Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1149: This was true damnation… Welcome to the Umbrionis Void Empire.

Aether felt a chilling atmosphere wrap around his skin like a cold fog. Goosebumps rose along his arms as he growled low in his throat, the lingering unease crawling over him.

Slowly, his eyes fluttered open, hazy at first, then sharpened as he spotted Ashara leaning over him, her hands pressing against his chest, trying to shake him awake.

Aether blinked, squinting at her groggily as his voice came out hoarse, “Ashara…? What… what’s going on?”

Ashara gave him a soft smile, though it didn’t quite hide the nerves in her eyes. “You finally woke up. You’ve been asleep for a while. I was getting worried,” she said gently and began explaining everything that had happened since he passed out.

Aether’s brows drew together. “She used… some kind of powder on me?”

Ashara nodded slowly, biting her lower lip.

Aether’s lips twitched in mild annoyance as he pushed himself upright. “Tch… now it makes sense. That dizzy feeling I’ve been getting every time I wake up… it wasn’t natural. She must’ve been using some kind of sleeping powder or drug—damn it, like knocking me out so I wouldn’t notice.”

His eyes narrowed as he rubbed his temple.

“Where is she now?”

“She walked out of the room after you fell asleep. That’s all I know,”

Ashara replied quickly, avoiding his gaze, her eyes darting elsewhere like a guilty child caught red-handed.

Aether didn’t miss it. His tone turned sharp, “You’re hiding something. What is it?”

Ashara shook her head too fast, stammering, “I-I wasn’t hiding anything!” But the fear flashing across her face, and her gulp, betrayed her.

’You’re making it obvious, idiot!’ Nightfire’s voice practically screamed in her mind, making her flinch internally.

Aether grabbed Ashara by the wrist and tugged her forward until her face was just an inch from his. His eyes were burning with warning.

“Don’t lie to me. You remember what happened to Nightfire, don’t you? I won’t be so gentle next time,”

He said, his eyes briefly sliding down to her ass, a dangerous glint flashing in his gaze.

Ashara gasped and trembled, her cheeks flushing in fear and embarrassment as she nodded frantically with a nervous, henpecked expression.

“T-T-The sky… you saw it, right? It’s red…”

“Yeah, I saw that. So?”

“Tonight is the Blooddawn…”

“Blooddawn?”

Aether repeated, his frown deepening.

Ashara’s voice grew tense.

“On this night, people here lose control… their animalistic instincts take over. They go wild—like completely primal. They attack anything they see, and there’s no reasoning with them. It’s like their minds are taken over by beasts, and nothing can stop it.”

Aether’s eyes widened slightly, then narrowed again.

“So that’s why Nightfire left… her succubus side would’ve completely taken over her mind if she stayed?”

Ashara nodded quickly.

“Yes, exactly. During this time, I’m usually the one who keeps her from going too far… keeps her sane.”

Aether let out a low sigh, trying to absorb the information.

“I see… then that means… Nyx too?”

Ashara nodded again. “Yes, most likely. She probably let her primal side loose somewhere far from here. That’s why she put you to sleep before leaving—so you wouldn’t follow her or interfere.”

Aether clenched his fist, his jaw tensing. He turned back toward the window, the crimson glow seeping into his eyes. “We need to find her.”

Ashara stepped in front of him, worry evident in her voice.

“Aether, please. It’s dangerous out there right now. Going outside during the Blooddawn… It’s basically suicide. Anyone we meet could be a monster by now.”

“But I need to know where she is. I have to know what’s happening to her…. Will you help me?”

Aether asked softly, reaching out and gently placing his hand over hers.

[+1000 AP]

Ashara’s breath caught in her throat. It was the first time Aether had ever asked her for help like this. He was always the one protecting her, standing tall, taking the blows, shielding everyone with his strength.

But now… he was reaching out to her. And that meant something.

Still scared, but trying to be brave, Ashara nodded with a forced smile. “O-Okay then! I’ll help.”

Aether’s expression softened. He gave her a warm smile. “Don’t worry. Nothing will happen to you. I’ll protect you—like always. That’s a promise.”

Ashara blinked at his words, her heart fluttering despite the danger. She smiled weakly, “You haven’t changed at all, Aether…”

Aether raised an eyebrow and smirked, “What do you mean? I’m pretty sure I’ve changed a lot. Look—” he flexed his muscles playfully, “I’ve definitely levelled up.”

