CHAPTER 145: FULL RECOVERY

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  I chuckled in a jovial tone, thoroughly amused by her disgraceful display. For a woman who had valued decency over indecency, who prized manners over discourtesy, and who treated etiquette like her life’s work, it was rare to witness her abandon those three pillars in a single setting.

  From how indecent she was acting, to how discourteous her tone had become, to the insolence of her actions right now, there wasn’t even a semblance of nobility left in her.

  I lifted my head, staring straight into her eyes. She smiled, then laughed. Her laughter rang in my ears like a melody I could listen to for years, but soon she stopped, noticing the intensity of my gaze. Samantha smiled at my reaction, her voice dripping with teasing confidence. "Is it your first time witnessing a naked lady as beautiful as me laughing jovially in your embrace?"

  I smiled, then nodded slowly. "Hmm, it is a first for me, witnessing such a ridiculous scene... but it is not the first time I have held a naked woman within my embrace."

  "Oh, really? Then, if I am not being intrusive, tell me, how beautiful are they compared to me!?"

  "Huhu... not as beautiful as you are. But they were not so average that they fell into the categories I define as 'simple.' I do not mingle with average beauties."

  Samantha was quite taken aback by the response. Isn't it the norm to hide one's past infidelities in front of their beloved? So why didn't he hide them, but instead revealed it so carelessly in front of her? This wasn't the script she had laid out; she wanted to see his nervous expression, cramming for an answer that would satisfy her.

  She sighed at how miserably her fantasy fell to pieces, then glared at him.

  Alister’s lips quirked as he whispered softly. "Huhu, it seems the script didn't flow as you wanted. So, what should we do for this problem? Maybe returning to that moment to correct my speech wouldn't harm your ego?"

  Samantha’s lips quivered at the sarcastic remarks she so disliked. She bit her lip like a tigress, determined to assert dominance over her male, whispering ferociously. "Hmph! Just because you've become ugly doesn't mean I won't retaliate! Let’s see how you comfort me after I ravage you this instant!"

  I sighed at her words. As she lunged, I lifted my hand, fluidly manipulating it to block Samantha’s claws as she attempted to scratch my already ugly face. She continued her attempts, becoming more ferocious the more she failed. Irritated, yet amused watching her chest jiggle with her movement, I smiled viciously.

  I reached out and flicked the sensitive peak of her chest, sending a wave of mana directly into her flesh. The energy electrified her nerves, amplifying her sensory touch by a dozen times instantly. I watched her hold herself in, trying desperately not to moan unceremoniously in front of me. It was a cute attempt, but I am not someone who gives up after a single strike.

  I smirked, threatening to flick it again. Samantha, watching my hand with wide eyes, tried to shout but instead shrieked in ecstasy as I toyed with those already aroused peaks, pinching and rolling them. I watched Samantha finally moan with wanton abandon, with tears flowing down her cheeks. I smiled, wanting to bully her more so I could witness that lewd expression a little longer, but I restrained myself as I saw a fire alight in her eyes.

  I chuckled, leaning in to whisper softly into her bright red ears. "Huhu, dear, how careless of me. Could you repeat those words please?"

  Finally free from the ecstasy he had induced just by playing with her, Samantha clenched her teeth begrudgingly. She glared at him with teary eyes, crossing her arms over her chest for fear he would tease her again, and pouted. "Hmph! I don't remember saying anything! So forget it... forget it, okay!"

  "Huhu, I see. I must have misheard it. Then, for now, let us feast like there is no tomorrow."

  Though still vengeful over what had happened, Samantha was visibly excited when the word feast came out of his mouth. She could finally eat properly, something she hadn’t been able to do in a year. All she had fed on in that time was the blood of inferior demonic beasts, creatures possessing little to no nutrients. "Then, Alister, could you do me the favor of draining the Whale’s blood so that I could drink it?"

  I crouched low, touching the massive carcass of the Whale. I sent a wave of mana through its body to check if the blood was poisonous or corrupted, we couldn't know if it would have a withering effect on someone as currently weak as Samantha. Detecting no poison whatsoever, except for its stomach sac containing a powerful acid.

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  I let out a mocking laugh and jokingly remarked. "I could help you drain it... but what's in it for me?"

  Hearing my remark, Samantha pondered for a while, speaking hesitantly. "Hmm, let me see..."

  Then, before she could finish, realization struck. She shouted with the ferocity of a tigress. "What do you mean 'what's in it for you'?! I am your soon-to-be wife! So what do you mean you couldn't even feed your wife, ALISTER!"

  I chuckled at her outburst. I flicked my hand, and the earth a hundred meters away rose. It built an enclosed space where darkness thrived before settling into a solid dome. It was inconvenient not to see without enhancing my eyeballs with mana, so I flicked my hand again.

