Asmodeus System: Stealing My Bully's Mother

​The pale light of dawn crept timidly through the gaps in the velvet curtains.

​On the massive, disheveled bed, Ethan Valen slowly opened his eyes.

​The first thing that greeted him wasn’t exhaustion. It was a torrent of incredibly dense, stable energy coursing smoothly through his veins.

​His Mana Circuit—condemned as defective for over a decade because it could only produce scents—now pulsed with a rhythm as cold as an eternal glacier.

​An Archmage’s magical blueprint had been permanently branded into his soul. The sweet reward of last night’s Ritual of Subjugation.

​Ethan turned his head. Right beside him, Isolde von Rosenberg was already awake.

​The Duchess wasn’t lying down. She sat on her knees atop the mattress. Her bare, mature figure was only partially covered by a torn silk sheet.

​Isolde’s icy blue eyes, which usually radiated absolute arrogance and freezing authority, now gazed at Ethan with a tenderness that bordered on holy worship.

​There was no lingering regret. No internal conflict about her son. The Vice Principal’s sanity and dignity had been completely melted down, then perfectly recast by the Sin Mana now permanently nesting in her body.

​Across the woman’s bare back, a magical tattoo of sprawling vines and black rose petals stretched beautifully. It moved subtly, as if breathing with every rise and fall of Isolde’s chest.

​It was the Demon Lord’s stamp of absolute ownership.

​"Good morning, My Master," Isolde greeted softly. Her hoarse voice sounded incredibly tender.

​She bowed her head, letting her platinum hair cascade over her pale shoulders. "Did you sleep well?"

​Ethan slowly pushed himself up. He leaned his bare back against the headboard and reached out, his hand cupping Isolde’s cheek.

​The Duchess instinctively tilted her head. She leaned into his palm, rubbing her cheek against it like a feline craving its owner’s affection.

​"Very deeply, Isolde," Ethan replied. He flashed a faint smirk witnessing the woman’s complete mental transition. "How is your mana core?"

​"My circuit feels a bit empty... because a large portion of my pure essence has transferred into your body, My Master," Isolde whispered. Her eyes were half-closed, thoroughly enjoying Ethan’s touch. "But... your dark current that now replaces it... feels so incredibly warm. It gives me a new purpose in life."

​Ethan’s smirk widened. "Good. But we don’t have time to lounge around in bed. The world outside this room won’t sit still after the stunt I pulled yesterday."

​At those words, Isolde’s expression gradually shifted.

​Her gaze sharpened. Her instincts and intellect as a top-tier politician re-emerged. But this time, they were 100% dedicated to protecting and serving Ethan.

​Isolde grabbed a silk robe from the floor, wrapping it around her body, and walked toward her cluttered desk. She unlocked a drawer using a mana-fingerprint verification and pulled out a small velvet box.

​"You are right, My Master," Isolde said seriously.

​She walked back to the edge of the bed, presenting the box to Ethan with both hands.

​"Kurt’s defeat, combined with your victory over the Ashford heir, surely reached the Dukes’ ears last night. My husband and Duke Ashford will not sit idly by watching an anomaly like you disrupt the order they’ve built."

​Ethan opened the box. Inside lay a golden key, intricately carved with ancient runes.

​"What is this?" Ethan asked, picking up the key that radiated a highly condensed mana signature.

​"The Master Access Key to the VIP Underground Training Facility. Zenithar’s deepest dungeon," Isolde explained, looking at Ethan with sheer devotion. "As the Grand Champion, you have the right to enter it."

​Isolde crawled onto the edge of the bed, gently placing both her hands on Ethan’s chest.

​"Down there are Mana Constructs and artificial monsters designed to withstand high-tier destructive forces. The rooms are perfectly isolated from any outside tracking. The Dukes’ spies will undoubtedly infiltrate the academy soon. You can no longer train in the standard VIP rooms."

​Isolde stared straight into Ethan’s eyes. "Use that dungeon to test the limits of your new power in absolute secrecy, My Master. While you sharpen your blade... let this servant handle the paperwork, manipulate the faculty council, and sweep your tracks clean from the capital’s prying eyes."

​Ethan looked deeply into Isolde’s eyes.

​The mental manipulation of the Asmodeus System was truly a terrifying masterpiece. He had just acquired an Archmage and the most powerful politician in the academy as his absolute shield.

​Ethan leaned down and pressed a brief kiss to Isolde’s forehead. "Do your job well, Madam Vice Principal."

​"Of course, My Master. Everything for you."

​One hour later.

​Ethan was dressed in his pristine silver VIP uniform. Carrying the golden key Isolde had given him, he descended a spiral staircase hidden behind the main library, delving deep into the academy’s subterranean belly.

