Rise Of The Villain : In a World Ruled By Anomalies

Chapter 87 : Cowards

The red-haired lady looked down at Arthur, her crimson eyes cold and steady.

"Only I will ask questions here," she said. "And you will answer."

Arthur stared back at her.

For a brief moment—

He said nothing.

But something in his gaze shifted.

His eyes darkened into a murderous hue, sharp and dangerous, like a beast that had been chained but not tamed. There was a faint stillness in the air, the kind that only appeared before a storm.

The hooded figures hesitated, as if sensing something unspoken, a faint pulse of tension between predator and prey.

Elizabeth’s smile faded just a little.

"I don’t like the look in your eyes," she said flatly.

Then she moved.

SLAP.

Her hand met his cheek again.

His head turned to the side—

Blood flew from the fresh cut.

Before he could fully straighten it—

SLAP.

Another strike.

Then another.

And another.

She slapped him again and again.

Not wildly.

Not out of control.

Each hit was deliberate, precise, and just strong enough to hurt.

By the time she was done—

She had slapped him at least ten times.

Arthur’s cheeks were cut and swelling, thin trails of blood dripping down his face.

But his gaze—

Did not waver.

He kept staring at her.

Unafraid.

Unbroken.

Elizabeth’s lips curled into a wider smirk.

"I like this one," she said. "He has great endurance."

She tilted her head slightly, studying him.

"You’re not a vampire, are you?" she asked.

Arthur exhaled slowly.

"No, my lady," he said. "I am not."

Elizabeth’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"Second question," she said. "Who sent you here?"

Arthur shrugged as much as his bindings allowed.

"I came here by accident," he replied.

Her eyes searched his face for a lie. The silence between questions stretched on, thick with curiosity and unease. The others around them barely breathed, waiting for the next exchange as if every word might shift their fate.

Then she asked, "Are you a human?"

Arthur met her gaze.

"Indeed I am," he answered.

The hall fell silent.

Every hooded figure around them stiffened.

Several of them shifted in place, as if they hadn’t heard correctly.

This was the first time any of them had seen a human.

A real one.

Elizabeth leaned back slightly, her expression turning interested.

"Now that you seem obedient," she said, "I’ll tell you who I am."

She straightened her posture ever so slightly.

"My name is Elizabeth Crimson," she said. "This is the Night Sanctuary... and I am the queen of the vampires—and of this place."

Her words echoed through the hall.

Arthur blinked once.

"Now," Elizabeth continued, "do you understand how much trouble you are in?"

She rested her cheek on her hand, elbow on the throne’s armrest, eyes locked on him.

"The only reason you were brought here alive," she explained, "is because of those red eyes of yours—which only the royal bloodline of the Crimson family possesses."

Arthur tilted his head.

"So you’re saying I was lucky, huh...?" he asked.

Elizabeth’s eyes grew deadly.

Her aura shifted.

"No," she said calmly. "You’re not."

She raised her hand slightly.

"Chop off their heads," she ordered.

Her voice was cold.

"Bring me his body. I will drink his blood tonight," she added. "It has been a long time since I tasted the rare delicacy of human blood."

Several of the hooded figures moved at once.

Heavy footsteps approached.

Arthur and Olivia were grabbed roughly and pulled up from the floor.

Olivia struggled against the bindings, eyes blazing.

"You bastard!" she snapped at Arthur. "Because of you I’m going to die here too!"

She gritted her teeth, trying to force her hands free.

"If only my hands weren’t tied," she hissed, "I would’ve escaped from here already!"

Arthur didn’t answer her.

He was being dragged forward, toward the side of the hall.

Then—

He suddenly stopped moving.

He turned his head and looked straight at Elizabeth.

His voice rang out clearly.

"Ten times," he said.

Elizabeth’s eyebrow arched slightly.

"Ten times what?" she asked, curiosity flickering in her eyes.

Arthur smiled.

It wasn’t friendly.

"That’s how many times you slapped me," he said. "Don’t worry... I promise I’ll pay you back for this soon."

The hall froze.

Every single person there stared at him in disbelief.

A human.

In chains.

In the queen’s court.

Threatening her.

Elizabeth’s smirk slowly returned.

Her crimson eyes glowed faintly.

"Wait," she said loudly.

