Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

A few minutes earlier, near the barrier of the Pyra Empire.

’Aether… they arrived.’

Victor’s lips slowly curled into a faint smirk as he turned his gaze toward Selene and gave a small nod.

Just as he predicted.

Yes… he knew they would appear in the Aurora Empire first.

After all… he… No.25 hadn’t completely erased everyone, right?

That one metallic figure escaped.

No… escaped wasn’t the correct word.

More like the spear itself stopped before piercing through that thing completely.

Victor still remembered that strange sensation clearly.

It wasn’t hesitation from No.25.

The feeling had been different… unnatural. Almost as if the spear itself had refused to continue its attack against that particular metallic figure.

Even now, the thought left a bitter taste in his mouth.

He didn’t fully understand the reason, but if he calculated everything properly, then that survivor had most likely already informed their Empire. Which meant there was a very high possibility that they would come searching for him… or more specifically, the spear?

That was exactly why most of his women were currently staying inside the Aurora Empire.

Still, Victor refused to gamble everything on a single Empire like some desperate fool clinging to luck.

He tightened Aurora’s security far beyond the others.

Pyra remained under his direct protection.

Naiadae stayed protected by Aqua and her soldiers.

Zephyra remained beside Kaelen and his soldiers.

As for the others, they moved according to Maelona’s instructions. Victor wasn’t entirely sure what that woman was planning half the time, but he trusted her judgment enough not to interfere.

Then another voice echoed inside his mind.

’Aether… just as you predicted, one of them appeared near the spear.’

Victor’s expression darkened slightly.

’Sera… don’t make any reckless moves.’

The response came instantly.

’Don’t worry. It’s only one enemy. I can handle it.’

Victor’s brows furrowed harder. Even through the mental link, he could hear the dangerous sharpness hiding inside her voice.

’You idiot… I told you not to engage. Just observe its movements and report back to me.’

’I will not allow some disgusting filth to lay even a finger on my God’s spear!’

Fury exploded through her words.

Victor closed his eyes for a brief second and exhaled quietly through his nose.

He understood her frustration better than anyone. Unlike Helena, who could still leave the barrier and fight using her energy, Sera’s situation was different. Even with Mother’s blessing flowing through her veins, she still couldn’t withstand the Clarion energy properly.

And after the last battle…

Sera herself knew it.

In a direct fight beside him, she would become nothing more than dead weight.

That helplessness was slowly eating her alive from the inside.

’Tsk.’

Victor clicked his tongue softly, annoyance mixing with concern.

It wasn’t like he failed to understand her emotions. If their positions were reversed, he would have acted exactly the same way.

“I’m leaving,” Victor said calmly, though the coldness inside his tone instantly froze the atmosphere.

Selene lifted her eyes toward him and nodded without hesitation. She didn’t try to stop him. None of them would.

Because everyone already knew what kind of man Victor truly was.

Still… worry quietly lingered inside their eyes.

What if he used that power again?

What if he destroyed his body again?

What if this time he pushed himself so far that even survival became impossible?

Yet nobody dared challenge his decision.

Once Victor decided to move, nothing in existence could force him backwards. He would crawl through blood, shattered bones, and death itself if that was what it took to reach his goal.

Otherwise… why would he unleash that monstrous power during the last battle?

Even after losing his arms and one leg, he continued dragging himself forward while Helena desperately begged him to stop.

That memory still lingered vividly inside everyone’s minds like a nightmare that refused to fade.

From the side, Emberlyn quietly glanced toward Selene. Her lips parted slightly as though she wanted to speak, but the words never came out.

In the end, she lowered her gaze again.

She felt she had no right to cross the boundaries surrounding this man.

Victor slowly turned toward the hundreds of soldiers standing behind him.

Heavy armour reflected the crimson glow of the torches, while artifacts hummed faintly within their clenched hands.

The air itself felt heavy, almost suffocating, as dragonic pressure silently spread from Victor’s body like invisible waves crashing against stone.

Not a single soldier dared to breathe loudly.

Victor’s ice-cold eyes swept across them one by one before he finally spoke,

“Soldiers… our enemy has stepped into the land of my closest friend… the Elysiumis Aurora Empire.”

The moment those words left his mouth, the atmosphere sharply dropped.

“While the four Empires stood on the edge of destruction…” Victor continued, his gaze turning colder,

“That man bled for all of us. He stood where others could not stand. He endured what others could not endure.”

His jaw tightened slightly.

