Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1150: Nyx Shadowfall’s True Face: Part-1

Aether, holding Ashara close in his arms, soared through the storm-torn skies above the crumbling city.

The cries of the monsters were drowned beneath the roars of madness, and yet, despite the monstrous destruction, Aether and Ashara didn’t stop to interfere.

They had one goal—to find Nyx. And that goal led them back to the grave they had first visited when they began following her trail.

They landed silently before the grave, eyes scanning the eerie silence surrounding them. The wind carried the scent of smoke and iron, and the ground trembled slightly from the distant explosions. Ashara’s eyes flicked around, nervous. They stepped inside the cold stone chamber and searched every corner, but to their dismay… she wasn’t there.

Aether’s brows furrowed deeply. “She’s not here…” he muttered, a hint of worry seeping into his tone.

Still hopeful, they moved quickly to another grave not far from the first and searched thoroughly—but again, it was no use.

“She’s not here either…”

Ashara whispered, voice tight.

“Is there any other grave she could’ve gone to?”

Aether asked, his voice more urgent now.

Ashara tilted her head adorably, trying to remember through the panic clouding her thoughts. Her brows pulled together as she tapped her chin. “Hmm… I think there are a few more. Yeah. I know at least three more spots. Let’s try them—fast.”

Without hesitation, Aether pulled her close again and leapt into the sky. Ashara pointed out the directions as they flew at high speed, her cheeks blushing faintly from the warmth of his body pressed against hers. But she shook off the fluttering inside her chest and focused on the mission—Nyx had to be somewhere.

She had to.

One by one, they checked the remaining graves.

The first… empty.

The second… nothing.

The third… not even a trace.

Ashara clenched her fists, biting her lip. “Why isn’t she at any of these? Where the hell did she go?”

Aether landed roughly on the broken ground nearby, exhaling sharply. “Sigh… where could she be?” he murmured, frustration and concern heavy in his tone.

Ashara lowered her head. “I’m sorry…” she said quietly, the guilt in her voice clear. “I really wanted to help you find her…”

Aether looked at her and managed a soft smile. He gently reached out and patted her head. “Don’t blame yourself. We’ll find her—no matter what. She can’t have gone far.”

But his mind spun with possibilities.

Where would Nyx have gone in the middle of the night? These were the places she had visited before… unless… unless she’d gone somewhere else entirely.

Maybe the palace?

But no. That wouldn’t make sense. Why would she go to Her Majesty during a time like this?

Did she even leave the house?

He suddenly turned to Ashara, his expression tense. “Wait… did you actually see her leave the house or her room?”

Ashara blinked, startled by the question. She tilted her head and thought deeply. “Hmm… now that you mention it… Nightfire only said she left the room… not the house. And we didn’t check after that. We were… we were too busy trying to wake you up.”

Her eyes widened. “Wait… Don’t tell me—what if she never left? What if she’s still inside?”

Aether’s eyes narrowed. “It’s possible. Let’s go check. Right now.”

Just as they turned to take flight, the air suddenly shifted—cold, sharp, and filled with a suffocating bloodlust.

From the thick shadows ahead, a massive black wolf burst out like a missile, claws glinting in the darkness, aiming directly for Aether’s throat.

With a quick sidestep and a powerful slide back, the wolf’s claws slashed through the air where his neck had been just moments before, missing by inches.

Ashara screamed in terror. “AETHER!”

More wolves emerged—one after another—from all directions. A whole pack of dark beasts surrounded them, their fur bristling, eyes glowing with hatred and hunger. They growled, low and deep, as their saliva dripped onto the cracked stone.

“Hehehe… we found ourselves a juicy prey tonight.”

“Indeed… I’ll take that little succubus. Been a while since we had a soft one.”

“And I’ll enjoy breaking that handsome body~”

Their voices dripped with twisted malice as they licked their fangs and advanced with slow, calculated steps.

Aether stood protectively in front of Ashara, his fists clenching. His expression turned icy cold.

“I know you’ve all lost your damn minds,” he said darkly. “But if you’re looking for a fight… I swear on everything—I’ll break every single one of you.”

The wolves sneered and snickered, amused by his confidence.

One lunged forward—but it was a mistake.

Aether’s fist moved faster than a blink, slamming through the wolf’s chest with a sickening crunch. Blood exploded from its back as its body dropped like a broken ragdoll.

Aether stared at the rest of them. His eyes didn’t flinch.

“I’ll say this once. Leave. Or die.”

The remaining wolves hesitated, a flicker of fear crossing their wild, irrational minds. But the madness had sunk too deep. Growling louder, they roared and pounced, coming at him all at once from every side.

Aether ducked low, spun around, his legs sweeping under two wolves and sending them crashing into a nearby wall. He caught another’s jaw mid-bite, crushed it in his grip, then grabbed its body and hurled it through three gravestones, shattering them like glass.

Another wolf lunged from behind—Aether spun mid-air and smashed his elbow into its skull, cracking it open with a thud.

Claws, fangs, growls—it was a whirlwind of blood and shadow. But Aether didn’t falter. His fists were merciless. Every strike exploded with deadly precision, and within mere seconds, the ground was littered with twitching, broken bodies.

Ashara watched with wide eyes, stunned and breathless. The way he fought… it was terrifyingly beautiful. Brutal. Perfect.

