Bengtie, I'm really not a villain!

Those moments of being deceived and exploited were like sharp thorns, piercing her heart again and again.

But now, looking at her companion lying on the hospital bed, whose life hangs in the balance, anger and despair held her rooted to the spot.

Jingye's laughter echoed in the sealed medical pod, like countless steel needles piercing Raiden Mei's eardrums.

Her gaze was fixed on Jing Ye, as if trying to see through the man before her, but all she saw was the unrestrained mockery in his eyes.

Jing Ye slowly walked to the bedside, his well-defined fingers gently stroking Kiana's sweaty cheek. His fingertips brushed against the girl's pale skin, his movements as gentle as if he were handling a rare treasure.

He leaned closer to Himeko, his fingertips tracing the lines on her neck.

Raiden Mei felt her blood rush to her head, her temples throbbing.

Her legs trembled slightly, and she instinctively wanted to rush forward and tear that hand to shreds.

But when he caught a glimpse of Himeko's slightly heaving chest and Kiana's pained and contorted face, all his impulses turned into a dull pain as his nails dug deep into his palms.

The holy marks surged wildly beneath her skin, and purple lightning flickered around her, yet she managed to suppress it all.

"Raiden Mei, you have to help me drag them down with me."

"This time it's your turn to show them what it's like to practice iaido with me."

These words struck Raiden Mei's heart like a heavy hammer blow.

Countless images flashed before her eyes—Himeko's stern yet caring gaze on the training field, Kiana's innocent and carefree smile, every moment they fought side by side...

"Okay, I promise you." Raiden Mei closed her eyes and uttered these words with difficulty, each word seeming to be squeezed out from her throat.

When she opened her eyes again, her gaze was filled with determination.

"But you must promise to do everything in your power to save them. If anything happens to them, I will make you pay for it, even if it costs me my last breath!"

The air inside the medical pod felt as if it were being squeezed by an invisible giant hand, making it suffocating. The hum of the instruments and the ticking of the electrocardiogram monitor intertwined to create an eerie melody.

Jingye's slender fingers hovered above Kiana and Himeko's foreheads, the distinct knuckles of his fingers gleaming coldly white.

When his fingertips gently touched their foreheads, Himeko, who was originally as pale as paper, slowly developed a sickly blush on her cheeks, like a sign of a dying person's last burst of energy.

Her tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, her eyelashes trembled uneasily, her chapped lips moved unconsciously, and the spiderweb-like lines on her neck were visibly receding.

His once withered face gradually regained some color, and his slightly heaving chest began to breathe in a regular rhythm.

Kiana's face returned to a rosy hue from its deathly pallor, her breathing gradually became steady, and the cold sweat on her forehead ceased. Even the faint light emanating from the Herrscher core, attempting to regain control of her body, was suppressed.

Inside the medical pod, the monitoring instruments showed a rapid increase in vital signs, as if injected with a stimulant. The red alarm light turned into a regularly flashing green, signaling that the two had been pulled back from the brink of death.

Raiden Mei's tense shoulders finally relaxed. She leaned against the cold metal wall, slowly slid down to the ground, and gasped for breath, as if she had just gone through a life-or-death battle.

Tears welled up uncontrollably in her eyes and dripped onto her combat boots. At that moment, her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled back into place.

However, after a brief moment of relaxation, a deeper chill crept up the spine and up the back of the neck.

Fragments of memory surged wildly under a suffocating sense of oppression.

In the courtyard of Jingye in Izumo Province, Jingye's sword flashed like a ghost, easily shattering her defenses and knocking her to the ground.

She struggled to lift her head, only to see Jing Ye using the same method to mockingly defeat her mother, pinning her down on top of her mother while holding a knife to her mother's throat, his eyes filled with contempt.

To protect her mother, Raiden Mei could only grit her teeth and endure this humiliation, forced to use her mother as a fighting ring to practice Iaijutsu with Keiya.

Himeko-sensei and Furibas, who looks exactly like Kiana, also couldn't escape their fate. They were humiliated and pinned to the ground after Jingye broke their wooden swords.

These flashbacks pierced every nerve in her body, tearing open the wounds of past humiliation once more.

Raiden Mei suddenly opened her eyes. Through her tear-blurred vision, she saw two people on the hospital bed whose breathing was gradually stabilizing—something she had obtained at the cost of her dignity and freedom.

She clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms. The flashes of the blade she had wielded under Jing Ye's coercion, the scenes of her companions being forced to witness humiliation—all of these now transformed into scorching hot irons, burning indelible wounds into her soul.

The air inside the medical pod was like solidified lead, cold and heavy.

The eerie blue lights flickered on the ceiling, casting an unsettling glow on the metal floor. A chill crept up Raiden Mei's combat boots, as if trying to freeze her legs.

While Raiden Mei was still in a daze, Jing Ye came to her side. His familiar hand caressed her face, but it felt like a cold, serpentine snake.

"Special Iai training begins tomorrow."