“And now, while he lies severely injured…”

A dangerous silence followed.

“As the Emperor of this land, I will repay that kindness.”

Victor took a single step forward.

“And as his friend…” his voice deepened into something terrifyingly cold, “I will protect what belongs to him.”

The pressure erupting from his body instantly made several younger dragon soldiers stiffen. Their instincts screamed at them to kneel.

Victor slowly raised his hand and slammed his fist against his chest.

“So stand proud.”

“Crush our enemies without mercy.”

“Protect our land.”

“Protect our pride.”

The soldiers immediately slammed their fists against their chest plates without hesitation.

“UNDERSTOOD, YOUR MAJESTY!”

The roar thundered across the fortress like a battlefield war cry.

None of them needed Victor to mention the friend’s name.

The entire world already knew.

The friendship between the Dragon Emperor and Aether had long spread across Empires.

Once, many dragons despised the idea of their Emperor standing beside a mere human. To dragons, humans were fragile creatures whose lives burned briefly like candles in a storm.

But that belief was shattered the day countless divine spears descended from the heavens.

The memory still haunted them.

The burning sky.

The collapsing atmosphere.

The horrifying pressure that made even dragons feel fear.

And amidst all of it… Aether stood there alone.

From that day onward, nobody dared to question his worthiness to stand beside their Emperor.

In fact, many dragons silently believed they owed him their lives. That was why they willingly followed Thalia to assist the other Empires without complaint.

Just as Victor said… kindness that remained unpaid would rot within the heart forever.

Victor suddenly turned around.

This time, his voice became so cold that even dragon scales prickled in fear.

“If they dare set foot upon our land…”

“They die.”

“Or…” his eyes glowed sharply, “you die.”

Several soldiers unconsciously swallowed.

“Nobody…” Victor’s voice dropped lower, deadlier, “gets beyond the formation I personally created.”

“Understood?”

“UNDERSTOOD, DRAGON EMPEROR!”

This time, their voices carried visible fear alongside pride.

Victor gave a slow nod before glancing toward Vesperine, standing nearby.

He muttered while calculating internally, “It will take around eleven minutes to reach Aurora…”

His fingers lightly tapped against his arm.

“Five minutes to reach the teleportation station… another minute for activation… then five more minutes to reach the destination near the spear.”

Vesperine listened carefully.

Then she softly spoke.

“Can’t you use your powers directly?”

Victor looked at her briefly before shaking his head.

“Teleporting carelessly inside the barrier could destabilise the entire structure.”

His explanation sounded simple.

But Vesperine narrowed her eyes slightly.

She had used spatial abilities multiple times within barriers before, and nothing happened.

’Is he worried the distortion might interfere with the formation? Maybe I should tell him nothing will be-’ she wondered internally before suddenly freezing.

’Wait… idiot!’

She nearly cursed herself aloud.

If Victor truly could not use his powers properly right now… then helping him would massively increase her worth in his eyes.

Vesperine immediately straightened herself before speaking with hesitant pride.

“M-Maybe…” she began carefully, “I can help reduce the travel time.”

Victor raised an eyebrow with believable surprise.

“Oh? How?”

Of course, Victor already knew what she was capable of. From the very beginning, she had already become part of his calculations.

Still, his acting remained flawless.

Vesperine awkwardly scratched the back of her head before forcing herself to become serious.

“It’s not teleportation exactly…”

A faint spatial ripple quietly formed around her fingertips.

“Just imagine the destination clearly.”

Victor stared at her for a moment before slowly nodding. Then he closed his eyes.

Vesperine slowly stepped closer before carefully placing her hand against his.

The moment their skin touched, Victor instinctively flinched at the contact, his brows twitching faintly, yet he didn’t pull away.

He simply allowed her to continue.

The moment their hands connected, Vesperine felt something strange.

Then, within a fraction of a second,

Sssshhhh~

Golden light spiralled behind her.

A radiant portal slowly formed in the air, shimmering like liquid sunlight twisting into a whirlpool. Tiny particles of light drifted around its edges, illuminating the dark surroundings with a dreamlike glow.

When Victor opened his eyes, strands of soft hair brushed lightly against his face.

He looked down with visible surprise.

Vesperine was panting heavily.

Her shoulders rose and fell rapidly, and faint beads of sweat glimmered near her neck as though the spell had drained nearly every ounce of strength from her body.

“Is it difficult?” Victor asked while still holding her hand, genuine curiosity flickering within his gaze.

Vesperine forced a weak smile.

