I Am The Villainess Who Will Tame Every Yandere Heroine!-Chapter 30: A Stain Ambush (2)

Stains are born from the accumulation of negative energy in the underworld, twisted and malformed by the darkest emotions.

Lacking Ethos, they are creatures devoid of identity or purpose, nothing but pure, chaotic force.

Foll𝑜w current novℯls on ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm.

Afterall, they were a being made by the God of Nihilism himself, Erideus. They were only the product of the ideal and belief that existence was meaningless.

They cannot interact with the world directly unless they possess a living being.

To do so, they are drawn to the scent of hatred, anger, or any emotion that fuels the spread of negative energy, which acts as an invisible beacon.

Once a Stain has seized control of a host, that being is transformed.

The possession amplifies their deepest desires, warping them into something unrecognizable. The host becomes consumed with aggression, driven by an uncontrollable urge to destroy, kill, and inflict harm without mercy or remorse.

They become little more than vessels for the Stain's wrath, their actions no longer their own, but the will of the darkness within until their body slowly gets eaten.

-------------------------

-------------------------

[Ruination System Activation: Eight Mission]

Objective:

Have your first kill count by murdering the Stain infront of you. This will increase the worshipping rate of others and therefore, ultimately boost your levels to the highest.

Reward:

Completion of this task will grant you 500 Ruination Points (RN).

-------------------------

-------------------------

'500 Ruination Points? Now that's something...'

"Judging by its form, I'd say it probably hasn't had the pleasure of eating anyone yet," Serafine mused, eyeing the creature.

But of course, there was one thing it definitely wouldn't enjoy. Ethos.

The very power that stood in direct defiance of nihilism itself, something that is derived from meaning and purpose. It was allergic to it.

She couldn't help but notice the creature's uneven, ragged edges, as though it had been through a few scraps along the way.

There were holes in its form, like it had battled with someone, and by the looks of it, they were still inside, silently observing the chaos as it unfolded.

"Poor thing," Serafine smirked, "It's about to get a little... uncomfortable."

The tension was clear, heavy with anticipation as the towering Stain loomed over Serafine, its tentacle-like appendage swaying ominously.

The creature's gaping maw dripped with malice, and the sound of its growls echoed through the air. Despite the looming danger, Serafine stood her ground, an eerie calm in her eyes.

"Ready, Calix?" she called to her apprentice, a smirk tugging at her lips.

Calix, standing beside her, nodded silently, his sky-blue eyes focused, his hand glowing faintly as his Ethos, Lumen Sensus, pulsed with energy. He had no need to speak; he knew what to do.

The Stain lunged forward, its elongated arm hurtling toward Serafine, a sweeping strike meant to crush her in one motion.

But Serafine was already in motion, graceful and unhurried.

With a flick of her fingers, a blinding flash of light shot into the air from her Ethos.

The light twisted, bending and swirling, splitting into multiple images of Serafine.

Each illusion moved in perfect synchronization, dodging the Stain's attack and leaving it to strike empty air. The creature's confusion was palpable as it flailed at the images, unable to discern which was the real target.

The clones danced around the Stain, the space crackling with the deceptive light.

Calix, standing just behind Serafine, extended his hand, his Ethos thrumming in tune with the radiant lights. Lumen Sensus healed the subtle emotions around them, fear, anger, and confusion, all were easing and the crowd began to feel sleepy.

"Focus on its core emotions," Calix murmured, his voice soft but unwavering. "It's reacting to its anger."

Serafine flashed him a quick, appreciative glance. She didn't need to be told twice. As she waved her hand, the light shifted. The clones exploded into radiant shards, blinding, sharp, and aimed directly at the Stain.

Each shard flew with precision, aimed at its core, but the Stain shrieked, twisting its body and dodging most of the attack. Still, the creature was far from unaffected. The few shards that hit it left glowing burns across its ashen skin, the light seeping into its dark form.

Though, the allergic reaction was definitely there that it'd cause a deafening scream amongst the village.

Serafine wasn't done. She raised her hand high, and around her began to shimmer as the Illusory Radiance began to take a new form.

The ground beneath them cracked, and from the fissures, beams of radiant light erupted in perfect harmony. They swirled around her like a halo before shooting outward in all directions, each one aimed at the Stain's weak points.

They exploded on contact, sending shockwaves of light that caused the creature to stumble, its form flickering as it struggled to stay grounded.

But Serafine wasn't content with just overwhelming it with light.

"Time for the finishing move."

She manipulated the Illusory Radiance into a glowing, deceptive beacon in the center of the Stain's line of sight. The light pulsed, bright and inviting.

The Stain, now fully enraged, charged toward it, convinced that it had found the source of the light.

It was a trap.

The beacon wasn't real.

As it lunged forward, the illusion dissolved, and in its place, a surge of pure radiant energy shot from Serafine's palm, piercing the creature's chest with a devastating beam.

The Stain let out an agonized screech, its body writhing in agony as the light burned through it, tearing apart the negative energy that gave it form.

Calix stepped forward, his hand glowing brighter, amplifying the intensity of Serafine's attack. The Stain buckled, collapsing to the ground, its body disintegrating in a fiery explosion of light and darkness.

Serafine exhaled, her eyes still alight with the thrill of the battle. "That was fun," she said, wiping a few stray strands of hair from her face. "Thanks for the assist, Calix."

Calix gave a small, satisfied smile, his hands still glowing faintly with the remnants of his Ethos. "Anytime, Lady Serafine."

With the Stain vanquished, the quiet of the night settled back in, and Serafine's smile widened. She had just made the world a little more fun, one radiant explosion at a time.

-------------------------

-------------------------

[Mission Completed: Ruination System - Eight Mission]

Objective Status: Achieved

Reward: +500 Ruination Points (RN)

-------------------------

-------------------------

To be honest, she hadn't exactly trained for that little light show earlier. She just kind of winged it.

All she knew was that an Ethos was all about how a person perceived and imagined it to be, and how much they could understand about it.

Basically, it was all about the mind, which made things way more interesting than just waving a sword around.

As far as Serafine was concerned, her Ethos was a flashy mix of light manipulation, illusions, and a good ol' burning sensation, her version of "fun" damage.

Illusions to confuse, blinding to dazzle, and burning to, well, let's just say no one was going to forget her attacks anytime soon.

It wasn't perfect yet, but as long as her stats kept going up, she'd be a dazzling force of nature.

The more she leveled up, the longer those illusions would last, the more intense the burns would be, and, oh yes, the more dramatic her light shows would get.

Power meant longer-lasting, stronger effects. Who wouldn't want to show off a little?

Defensively? She'd figure that out too.

As long as she kept getting stronger, she could probably make those illusions twist into shields, or blinding bursts that made enemies regret ever thinking they could touch her. It's all about the stats, after all.