His voice was casual, yet carried an undeniable air of authority, as if he were discussing a trivial matter.

"Let your teacher Himeko take a good look at how the Herrscher of Thunder and the Herrscher of Void can be turned into obedient pets."

As soon as he finished speaking, the cabin fell into a deathly silence, with only the hum of the instruments echoing in the air.

These words were like a sharp dagger, piercing Raiden Mei's heart.

This time, however, she personally pressed the branding iron onto the two of them, but Mei had no choice but to save Kiana and Himeko.

The stigmata throbbed wildly beneath her skin, a searing pain emanating from beneath it, as if trying to break free of the cage of flesh and blood to vent her inner anger and resentment.

The medical ward was silent in the dead of night, with only the regular ticking of the monitors echoing inside.

Raiden Mei knelt between the hospital beds, her gaze darting back and forth between Kiana and Himeko's pale faces.

Kiana's unconscious murmurs suddenly rang out, making her tremble all over, as if she had returned to that nightmarish afternoon when she was pinned down by her mother and watched Jingye's atrocities with her own eyes, powerless to do anything about it.

"I'm sorry..." Her voice was filled with self-blame and pain, and her trembling fingertips gently stroked Himeko's face, as if she were saying a final goodbye.

The morning light finally pierced through the clouds, and a faint ray of light shone through the small window of the medical pod onto the cold ground.

Jingye's footsteps rang out precisely on time, steady and powerful, each step feeling as if they were treading on Raiden Mei's heart.

She gripped the blood-stained bandage tightly, wrapping it around her palm. The rough texture of the bandage rubbed against the wound, causing excruciating pain.

The pain was not only physical, but also a manifestation of her inner anguish—the bandage was meant to conceal her trembling.

At this moment, Raiden Mei understood that she was no longer the warrior who could control her destiny and wield her sword freely, but a sword stained with the blood and tears of her comrades, mercilessly grasped by Jingye and stabbed into her most cherished heart.

However, even so, she had no choice. For the sake of Kiana and Himeko's lives, she could only grit her teeth and step by step walk towards that abyss of pain.

Until dawn,

Jingye's leather boots crushed the morning light on the ground, casting a huge shadow in front of Raiden Mei.

She gazed at the familiar long sword at the other man's waist, exactly the same one she had seen day and night in Izumo Province.

The fingernails dug deep into the bandage, and beads of blood seeped out from between the fingers, spreading out in dark red patterns on the metal floor.

"What are you spacing out for?" Jing Ye suddenly pressed the hilt of his knife against her chin.

“Bud… clothes…” Kiana suddenly murmured indistinctly, unconsciously clutching the hem of her clothes.

The call was like a heavy hammer, almost stopping her heart from beating.

Raiden Mei suddenly lowered her head, pressing her forehead against Kiana's, letting her tears fall onto the girl's pale cheeks.

"Before they wake up, let's do some warm-up exercises to help you remember, so you can personally teach them how to perform Iaijutsu later."

When Raiden Mei unleashed her first Iaijutsu, it was as if she had returned to that nightmarish afternoon.

But this time, biting her bleeding lip, she precisely thrust the blade towards her target. A sharp pain shot through her wrist; Jing Ye had bound her joints with silk threads, forcing her to adjust her posture. Every movement felt like tearing her soul apart.

When Raiden Mei caught a glimpse of Himeko's fluttering eyelashes out of the corner of her eye, her movements froze for a moment.

She knew perfectly well that when Himeko fully regained consciousness and saw her "cooperating" with the enemy, the look of disappointment in her eyes would be sharper than Jingye's blade.

But she had no other choice—compared to watching her loved ones die before her eyes in Izumo, and now bearing the brunt of public condemnation, it was all worth it if it could give them a chance to live.

Even if this sin will weigh on her heart like a heavy shackle forever.

Chapter 158 Three's Company

Raiden Mei let out a muffled groan, the knife in her hand clattered to the ground, and she was violently thrown onto the hospital bed.

The metal railings were digging into her back, causing her pain, and her spine felt like it was about to be shattered.

Even more chilling was the sight of Jingye's icy hands gripping her neck, pressing her firmly against Kiana and Himeko's intertwined bodies.

The faint body temperature of the unconscious person emanated through the combat suit, and Kiana's unconscious murmurs brushed past her ear, carrying a warm breath, yet making Raiden Mei feel cold all over.

The unhealed wound on Himeko's neck brushed against her burning cheek, the subtle touch feeling like a rusty, dull knife, cutting into her nerves again and again.

The scene was exactly like that blood-red sunset in Izumo—the mother's trembling hands, Himeko's blood-stained wooden sword, and Furibas's desperate eyes were all superimposed on the two unconscious bodies beneath her.

Memories surged like a tidal wave, each image terrifyingly clear, piercing her heart.

Raiden Mei's pupils contracted violently, her stigmata surged wildly beneath her skin, and uncontrollable purple lightning exploded into tiny arcs at her fingertips.