Ashara giggled, shaking her head with an innocent grin. “Still a show-off…”

They walked together toward the entrance door, side by side. But just as Aether reached for the handle, he froze.

Ashara noticed his hesitation. “Something wrong?”

Aether’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Well… you mentioned the Blooddawn affecting people. But what about ghosts? Does it affect them too?”

Ashara tilted her head in confusion. “Ghosts…? I-I don’t know. I’ve never heard of that before. Why would you—?”

But before she could finish, Aether opened the door.

What waited outside was something she could never have imagined.

Thousands—literally thousands—of translucent, grinning ghostly figures hovered mid-air in front of the entrance. Their eyes glowed white and red, their mouths stretched wide in twisted smiles.

Some had no lower jaws. Others had elongated necks, split faces, or twisted limbs swirling like smoke. One had three heads that rotated like a spinning wheel, while another had a spine that dangled beneath it like a snake’s tail.

They didn’t scream. They didn’t attack.

No.

They waved.

Hundreds of them.

Smiling.

Floating there like a crowd of creepy party guests.

And they were all beckoning Ashara with curling, transparent fingers. Some gestured sweetly. Others crooked fingers in slow, hypnotic waves.

One ghost even held a sign—“JOIN US”—carved in glowing blood-red letters.

Ashara’s face paled instantly.

She let out a sound that wasn’t quite a scream, more like a strangled hiccup, and then—

Thud!

No, it wasn’t the door that slammed shut.

It was Ashara’s body, hitting the floor like a sack of potatoes as she fainted dead away, arms flopping beside her.

“Ashara!!”

Aether shouted, panic rising in his voice as he dropped to her side.

He shook her shoulders gently at first, then slapped her cheek a few times—not hard, but fast. “Come on! Wake up! That wasn’t that scary… well, okay maybe it was…”

Ashara’s eyes fluttered open slowly, blinking as if waking from a fever dream. She saw Aether leaning over her and without a word, suddenly wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, clinging to him like a scared kitten that had just seen hell.

“W-What the heck was that, Aether?! What the actual hell was that?!”

Her whole body was trembling violently, her legs wrapped around him without her realising. Her voice cracked like glass, and her grip only tightened.

Aether let out a relieved breath and awkwardly patted her back. “Looks like I’m not the only one seeing them… so I’m not going insane. Good to know…”

Ashara panted heavily, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she clutched onto Aether’s robe. Her entire body trembled uncontrollably, her eyes darting around in panic. The way those ghosts had stared at her… the way they beckoned her with those slow, eerie smiles… it was so unreal—so unnatural—and so… fucking horrifying!!

“I-I’ve never seen anything like that before…”

She finally whispered, her voice cracking under the weight of terror.

Even without words, her shaking form said everything—just how deeply horrified she truly was.

“What?” Aether asked, surprised. “I thought this kind of thing was normal around here?”

Ashara stopped mid-tremble, then turned her head toward him slowly—very slowly—with an expression so horrified that even Aether felt a chill crawl up his spine.

“Souls… are supposed to be taken by the Grace,” she said, her voice rising in panic, “and then put on the path of Samsara! They’re not supposed to be floating around in the air like that—calling us to join them! That’s not normal!”

Hearing that, Aether blinked, the reality settling in.

She was right.

Her words struck deep. It wasn’t just about being scared—it was something fundamentally wrong. The souls were supposed to be guided by the Grace to their next life, moved along through the grand wheel of Samsara. But here… they weren’t just stuck—they were hovering. Laughing. Waving. Beckoning.

What kind of twisted nightmare was this?

Only one person could possibly explain what was happening now…

Nyx.

They had to find her.

“Okay then…” Aether muttered, snapping back into focus. He reached out and wrapped his arms around Ashara’s waist, pulling her close against his chest. “Let’s teleport.”

Ashara’s cheeks flushed red from the sudden closeness. She tilted her head slightly, her breath hitching. Oddly, she couldn’t smell anything from his chest—it was clean, almost unnaturally so—but before she could process that strange detail, the space around them twisted.

With a pulse of magic, they vanished from the room.

And reappeared…

In the sky.

“YAAAHHH!!”

