A Regressed Villain: Heroines, Villainesses and Me?

"What was that?" Aecilia asked, her mind finally beginning to find clarity after the chaos of the previous events.

With her thoughts settling, she felt the need to inquire about the perplexing situation.

She couldn't quite grasp why Avendial had brought Aria to that lavish VIP room if he had no real intentions—especially after requesting an aphrodisiac.

"What?" Avendial replied, adopting a nonchalant demeanor while remaining keenly aware of Aecilia's question.

His focus, however, remained on the potential consequences if Leo and Billie failed to subdue that Empyreal.

Avendial's confidence in escaping this predicament stemmed from his present situation where he had meta shield called the Sertsul family, to be exact Nightcrawlers.

To outsiders, it might seem an Empyreal possessing strength to cause earthquakes would be invincible, but the truth was that no matter how powerful an individual may be, fatigue and exhaustion inevitably follow when faced with overwhelming numbers.

Before entering the auction house, Avendial keeping this in kond specifically had instructed Aecilia to gather more than a hundred capable assasins from nightcrawlers to back them up.

Thus, even if things went awry and Leo and Billie were defeated, with the Empyreal charging straight for Avendial, those hundred assassins would serve as a meat shield, granting him the necessary time to escape.

He reasoned that sacrificing a few hundred of them would ultimately provide him with the window he needed.

And in the unlikely scenario that the unnaturally strong Empyreal survived and managed to attack him, Avendial might not possess overwhelming strength, but he certainly held memories of battle techniques and attack patterns.

Those insights could enable him to contend with an exhausted opponent, no matter how formidable they were, given that he had the necessary space and his own blood was an advantage—there was a chance to at least defeat an exhausted Empyreal.

As he pondered these contingencies, considering a third layer of potential outcomes in which even after sacrificing those hundred fighters, the Empyreal remained unscathed, his mind raced to devise plans of action other than him engaging himself, where his chances of even surviving a single flick were 1%.

Just then, Aecilia's voice pulled him back from his thoughts.

"I mean, why take Aria to a room and use an aphrodisiac? What's your aim here?"

Aecilia linked various threads of information, analyzing the situation from a different perspective than the one Billie had provided. At least it was a failure, given how he doesn't seem to have any interest in sleeping with Aria.

Then what?

She recalled a day ago—a memory of Avendial's expression that day in the garden in front of Aria.

Then, just yesterday, he employed the Nightcrawlers to corner Aria.

Few moments ago, observing Aria's terrified gaze directed towards her, everything began to fit together into a troubling narrative: it seemed as if he were intent on breaking down the Aria's mental fortitude, pushing her to a point where she could no longer maintain her sense of self.

The request for an aphrodisiac while confining Aria in a room initially baffled her, but Aecilia started to piece together its implications.

While aphrodisiacs are typically associated with stimulating sexual desire, their primary function involves manipulating hormones within the body.

If administered in small doses, they could merely induce sensations like increased body temperature, tingling in intimate areas, and other feelings that could easily be misconstrued as love—especially for someone unable to discern fleeting attraction from genuine affection.

It dawned on Aecilia that Aria was currently in a deeply vulnerable state, caught in a web where her mental coherence was at stake.

The situation resembled a carefully laid trap, drawing Aria further in as she struggled to maintain her grip on reality.

It's akin to a scenario where someone purchases adult content and then engages in self-pleasure.

In those moments, the individual may form a fleeting sense of connection to the figure on the screen, leading to an illusion of attraction.

The brain plays a crucial role here, as it has the ability to differentiate between the virtual and the real world.

This allows the person to sever that link once the act is completed.

However, if one were to fantasize about a real person during such moments, the nature of attraction shifts more towards the romantic.

Yet, this dynamic remains under the control of the mind, which recognizes its boundaries.

Nevertheless, once that intimate imagery is established, it becomes difficult for the individual to change their perception of that specific person.

This challenge can be particularly pronounced for those with strong mental faculties.

Take Aria, for instance.

Observing how Avendial so openly targeted her, one might deduce that his intention was to lead Aria into a delusion where she truly believes she feels love for him.

What Aecilia failed to comprehend, however, was why Aria, a woman of no notable background and lacking the status of someone like Marquess Avendial Croceaus, was being subjected to this manipulation to fall in love with him.

"Because I want her to fall for me," Avendial replied as he halted, giving a look to Aecilia, his eyes meeting hers in an obvious type of gesture without any hint of facade.

".....I mean, why her?" Aecilia again inquired, trying to understand his intent, at which he kept looking at her for a fleeting moment before closing his eyes as if wanting to tell her something very important, prompting her to keep her focus intent while trying to listen.