But just as Aether turned to her, she saw it—one last wolf, crawling silently behind him, eyes crazed, leaping with claws outstretched.

“AETHER!!!”

Ashara screamed, raising her hand instinctively. Dark flames ignited from her palm and shot forward like a cannon, engulfing the beast mid-air. The wolf let out a shrill, guttural scream as the black fire devoured it whole, leaving behind nothing but ash and smoke.

Ashara stood frozen, her arm still raised, her breath shaking.

Aether flinched as he turned back, eyes widening slightly as he watched the black flames devour the wolf’s body in a violent swirl of darkness.

The crackling embers lit his face as he slowly looked at Ashara, who stood still, arm outstretched, her hand faintly trembling from the power she had unleashed.

He smirked faintly, lips curling upward as he said with a soft, almost proud smile,

“Guess I really can trust someone to watch my back now.”

Just as he finished his words, he waved his hand to the side. Without looking, a set of razor-sharp, compressed energy spheres shot through the air behind Ashara, precise and fast. They struck a lurking wolf that had silently crept up behind her, dragging it away just before it could lunge and tear into her.

Ashara blinked. She hadn’t seen the danger. She had only been staring at Aether, her eyes confused, surprised… and quietly happy. She didn’t know what was happening anymore—except one thing.

[+2000 AP]

“I-Is this… what it means to have a friend who protects your back?”She muttered, voice soft, tinged with wonder and slight confusion.

’…’ Nightfire frowned, watching the exchange with unreadable eyes. Her expression twitched for a moment, then she sighed and casually shrugged, not saying a word.

Aether’s fists glowed again, and within seconds, he completely annihilated the remaining wolves, leaving nothing but burnt corpses and broken bones scattered across the stone battlefield.

Then, without a word, he turned and teleported them both back to the house.

A dull thud echoed as they reappeared in the corridor. Ashara stepped back,

“What now?”

Aether glanced around, his crimson gaze sharp again. “What else? We tear this damn house apart if we have to.”

And so, the search began again—with more urgency, more intensity. They split up and moved swiftly. Room after room—the kitchen, guest rooms, the living room, every hallway, the balcony, the library, dining area, even the storage rooms.

Nothing.

No sign of Nyx.

“Looks like… we were wrong again.”

Ashara muttered in a low, defeated voice. Her shoulders drooped, lips pressed tightly together.

Aether leaned against the wall in the corridor, a deep frown on his face as he pressed his fingers to his forehead. “If she’s not here…” he muttered to himself, eyes narrowing, “Then where the hell would she be?”

Ashara bit her lower lip hard, struggling to think—until something caught her eye.

A small drop of liquid… glistening faintly under the corridor light.

She crouched down, gently touched it with her finger, then brought it to her nose. The moment the scent hit her, her eyes widened in disbelief.

“…It’s Aether’s scent.”

Her face flushed slightly as her mind raced.

’Yeah… come to think of it… they did have that blunt sex,’ she thought, her cheeks puffing with fluster as she glanced sideways. Then her eyes followed the faint trail—there it was.

A barely visible path of dried, translucent drops.

“Aether… look at this,” she said, pointing to the floor.

Aether raised an eyebrow and followed her finger. He stared for a second and then let out a half-sigh, half-laugh, one hand brushing his hair back.

“So that’s our clue now? Great… things are just getting weirder by the second.”

He shook his head in amusement. Never had he imagined that his own jizz would be the key to finding someone.

Still, they followed the trail. Ashara took the lead—her succubus senses were sharper, and even though most of the drops had dried, she could still track the scent.

The trail led them down the stairs… through the hall… until finally… it reached the front entrance.

Aether’s expression darkened.

“So… she really went out after all?”

Ashara frowned, eyes narrowing as she noticed something odd—a small continuation of the trail, but on the left side of the door.

“Aether… open the door.”

He grabbed the handle and pulled it open—but outside, just as usual… those damn ghost with grins and becokening them to come out!

“Hmm… c-close it,” she said quickly.

He closed the door. And the moment it clicked shut—the trail appeared again.

Ashara frowned, stepping closer in frustration.

Nightfire finally spoke. ’Try opening it… from the left side.’

Ashara blinked. ’But… there’s no handle on that side.’

’Doesn’t matter. Try it anyway.’

With a hesitant nod, Ashara reached out and touched the left edge of the door. She pulled—nothing happened.

“What are you doing?” Aether asked, confused.

Ashara turned and explained quickly. “The trail disappears when we open the door normally. Nightfire told me to try the left side since the trail is there. I don’t know why, but… maybe it’s some kind of hidden mechanism?”

She pulled again, but it didn’t budge.

“Maybe we’re wrong… again…”Her voice dropped. Her shoulders lowered again.

“No…” Aether muttered. He stepped forward, shoved her gently aside, and placed both hands on the left panel.

He pushed.

A deep grinding noise echoed through the corridor. The left side of the door creaked… and parted open, sliding inward like a hidden passageway.

Both of them stared in stunned silence.

“…We found it,” Ashara whispered, eyes wide.

“Haha… no way,” Aether laughed softly, his voice low and amazed.

As the door slowly opened wider—what greeted them wasn’t another hallway, or a hidden room.

It was a vast, empty, barren land.