“I-I’ve never used this to travel between entire Empires before…”

Even after saying that, her fingers remained tightly wrapped around his hand despite having no reason to continue holding it anymore.

Victor quietly hummed.

Part of him wanted to shake her hand away immediately, but since she had genuinely used her powers for him… he decided to tolerate it for now.

Just a little.

Without another word, Victor stepped forward while still holding her hand and entered the portal.

The instant he crossed through, his eyes narrowed slightly.

He found himself standing inside a long, narrow white pathway stretching endlessly ahead.

The entire space glowed with brilliant pale light.

No walls.

No ceiling.

No visible end?

Only the endless path.

Victor frowned as he turned toward Vesperine.

“As I said before…” she explained softly while catching her breath, “mine isn’t exactly teleportation. It’s something similar… but instead of skipping space entirely… we travel through it.”

She scratched her cheek awkwardly, her face turning slightly red.

“I-I’m not very good at explaining it….”

Victor didn’t answer immediately.

His eyes silently observed the glowing pathway beneath his feet.

He understood teleportation better than most people.

Two points.

The space between beginning and destination forcibly folded and erased displacement, leaving only connection.

That was how teleportation always worked for him.

But this…

This was different.

The displacement still existed.

The path itself remained intact.

’I’m starting to get curious about her powers,’ he thought inwardly, though he immediately suppressed the thought.

Now was not the time.

“How long until we reach the end?” he finally asked.

Obviously, only she knew the answer.

Vesperine looked exhausted already, her body trembling faintly as if maintaining this pathway alone consumed enormous energy.

“F-Five minutes… if we run now.”

Victor blinked once.

“Only five?”

For the first time, genuine surprise appeared on his face.

Even though the displacement still existed, the distance between the two points had clearly been compressed to an absurd degree.

His eyes drifted toward Vesperine’s trembling figure.

’Maybe this is some ancient first spatial spell…?’

Whatever it was, he had no intention of wasting another second.

A sharp smirk slowly formed across his face.

“Five minutes?”

His grip around her hand tightened slightly as violent confidence flashed through his eyes.

“I can cross it in one.”

Vesperine blinked just as she was about to ask something when she suddenly saw Victor leaning toward her.

Her heart instantly leapt in excitement.

’H-He’s going to carry me like a princess?’

After all, her legs had been trembling this entire time, right?

Of course, he noticed.

Of course, he decided to carry her gently and rush toward the end while protecting her.

[+4000 AP]

A deep blush spread across her cheeks.

She only wanted to increase her value in his eyes, but to think such a bonus would come along with it too…

Her imagination immediately began running wild.

Then,

Thuck!

“…Mr. Victor… what exactly are you doing?”

Veins visibly popped across Vesperine’s forehead when she realised Victor was carrying her like a sack of potatoes under his left arm.

Her twin tails dangled downward pitifully while her body bounced awkwardly against his side.

Victor didn’t even bother answering.

Instead, his eyes sharpened coldly as he instantly activated his skill.

Step!

“KKYYYYAAAAA!!”

In a fraction of a second, the world exploded forward.

The white pathway distorted violently around them as Victor crossed dozens of miles with a single step. A terrifying wave of wind smashed directly into Vesperine’s face from the sudden acceleration.

Her frantic twin tails spiralled wildly in the air behind her like silver drills losing control while tears nearly flew from the corners of her eyes.

“S-Slow dowwwwnnnnnnnn!!”

Her scream echoed endlessly throughout the glowing pathway.

Victor ignored every single word.

Or perhaps he simply couldn’t hear her anymore.

Another step.

The scenery blurred.

Another.

The light around them cracked apart like shattered glass under overwhelming speed.

Then finally…

Victor’s eyes narrowed sharply.

The end of the tunnel appeared before him.

Beyond it, he saw the vision of his spear.

Nearby stood a metallic tailed figure.

And before that figure…

His beloved.

The moment he saw her, the atmosphere around Victor instantly changed.

His ice-blue eyes darkened violently, black smoke-like energy flickering near the corners of his gaze like burning shadows trying to escape.

Without hesitation, he summoned a gun from his storage.

The weapon materialised instantly within his grasp.

Victor raised it calmly.

Bang!

Bang!

The beam of energy tore through the air toward its target without the slightest pause.

Then he stepped out from the tunnel itself.

Black wisps curled near his eyes as his cold gaze locked onto the figure ahead.

A faint smile appeared across his face.

“May I come in?”