My Wife is a Dead Villainess, and I'm Her Living Weapon-Chapter 97: Price

Three wolves grew uneasy, their minds each veering in different directions.

"Everyone, did I read that right? That was an announcement sent to the entirety of Earth, right?" Silent fretted.

Her husband was also on edge. Bastion flinched and scanned the skies. "Tsk. I was careless. I should have asked more about how the Tyrant marks work. Now they know Elian’s name."

"Wow! That means Elian is on a direct collision course with the Pope, the Duke, and the President, right? There is hardly anyone else who could be a candidate."

At Fluffy’s cheer, Silent sent an Ice VII pebble to smash against her forehead.

"Owee!"

"Quiet you! This is serious! Why are you acting that way? Elian would be in danger!"

While the Wolves were arguing, Bianca simply held Elian’s hand and rested her head on his shoulder. Although most people would be panic-stricken at the system prompt, Elian made little reaction while Bianca grew uneasy but did not fear.

After all, Elian made his decision to get revenge for Bianca the first time he heard about it. And while Heaven’s Fist was only the first, he represented the strongest possibility.

As if they have someone stronger, if they did, they probably would have taken him out already.

"Elian. They know now," Bianca cautioned in a worried tone.

"Yes."

"Are you afraid?"

Elian pulled up his information and presented it to Bianca.

___

Name: Elian Reed (M)

Talent: Adamant (S) | Driven (S) | Forged (SSS)

Level: 33

HP: 241,000 / 241,000 | MP: 10 / 10

Strength: S | Intelligence: S | Agility: S

Job: Living Metal (SSS) | Dominator (SSS)

___

"Five levels. That’s all it took to leave one of Earth’s strongest behind. Four more, and I’m in Mid Radiant. I’ll bury them before they reach me," Elian bragged smugly.

Bianca rolled her eyes and tried to massage her throbbing temple.

"Plus, I have you."

"..." Unable to handle Elian’s straightforwardness, she hid her face from Elian.

"Our family is getting bigger. They are all powerful; we aren’t alone. I will ensure that when we do fight, we will wipe the floor with them all," Elian said with a chuckle.

"Ugh. Why did I have to fall for an idiot?"

Despite her complaint, Elian smiled and grabbed Bianca’s soul body by her waist.

"Kya!" the witch yelped; she glared at her lover but didn’t move from her spot. "Elian, you are growing too brazen!"

"It will be okay," he whispered.

Elian’s voice was firm, confident, and commanding. Bianca closed her eyes and nodded in silence. They felt each other’s presence. Somehow, the journey and the terrifying enemies felt bearable.

All because I have you by my side.

Bianca didn’t reply, but she flushed red from her cheeks all the way to her neck. When Elian looked up, Sunny had wide eyes and smiled with satisfaction.

"Wonderful. You both seem adept at being forced into difficult situations."

"Yeah, it’s going to take a lot more to get me and Bianca down. I lived as a Defect, so compared to that, all this is easy. With her by my side, I will never lose."

Elian felt a soft thump on his shoulder; Bianca smacked him with her fist, unable to speak from embarrassment.

Cute.

"Hmph. A Defect huh? Yet another dastardly plot the humans concocted. I have tested both your mettle and your honor, Elian. And I am pleased. I forgive you for enslaving my children." She then bowed her head to Elian. "When the time comes, I hope you free them."

Elian gave a short tilt of his chin, "I will. They will get to choose if they want to come with me."

His response caused Sunny to smile warmly.

"You do not wish to leverage my knowledge?"

There were a hundred questions Elian could have asked. But he swallowed them all.

If I asked for answers now, it would mean I didn’t understand her lesson.

Elian shook his head, "No, it would probably be best for me to learn on my own. That’s how Tyrants do things, don’t they?"

Sunny’s smile grew, "Indeed. You are responsible for those under your charge. Rather than listen to the words of others, you must grasp everything you desire with your own hands. This has always been and always will be the path of our kind."

Elian understood it from the Phoenix’s actions. She could have just taken Silent and Bastion’s words that Elian was strong. But she chose to verify it for herself. Only then did she give him both her request and her future.

