Supreme Hunter of Beautiful Souls-Chapter 148: I won’t be able to hold myself back.

Kael took the last step through the portal, feeling the slight resistance of the magical barrier crumble around him like warm mist. When his feet touched the firm ground on the other side, he immediately realized something: he hadn't left at the same point where he had entered.

Instead of being in front of the source of mana, as before, his surroundings were darker, more enclosed... and in front of him, a stone wall began to slowly descend with the low sound of ancient gears. A secret passage revealed itself.

Kael let out a sigh, smoothing his cloak over his shoulders.

"Looks like that's the way out..." he muttered, more to himself than to anyone else.

He then turned around, out of pure instinct, to check if Ahri had returned to her fox form - after all, it would be complicated, to say the least, if a woman of divine beauty appeared out of nowhere in front of Professor Erika... But what she saw when she turned around wasn't Ahri.

It was something completely different.

The portal behind him had already dissipated, and he now had a clear view of the mana spring... illuminated by the soft light of the surrounding enchanted stones. The water shone with bluish and golden hues - pure, crystalline, almost ethereal.

And right in the center of it... was Erika.

Completely naked.

The steam enveloped her figure with treacherous discretion, highlighting every line and curve of her body. She bathed unhurriedly, as if it were the safest place in the world - her long black hair, loose and wet, slid like silk over her pale skin, marked only by fine scars. Next to the edge, her clothes were folded, and on top of them, a kind of old bandage... that was... used on the breasts so they wouldn't be so apparent and wouldn't get in the way... during fights.

Kael stopped.

Literally.

His brain went into instant lockdown mode.

"...Holy shit..." he muttered, his eyes fixed as if on a sacred vision - and in a way, it was. "...What a woman..."

Heat rose to the nape of his neck. It wasn't shame. It wasn't guilt. It was just... pure realization.

The kind of beauty that didn't hide behind magic or vanity. It was strength, it was power, it was flesh and soul shaped by combat and pain. Erika was beautiful - yes - but it was what she carried on her back, in her scars and in her closed eyes in that silent bath that made Kael momentarily lose his breath.

He turned his face away, quickly, although he wasn't sure if it was out of respect or self-preservation. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

"Great," he muttered, "Just what I need... one more dangerous woman to deal with."

And then he heard a sound. A light splash.

He looked over his shoulder, slowly.

Erika had opened her eyes.

And she was looking straight at him.

Kael froze for a second when he realized that Erika's eyes were fixed on his.

Her expression, however, was not one of shame or surprise. It was calm. Serene. With a slight sparkle in her golden eyes, as if she had expected it.

Then she spoke, her voice firm and low, echoing softly through the chamber... "You can look as long as you like, Kael."

He swallowed.

She rose slowly from the fountain, and the water slid down her body as if it too was reluctant to let her go. Every movement was controlled, intentional - like that of a predator who knew exactly what effect she was having.

"If it weren't for you, we'd all be dead." She continued, letting her hair flow... after all, they didn't have towels or anything like that... They were inside a dungeon, completely without resources or anything like that.

"You saved me... you saved the others. And brought me here. That's worth more than any gold or glory."

Kael was still turned sideways, clearly trying to keep his composure, but the slight blush on his ear gave him away.

Erika gave a small smile as she noticed.

"Then relax... consider it a reward. Fair. Deserved." She looked directly at him. "I'm a warrior, Kael. I'm not ashamed of my body... or my gratitude."

She then approached the edge of the fountain with soft steps and leaned forward slightly.

"But if you want more than just to look..." Erika said with a lopsided smile, full of dangerous intent "You'll have to earn it. Even more."

Kael turned his face slowly, facing her fully. His gaze had changed - it had left behind the embarrassment and now carried firmness, intensity... a contained fire.

He could see everything. The water was still running down her body, outlining every curve with a silent provocation. The generous breasts that, until then, had always been hidden under the combat bands. The scarred skin - stories etched in living flesh. And further down... he did see. He saw the soft mound, the few unruly strands that didn't mind hiding. Erika made no effort to appear demure. She was what she was - a complete woman, without masks or defenses at that moment.

"You're not at all what I expected, teacher." He said, his voice low, almost grave.

