The Return Of The Exiled Villain

Chapter 329: Back To Where Everything Started...

Gray stood silently for a moment longer, staring at the bloody mess that was once his father. Then he turned to Alina.

"I’ll see you soon," he said simply.

Alina smiled softly, stepping forward to gently fix the collar of his blood-stained shirt. Her violet eyes were filled with quiet affection.

"Take care of yourself until then, little brother. Don’t push yourself too hard."

She leaned in and placed a soft kiss on his forehead before stepping back.

With one last lingering look, she turned and disappeared into the shadows of the tunnel, leaving Gray alone.

Gray exhaled slowly, then began walking back the way he came.

When he emerged from the underground passage and stepped into the ruined courtyard of the manor, Aurora was already waiting for him.

The moment she saw him, her red eyes lit up with excitement and relief.

"You’re back!" she exclaimed happily.

She ran toward him and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight, enthusiastic hug. Her massive, soft breasts pressed firmly against his chest, the thin fabric of her dress doing little to hide their warmth and fullness.

Her body molded perfectly against his as she squeezed him.

"You did it, didn’t you?" she whispered excitedly, her breath hot against his ear.

"You killed him?"

Gray nodded once.

"Yes. It’s done."

"Heh~" Aurora let out a delighted laugh and hugged him even tighter, her breasts squishing heavily against him.

One of her hands slid down his back, boldly reaching lower until it cupped his ass, then moved dangerously close to the front of his trousers, fingers brushing teasingly over the growing bulge there.

"Mmm~♡" she purred, pressing her hips against him.

"It’s time for a celebration, no?"

Her voice was low and seductive, dripping with lust as she gently squeezed him through his pants.

Gray’s hand moved up and boldly squeezed her right breast, fingers sinking into the soft, heavy flesh.

"Ungh~!" Aurora moaned in surprise, her body shivering with pleasure.

She didn’t pull away; if anything, she pushed her chest harder into his hand, clearly enjoying his touch.

But Gray gently tapped the hand that was reaching for his trousers.

"Not now, Aurora," he said calmly.

"Go back. I still have a few things to do here."

Aurora let out a cute whine, pouting adorably as she looked up at him with needy red eyes.

"Aww~... Fine. But you owe me a proper celebration later," she murmured, giving his cock one last teasing squeeze before reluctantly pulling her hand away.

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek softly, then gave him a seductive wink.

"I’ll be waiting for you~"

With that, she turned and walked away, hips swaying seductively as she disappeared into the night.

Inside Gray’s mind, two voices suddenly spoke, though he couldn’t hear them.

[Sanguina: ’...Isn’t your so-called "husband" a little bit of a playboy?’]

[Jasmine: ’...’]

[Sanguina: ’Your choice with men really is awful, huh.’]

[Jasmine: ’...’]

Gray ignored them and turned away, heading toward a different destination.

It took him only five minutes to reach the canyon.

The place where he had first bonded with Jasmine, the inheritance dungeon that had changed everything.

But when he arrived, Gray frowned deeply.

The once-beautiful, mysterious entrance was now completely mutilated.

The elegant stone archway was cracked and broken, with large chunks of rock scattered across the ground.

Deep claw marks and blast craters covered the area, as if a fierce battle had taken place here recently.

"...It’s dirty," he muttered, voice low.

He waved his hand, sending a powerful surge of mana outward. The debris and rubble were instantly cleared away, floating off to the side.

Above the damaged archway, a broken plaque still hung crookedly. The words were partially destroyed, but Gray could still read them clearly in his memory.

[Only the forgotten may enter. Only the broken may rise.]

He stepped closer and gently stroked the cracked stone with his fingers, as if caressing an old friend.

A faint, nostalgic smile appeared on his lips for a brief moment.

"...How fitting it was back then," he whispered.

He shook his head lightly and let out a short, quiet laugh before stepping into the ruined entrance.

The air inside was cool and heavy with mana, carrying the faint scent of dust and stone.

Even though the physical structure had been damaged, the dungeon’s core remained intact, humming with the same mysterious energy he remembered.

He walked forward without hesitation.

