YM778.TV Chapter 66: Just a Bet
"You have no right to this." Sapphire\'s gaze was as if it would consume her. For a brief moment, the Lady of the Lake was startled, but her aura quickly overshadowed Sapphire\'s for a second.
"You\'re strong, I get that, but we both know very well who has control of the situation here," Viviane said, looking at Sapphire with a gaze just as possessive as hers.
"Tsk, cursed woman." Sapphire sneered. "He\'d better succeed." She remarked, her tone just as irritated. "We know you wouldn\'t bring someone who couldn\'t." She responded, her frustration mirroring Viviane\'s.
Yet...
"Why?" Viviane questioned, abruptly breaking the tension.
"It doesn\'t matter," Sapphire replied. "He married my daughter." She answered, and Viviane\'s eyes widened in shock.
"W-What? K-K-Katharina?" She stammered, but Sapphire remained silent... saying nothing more.
But as the saying goes... Silence speaks louder than words.
"K-Katharina..." Viviane repeated, as if the repetition would help her understand better. "Why didn\'t you tell me earlier? How... how did this happen?"
Sapphire didn\'t answer immediately. Instead, she looked away, clearly uncomfortable with the line of questioning. The fury that once emanated from her had given way to something more complex, a mixture of protection and regret.
"I don\'t owe you explanations," Sapphire finally responded, crossing her arms and adopting a defensive stance. "What matters is that he will succeed."
Viviane stepped forward, still processing the gravity of the situation. "So you brought him here to...?"
"To survive," Sapphire cut her off brusquely. "Or die trying."
"You\'re risking everything for someone who—" Viviane hesitated, searching for the right words. "—someone you can\'t even be sure can fulfill his role!"
"I never doubted him," Sapphire retorted with cutting coldness. "And neither did Katharina."
The mention of her daughter hung in the air between them, bringing a new layer of emotion to Viviane. There was history here, a story she didn\'t know, and Sapphire was clearly reluctant to reveal it. But the Lady of the Lake couldn\'t ignore the signs—there was more at stake than just the trial the man had to face.
"She... bonded with him?" Viviane finally asked, and Sapphire...
"Yes."
Viviane fell silent, absorbing Sapphire\'s response. Her eyes flickered for a moment, as if trying to rearrange the pieces of a puzzle she didn\'t know she was putting together. The bond between Katharina and him... This changed everything.
m-vl _e mpY _r exclusive content
"This is... dangerous, Sapphire," Viviane whispered, a shadow of concern in her voice. "You know what it means when someone like Katharina bonds."
"I know, but she doesn\'t. And I wasn\'t there when it happened," Sapphire responded firmly. "It was her choice, not mine."
Viviane ran a hand through her hair, her face filled with worry. "The bond ties them in a way even you can\'t undo. If he fails... it could kill her."
"You think I don\'t know that?" Sapphire\'s voice came out sharper, revealing the vulnerability she was trying to hide. "You think I would have brought him here without knowing what\'s at stake?"
"If you know, then why are you risking it?" Viviane countered, her gaze piercing as she sought an answer that would satisfy her. "If he dies, Katharina dies."
Sapphire looked away again, her expression hardening like a mask. "Because there\'s no other option. He must pass this... or nothing else will matter. After all... I have no way of helping against that man."
Viviane sighed, knowing that continuing to argue would be futile. Sapphire was determined, and nothing would change her mind.
"Just… remember what you\'re risking," Viviane said, softening her tone. "Not just him… but her, too."
Sapphire clenched her fists, frustration and worry evident in every fiber of her being. "I never forget that," she muttered. "Never."
"Then stop acting like it\'s just a gamble," Viviane retorted, and Sapphire\'s eyes turned to her, emitting a murderous pressure that began to drain some of her vitality.
"S-Sapphire," Viviane stammered, but Sapphire didn\'t stop. The killing intent grew stronger, and the atmosphere became so terrifying that Viviane fell to her knees, gasping for air.
"If you think I\'m gambling with my daughter\'s life, then let\'s gamble yours." Sapphire\'s eyes, filled with hatred, bore down on her.