Her voice cut through the hall like a blade.

"Let’s not give him an easy death."

Elizabeth suddenly raised a finger.

Black energy gathered around it, coiling like smoke, then condensing into a sharp, oppressive point.

She aimed it at Arthur.

In the same instant—

Arthur felt it.

His entire body froze.

His muscles refused to respond.

It was as if every nerve had been cut off from his will.

’...What the hell?’

It felt like his body had become a piece of metal—

And she was the magnet.

His feet left the ground.

In an instant, he flew toward her, pulled by an invisible force.

Elizabeth caught him effortlessly.

Her hand wrapped around his neck.

She lifted his body into the air with one arm, as if he weighed nothing.

His feet dangled above the floor.

She looked straight into his eyes.

"In a foreign land," she said quietly, "surrounded by this many enemies..."

Her grip tightened slightly.

"Why can’t I see even a flicker of fear in your eyes?"

Arthur stared back at her.

Despite the pressure on his throat, a smirk formed on his lips.

"Because I’m not afraid of you, bitch," he said.

For a moment—

The hall fell dead silent.

Then—

Elizabeth’s expression darkened.

In the very next second—

She swung her arm.

Arthur’s body was hurled away like a thrown weapon.

He shot through the air at terrifying speed—

And crashed straight into the distant wall.

Boom.

The impact shook the hall.

Stone cracked.

The wall fractured, leaving a spiderweb pattern of broken lines.

Debris rained down over Arthur’s buried figure.

Dust filled the air. Even the torches flickered, bending under the tremor.

For a few seconds—

No one moved.

No one emerged from the pile of rubble.

Elizabeth tilted her head slightly.

"Was he all talk after all?" she murmured.

The hooded figures stayed silent.

Then—

With a heavy boom—

The debris exploded outward.

Stone fragments flew across the floor.

Arthur stepped out of the broken wall.

His body was injured.

Cuts along his arms.

Bruises forming across his torso.

Blood stained the corner of his lips.

He wiped it away with the back of his hand and spat the rest onto the floor.

He glanced briefly at the strange material binding his hands.

Then he lifted his gaze to Elizabeth.

"Tying me up and beating me senselessly..." Arthur said, voice low but steady. "What a way to demonstrate your power, huh."

He took a step forward. His shadow stretched across the cracked marble, merging with the crimson glow of the throne.

"Where I’m from, only cowards that everyone steps on do that," he continued. "Looks like you’re one of them."

For the first time—

Elizabeth’s eyes flickered with clear anger.

Her face darkened.

Around them, some of the officials visibly stiffened.

Their gazes turned toward her—

As if they were silently demanding an answer.

Proof.

Someone from an inferior species—

Calling their queen a coward.

Elizabeth’s voice was calm, but her aura grew heavier.

"Someone from an inferior species," she said, "is calling me a coward..."

In the next second—

Dozens of vampires moved.

They surrounded Arthur in an instant, fanning out in a loose circle.

Their fangs were visible.

Their eyes glowed with hostility.

Curses spilled from their lips.

"Filthy human."

"Know your place."

"How dare you insult Her Majesty."

They began to hit him.

Punches and kicks came from every direction, slamming into his ribs, his back, his shoulders.

Even bound, Arthur didn’t curl up.

He planted his feet as best as he could and took the blows head-on, his eyes never leaving Elizabeth. Pain rippled through his body, but behind his bleeding lips, the hint of defiance only deepened.

Between strikes, he laughed.

"A cowardly queen," he said, voice rough but clear, "for cowardly people."

Olivia stared in disbelief.

"What the hell is he doing...?" she muttered. "Riling her up like that—what if she decides to kill us right here and now?"

As the beating continued, a single word rang out sharply.

"Stop."

Elizabeth’s voice cut through the hall.

Every vampire froze mid-motion.

They all turned their heads toward the throne.

She looked down at Arthur.

"You think you can defeat us if your hands are not tied?" she asked.

Her gaze was sharp.

Cold.

"I’ll give you a chance," she said. "Let’s have a battle."

Arthur’s lips twisted into a grin.

He turned his head toward the vampires surrounding him and raised his bound hands slightly.

"Haven’t you heard her, you bastards?" he said. "Release me now you blood sucking cowards."