Villainous Me: Help! The heroines are yanderes!
Chapter 70 - 69: Blessed oblivion[GTG]

Chapter 70: Chapter 69: Blessed oblivion[GTG]

The air hung thick with the acrid tang of ozone and pulverized concrete. Half the building had vanished in a shower of debris, leaving us perched precariously on the remaining half like shipwreck survivors clinging to a splintered raft.

But the reprieve was short-lived. The once innocuous metal rods and twisted rebar scattered around the floor began to writhe and contort, levitating a few inches off the ground.

"Yeah, right, like that was gonna be that easy," I muttered under my breath, the sarcasm dripping from my voice like oil.

Scarlet clicked her tongue, her jaw clenched tight. "Tsk," she hissed, her gaze scanning the now-hostile environment. "We need to get out of here. This place gives her too much leverage." It was a statement of the obvious. The twisted metal jungle gym before us was a playground for the pink-haired menace, and the confined space offered little room for maneuver. Just how in the world did she have such absolute dominion over the very air itself?

The answer, for now, was secondary. Survival took precedence. We sprinted towards the shattered edge of the building, the remaining wall offering a precarious escape route. Scarlet, I reasoned, could use her water manipulation to cushion our fall. My own shadow-based abilities were woefully inadequate in the face of such raw, elemental power.

Suddenly, a metal rod shot forward with a shriek, aimed like a bullet straight for Scarlet’s abdomen. Adrenaline surged through me, and with a practiced flick of my wrist, I summoned my katana. Darkness danced along the blade as I met the attack head-on.

**Klang!** The metallic screech echoed through the ruined building as I parried the blow. But the respite was momentary. A relentless barrage of metal projectiles rained down from all directions, a metallic storm orchestrated by the pink-haired harpy. This time, Scarlet was prepared. A wave of water erupted from her outstretched hand, forming a swirling shield that deflected the incoming onslaught.

We reached the precipice, the shattered edge offering a perilous glimpse of freedom. But just as I prepared to leap, an invisible force yanked me backwards. A strangled cry escaped my lips as my body became a marionette, limbs flailing uselessly.

"Damn her!" I roared in frustration, my voice echoing off the broken concrete. My vision landed on a nearby pillar where I found myself bound by invisible restraints, courtesy of the pink-haired girl.

My earlier suspicion was confirmed. My heightened strength seemed to offer a degree of resistance against her wind manipulation, a chink in her seemingly impenetrable armor. She wasn’t attempting to bind Scarlet – perhaps it was beyond her capabilities.

Scarlet’s scream cut through the din. A water tendril, thick as a tree trunk, lashed out towards me, but was intercepted by a flying metal cupboard. The impact sent Scarlet tumbling over the edge of the building, a sickening yelp escaping her lips.

Fury boiled in my gut. There was no other option. I had been desperately trying to avoid using my shadow clone technique due to the debilitating backlash, but this was a desperate situation. Closing my eyes, I concentrated, willing a perfect replica of myself to materialize somewhere within the ruined building. This was another facet of my ability I’d discovered – the ability to project the clone at a distance, keeping my true form hidden.

The telltale sounds of footsteps and scraping metal confirmed the pink-haired girl’s approach. But something was off. I could also hear the metallic screech of another rod being dragged across the floor. A shiver ran down my spine as a horrifying realization dawned on me – she was carrying a rod in each hand.

My mind raced through a multitude of scenarios, each ending worse than the last. Then, with a sickening jolt, my body was spun around by an unseen force. There she stood, the pink-haired girl, her expression a mask of conflicting emotions – rage, desperation, and a flicker of something... else?

Her eyes held a storm of emotions, a kaleidoscope of feelings I couldn’t decipher. In one hand, she clutched a metal rod, the tip glinting menacingly in the dim light. In the other...

"No way," I breathed, a tremor in my voice. Her other hand held my shadow clone.

Damn it. My gamble had backfired spectacularly.

A sinister chuckle escaped her lips. "I knew you’d try something stupid," she said, her voice laced with a chilling amusement. "And it seems I was right."

Despair clawed at me. Where had it all gone wrong? Just moments ago, things seemed... almost hopeful. Now, I was a fly trapped in a spider’s web, my fate dangling on the whims of a deranged girl.

"Before the day ends," she purred, her voice dripping with a twisted sweetness, "you will belong to me."

The familiar pink light swirled around her, this time more potent, more suffocating than ever before. My breath hitched, my mind teetering on the brink. The system’s notifications had morphed into a maddening drone, a constant barrage of white noise against the backdrop of my rising panic. Heat bloomed across my skin, and cold sweat soaked my clothes.

Her hands, cold and clammy, clamped onto my cheeks, her manic gaze boring into mine. At this rate, it was a foregone conclusion. I was done for. Just when things were starting to look up, just when a sliver of normalcy had dared to peek through the cracks... no, this couldn’t be happening.

"If you do this..." I rasped, forcing the words past the tightening grip around my throat, "I’ll become a puppet, with no mind of my own. Is... is that what you truly want?"

A flicker of uncertainty crossed her features. Her hold loosened slightly, a chink in her otherwise unwavering resolve.

"I... I don’t know," she stammered, the pink glow in her eyes dimming momentarily before reigniting with renewed intensity. "If you become a puppet... that’s right... you won’t feel emotions anymore. You won’t be able to make me happy anymore."

The logic was twisted, nonsensical, but the raw vulnerability in her voice sent a jolt through me.

"No," she continued, her voice gaining a desperate edge, "at least you’ll be mine. And I don’t need you to be completely obedient. I just need to... alter your mind a little."

The world dissolved into darkness. The last thing I registered was the manic glint in her eyes, a storm of conflicting emotions swirling within their depths. Then, blessed oblivion.