"If he passes and survives, you\'ll be a loyal servant. But if he dies and my daughter goes with him, I\'ll erase this whole demonic world," Sapphire said, completely irrational.
Was this even a gamble? What did she really want? A personal servant for him?
"T-This isn\'t even a bet—" "Do you want to die?" Sapphire interrupted, and Viviane\'s body began to dissolve into pure water. She could no longer maintain her physical form. "N-no…" Viviane tried to say as the entire cave transformed into what felt like the essence of hell itself. The water lost its blue hue, replaced by demonic energy that filled the surroundings, turning a vivid blood red.
"Then stay quiet and do what I say before I send you back to the realm of the dead. I\'m done with your games," Sapphire spoke, her voice as cold as ice.
"I tolerated your insubordination because I need you now, but if he dies, it\'ll only take seconds before you turn to dust." Sapphire\'s words quickly snapped Viviane back into compliance.
...
Location: Unknown.
"Being a Spiritual Blacksmith tires me, you know? Just take it already." She handed him something… something that seemed familiar in some way… It was a Uchigatana.
A unique Uchigatana, almost new. The handle had the traditional golden wrapping with black ornaments, and the guard was octagonal. The blade bore intricate designs, the most notable being a dragon relief at the edge of the hilt and a bronze guard adorned with dragon motifs.
He held the Uchigatana with both hands, feeling the balanced weight of the blade. The steel emitted a faint pulse, as if the sword had a life of its own. The golden glow of the handle\'s wrapping contrasted with the darkness around him, and the dragon engraving seemed to almost move under his fingers.
"Cut everything you see until you\'re free," Viviane had said before disappearing, leaving him alone.
The environment was a deep void, with no visible horizon or ground, but he knew this wasn\'t a simple illusion. The place felt alive, full of hidden intentions, as though something was watching him. An oppressive presence in the air pushed him to act quickly.
He looked at the Uchigatana, its blade reflecting distorted fragments of the surrounding darkness. For a moment, he hesitated. "Cut everything you see"—that could mean anything. But the sword seemed to whisper to him, urging him to act.
Raising the blade, he swung it into the void ahead of him. To his surprise, the sword met resistance, as if it were slicing through something invisible, and a flash of light briefly illuminated where the blade had struck the air. The slash opened a rift in the darkness, revealing… more darkness, but with a difference—there was something beyond, a subtle movement.
Without hesitation, he swung again, then again, faster each time. With every strike, the darkness seemed to retreat, shattering into pieces of shadow that dissolved into nothingness. The Uchigatana glowed brighter with each cut, responding to his will, driving him to break free from the limbo.
Suddenly, he heard a sound. Something was moving in the depths of the abyss. A creature, or several, were approaching—beings born from that void, and they didn\'t seem friendly.
"You killed us..." they whispered, their voices eerily resembling those of his wives. "Shut up," Vergil said immediately, raising his sword.
"So that\'s it... You\'re my fears... Fufufufu... You\'re so ugly... Are you sure you\'re mine?"
With the Uchigatana in hand, he stepped forward, his eyes resolute, ready to destroy these manifestations. "You\'re just empty echoes of old insecurities, and you don\'t belong to me anymore."
The creatures hesitated, as if his words had somehow impacted their very existence. They continued to murmur, their voices blending together, but their forms became weaker, more diffuse.
Vergil raised the sword and smiled cruelly. "Silencing you will be my greatest pleasure."
He surged forward with impressive speed, the Uchigatana cutting through the air with lethal precision. The first strike sliced through one of the shadows, and the creature dissolved into dark mist. The others tried to surround him, but Vergil was relentless—every swing of his sword tore through the darkness as if it were fragile fabric.
The voices tried to scream again, but he paid no heed. His fury and determination grew with each strike. He wasn\'t there to be tormented by fears—he was there to destroy them.
"You are nothing!" he shouted, the blade glowing as it cleaved through the final shadow. The oppressive darkness began to dissipate, and a new clarity filled the environment.
"I... will kill anyone who dares lay a hand on my wives..." he murmured, before unleashing a massive attack. It swept through the abyssal realm, leaving behind only... a calm, white world.
-------
<Author\'s Note>
Hey, remember to use your Golden Tickets and Power Stones to help the work reach new heights!