Chapter 4

Chloe stood there, supporting a trembling, half-dead Valen, blocking my path.

The surrounding media swarmed us like sharks smelling blood, pointing their cameras and mics at us.

Valen looked truly pathetic now. The gorgeous, striking face he was once so proud of was pale and lifeless.

Only the Soul-Bond on his collarbone was still greedily draining whatever life force he had left.

A reporter shoved a microphone in front of me. "Miss Seraphina, is the online rumor true? Did you really try to kill your bonded partner just because you got a new lover?"

I stopped and looked at the two of them.

Valen leaned heavily against Chloe, his breathing shallow.

But the look in his eyes was smug—he thought he had won.

He knew my situation too well.

In front of the media and the Guild's high officials, if I got branded as an "abuser," my entire business empire would crumble.

"Sera, I don't blame you," Valen rasped weakly. "I just want a bottle of serum to survive... For the sake of our past, please, give me a chance to live."

"Yes, Sera!" Chloe cried, tears streaming down her face. "If you want to punish someone, punish me! Valen is innocent!"

I took a step forward. "You want a soothing serum? Sure."

I pulled a vial of glowing, deep-blue liquid from my pocket. It was the star item of today's auction—the ultimate premium serum.

Valen instinctively reached out to grab it.

But just as his fingers were about to touch the vial, I flicked my wrist and handed the priceless potion to Leon behind me.

"Leon, you've worked hard these past two days. Drink up."

The crowd gasped.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Leon popped the cork and drank the life-saving serum in one gulp, right in front of everyone.

Chloe let out a blood-curdling shriek: "Sera! You're insane!"

Watching his only lifeline disappear, the sheer shock combined with the agonizing backlash drove Valen completely wild.

"You dare play me?!"

He let out a monstrous roar, his Incubus demonic powers erupting.

Like a feral beast, he lunged at me, his fingers morphing into sharp claws aimed straight for my throat.

"Watch out!"

Leon moved.

He didn't even draw his sword. He simply caught Valen by the throat with one hand.

A massive wave of pure, blinding Holy light erupted from his palm, slamming Valen brutally onto the hard marble floor.

With a loud crash, the marble shattered.

Valen spat out a mouthful of blood, his dark power instantly dispersing under the pressure of the Holy light.

He lay on the ground, twitching violently.

"Assault! The rich are murdering people in broad daylight!"

The cameras flashed frantically, crowding my face.

I raised my wrist and tapped my phone screen twice.

A massive hologram instantly projected into the air.

It was the screenshot of Chloe’s Instagram post from last night.

[The one who truly loves you will give you their most precious thing without hesitation.]

Under the giant projection, the dark red Soul-Bond on Valen’s collarbone was visible in extreme detail.

The noisy crowd instantly fell dead silent.

"Chloe, why don't you explain this to everyone?"

"An Incubus's Soul-Bond means sharing life and power."

"Since you two have bonded and are supposedly 'true soulmates,' why are you coming to me when his backlash hits, instead of using your own soul to soothe him?"

Chloe’s face turned paper-white, and she took a step back.

"I... my mental energy is too weak, I can't handle the pain..."

"You can't handle it?"

"When he was healthy, you enjoyed the power boost from his bond. When he’s in pain, you drag him to me, forcing me to throw three million dollars into a bottomless pit."

"Is this the 'sincerity' you claimed was a thousand times nobler than my cold money?"

The onlookers weren't stupid. The public opinion flipped in a split second.

Whispers of disgust targeted Chloe and Valen.

Valen trembled, clawing at the ground. He tried to stand up and argue, but he couldn't even lift his head.

He finally realized that without my resources, his charming looks and pride were absolutely worthless.

Just as he was about to pass out in despair, a terrifying pressure suddenly descended upon the area.

The crowd was violently pushed aside as two rows of heavily armored Templar Knights marched in, sealing off the venue.

An Archbishop in red robes walked forward, his staff clacking against the stone floor, his eyes locked onto Leon.

"Found you at last."

"The fallen Templar Commander, Leon."