Chapter 721 The Woman Behind The Mask II

"B-But..." Irina tried to speak, but her throat tightened around the words. She swallowed, tasting blood, and forced herself to look at Mira again. "W-Why?"

Mira crouched beside her.

The movement was casual, almost affectionate, as though she were visiting an old friend rather than kneeling beside the woman she had just stabbed. She rested the sword against her shoulder and leaned forward, examining Irina’s face with an expression of cruel delight.

Irina had encountered countless monsters and had killed enemies whose cruelty would have made ordinary people lose their minds. Yet the smile on Mira’s face sent a different kind of chill through her. It was the dirtiest, most contemptuous smile she had ever seen, filled with a satisfaction that made the woman’s earlier suffering seem like an elaborate joke.

Mira tilted her head.

"You keep assuming he did it alone," she said, her voice stripped of every trace of the fear she had once displayed. "Look around you, motherfucker. Do you honestly think he managed all of this by himself?"

Irina’s lips parted, but no answer came.

Mira gave a short laugh and gestured toward Eldric. "We did it together. Me and him. Every single part of it."

Irina felt her stomach twist, though she could no longer tell how much of the sensation came from the wound and how much came from the words being forced into her ears. She stared at Mira, searching for some sign that this was a lie, some flicker of the frightened woman she had rescued, but there was nothing.

Only contempt.

"B-From the..." Irina coughed, and blood spilled from her mouth. She struggled to breathe before forcing the remaining words out. "B-beginning... it was a lie?"

Mira’s expression brightened, as though Irina had finally asked the right question.

"Of course it was."

She rose slightly from her crouch, looking down at Irina with open amusement. "You see, we aren’t stupid. We knew strangers would eventually arrive in this village, and we knew they would be stronger than us. We just didn’t know how much stronger. We needed someone on the inside, someone who could observe you closely, figure out what you could do, and earn your trust without making you suspicious."

She tapped the side of her face with one finger, pretending to think.

"And what better way to accomplish that than a weeping, maltreated wife? A poor woman who has supposedly spent years suffering at the hands of a cruel husband?"

Mira laughed again, and the sound seemed to crawl beneath Irina’s skin.

"We didn’t even need to work hard for it. You came straight into our trap."

Irina’s fingers dug into the stone.

The pain was becoming unbearable, but the wound was no longer the thing hurting her most.

For the past day, she had been consumed by worry over Mira. Even after rescuing her, even while Liam lay barely breathing in the underground chamber, Irina had continued to carry the weight of that decision. She had blamed herself for leaving Liam alone, for choosing to help a woman she believed was suffering rather than staying beside the man she loved.

She had replayed that choice in her mind again and again.

If she had followed Liam, perhaps he would not have been left to the creature. Perhaps she could have prevented him from being drained until his body was reduced to that frightening, fragile state. Perhaps she could have reached him sooner.

The guilt had followed her into the tunnel and gnawed at her with every step.

And now she understood.

The woman she had sacrificed so much to save had never needed saving at all.

The scars, the bruises, the fear, the trembling voice, the years of supposed abuse, every detail had been part of the performance. Mira had not been a helpless victim waiting for someone to rescue her. She had been a willing participant in the cruelty that had consumed Elaris, standing beside Eldric while they murdered villagers and harvested their souls.

Irina had carried her out of darkness with her own hands.

She had protected her.

She had trusted her.

And all the while, the person she had been trying to save had been helping to destroy everything Irina cared about.

The betrayal was almost impossible to comprehend.

Her vision blurred further, and she struggled to keep Mira’s face in focus. Somewhere behind the woman, Liam remained motionless on the ground. Voss lay in his own blood. The creature beneath the chamber had not been the only danger waiting for them, and the greatest threat had not been the man who had openly declared himself their enemy.

It had been the person they had welcomed into their circle.

Irina tried to rise, but her arms gave way. A fresh wave of pain tore through her abdomen, and she collapsed onto her side, coughing violently as blood stained her lips. Her enormous hands began to shrink, the fur receding as the strength sustaining her transformation slipped away. The glow in her eyes flickered, and the cold surrounding her body weakened until only a thin layer of frost remained beneath her fingers.

She had to get up.

Liam was still there.

She could not leave him alone.

But her body was growing numb, and the sword’s unnatural effect continued to cloud her thoughts. She could no longer tell how much time had passed since the attack. Every breath felt heavier than the last, and even keeping her eyes open required an effort she was rapidly losing the ability to make.

Mira watched her struggle without the slightest hint of pity.

Then Eldric stepped forward.

He looked down at Irina with the same satisfied expression he had worn when he first revealed his plans. The fear she had seen in his face after destroying the barrier had disappeared, replaced by the smug certainty of a man who believed he had never truly been in danger.

He had allowed her to believe she had won.

He had let her destroy his barrier, approach him, and imagine that her superior strength had finally placed him at her mercy. He had even permitted her to see the fear in his eyes, knowing that her confidence would keep her attention fixed on him.

While she watched the enemy in front of her, the real danger had stood behind her.

And he had known she would never suspect it.

Eldric crouched slightly, bringing his face closer to hers. His smile widened as he watched her fading consciousness, savoring the moment with the patience of someone who had spent years arranging every piece of a plan.

"You know," he said softly, "I warned you that you were underestimating me."

Irina tried to lift her head, but it barely moved.

Eldric’s voice was the last thing she heard clearly.

"One step ahead. I am always one step ahead."

The words echoed through her fading awareness.

Then the chamber dissolved into darkness, and Irina’s consciousness slipped away.

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Don’t subscribe to the next Chapter, I just realized I posted a Chapter twice. Sorry for the error.