Serena (2)
"Oh, little sister. It's been a while."
A woman shrouded entirely in black flashed a cold smile as she spoke.
"This bitch thinks she can just waltz in here?"
Seraphim's demeanor shifted the moment she laid eyes on her.
The seductive allure she'd shown me vanished, replaced by razor-sharp killing intent.
As the smoke rising from the shattered ceiling cleared, her full form came into view.
A face identical to Seraphim's.
But an utterly different aura.
"It's not like I can't come here, right?"
The woman, dressed in a uniform reminiscent of black military garb, approached with elegant strides.
There was only one person in all of Darkteria who shared Seraphim's face and dared speak to her so casually.
Serena of Wrath.
Among players, she was known as "Darkteria's Mad Bitch."
Her profile flashed through my mind.
Unlike Seraphim, ranked fifth in popularity, this character with the same face didn't even crack the top ten.
The reason was simple: her personality.
If Seraphim embodied lust, Serena was wrath.
She destroyed everything and hated everything, earning infamy as a "hopeless character" among players.
Impossible to clear, no affection gain possible—just pure destruction and slaughter, the incarnation of madness.
And the frustrating part? She'd act like things were going fine, only to snap for no reason and kill the player out of nowhere.
Countless players had met pointless game overs trying to clear her route.
"Haha, you're right, you shouldn't be here. Who shows up in someone else's territory without a word? Especially smashing through the ceiling like this."
Seraphim sneered.
"I was worried my little sister might be rude to Haven's Captain."
Serena shot back coldly.
"Ha, that's rich. I'm not the one you should worry about. You might pick a fight with the Captain here and get yourself killed..."
"What? You think I'd lose?"
Serena's eyes flashed.
"See? That's exactly it—you should've said 'that won't happen,' but you're already pissed at the mere possibility of losing. This is why wrath doesn't work."
Seraphim laughed mockingly.
"Ha! And you, true to lust, would try seducing the Captain and end up headless. What do you think that'd do to Darkteria's image in his eyes?"
"You done talking?"
"Not even close??"
The sisters' verbal sparring escalated.
Killing intent tangled between them, thickening the air in the office.
Black magic clashed, making the surrounding furniture tremble faintly.
...What a hopeless pair of sisters.
I listened to their childish bickering until my patience finally wore thin.
I'd come to Darkteria for the Soul Orchid, not to get dragged into this.
Unable to take it anymore, I approached and grabbed each of their shoulders.
"Enough."
A low, icy command.
The office fell into dead silence.
The overwhelming pressure radiating from my hands completely suppressed their killing intent.
"Do you think I came to Darkteria to watch this pathetic play? The Soul Orchid. That's why I'm here. If you don't want to die, cut this childish sister fight right now."
My cold, sharp voice froze the room.
"Do you even realize how much Darkteria's image is tanking from your behavior? And you're supposed to represent the Seven Deadly Sins?"
After speaking, I wondered if I'd gone too far and glanced at them...
"Haa...!"
As expected, Seraphim flushed red, her face ecstatic.
Serena's gonna snap and attack in rage...
The incarnation of wrath would surely explode at my actions, so I turned to her.
"Hic..."
But contrary to expectation, Serena stared at me with a flushed face.
Her black eyes trembled.
Wait, what? Why is this woman blushing too? You're not that kind of character!
My mind descended into total chaos.
In the game, Serena only knew wrath.
She raged at everything, destroyed everything—an untamable madwoman no matter what the player did.
But this reaction...
What the hell is going on?!
Ah... his hand... on my shoulder... a man's...
Serena.
Born into a wealthy Darkteria family, she'd pursued nothing but power from the start.
With her family's full backing, she'd trained under the finest masters and used top-tier black magic amplifiers and facilities without restraint.
As a result, she and her sister ascended to the Seven Deadly Sins at the youngest age in history.
Serena for wrath, Seraphim for lust.
The first sisters in Darkteria history to claim the titles simultaneously.
In Darkteria, the Seven Deadly Sins weren't mere hereditary nobles.
Positions seized solely by strength—by toppling the predecessor.
Serena had sacrificed everything for hers.
Social teas, lavish parties, sweet romances that other demon girls enjoyed... she forwent it all.
Honing only her martial prowess.
She ignored the courtship of countless male demons who approached her.
"Lady Serena, dinner tonight...?"
"Shut up. Get lost."
"Lady Serena, the social gathering today...?"
"Leave if you don't want to die."
Always like that.
But her sister was different.
Seraphim wielded her innate charm to perfection.
No—she weaponized it.
Enthralling countless male demons, manipulating them like puppets.
The sight of her twin face dripping with seduction, draining men's essence...
Disgusting.
Serena always thought so.
She couldn't stand her blood sister debasing their identical features in such vulgar ways.
That was why.
From some point on, Serena erased men entirely from her consciousness.
They were subordinates. Tools for orders. Mere mounts for battle.
Even Demon King Zeke was just a boss to her.
Worthy of respect, but never once seen as a "man."
That's how she'd lived for over a century.
In that long span, challengers eyed her throne.
But all were crushed mercilessly by her overwhelming power, and after witnessing the brutality, none dared appear again.
Thus, she became terror incarnate in Darkteria.
But now...
For the first time since birth, a man's hand touched her body.
And with pressure that utterly dominated her.
That touch was rough and firm, yet at the same time...
Why... why is it so... warm?
So incredibly warm.
The heat from his hand on her shoulder spread through her like molten lava.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
The Captain's cold voice cut in.
He looked down at her with an expressionless face.
"Hic—n-no!"
Serena hurriedly stepped back.
But the heat in her face didn't fade.
It burned even hotter.
"My words were a bit harsh. I was just desperate for the item I need to retrieve quickly."
The Captain apologized calmly.
"I-it's f-fine. B-but..."
Then she felt the gaze.
Seraphim watching her with a knowing smile.
That expression...
Her face heated further.
Her sister had seen right through her change.
Serena hurriedly spread her black wings.
"I-I'll head out first."
But as she tried to take off, an impulsive thought held her back.
If I leave like this... I'll regret it forever.
This feeling she'd never known in a century. If the man who'd claimed her first slipped away unaware...
No. He has to know. At least he needs to know what he's done.
Wings flapping, she hovered midair, glaring down at the Captain with her flushed face.
"You!"
He looked up at her sudden shout.
"Did you call me?"
"H-how can you just g-grab a woman's shoulder like that! Especially... especially a woman's first time!"
Her voice trembled near a scream.
"A century! For a hundred years, no one... no one touched even a finger to my body!"
Complex emotions swirled in her eyes like a storm.
"And you... you dare...!"
Her heart pounded wildly. She took a deep breath.
Or tried to, but failed.
Then words burst out that shocked even her.
"Take responsibility! You took... my first!"
A chill silence descended on the office.
Only then did Serena realize what she'd said.
Crazy... what did I just...
"..."
"Oh my, oh my oh my..."
Seraphim clutched her stomach, bursting into laughter.
As if witnessing the funniest spectacle in the world.
"Sis... saying something like that... Puhahaha!"
I want to die... no, run! Right now!
"Uwaaaak!"
Serena let out a scream-like wail and spread her black wings wide.
Whoosh—
Boom—!
With a sonic boom, she vanished without a trace.
All that remained were a few scattering black feathers.
Serena flew madly through the sky.
Idiot! Moron! Why in front of Seraphim of all places?
Her face still burned like fire, her heart thundering as if it might burst.