​The deeper he went, the colder and heavier the air felt.

​Brick walls gradually gave way to pitch-black obsidian, lined with thousands of shock-absorbing and soundproofing runes.

​This was the VIP Underground Training Dungeon. The place where the true elites tested their weapons of mass destruction without fear of leveling the academy.

​Ethan stopped in front of a massive iron door marked 01 — Absolute Isolation.

​He inserted the golden key. With a low rumble that vibrated the floor, the door—weighing tens of tons—slid open, revealing a colossal room designed to mimic a rocky canyon landscape.

​The moment Ethan stepped inside, the automated defense system detected his presence.

​VRRRMMM!

​From the center of the arena, a gigantic Mana Construct rose to its feet. A golem whose entire body was forged from magical steel and powered by earth element mana.

​Its eyes glowed a piercing red. On the room’s indicator panel, the golem was set to a Rank B (Elite) difficulty. Far above the standard level of any first or second-year student.

​Ethan didn’t retreat a single inch. He rolled his neck, stretching his muscles as he let the massive iron door seal shut behind him.

​System, Ethan called out internally. Let’s see just how far I can push the Duchess’s dowry.

​[Analyzing Mana Synchronization...]

[Warning: The Host’s circuit is currently at Rank C (Master). Maximum output for Ice Mana is automatically restricted to prevent a fatal backlash to Isolde von Rosenberg’s soul.]

[Calculating Optimal Combination: Sin Mana (Defense Bypass) + Ice Mana (Absolute Freeze) + Frost Pheromone.]

​The steel golem let out a mechanical, savage roar. It lunged forward with a speed completely unnatural for its sheer size.

​Its stone fist, coated in dense earth mana, cleaved through the air. It aimed straight for Ethan’s head with enough destructive force to flatten a building.

​Ethan didn’t dodge. He simply raised his left hand with casual indifference. No ring. No incantations.

​"Freeze."

​A single word slipped past his lips. It was instantly followed by an explosion of blood-red Sin Mana that rapidly shifted into a crystalline blue as dark as the night sky.

​The air in front of Ethan froze at lightning speed. Pillars of spiked black ice erupted from the ground.

​The golem’s fist slammed into the ice pillars. But instead of shattering, the black ice aggressively crawled upward! It devoured the golem’s magical steel arm, instantly freezing its internal mana circuit, and spread savagely across the giant’s entire body in a mere two seconds.

​CRACK... CRAAAACK!

​The Rank B steel golem froze completely in its tracks. It was transmuted into an impossibly horrifying statue of black ice.

​Ethan snapped his fingers softly.

​SHATTER!

​The giant golem statue exploded into a million pieces. It was reduced to a pile of ice crystal dust scattered across the obsidian floor. Annihilated with a single snap, all thanks to the absolute defense-piercing effect of his Sin Mana.

​Ethan smiled in satisfaction, staring at his palm. "Perfect. No chants. No artifacts."

​However, Ethan’s smile slowly faded.

​His ears picked up a faint, mechanical whirring from the entrance. The massive iron door that was supposed to be completely sealed shut was slowly sliding open, leaving a gap of about half a meter.

​Someone had hijacked the door’s locking mechanism from the outside.

​And the natural pheromone carried in by the draft immediately identified the culprit. The scent of burnt roses. The aroma of the pure fire element.

​Through the gap in the door, Kaelia von Ashford stepped inside.

​The red-haired girl was dressed in the Student Council’s tight-fitting combat uniform. Her face was desperately trying to maintain its signature arrogant expression.

​Yet, beneath her golden eyes lay the dark shadows of exhaustion. Her steps faltered slightly as she laid eyes on the remains of the steel golem, now reduced to black ice dust at the far end of the arena.

​Kaelia swallowed hard in secret. She forced her chin up.

​"This facility is a valuable academy asset, Valen," Kaelia’s voice echoed through the rocky chamber, trying to sound authoritative. "As the Student Council President, it is my duty to ensure this facility isn’t vandalized by... a new rat who doesn’t understand the rules."

​Ethan didn’t answer. He slowly turned his head, fixing Kaelia with an incredibly flat stare.

​They were about ten meters apart, but Ethan’s evolved eyes could clearly see... how the girl’s fingers were trembling slightly.

​Eye of Desire, Ethan commanded.

​The crimson screen flickered across his retinas, displaying the updated status of the Fire Queen whose ego he had just crushed yesterday.

​[TARGET STATUS UPDATE: Kaelia von Ashford]

[Psychological State:] Extremely distressed. The Target has just received an absolute command from Duke Ashford to investigate the Host. Simultaneously, the Target’s neural circuits are still contaminated by the lingering effects of the ’Lust Domain’. The Target is experiencing a severe dilemma between her family duties and the forced desire for submission implanted in her brain.