"She is an Empyreal," Avendial informed, causing Aecilia's eyes to widen before she placed one hand on her lips as if trying to understand the meaning of this.

Naturally, if according to him it was true that Aria was an Empyreal, then the Marquess would have two Empyreals in his army—an army which he was preparing to go against the royal family.

It was possible that the Royal Family may initially ignored it, considering the people as just normal humans hired in some kind of program by Croceaus territory.

However, having two Empyreals among the thrm would definitely put the Royal Family on alert.

Was he really determined to go all out against the Royal Family?

"Hmm...." Aecilia nodded as she closed her eyes, understanding that his plan to create an army to go against the royal family was still in action and definitely seemed, if not able to dethrone the royal family, at least the impact the Marquess would leave would be etched in history.

After all, not only normal humans, he was even collecting Empyreals to go against them. This prompted her to nod, feeling satisfied that it fulfilled her doubt. She then opened her eyes, wanting to inquire about how he knew exactly where these Empyreals were, given that not even Royal family had this information.

But she saw no one standing there, prompting her to blink before turning towards the direction they were actually heading, where she noticed his back disappearing around the corner, prompting her to also move while folding her hands, aware that he had intentionally avoided her so he didn't have to give away his secret of knowing the locations of Empyreals.

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Swish!

"Kugh—BAM!"

The air was thick with tension as Leo, his muscles taut and focused, faced off against the hulking figure of Bordy in the dimly lit corridor.

Bordy, towering and built like a tank, smirked as he cracked his knuckles, ready for the impending showdown.

"What's going on here!?"

Outside, the auction house was fortified—security personnel clad in black suits stood watch, sleek Mercedes-Benz cars idled nearby, and guards inside were caught off guard by the ferocity of the fight unfolding within.

Leo was relentless, pushing forward and maneuvering Bordy backward, determined to herd him outside.

Bordy noticed the tactic, chuckling darkly.

"You don't need to lead me out. I'm more than happy to crush an insect like you in the open," he sneered, revealing he was already wise to Leo's plan.

They lunged at each other, each muscle rippling with intent.

Boom!

Bordy's sheer physical power came crashing down like a hammer, yet with each strike, Leo seemed to absorb the impact, his muscles bracing and toughening, transforming the blows into raw strength.

Bordy's eyes narrowed as he noticed Leo becoming increasingly resistant, composed and focused despite what should have been bone-crushing strikes.

"Haah... Haah..." Leo panted, concentrating fully on avoiding any words as he finally led Bordy outside toward the auction house's entrance. They emerged near the threshold, where most of the security personnel who had previously been inside were now standing, drawing their weapons and looking in their direction.

"Seems you're learning how to handle my strength, huh?" Bordy growled, a mix of admiration and irritation in his voice.

"But let's see if you can withstand this."

His body began to emit an eerie glow as he activated his Berserker ability, causing his strength to surge tenfold.

In an instant, he swung with a force that could only be described as devastating.

'!?'

"Ugh!" Leo barely had time to brace himself before Bordy's fist connected, launching him through the air.

Boom!

"Cough!—Thud!" He crashed into a row of parked cars, the metal crumpling and glass shattering as he coughed up blood, his muscles quaking as his body strained to adapt.

"Haa....." Just as he caught his breath, Leo saw Bordy closing the distance, fist cocked back for a potentially fatal blow.

"This punch will finish you," Bordy declared, a sadistic gleam in his eyes, preparing to end the fight with one crushing move.

But just as he swung, a voice sliced through the chaos.

"Hey! Hold it!"

A figure darted into the scene—a woman with a confident swagger, tomboyish in build, sporting short, messy gray hair and striking golden eyes.

Dressed in athletic gear, her expression was sharp and unflinching.

With a swift motion, she clicked a pen in her hand, attempting to stab it into Bordy's tough skin.

"Shit!?"

The pen barely made a scratch; his flesh was as tough as steel.

Narrowing her eyes, she turned to Leo, tossing him the pen.

"Marquess said to pierce this bastard's skin with that pen. Do it!"

Leo took the cue and steadied himself.

He aimed, then swung his body upward and launched the pen directly toward Bordy's shoulder.

The small tip embedded itself in Bordy's thick muscle, puncturing the surface.

Bordy sneered, barely fazed.

"A pen? Poison doesn't affect me," he scoffed.

But as the words left his lips, his smug expression faltered—the *Berserker* glow began to waver, his energy visibly draining.

Leo staggered to his feet, a smile breaking through his pain.

"Guess you're not as invincible as you thought, huh?"