Ashara let out a startled scream, her arms flailing instinctively. She felt the air rush past her, a terrifying sense of falling—but Aether held her tightly, not letting her slip even an inch as they hovered above the entire city.

Below them, the world was bleeding.

Aether looked around, his expression hardening.

The sky was bathed in blood-red light, casting everything beneath it in an ominous crimson hue.

Then—

BOOOOMM!!

“ARRRGHHH!!!”

“HAHAHAHAAA!!”

Aether’s eyes widened in shock as the sounds below ripped through the sky. What he saw next made his stomach twist.

People were running wild—fighting, smashing buildings to pieces, dragging bodies, laughing maniacally, screwing in the middle of the streets, robbing others blind, biting necks, devouring raw flesh, setting things on fire, screaming, crying, and killing each other like it was a sport.

Shrieks and maniacal laughter filled the air. Buildings exploded in fiery bursts. Fires raged uncontrollably across the entire area. The entire building was collapsing while people danced on the ruins.

People weren’t just fighting…

They were ripping each other apart.

Naked men and women tackled each other on the streets, fucking like animals, some still bleeding, some with missing limbs. There were no rules. Just pure instinct and primal rage.

A group of children were seen beating an elderly man to death with bones—bones!—laughing like it was a game.

Nearby, a man screamed as his own neighbors set his legs on fire, dancing around him while singing lullabies. Another woman had pinned a man to a wall and was devouring his face—not metaphorically, literally eating his face, chewing muscle and cartilage while he shrieked in agony, she she fucked him!!!

Aether’s eyes widened.

He saw a naked woman dragging a corpse behind her by the intestines, giggling as she talked to it like a pet.

Three men were fighting over a headless body, stabbing each other with forks while trying to pull pieces off its flesh.

There was blood flooding the alleyways, mixing with discarded clothes, weapons, and limbs. A man sat on top of a pile of corpses, meditating—meditating!—while holding a severed head in each hand like sacred idols.

Farther away, he spotted someone screaming in ecstasy as they hurled babies into a burning pit, believing it to be some kind of twisted offering.

Aether couldn’t take his eyes off it.

It was chaos—pure, absolute madness.

“What in the…” Aether whispered, utterly stunned.

Ashara’s voice came from beside him, hollow and matter-of-fact. “This… this is how the Void Empire works, Aether.”

He turned to her slowly, still dazed. She continued, “You’re either the predator… or the prey. You can rape, kill, devour, enslave, burn, torture… anything you want. And no one will stop you. The only rule is: don’t touch something stronger than you. That’s it. The weak hide… and the strong do whatever they want. If they mess with someone stronger, they just face the consequences. That’s it. That’s the only law—power.”

Her words echoed in Aether’s mind, and he found himself staring down at the people again… trying to understand what he was seeing.

He saw a father beating his daughter with a chain because she spilled water.

He saw a woman burying a crying baby under rubble just to silence it.

He saw people mutilating themselves for fun, slicing their tongues, gouging their own eyes, moaning in pleasure.

And no one around them cared.

This was normal here.

This wasn’t like his empire.

His people—they had flaws. Yes, they could be cruel. They could be animalistic, selfish, and even monstrous at times.

But they still had pride. They still felt guilty. They still understood love, hate, honour, and pain.

His people could be savage, but they were still human.

But down here… this…

This was different.

There was no remorse. No empathy.

Here, people didn’t cry when someone died.

Here, people didn’t care if you loved them.

Here, people left their babies to die and never looked back.

Here, people didn’t hesitate to abandon their children in the middle of the street like discarded garbage.

Here, people laughed while killing their friends.

Here, people ate their own kin like roasted meat.

Here, people burned their parents alive for pleasure, then danced in the ashes.

Here, people offered their lovers to be tortured, just to prove loyalty to someone stronger.

Here, people threw away their own bloodline if they deemed it unworthy of existing.

It was animal– No,NO!!

It wasn’t even animalistic anymore.

Even animals mourned their young. Even beasts had empathy for their kind.

But these creatures below…

“…They’re monsters.” Aether muttered, his voice cold and hollow.

His eyes flickered black.

He stared hard at the twisted beings below him—beings that called themselves people, yet acted with less humanity than demons.

Even the real monsters he’d fought in the past would pale in comparison to this hellish reality.

This was…

This was true damnation.

True madness.

This was Hell.

Welcome to the Umbrionis Void Empire.