  Whoosh.

  The water inside was drained out of the dome in an instant. A brazier appeared at the center of the ceiling, and an intense heat settled in, lighting up the whole place. Samantha was amazed by it, but she remained silent, knowing it took effort to multitask such varied feats.

  She watched as Alister tapped the Whale. The massive beast began to shrink as its blood seeped out of its body, heated by the fire in the brazier until it became purer.

  Unbeknownst to Samantha, I flicked my hand again, and a stone chalice appeared in my grasp. The purified blood essence of the Whale settled into it. I handed it to Samantha, who was staring in amazement at the process.

  I smiled, snapping my fingers to get her attention. "Huhuhu, I didn't expect you to be so easily fooled. Here, take this, the purified blood essence of the Whale."

  Samantha snapped back from her daze, giggling at my words with amusement. She took the chalice from my grasp, glancing at the liquid inside. It was clearer than any blood she had drunk in her entire life. She sighed at the sight, then took a sip from the chalice with an expectant gaze.

  Immediately, she was taken aback. An electrifying feeling attacked every cell in her body. This wasn't the ecstasy she felt earlier from his hands; it was something else entirely. It felt like she was being reborn. She could faintly feel the changes in her body, her eyes were sharper than ever, her claws deadlier than before, her jaws her fangs were stronger than ever, Samantha was now confident that her fangs could pierce a thick sheet of metal plate, with her sheer physical strength alone.

  She smiled, looking at Alister, who was munching on the dried flesh of the Whale with delight. She whispered. "Alister... how is it possible that the blood you extracted is far more heavenly than the blood of an Overseer?"

  "I am pretty skilled, right? But don't dismiss its effects as just being 'delicious.' The purified blood essence of that Whale should allow you to obtain an enhanced physique and mystique, if I am not wrong. Maybe try firing a round of your revolver to see how powerful it has become."

  Samantha nodded. Then she looked around to find where she had dropped her revolvers and sword, only to find them nowhere. Just as she was about to sigh in despair, the ground right beside her rose, holding her twin revolvers and sword in its grasp.

  She smiled in like a child, hugging the weapons she thought she had lost, and shouted. "Thanks! I thought for sure I had lost my babies, but thanks to you, I've found them, Alister!"

  I smiled, encouraging her to attack. Samantha never disappoints. Her mana, more viscous than ever, flowed through the formations in the revolvers. She looked around for a target.

  And I flicked my hand, and a stone stele rose from the ground. Samantha aimed the muzzle toward the stele and pulled the trigger.

  Bang!

  A bullet the size of a walnut phased through the stele, punching a clean hole. In the next second, the delayed impact arrived.

  BOOM!

  The stele exploded into thousands of fragments. Samantha froze at the sight. It was not fear, but pure excitement. She was shocked that the destructive power of her mana bullet had increased by more than a dozen times. Earlier, she could calculate that she wouldn't even be able to make a dent on the Whale's skin with her strongest attack, now, it was something she could do with a single mana bullet.

  Her mana potency and purity had surely increased from this single feast. But what about her physical strength? Samantha couldn't wait to figure it out. She threw her revolvers aside and grabbed her sword, dashing toward the broken stele, which I had restructured in an instant. Though she didn't know any formal sword techniques right now, Samantha didn't mind. She remembered her female friend Solia swinging her sword in perfection.

  She copied the movement, unleashing Solia's signature move, 'Lightning Draw.' Due to Samantha's lack of understanding of the technique and lack of proficiency to truly unify her body, mind, and sword, the finesse was absent. However, the raw power was undeniable.

  Shhhk.

  Her attack sliced the stele cleanly in half. If Samantha's understanding or proficiency were higher, perhaps mimicking Solia's 'Lightning Draw' or 'Twin Thunder Fangs' wouldn't be an impossible task. Nevertheless, Samantha was satisfied with her gains. She glanced at Alister excitedly, only to find him already returned to his handsome form. He glanced at her, then closed his eyes. Suddenly, something broke through from his back.

  Squelch! Crack!

  Small tendrils broke free from his flesh as if he were infected by some Lovecraftian horror. Then, the structure of the tentacles shifted drastically. Sharp, jagged teeth appeared at the tips of the tendrils, looking like mouths, or more exactly, these tendrils were an extensions of a mouth.

  Alister now possessed eighteen tendrils, each having a set of mouths. Did this mean he had nineteen mouths in total? Samantha shook her head in confusion, but the show wasn't over yet. Alister flicked his hand. The Cereum carapace, something that only Cecilia should possess, appeared on the tendrils like snakes, wrapping along them and the rest of his body. It created a full-plated armor radiating the vibe of a demon that crawled from the deepest part of hell.

  Samantha sighed, watching him, then muttered fondly. "I see... so you've finally recovered."