Chapter 206: Ch 205: Fell for the Oldest Trick

Whatever was controlling Selene had taken over her body. The unique glow in her eyes gave her away and immediately put Kael’s instincts on edge.

He had a feeling that someone else might not have caught this change, but his sharp senses noticed it immediately.

Selene’s expression turned thoughtful, and her eyes searched Kael’s face in return. There was silence between them, and then...Selene suddenly started laughing.

Her chilling laughter filled the area, making Kael feel a sense of unease. His hands trembled, wanting to pull away from Selene’s face. But he kept his hand near her in order to subdue her.

"Oh! So you caught me? What gave me away? Was I not acting just like the person you remembered?"

Numerous voices mixed together as they spoke to Kael through Selene’s body.

The eerie feeling he got from Selene intensified, and Kael felt trapped between her gaze and the physical wall her powers had created behind him.

’A wall? This texture feels like mud. But corruption should not be capable of forming substances like this...unless...’

The corruption had full control over Selene’s body. Not only could it move her body, but it could also use her body. To have such control over someone meant they were beyond saving.

But Kael had been sure that Selene had retained her own consciousness until recently. Was that also a trick?

’I don’t want to believe this. If Selene is so far gone, then why did the world magic tell me that I needed to help her? There has to be a reason-’

[A new update is being shared.]

[Due to a second evaluation of ’Calamity Selene,’ a new conclusion has been reached.]

[New Conclusion - Selene Asterveil will be removed from the list of ’potentially remediable’ individuals and immediately placed on the ’disposable’ list.]

[Please end her suffering for her own sake.]

The world magic had also decided she was beyond help and had forsaken her. It was a predictable conclusion reached after careful consideration.

Once corrupted, an individual could never recover. They were forced to carry the corruption and become a ticking time bomb.

It took a miracle for anyone to recover from such a condition, and Elena had been one of the lucky few. It had been a one-in-a-thousand chance, and only because her corruption had just begun.

For Selene, it was already too late.

"What’s wrong? Have you decided to give up? That’s good. A human like you should know your limits. Now, hand your body over-"

Kael blasted the corruption with his magic. The divine energy grazed Selene’s cheek and immediately caused the surrounding corruption to rot.

"Darn it! I really wanted to give Selene a second chance. She tormented me a lot in our past, and I honestly don’t like her. But she deserved a second chance, just like everyone else. But you...you ruined it."

Kael’s energy surged before the area shone with a brilliant white light. He knew that his emotions were useless, but he could not control the surge of anger inside him.

Well, it was not like he had been hoping for anything special with Selene. Heck, he was sure they could never mend their relationship.

But he still never wished for anyone to be swallowed by corruption.

The entity wearing Selene’s face gave him a startled look before it turned into a teasing smile.

"Oh! Young love is so cute. Now, why don’t you give up this anger and come join me? I promise you will be reunited with your lover-"

"Stop sprouting bullshit. Do you have any idea how many times I almost died because of Selene? The only reason I even feel sympathy for her is because I’m human. Now fuck off."

Kael felt thoroughly irritated by the corruption.

His power built up before blasting toward Selene’s body. The corruption dodged easily and countered, but he blocked the attack with a holy shield.

This fight was proof that Kael had recovered. His body had also become sturdier, allowing it to handle much more of his power.

Now, even if he used far more power, he likely would not break. And the corruption also realized that he was a genuine threat.

"Darn it! Can’t you stay still and let me get one clean shot?"

The entity complained, trying its hardest to land even a single hit on Kael. But his shield blocked everything.

He kept expanding the shield until it reached Selene’s body and passed through it.

"S-Stop! This burns! You are going to kill me! H-Hey—Aahhh!"

A loud scream pierced the forest as Kael finally reached Selene’s unconscious body. He checked on her, only to find that she was still alive.

"Tsk, what do I do with you? Should I take your body back and hand you over to your family? They will be able to deal with you better-"

Kael’s heart told him that this was the right decision, but his instincts were telling him something different.

Even if he managed to take Selene back, she was already corrupted. Her high elf powers were a part of her soul and could never be purified. She would not be able to live a normal life even if she returned.

[Please end the calamity before it can be birthed.]

The world magic reminded Kael, and he knew that the merciful thing to do would be to end her life and pray that she was given a better one next time.

But Kael hesitated. He wanted to believe that there was still a chance Selene’s stubbornness would pull through.

"Ugh...where?"

Selene opened her eyes, and they looked normal—just like a high elf’s should. The prideful look on her face was the same as the Selene he remembered, and she even sounded calmer.

All of this made Kael lower his guard. The presence of corruption had also lessened, so maybe he could give her a chance to recover...

’What am I even thinking? That can never happen. Those who are corrupted never recover from it. Let’s not think about it-’

But Selene was looking at him with trust-filled eyes, and it was making him weak-willed. Maybe helping her out this time would not be so bad-

And then, Selene immediately betrayed him as she grabbed his arm.

"You are a sentimental fool. Now, goodbye."