Tyrants weren’t logical but were instead willful. They were leaders who carried burdens no one could even understand. But no matter how powerful they were, they weren’t perfect. Tyrants still made mistakes, and fighting capability wasn’t everything.

Her Anchor and family became her shackles.

Even someone as powerful as Sunny chose a life of misery of her own accord. All because those she loved were used against her.

Despite not teaching Elian all this, he learned many lessons.

A Tyrant does not lecture; he shows. A Tyrant’s loved ones become his weaknesses. Even superior strength can be beaten by the right move.

"They all told me of your plans. Frankly, it is crazy. But you intend to continue no matter what, right?"

Nod.

"I see. Maybe you might be able to make the decision; I could not."

The golem tilted his head in confusion, yet the phoenix just shook her head and continued in a gentle tone.

"Forgive me for forcing this burden on you." She apologized. Sunny then came closer and presented herself to her executioner. She paused. "I put my trust in you, Elian Reed. Please do not fail me. The fate of Averignis I leave to you."

"You do not wish to be revived and join us in freeing your kin?" Elian asked.

The Phoenix shook her head. "No. I wish to rest. Immortality in solitude is nothing but a curse. I no longer have the strength to see the sad states my weakness has caused. I am tired. I wish to open my eyes reunited with those I love. Please grant me this request."

"Understood."

Bianca stepped back as Sunny knelt. Elian whispered, "Charade, Golem." As the vow had already been made, there was no reason to delay any longer. It was time to let Sunny vanish—to hide the Tyrant who had once lit a world.

Sunny pointed to a spot on her chest with her wing, "This is where my core is. Strike it with your strongest blow. When my body evaporates, a core will form. Use it to find my kin."

"I understand," with his declaration, Elian pointed the tip of Pile Revolver at Sunny’s heart. The weight of the trigger felt heavy.

For all her power, the humans brought her down. Elian could feel her self-loathing that she couldn’t free them herself. Much like the Flame Swallows, she was also under a curse. A curse that could only be removed with her death.

The Tyrant looked at everyone present. "My friends, my child. Until the Fire wills us to meet again. Farewell." Sunny then gestured to Elian as she closed her eyes.

And Elian pulled the trigger of the Pile Revolver. The Cinderglass cartridge detonated, and a powerful shockwave traveled toward Sunny’s body. The flames covering her chest were abruptly wiped away.

The Flame Phoenix vomited blue blood. Silent bit her lip, Bastion buried his claws in the ground, and Burny lowered his head as if in prayer.

Boom. Then another. And another. By the end of the salvo, the flesh of Sunny’s torso had blown apart. With effort, she spoke her last.

"Thank you."

And closed her eyes. In an instant, the remains of her corpse, the chunks and blood, all caught fire and began to burn. Within mere moments, Sunny, the Sun Everflame Tyrant, died.

The flames still danced where she had fallen. Elian knelt quietly, his hand hovering above the ash before retrieving her core. Bastion and Silent began to give a eulogy for the departed tyrant.

"Sunny had such wild tales of war and life; Silent and I bonded with her whenever we escorted the priests checking up on her. I never met Flare, but Sunny’s affection for him bled through her every word."

"Now she gets to rest. The next time she opens her eyes; it will be among those she loves. Thank you, son-in-law." Silent licked Elian’s cheek in appreciation. "Bastion and I knew of her isolation and loneliness decades ago, yet we couldn’t act to save her."

The party gave her a moment of silence. Bianca clung to Elian, her hand holding his.

Then he prepared to leave the dungeon. Elian turned to the Flame Swallow with him and asked.

"Burny, do you still feel the curse of Compromise? I couldn’t find the artifact anywhere."

He shook his head and answered, "No. Not anymore. The device was buried inside mother’s body. It couldn’t be destroyed so long as she was alive. And apart from you, no one would have been able to kill her."

Elian didn’t answer. He just stared at the glowing core, its warmth already fading.

That’s why we couldn’t find the artifact; they buried it inside her. And since she couldn’t kill herself with fire, she needed someone to do so. But Heaven’s Fist stopped anyone strong enough from doing so.

To see her laugh and tease, few would guess she lived inside a prison of her own immortality. But the way her voice trembled as she burned—knowing she had become the shackle that bound her loved ones—must have exhausted her soul.

Such was the price of being a Tyrant.