THE PERFECT VILLAIN: Another chance with a system
Chapter 14: A grave mistake

Chapter 14: A grave mistake

"What are you doing? Valak?!"

Valerie screamed out in rage, eyes like blades. She had lost all composure she had previously had at this point.

"How could you do this? Why would you do this?"

Vael smiled as he looked down at her. "Isn’t it obvious? I am the only one worthy of being called a Demon Lord. You irrelevant offspring carry a name for your silly, pathetic pleasure."

She suddenly calmed down, looking at him as though she were studying him—like she was trying to see through his thoughts. He could tell she wasn’t fully convinced he was Valak.

Vael’s lips tilted up slightly. He immediately activated the Authority of Truth he had copied. He leaned downward slightly as he asked: "Tell me, sister, have you always hated me?"

Suddenly, her shoulders relaxed as she muttered: "Yes."

Then the realization hit almost immediately. That was the confirmation she needed. "It’s you—it’s really you. Valak!"

She was still panting. The battle against two hundred demons had taken a toll on her, and the attack he had used left her unable to strike back. She slowly focused on healing herself while trying to distract him with talk.

"If you’re going to kill me, do it now. Or when I get up from here, I’ll rip you to pieces."

Vael, still wearing Valak’s face, burst out in mocking laughter. "Do you think you can win? Do you actually believe you are my equal?"

He paused, leaning even closer to her face. "I think the mutual respect has gotten into your head. You seem to overestimate yourself."

He scoffed as he turned to leave.

"Coward! Why don’t you kill me?! Are you trying to mock me?! Do you think I am that weak that I deserve pity?" Her breathing grew rapid with her rage. He could tell she was losing her mind.

"If you don’t end it here, I promise you—I will make your death miserable."

On hearing those words, he stopped in his tracks and tilted his head slightly behind. "On the contrary, I want to give you an honorable death. If you want to prove yourself, meet me at the garden toward the east—if you have the balls to show up."

He continued walking while she kept ranting. He hummed along to her rant until it faded out of sight. Then he took a sharp turn. A smile grew on his face.

With that, my plan is complete.

He took off the clothes and shifted back to himself. Then he used the flame he had copied from the weak demon’s fight to totally destroy the clothes. Then he activated Perfect Cloak.

Claire. What abilities do I have left now?

Notice: Shield, Demonic Chains, Lightning, and Earth Spikes.

Unique Skill: Crimson Flames.

Vael sighed.

I had to use my Authority of Truth—that was my only protection against Valak. Well, I won’t be in need of it for a long time. Hopefully our paths don’t cross again so soon.

Vael thought as he headed for his chambers.

Valak soon reached the west and found it totally empty. The demon army was gone.

He looked around, trying to piece everything together. While Valerie was now a suspect, he couldn’t help but feel like he was walking into a trap.

He searched around the west for a clue, hoping something he had ignored would show up.

Then his eyes caught it—carved into the wall was a direction:

"Go south! Valerie has gone south."

Valak paused. The direction made no sense to him. If Valerie had come here for the demons, he should at least see a body somewhere. And a continuous direction wouldn’t have been planted by Valerie if she was the main mastermind.

Something isn’t right. I know it!

Valak turned around and headed east—the direction he had come from—with haste. He wasn’t walking anymore; it was a full-on sprint.

"Who the hell is doing this?!"

For the first time in centuries, Valak could feel himself panicking.

Vael had gone to his chambers and stood at his balcony, Perfect Cloak still activated, as he watched his father far away in the garden. A knowing smile grew on his lips.

Soon he saw Yellow sprinting toward his chambers. He ran past him without noticing him, heading for the archives.

Oh, you came back. How unfortunate for you, Yellow. Seems luck is not on your side today.

Vael’s gaze remained fixed on his father at the garden. His final piece was sitting quietly in there.

Valerie had soon healed back her legs and was sprinting toward the garden in uncontrollable rage. Her eyes caught a figure sitting in the garden, his back facing her.

She recognized the clothes, the hair, and the composure. To her, it was the same person that had humiliated her moments ago—the same person that had made her feel like she could be pitied. She believed it was Valak.

Her usual composure was long gone. Both blades drawn out, she aimed at the figure with only one thought in mind:

I will make sure you suffer the humiliation you put me through, Valak. You will pay for it.

The closer she got, the more silent her footsteps became. She had the perfect skill for it—Stealth. Her gaze focused. Every move, every breath, every moment—she saw it all slowly.

I have him. I have him!

Immediately she got closer, she launched at him, both blades pointed toward him, instantly engulfed in flames.

As soon as she got a few feet closer to him, she froze in midair. Only then did she realize something horrific—she had made a grave mistake.

The figure turned around—slow and deliberate.

Her heart dropped.

No! I got played from the start. It—it was a trap all along. How did I fall for this?

Her face went pale as her gaze met his. It was the one person she hadn’t accounted for.

Cronos.