She let out a short, low laugh and sat down on a rock next to the fountain, slowly pulling the towel over her shoulders - just enough to cover without hiding.

"Is that so?" she teased with a sharp look. "I always thought you were the surprise bag here. But... maybe there are two of us."

Kael took a step forward, and the tension increased.

"Professor." He said firmly.

"Yes?" She replied, crossing her legs naturally. Nothing about her was forced. She was the kind of woman who knew what she wanted.

"Are you doing this out of gratitude... really?" he asked, sincere, confused. "I didn't expect this from you. Before we fell into this damn hole, you were distant. Cold. Untouchable."

Erika raised her face, her golden eyes staring at him like blades.

"Eva seemed overjoyed that she was going to marry you..." she began, with a smile that mixed jealousy and humor. "And I... well... I was curious. I won't lie."

She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, the towel draping a little more over her shoulders.

"But after saving me... after seeing what you did... maybe... maybe it's not just curiosity. Maybe I'm really interested."

Kael was silent for a few seconds. The muscles in his jaw tightened. Something inside him was about to break - something he had been holding back for far too long.

"Teacher..." he said, his voice becoming hoarse. "If it goes on like this... I won't be able to control myself."

Erika stared at him for a moment. She saw the truth in his gaze. And she didn't back down.

Kael was exhausted. Exhausted from fighting everything, from controlling every impulse, every instinct. Ever since he was little, it had been women who had messed with his mind and tested his limits... his mother, his grandmother, Irelia with her challenging gaze, Sylphie with her ethereal sweetness, Amelia with her reactions... Even Eva and her obsession with him... Now, Ahri, the fox goddess... Umbra, a mischievous Primordial, and even Yggdrasil - a living cosmic force - were messing with him in ways that defied his sanity.

And now, there... Erika. Naked. Real. Wanting.

Kael took another step. The air between them seemed electrified, pulsing with something primal and inevitable.

Erika smiled slowly, noticing the way he approached. There was desire, yes. But there was also respect. Restraint. Control. Still.

"Then show..." she whispered "...how much you're holding back."

... ... ...

At the top of the slope devastated by the magical explosion, the vegetation was burnt, the ground cracked, and the air still carried the smell of concentrated mana and arcane dust. Several mages and conjurers were working around the clock, casting displacement and structural reinforcement spells to excavate the entrance to the buried dungeon.

Arcane symbols glowed in the air, lines of energy floated between runes anchored in the ground, but progress was slow... frustratingly slow.

Sylphie was sitting on a moss-covered rock, her hands intertwined and her eyes fixed on the void. She wasn't crying, but her silence said it all - it was a heavy, aching silence. Her white hair swayed in the wind, as if the forest around her was also in mourning.

"This is taking too long..." said Amelia, tapping her foot impatiently. "They're down there. They have to be!"

Irelia, standing next to her, kept her arms crossed and her face closed. Blood still stained parts of her destroyed clothes, but she didn't seem to notice. She was tense, restrained, like an arrow about to be fired.

"They held off those fucking golems..." she muttered, her eyes fixed on the crater. "If they hadn't done that... none of us would have gotten out."

"Two idiots..." whispered Stella, her voice trembling, staring at the black hole where the ground had caved in. "They didn't even look back."

"Because I knew I couldn't." Sylphie said at last, her voice low, almost ethereal. "That idiot keeps trying to carry everyone on his back... even when he shouldn't."

Amelia sighed heavily as she watched the work being done by the school's wizards... "I'll go and help." She said, getting up. With ice manipulation, she could do something... but... a hand held her back. "You're not going anywhere," the voice sounded.

It was Lyra... the director's assistant. "Why?" Amelia asked.

"You're going to school... Now." she ordered.

"Hm?! Why?!!" Stella questioned angrily, her red hair beginning to rise as her eyes burned in anger.

Lyra looked at her... But it was someone else who answered, coming up behind her...

"Do you want to die?" Eva asked. "They're still alive, don't worry." Eva said, "Get out of here. That's an order."

Sylphie looked at her protector and asked, "What do you hear? And how do you know they're alive?" She looked straight into Eva's eyes...

"Kael is not a normal human. He's an engineering made of Elion's Magic... that is... She knows if he's alive or not... and I assure you, if that boy were dead... our world would be doomed." She spoke as her eyes sparkled.