The first hall was exactly as he remembered it, a long corridor lit by eerie blue torches that cast long, dancing shadows on the walls.

In the past, this place had been a nightmare.

Completely black, humanoid figures had emerged from the darkness, attacking relentlessly with claws and shadowy blades.

They were fast, silent, and tireless.

But this time, the moment Gray stepped fully into the hall, the black figures began to materialize.

Dozens of them rose from the floor and walls, their forms twisting and solidifying. However, instead of lunging at him with murderous intent, they froze.

Then, one by one, they slowly knelt.

Their featureless heads bowed low in perfect submission, arms crossed over their chests in a gesture of respect.

The entire hall fell into complete silence.

Gray stopped walking for a moment, observing them with calm black eyes.

"...Interesting," he muttered.

The dungeon had recognized him.

The bond he had formed with Jasmine here had left a deep imprint.

These guardians no longer saw him as an intruder, and instead, they saw him as something closer to an owner, or at least someone worthy of reverence.

He continued walking.

The black figures remained kneeling until he passed, then slowly dissolved back into shadows, as if they had never been there.

The corridor led him deeper until he reached the wider chamber he remembered so clearly.

It was a vast, circular room with a high domed ceiling. In the center stood a massive, ancient hourglass filled with glowing golden sand that trickled slowly downward.

Around it, on the floor, were ten pedestals, each representing a different element: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Lightning, Ice, Light, Darkness, Time, and Space.

A stone slab rose smoothly from the ground in front of him, ancient text glowing dimly upon its surface.

[The Sands of Choice]

[You have ten minutes. Solve the riddle, choose the right path, or be buried with the wrong one.]

Below the warning, the first riddle appeared, each letter shimmering with faint blue light:

[I do not speak, yet I answer all.

I have no breath, yet I reveal the truth.

I end in confusion, yet begin madness.

One glance might guide a king.

But linger too long, and even gods go blind.]

Back then, Dante thought that the answer was "mirror", which was wrong, but he got lucky that he had gotten the right tile, as he had pressed the time tile.

But now... looking at the riddle, the answer was clear as the day.

"Knowledge."

He mumbled before pressing the Time Tile.

The stone slab pulsed after he did so, and the letters rearranged themselves, glowing brighter.

[I am not alive, but I grow.

I do not breathe, but I need air.

I have no mouth, but water kills me.]

This one was even simpler.

"Fire," Gray answered without hesitation.

The slab glowed once more in approval.

The central hourglass stopped its flow for a moment, then the floor beneath him shifted. A new passage opened on the far side of the chamber, leading deeper into the dungeon.

Gray walked forward without pause.

The next area was the infamous hallway of mirrors.

The long corridor was lined with countless reflective surfaces, mirrors of all shapes and sizes, some cracked, some pristine.

In the past, this place had nearly driven him insane. Illusory clones of himself would emerge from the mirrors, attacking relentlessly while the corridor looped endlessly.

Breaking the wrong mirror would reset the entire trial.

Gray stopped at the entrance and stared at the endless reflections of himself.

He remembered how hard he had worked to solve this last time... analyzing patterns, searching for the "true" mirror that served as the exit.

But now...

"I’m too lazy for this," he muttered.

Snap!

He simply raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

A powerful wave of mana erupted from him.

CRAAACK!

Every single mirror in the hallway shattered simultaneously in a strong cascade of sound.

Glass exploded outward in all directions, the illusory clones that were beginning to form disintegrating instantly into sparks of light.

The hallway was destroyed in seconds.

At the far end, a new passage opened, the dungeon itself yielding to his overwhelming power.

Gray walked through the broken glass without a care, shards crunching beneath his boots.

Another trial awaited...

And this one was the illusion one, that didn’t even affect Gray, causing him to pass directly to the next trial.

The trial where he had previously lost.

"Just as before..." Gray mumbled lightly.

An endless abyss stretched before him.

Above him, floating in the dark sky, a single line glowing in a blood color could be seen:

[Prove yourself worthy of power. Or fall as ash.]

Kruuum!

Ten platforms suddenly appeared in this dark abyss, with each one of them being separated by jagged chasms.

"Well... two years later, it’s time to finally conquer this dungeon."