Lewd System: Every Scream and Moan is EXP Chapter 327 : The Final Phase[1]

Tempris clung to him, her small arms wrapped around his neck like a steadfast koala. "Why would I be scared? I know you won’t forget your promise," she stated confidently.

A sudden thought brightened her expression. "Oh, that reminds me! Some old guy with a beard came down earlier and started yelling at me. But I was really brave. I looked him straight in the eye and told him that Mister would beat him up badly when he found out the man hurt me."

Resting her chin on Jax’s shoulder, she casually surveyed the blood-soaked ground behind him. Her gaze, filled with the unburdened curiosity of a child exploring a toy shop, swept over the fallen soldiers feigning death and the terrified men inching away. Then, her eyes landed on her intended target, and she pointed with delight towards a corner.

"There he is," she announced, a sweet giggle escaping her as she observed the severed head of Loid lying on the stone floor, separated from its armless torso. "That’s what you get for being a smelly old fuzz face," she declared, directing her scolding at the ruined Grand Magus with the playful tone one might use for a misbehaving pet.

Jax found it difficult to meet her eyes as he spoke, his voice tinged with regret. "I am sorry for leaving you. I am sorry for not being there when you needed me the most."

Tempris reached out, cupping both his cheeks with her small hands and gently persuading him to look directly at her. "You know, Mister, I lied to you earlier. I was really scared in there. It wasn't the cage or the scary men that frightened me. I was just terribly afraid that you decided you didn't want me anymore."

Her voice grew softer. "It was just a tiny, tiny thought, but it made me cry so much. How silly I was to ever believe you would actually leave me all alone."

With her thumb, she wiped a streak of dirt from his cheek, offering him a radiant smile that seemed entirely out of place in the crimson-splattered room. "So please, do not look so sad anymore. You came back for me just like you promised, and that’s all that truly matters."

She added, with the earnestness of someone whose priorities were perfectly aligned, "Now, can we please just go back? I’m really hungry right now."

A genuine smile finally touched Jax’s lips as he felt completely absolved by a child who had every reason to mistrust everyone. Yet, that warmth was swiftly followed by a heavy premonition settling in his chest; in mere hours, he would have to part ways with her forever. He gently patted her head, a soft sigh escaping him.

"Your stomach will have to be patient a little longer, because I need to get you far away from all this danger first."

Turning to the two girls standing behind him, he instructed, "Let’s go. And I sincerely hope this time, everything proceeds according to our agreed-upon plan."

Some time later, Jax and the others were rapidly exiting the royal estate, with Tempris concealed beneath a cloak. Delphine, running alongside Jax, spotted something in the distance that caused her voice to sharpen.

"Professor, why is the main palace engulfed in flames?" She squinted, her eyes widening. "Wait, forget the fire. Why are people literally slaughtering each other in the open? Are we caught in the middle of a rebellion, or…"

Her words caught in her throat the instant she witnessed Jax’s signature devilish grin slowly reappear on his face.

She whispered in sheer horror, "What exactly did you do?"

Jax merely chuckled darkly. "I simply fulfilled my contract. I planted the seeds of utter chaos, and it appears they are blossoming magnificently. So, I'd say I aced the diversionary test."

Delphine was rendered speechless by his utterly childlike delight in the destruction of a civilization. It was an unexpected facet of his personality but a deeply unsettling one; the more she tried to understand his mind, the more elusive and foreign he became. Realizing that comprehending this man was a journey without a true destination, she simply sighed and concentrated on their escape.

They finally managed to clear the imperial grounds, or at least what remained of them. Jax spotted the city walls in the distance, but before he could utter a word, Lavinia came sprinting toward them from the opposite direction.

She forced the group to an abrupt halt as she arrived, bent over with her hands pressed to her knees, her breaths coming in ragged gasps that sounded as though she had narrowly outrun death itself.

Without delay, she stepped directly into Jax’s personal space and murmured, "Professor, I was so incredibly worried about you."

However, before she could get any closer, a small dragon tail suddenly emerged from beneath Jax’s cloak. Tempris firmly shoved Lavinia back with it, fixing her with a territorial glare that served as an unmistakable warning to maintain her distance from what belonged to her.

Jax paid no heed to the minor conflict, stating, "We can't afford any delays; we must proceed according to the plan I outlined. Postponing means our own detriment, leaving us trapped here indefinitely, or worse, encountering unforeseen circumstances."

Lavinia immediately abandoned her theatrical display, her brow furrowing with genuine apprehension. "However, Professor, we face a significant obstacle. The borders are completely sealed by an army of mages and elite warriors; there must be at least a thousand of them awaiting us."

She awkwardly ran her hand down the back of her neck, adding, "You recall when I mentioned that Athanasia and I were engaged in a fight for survival? Well, technically, Athanasia has been doing all the fighting, while I was primarily focused on a swift escape."

She offered Jax an endearingly innocent, wide-eyed smile to gloss over her timidity, but he met her gaze with only a vacant, weary stare.

—x—X—x—

On the periphery, Athanasia felt as though she were contending with a monstrous horde. The empire's most formidable combatants had been mobilized to intercept them long before Jax set the palace ablaze, and for over an hour, she had single-handedly held them at bay.

Yet, at this moment, she found herself encircled by thousands, with no path for retreat. The Grand Marshal advanced to the forefront of the assembled forces, his triumphant expression suggesting an already-decided victory. "This is where it concludes. Surrender now, lest we deliver judgment upon you here for the comrades who perished by your hand."

Athanasia had completely depleted her mana. The battle was lost. Her last resort, her true power, was an option she absolutely could not entertain. She would sooner embrace death.

Resigned to her fate, she raised her hands in surrender. Her eyes met those of the Grand Marshal, prepared to utter the words that would seal her end, but before any sound could escape her lips, a blade streaked through her vision, and the Grand Marshal was bisected before her very eyes, his body collapsing into two distinct halves.

Standing beside the wetly falling remains of his body was a woman wielding a sword, her mere presence causing the entire vanguard of the army to freeze as if the very air had solidified into ice.

As the two pieces of the Grand Marshal slumped to the ground with a sickening thud, a voice, heavy with exhaustion, emerged from behind the dismembered corpse.

"Are you raising your hand to ask a question? Or perhaps just stretching? Or did you genuinely attempt to concede?" Jax chided her drily, stepping through the opening Clarice had just created. "Because I don't recall instructing you in such matters. Surrender is merely suicide with good manners, Athanasia. And if that's what you were attempting..."

He produced the small assessment booklet he had been issued and held it aloft so she could see it clearly.

"Then I will be deducting your points."

-x-X-x-

A/N: Gratitude to Ordici_T, spawn1996, Leo_Muhammad, Littleboy18794, Outsxder, and tony_adams_4787 for the golden tickets! 🙏🔥

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