Chapter 249: Chapter 249: Powerless Against Obsession Chapter 249 – Powerless Against Obsession Eric didn’t know what to say or do at this point. If he said no and stayed firm on his decision, he might actually get imprisoned for life, judging by how serious Aerica looked. And that’s when Eric learned another important lesson. A lesson he wouldn’t have been able to understand unless he lived through this exact situation. A simple lesson, really—one that says: Don’t pursue obsessive women if you don’t have the power to handle them. Because if you don’t, they will handle you. And most of the time, to not say every time, the way they handle you will not be in your favor. At that thought, Eric couldn’t help but gain a bit more respect for Noah deep inside his heart. That guy could handle all those crazy women like it was nothing. Like it took zero effort. He sighed inwardly and focused back on the present. Looking at Aerica’s unhinged face, Eric shook his head softly. "Imprisoning me without my consent will weaken me day by day... and slowly make me hate you," he said in a quiet but serious tone. Aerica shivered instantly. Just hearing that last part of his sentence made her tremble uncontrollably. To not be loved by him? The very thought of it... it wasn’t just painful, it was unthinkable. Unbelievable. Because now, she could no longer live without Eric’s love. And realizing she was back in a position of weakness, Aerica accepted her fate and almost wished to die and be done with it. Because she could neither betray her lord nor live without Eric. At the end, death was the only least painful outcome in this situation. That’s...what love can do. But then... Eric’s voice echoed again. "I have a proposal. If you win... I’ll be yours, unconditionally. You can imprison me for all I care." That alone made Aerica’s head snap up, her entire being focused fully on him in an instant. "What? What is it?!" she asked excitedly, like a young girl getting a yes from her crush for the first time. But Eric didn’t answer. Instead, he suddenly disappeared and reappeared miles away from her. At the same time, new presences started to manifest around them. Rouge. Malrik. And... "...Hm. World Dominator rank, huh," Selene muttered as she appeared, her eyes fixed on Aerica, who immediately frowned. "Selene Weaverheart. The mother of that friend of mine," Eric introduced casually. "Rouge and Malrik. A weird and unexpected couple," he added flatly, making both of them twitch in irritation. "Win against us," he said, "and I’ll do whatever you want." Aerica didn’t need to hear more. The moment those words left his lips, her body was instantly wrapped in a dust-like aura, it looked like shadow, but not quite. It was dark, but streaked with red glows here and there, faint and eerie. And just being near her now, all of them felt the corrosive nature of her power pressing down on them. Aerica’s face was now fully focused. Her eyes hardened like a woman about to go to war to save her husband. Just as she was about to act and ignite this fight so she could win her love— "Hey," Eric suddenly said, "my name is Eric, by the way." And those words? They completely threw her off. She froze mid-step, just a second of stunned hesitation. But what a mistake. Selene was already in front of her. In her hand was a blue lotus. Before Aerica could react, the lotus had already been pushed into her chest, and what followed next, shocked even her. She expected a bit of coldness. But what she was feeling now wasn’t even close of what she expected. She was coldness. As a blue lotus tattoo bloomed on her forehead, her body, her blood, her organs...everything inside her began to freeze. Even the very space around her, in a radius of three miles, was frozen in place. Time stopped. Space stopped. She was caged in a frozen world where only ice existed. A timeless life of silent death. But they weren’t done. They couldn’t be done—not when facing a World Dominator rank. Rouge and Malrik acted next. A massive war hammer made entirely of blood materialized in Rouge’s hands. At the same time, a foul, black aura of death engulfed the weapon, blending blood and death into one. She didn’t hesitate. The very moment she was within striking distance, She didn’t strike once. She struck hundreds of times within two seconds. BOOOM. Shockwaves exploded from every swing, distorting the land and shattering the space itself with each strike. Aerica didn’t move, she couldn’t after all. And the first blow landed. BOOOOM! The sound was cataclysmic—so loud that if anyone under SS Rank heard it, their eardrums would’ve exploded on the spot. But that was just the beginning. Strike after strike landed cleanly, perfectly. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦 And when the final strike came Rouge narrowed her eyes, tightened her grip, and with all her might, She swung. The frozen lotus cracked, then shattered entirely. And just as her hammer touched Aerica’s skin, "Blood Explosion," Rouge muttered. At the same time, "Death Spear," Malrik intoned. And also, "Shadowless Slash," Eric whispered coldly. And lastly, "Frozen Will," Selene said without mercy. Four techniques. Three of them at SSS rank. One... at Mythic rank. And what followed was something the minds of mundane beings couldn’t even begin to comprehend. The space around them bled. Thick black mixed with red liquid, pouring like the world itself had been torn open by something profane. A scent of death so strong, so overpowering, that for a moment— The entire outside world turned into a dead zone. Death. Decay. From sky to soil. Eric’s slash came next—and in its wake, the very realm of shadows lost its title, because for a terrifying instant... There were no shadows left. None. And then came Selene’s skill. And oh... how dreadful it was. Because when it activated, it didn’t just freeze things, It froze everything. Time. Space. Fate itself. So many techniques used in a single moment, all with destructive precision—shattering the very laws of the world. The landscape collapsed into itself. Ripped and torn apart before being devoured by a cold that didn’t just freeze flesh—it froze life itself. And when it was all over? There was nothing. Only chaos. Only entropy. And all of that... Had happened in less than 10 seconds after the battle began. —End of Chapter 249—