How the Villain Invests in the Female Lead

"I’m tired of this."

As soon as Leon’s strike approached my face again, I pushed myself upward with my back. My limbs spread wide like Death’s embrace before I coiled around his arm like a snake and twisted it with brute force.

A deafening scream echoed throughout the banquet hall.

Leon dropped to his knees, his arm painfully mangled and twisted like a crushed straw. Blood poured from the wound like water gushing from a broken pipe.

I wondered what source of power I had gained. I felt several times stronger than before. My heartbeat raced wildly, yet I retained a certain calmness.

No pain... no hesitation. There was only absolute killing intent.

Leon roared and rushed at me, throwing another straight punch.

I lazily dodged the slow strike.

It was strange. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. My nervous system was focused to an astonishing degree, picking up every movement of my enemy.

"You little shit!" Leon roared and unleashed a relentless series of brutal blows at me.

I didn’t want to dodge anymore.

My hands moved like a vortex, smoothly catching each incoming punch. A moment later, I twisted my hands, sending a spiraling force through Leon’s remaining arm.

Another agonized scream echoed throughout the hall as Leon’s last arm twisted in every direction.

Both of his arms were completely crippled.

I didn’t stop. The more blood that appeared, the stronger my killing instincts became.

I unleashed a flurry of complex strikes with both my fists and feet, landing countless devastating blows on Leon’s body. As I shattered his blood armor piece by piece, I began crushing the muscular frame beneath it.

Each punch slammed into his body, accompanied by the crack of breaking bones. Blood burst from his mouth with every impact.

This feeling was strangely addictive.

I kept pummeling him without mercy. By now, I was certain that many of his internal organs had already been crushed.

Yet, for some reason, I couldn’t stop.

I didn’t want to stop.

[POV3]

"Please, someone stop him right now. His opponent is already dead." A noble held his head in terror as he watched the horrifying scene.

"Damn it! He’s still crushing the corpse. He’s a madman!"

The crowd erupted into noise, discussion, and gossip. Yet no one dared to interfere. The higher nobles remained unmoved, making it clear that they had no intention of stopping the fight.

Desmond stood frozen, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Henry as he continued crushing his son’s corpse.

His hands trembled uncontrollably. He wanted nothing more than to kill Henry and avenge his son, but he couldn’t.

Because he knew that the moment he took a single step, the man behind him would kill him without hesitation.

Or he could accept the truth – that his own foolishness had led to his son’s death. After all, he had agreed to James’s proposal himself.

George stared at Henry while saying.

"Bloodlust Syndrome. It’s truly dangerous,"

"It would be better for society if you kept him at home, away from blood and any kind of combat... or destroyed his mana core. Otherwise, he could become a second Kai in the future. His potential is enough to reach his level – a monster that not even demons would dare to provoke."

Desmond asked,

"Sir, forgive my ignorance, but what is Bloodlust Syndrome? And who is Kai?"

George explained,

"As its name suggests, those afflicted with the syndrome experience an uncontrollable surge of excitement at the sight of blood. The scent of blood triggers their adrenaline production to an extreme degree, making them several times stronger than normal.

"It may resemble the Berserker bloodline skill, but there are a few key differences."

"The Berserker bloodline only makes its user stronger when they lose blood or are pushed to death’s door. Those with Bloodlust Syndrome, however, grow stronger every time blood appears around them without paying any price for it.

Ah... well, not exactly without a price. The more blood they see, the more their killing instincts spiral out of control.

In the truest sense of the word, they become an endless killing machine."

He added.

"And Kai. He was one of the strongest beings in existence. He led the Holy War. He was the sword that guided us to victory... but he was also the one who led us to defeat."

"The Thirteenth Knight of the Round Table."

James shook his head slightly, a trace of sadness appearing on his face. Several family heads wore similar expressions. No one wanted to revisit those memories.

"Let’s bring this event to an end."

With a flick of his finger, all the blood around Henry vanished instantly, along with Leon’s corpse.

Then James stood up and left alone.

***

[POV:] Arthea.

It was the first time I had experienced such an emotional roller coaster.

For the first time in my life, I felt that marriage might not be as terrible as I had once believed.

I saw the husband I had always wanted – the man who had pulled me out of the mud.

But I couldn’t deny that a part of me still hated him.

He had slapped me in front of the entire world.

And called me a bitch.

No one in the world had ever treated me like that. Yet, strangely enough, I was certain that he respected me as his wife.

Even when I had nothing left to offer him, he still said he would restore my body.

It was hard to believe, but I wanted to take a gamble on him.

When the match began and I witnessed his power, I realized just how narrow-minded and foolish my earlier words had been.

I knew nothing about him.

Nothing at all.

The sight of blood was enough to make my heart nearly stop, yet he seemed to go crazier the more blood there was.

I realized there were still many things about my husband that I didn’t know.

When the match ended, he came back to me, his expression as cold and unreadable as ever.

A little worried about his condition, I asked,

"Are you okay?"

As always, my husband didn’t answer. Instead, he silently moved behind me and pushed my wheelchair.

After we returned home, he helped me onto the bed.

Then he stood there, staring at me with those cold eyes for a long moment, as if he were deep in thought.

I swallowed nervously.

My heartbeat raced, and I could feel my face growing warm.

For a moment, I thought tonight might be our first night as husband and wife.

’’I’m not ready.’’