Jingye's blade sliced ​​open the bandage on the side of her neck, the sharp tip slicing across the sacred mark, the cold metallic touch sending a shiver down her spine.

The stinging pain from the blade felt as if it pierced directly into the depths of my soul.

"The obedience that we failed to teach you back then, we'll teach you again today with these children."

His voice was deep and cold, carrying an undeniable pressure that forced her into a humiliating posture.

The excruciating pain caused Raiden Mei's vision to explode in a white light, and fragments of memory sliced ​​through her nerves like sharp blades.

She saw the blood splatter as Jingye's knife pierced her mother and Himeko's chests; that vivid red hue lingered in her mind.

Kiana's unconscious rubbing of her cheek was just like the trembling of Furibas before he breathed his last. Every detail was so similar, as if history was repeating itself.

Tears mingled with cold sweat dripped onto Himeko's collarbone. She opened her mouth, but could only manage broken sobs. It felt as if an invisible hand was gripping her throat, preventing her from uttering a complete sound.

Compared to what she witnessed in Izumo, she would rather use this humiliating method now to ensure Kiana and Himeko's survival.

Even if it means enduring endless pain and humiliation, even if her soul is completely crushed in the process, as long as they can live, it's all worth it.

The air inside the medical pod seemed to have solidified into lead, creating a suffocating silence. The only sounds were Jingye's deliberately slowed breathing and the sounds of the two fighting during their iaido, like a dull knife scraping against Raiden Mei's taut nerves.

Raiden Mei's knees pressed against the cold metal hospital bed, every inch of her skin screaming in pain, but even more painful was her heart, already riddled with wounds.

Himeko's eyelashes trembled like a butterfly in the wind as she slowly and laboriously opened her eyes.

Consciousness was still shrouded in a hazy mist. She first smelled the pungent odor of disinfectant in her nostrils, followed by the cold touch of the medical pod mattress on her back. Her throat was dry and sore.

She swallowed instinctively, only then realizing in a daze that she was still alive.

This realization cleared her previously confused mind slightly, but before she could recover, the blurry light and shadows swaying in front of her made her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

Through her blurred vision, Raiden Mei was pinned down by Jing Ye's iron-like arms, pressed tightly against her body.

The curve of Jing Ye's lips was as cruel as a demon from the abyss.

"Mei... What... What's going on..."

Himeko's voice squeezed out from her parched throat, hoarse and almost incoherent, filled with deep disbelief.

Instinctively, I wanted to prop myself up and stop it all, but all my strength seemed to have been drained away. My limp arms couldn't even grip the sheets, and I could only twist my body in vain.

Kiana's eyelids, as if covered by a thousand-pound stone slab, slowly opened.

She first heard her own heavy, disordered breathing, which was exceptionally clear in the silent medical pod. Her vision was blurry, and she blinked her sore eyes before she could barely make out the cold white light above her.

She moved her fingers and felt a stinging sensation at her fingertips, only then belatedly realizing that she was still alive.

Memories flooded back like shards of broken glass: the uncontrollable power in Herrscher form, the deafening roar in my ears, the excruciating pain of my body being torn apart...

All of this left her with lingering fear. But the scene before her now was even more despairing than those nightmares, as if she had stepped into thin air and fallen into an even deeper, darker dream.

She struggled to move her lips, trying to call out "Mei," but her vocal cords seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand, and the sound she made was so faint that it was almost inaudible, like the low buzzing of a mosquito.

“Mei…” Her eyes were filled with fear and confusion, like a lost young animal.

She wanted to reach out and touch Raiden Mei, who was so close yet so far away, but her limbs felt as heavy as lead, and she could only tremble helplessly.

Tears welled up uncontrollably, sliding down her pale cheeks and soaking the pillow. She murmured to herself, her voice broken and choked with sobs.

"How could this be... How could this happen..."

Kiana couldn't tell whether what she was seeing was reality or if she was still struggling in a nightmare.

Upon hearing the two people's weak voices, Raiden Mei felt as if her throat had been scalded by molten iron, and bitter tears welled up and streamed down her face.

She bit her lower lip hard, the taste of blood spreading in her mouth, but she dared not meet the eyes of the two men. She could only shake her head desperately, hoping to convey the unspeakable "I'm sorry" with her eyes.

Her lips trembled like leaves in the wind, but she couldn't utter any words of explanation, because she knew that at this moment, all explanations would be too pale to dispel the misunderstanding and despair before her.

Jing Ye watched the two people's reactions after they woke up and let out a pleasant laugh. The laughter echoed in the sealed medical pod, making people's eardrums hurt.

“You’ve woken up just in time. Take a good look at how your trusted companions have submitted to me.”

His voice was filled with smugness and mockery, and he suddenly increased the pressure in his hand, forcing Raiden Mei's blade even closer. A playful malice flashed in his eyes.

Actually, when they first met Jingye, the scheming and sinister look in his eyes had already made Himeko and Kiana wary.

After all, while Raiden Mei was training so hard, Jingye didn't show any appreciation and instead treated her like a toy, which made them very dissatisfied with him.