Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1160: OH MY GOD! WHAT A LOVE!! Aether sacrificed himself for his wife!

A headless, naked man and a headless, naked woman stood silently at the base of the mountain, motionless like statues carved from ash and sorrow.

Their ashen skin clung tight to human-shaped bodies, eerily flawless in form... yet something was wrong.

Instead of heads, dark flames roared and flickered violently from their necks, dancing wildly in the still air, as though whispering that these things were not only alive... but watching.

The path behind was silent.

Dust shifted underfoot as the soldier who had brought the group here stepped forward and bowed his head low in deep reverence.

”Soulwardens,” he said with a tone that trembled slightly, ”I humbly ask thee to permit the guests I’ve brought to restore the Cycle of Samsara.”

The dark flames atop the creatures flared and swirled as if reacting to his words. Though they had no eyes, no mouths, no faces—something about the way their bodies shifted made it feel as if they turned toward the three of them.

Toward Aether... Mary... And Nyx.

Nyx’s eyes sparkled wide, full of curiosity and childlike glee. She wasn’t afraid—no, she looked delighted. As if already peeling apart the nature of these beings in her mind, examining their flame-covered necks and invisible souls like a curious scientist with something rare to dissect.

Aether caught her expression and sighed inwardly, lips twitching.

’Definitely not normal,’ he thought with a resigned shake of his head as the Soulwardens began to move.

They weren’t walking—not exactly. Their bodies glided across the rocky ground without a sound, flames burning hotter, brighter... focused directly on Nyx.

Their attention wasn’t on her expression or her playful excitement. It was something else. Something about her being itself.

The flames hissed louder. Their arms rose, long and unsettlingly smooth, reaching for her face with a kind of gentleness that felt too strange on things so terrifying.

Aether stepped forward instinctively, blocking them with a sharp glare. His voice was clipped, annoyed.

”She’s my wife. Please don’t touch her while you’re completely naked!” He frowned harder, then added with a snort, ”Actually—naked or not, just don’t touch my wife, okay?”

Nyx blinked slowly and tilted her head toward him, confusion clear in her wide, glittering eyes.

The Soulwardens paused. Their bodies tilted at unnatural angles as if trying to understand what just happened. Then, slowly, they began to draw back. The flames flared briefly—then calmed. But now... they seemed to focus on Aether.

He felt it.

That weight. That heat. Like invisible eyes crawling across his body.

’Oh no. No, no, no—hell no!’

Panic surged up his spine, and without thinking, Aether snatched Nyx’s hand and practically dove behind Mary, using her like a living shield.

Mary blinked, startled. ”What the...?” she muttered, frowning at his sudden cowardice.

But she didn’t get a chance to scold him.

The Soulwardens were already standing before her. And again, their pale, headless forms reached forward, hands rising toward her face as if they were seeking something hidden beneath her blurry aura.

As their fingers neared her, the mist-like shimmer around her parted, peeling away like fog under sunlight. Aether caught the faintest, stolen glimpse of long golden waves—hair?

And below, the soft curve of hips that gleamed like moonlight wrapped in mystery. But before his eyes could fully comprehend what he saw—

”... Are you wishing for death?”

Mary’s voice was low, but it struck like thunder—cold, sharp, merciless.

The flames atop the Soulwardens’ necks exploded briefly, flaring upward like they’d been slapped by divine fear. In an instant, the creatures recoiled, retreating with unnatural, jerky steps.

The mist returned, concealing Mary’s form once again, like curtains closing over a secret stage.

Aether blinked, his heart racing. For a second, he was sure—he’d seen it. That silhouette. That damn beautiful hip wrapped in golden hair—no! No, no, no—he wasn’t going to be lured by this!!

Whatever she was hiding, it was dangerous.

Far more dangerous than the freaky flaming-headless things.

He gritted his teeth and kept his gaze down.

Mary gave him a disgusted side-eye, her expression flat and laced with disappointment.

”Pathetic,” she muttered, shaking her head before turning to the Soulwardens.

”Shall we proceed?”

The flaming creatures seemed to nod—or at least, their neck-flames dipped slightly, as if in acknowledgement.