Chapter 284 - 284: 284. Curiosity

Standing before Tama was Freya dressed in her usual blue top, black skirt, and combat boots, her hands gripping a massive sword sculpted entirely from ice. The blade shimmered with pale cold mist. Beside her, sitting comfortably on the couch with practiced elegance was her mother Mrs. Lawson, cool, composed, and watching Tama like a lion eyeing prey.Tama's fur bristled, her tail straightening like a drawn whip. Her feline instincts screamed at her to run but she stood her ground.

"So… you sacrificed our kind too, huh," Tama said quietly, eyes locked on Freya. "But tell me—who was the man behind it all? The mastermind?"

Freya didn't answer. She simply slipped the blade from her shoulder and slashed it downward.

Tama vanished into shadow a split-second before the sword struck, reappearing behind the couch just as it shattered into frozen shards.

Freya clicked her tongue. "Tch. Slippery little thing, aren't you?" Her eyes narrowed. "I told you last time not to dig too deep or you'll burn, didn't l?. Now you know the truth and that leaves us no choice but to send you into the afterlife to join your brethren, or wait.... maybe become one of master's undead pets."

Tama's fists trembled at her sides. "So it's true then. Your master is the one turning my people's bodies into undead slaves and monsters."

Mrs. Lawson rose from her couch, calmly placing eyeglasses onto her nose.

"Your fate was sealed the moment you stepped into this house—"

"No, mom," Freya interrupted, stepping forward. "It was the moment she started scratching into the past. Should've stayed a good little kitty in whatever dusty alley she crawled from."

She turned her cold eyes on Tama. "No hard feelings. I don't want to do this. But I can't disobey my master's command."

Then, without another word, Freya drove her sword into the floor.

A pulse of freezing energy burst outward, sweeping across the room. The floor, walls, ceiling—everything turned to ice in seconds, the entire interior shimmering like a frozen cathedral. Shadows vanished.


Tama's heart pounded. The ice had swallowed all the darkness, cutting off her connection to the shadows she used to move. It was a countermeasure to her power.

"You're too good at this," Tama growled. "You know how to counter my skill like this isn't your first time. Like you've perfected how to fight my kind."

She shifted into a fighting stance, tail flicking behind her.

"Back when our village was attacked... one of the cloaked bastards used ice magic. Froze everything. Crushed buildings, trees, even the soil beneath us. Was that you?"

Freya smirked. "Impressive you still remember that considering you were just a tiny brat back then."

She raised her blade.

"But knowing the truth won't change anything. It sure as hell won't save you."

"It helps," Tama replied darkly. "More than you think."

Mrs. Lawson chuckled. "Oh, you want the truth? Fine. Yes. It was us. We froze your little village and butchered your kin like livestock. They deserved it. If they'd listened to me from the beginning, none of it would've happened."

Freya's grin widened. "And it wasn't just us. All the S-ranks of Eldoria, Zephandria, even the Shangani Kingdom took part. Everyone but Felmora, you catfolk and your precious morals. 'We don't kill our own,' they said." She scoffed. "Now that you know, what will you do? Die peacefully? Or scream for justice no one will give you?"

Tama said nothing.

She looked down at the glassy ice beneath her boots. Her reflection stared back at her calm and unreadable.

They say curiosity kills the cat.

But Tama's curiosity was far from satisfied. Even if she'd suspected S-ranks were behind the massacre after the incident with Veyna and that farm where she encountered the STI infected noble, this was confirmation. Her people weren't taken down by random citizens. No. Only elites, twisted by power, could've wiped out a clan as magically gifted as hers.

Her claws flexed. Her eyes narrowed.

She wasn't dying here. Not until she knew who started this and why.

She inhaled slowly. Let the anger pass through her. Then, she spoke.

"You can come out now, Rin."

A ripple of air shifted nearby.

From the corner of the icy room, Rin appeared silent and smiling, deactivating her invisibility skill. Her presence caused Freya to step back instinctively. She recognized who Rin was.

"You brought a friend?" Freya scoffed. "You think that'll help? We crushed your entire clan. Two of you won't even make this interesting."

Rin puffed her cheeks out. "Rin's bored. When do we start playing?"

From Val's Estate, like always, Tama had told Rin they were going out to play some fun games to kill boredom.

Tama smirked. "The game starts now, Rin. Mind helping me deal with these fossils?"

Rin's eyes lit up like a child promised candy. "Hehehe… Rin will play!! Let's gooo!!"

What came next shattered even Freya's confidence.

Rin dropped the illusion she used on herself to hide her horns. The demonic aura she always held back flooded out, thick and full of ancient malice. Her horns emerged, two curved, crimson spires blazing with infernal heat. Bat-like wings unfurled from her back, casting shadows that flickered with embers. Her horns ignited, and fire licked up the sides of her face like a crown of flames.

Mrs. Lawson staggered back. "W-what the hell is she?!"

"A demon," Freya growled. "A powerful one. Strong enough to treat slaughter like playtime. She behaves like a kid, but she's older than you can imagine. Be careful. This just turned real."

Tama gave a small, proud grin. She had brought a monster to a monster fight.

"Rin," she said, pointing. "Melt the ice. It's a pain."

"Got it!" Rin chirped. She raised a finger. A tiny fireball formed at the tip of it, then it grew, and grew, roaring with heat.

With a flick, she launched it skyward. It exploded with a thunderous BANG, melting the ceiling and incinerating the entire roof in one blast. No debris fell down. Just smoke and ash.

"Rin!!" Tama yelled, shielding her eyes. "You trying to roast me too?!"

Rin frowned. "Oops! Rin just wanted to melt the ice… didn't mean to burn everything. Sorry…"

Freya stood beside her mother, using her ice sword as a shield against the blaze. The house was gone now—leaving them exposed to the world outside. Citizens would see. Panic would spread.

They couldn't allow that. One was a respected S-rank, and the other an academy Principal. They wouldn't want to be found causing violence.

"Mom," Freya said grimly.

"I know." Mrs. Lawson began chanting. A black mist swirled around them, cloaking their faces in distorted, shifting pixels like some hentai censorship filter.

"No more holding back," Freya hissed. "We can't fail the master."

And so, the battle began.

TBC