​A faint, exceptionally dark smirk graced Ethan’s lips. So predictable. Arrogant nobles always had their necks tightly bound by the chains of their own families.

​Without a word, Ethan began to walk toward her.

​Tap. Tap. Tap.

​The sound of Ethan’s boots clicking against the obsidian floor sounded like a death knell to Kaelia. Suddenly, the air in the room underwent a drastic shift. A freezing chill mixed with an intensely sweet, intoxicating aroma.

​Ethan’s Lust Domain activated passively.

​"S-stop right there, Valen," Kaelia warned, her voice suddenly stripped of its firmness.

​Her hand reflexively shot up, trying to summon her mana. However, ONLY a pathetic, weak spark of fire flickered from her palm.

​Kaelia’s heart hammered like crazy. No... why is my body reacting like this again?! she panicked internally.

​Ever since her defeat yesterday, her brain couldn’t stop obsessing over this boy’s gaze. And now, standing alone with him in a soundproof underground dungeon, her defensive instincts were crumbling... overrun by a thrilling weakness in her lower stomach.

​Ethan didn’t stop at all. He kept walking until he was standing right in front of Kaelia, backing her into a corner until her back hit the cold iron door behind her.

​Thud.

​Ethan planted one arm against the iron door, right beside Kaelia’s face. He locked the Fire Queen within the cage of his body.

​The thick pheromones of his Sin Mana immediately assaulted Kaelia’s olfactory senses. It forced the girl to look up, her breathing ragged, her face flushed a violent crimson.

​"W-what do you want..." Kaelia bit her lip. Her eyes were glassy, fighting back the unbearable humiliation of her own body’s betrayal. "I came here on behalf of the Student Council—"

​"Don’t lie to me, Fire Queen," Ethan whispered.

​His face was so close that Kaelia could feel his cool breath ghosting over her lips. "You didn’t come here to inspect the facility. You’re here because that old dog in the capital forced your hand."

​Kaelia’s golden eyes widened in shock. Her body went entirely rigid. "H-how could you know about... my Father?"

​Ethan chuckled softly. A deep, baritone laugh that made the hairs on Kaelia’s neck stand up in eager anticipation.

​"I know many things, Kaelia. I know Duke Ashford is incredibly curious about where I got this ice magic, and what my relationship with the Vice Principal entails," Ethan whispered. He let his cool fingertips trail along Kaelia’s feverishly hot jawline.

​Kaelia flinched at the touch, yet strangely... she didn’t push him away. She closed her eyes for a brief second, letting out a soft whimper, before forcing herself to meet Ethan’s crimson eyes.

​"If you already know... then tell me!" Kaelia demanded with the last dregs of her desperation. Her chest heaved rapidly. "My position is in jeopardy! My father will not forgive me if I return empty-handed after being humiliated by you!"

​Instead of getting angry, Ethan’s smile only widened. She had swallowed the bait perfectly.

​"You want to save your standing in the eyes of your grand family? You need a crumb of information to throw to your father’s hounds?"

​Ethan leaned in, his thumb brushing against Kaelia’s trembling lips. "I can give it to you, Kaelia. All of it. But a secret this massive... does not come for free."

​"W-what... what do you want?" Kaelia whispered weakly. Her eyes were glued to Ethan’s lips. Her logic screamed at her to run, but her legs squeezed together in complete surrender.

​"A simple trade," Ethan whispered right against Kaelia’s lips, exhaling a breath of freezing air and Sin Mana that nearly paralyzed the girl’s knees.

​"Starting today, every time you want a piece of classified information to report to your father... you will pay for it by attending ’Private Training Sessions’ with me in this soundproof room."

​Kaelia gasped in shock. "P-private training sessions...?"

​"Yes," Ethan replied. His free hand gripped Kaelia’s waist, pulling her slender, scorching-hot body flush against his own.

​"Training to teach this arrogant body and ego of yours... exactly what it feels like to belong entirely to me. If you refuse... feel free to walk out that door and explain your failure to your father."

​A suffocating silence engulfed the dungeon.

​Kaelia von Ashford, the Fire Queen who had never bowed her head to anyone in her entire life, was now trapped in a cage from which escape was impossible.

​On one side, the threat of her father’s wrath. On the other, an offer that would obliterate her pride, yet secretly... was the very obscene thing her contaminated body and mind craved the most.

​Kaelia looked up into the crimson eyes before her. Her chest pounded violently as she realized one absolute fact: whatever her decision might be, she had already lost before the game even began.