.Taken into Everett’s domain, Zaiyila is forced to confront not only the dangerous, supernatural world she’s been thrust into but also the awakening desires she cannot deny. As she unravels the truth about her past and her connection to the Snake King, she must decide—will she resist the pull of destiny, or will she embrace the darkness and passion that Everett offers?A tale of betrayal, power, and an irresistible bond, Bride of the Serpent King explores the fine line between fear and desire, fate and choice.---