A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

On the eighth day, the alchemical carving knife slipped from Helen's trembling hands, and she collapsed from exhaustion, unable to continue. Ravenna, still determined, fell into unconsciousness a day later.

By the twelfth day, the creations of Helen and Ravenna were nearing completion. Helen's Model Seven Ether Furnace, lacking the energy to be further refined, appeared rough and cumbersome. In contrast, Ravenna, having controlled Nidhoggur, had completed the main construction three days earlier than Helen and had been meticulously refining the details.

On the fifteenth day, two miraculous creations born from the same spirit were officially completed.

Helen's complexion was pale, her lips tinged with blue, and Ravenna was not much better off. They looked at each other briefly before Ravenna, with a voice hoarse to the extreme, spoke:

"Shall I grant you three more days?"

"... No, we can begin now."

Helen staggered towards the Universal Ether Furnace on the workbench, clutching an ether magi-crystal, her breathing increasingly unsteady.

No one knew what Helen was thinking at that moment; she silently dropped the magi-crystal into the ether furnace and watched as it began to operate.

The output port of the Universal Ether Furnace emitted a faint white light, and a visible waveform emanated, pouring into a cylindrical special vessel connected to it.

Although nothing seemed to appear in the vessel, the internal space began to distort continuously, and as the distortion intensified, it even refracted a dazzling array of colors.

Helen and Ravenna held their breath, watching this moment until the light receded, the bewildering brilliance gradually returned to transparency, and an energy orb, visible due to the spatial distortion, formed within the vessel. They both exhaled softly.

The first step, producing a "universal energy source" that could bring about great change yet required no extraordinary and could be harnessed by everyone, was successful.

The next challenge was stability.

Undoubtedly, neither Helen nor Ravenna had the capability to create a truly universal ether furnace at that moment. Their competition was merely to see whose creation was more stable.

Helen silently counted the seconds in her heart while intently observing the energy orb within the vessel. However, just as she reached the third second, the previously stable energy pattern violently distorted, and Helen's expression shifted instantaneously.

0.4 seconds later, cracks appeared on the exterior of the vessel.

At 1.3 seconds, the vessel burst abruptly, shattering its transparent shell with a force that, while not wildly violent, scattered fragments everywhere. Helen, shielding her face too late, bore a vivid streak of blood on her cheek.

"Four point three three seconds," Helen and Ravenna declared in unison.

"An improvement of 0.92 seconds over three years ago... how absurd," Ravenna murmured to herself.

Yet, Helen laughed, her blood-streaked cheek lending a strangely enchanting air to her smile: "This is the result of leaving Father."

"You misunderstand; I mean, it's surprising you've improved by 0.92 seconds," Ravenna glanced at Helen, "despite being suppressed and besieged by the Etheric Academy, nearly achieving nothing over these three years."

"But that's all there is to it," Ravenna concluded, tossing an ether crystal into her evidently more refined and complete universal ether furnace, then glanced at Helen: "Your tragic life ends here—"

Boom!

Her words were abruptly cut off.

It was just... a moment.

In the instant the ether was absorbed and converted into energy by the furnace... the entire universal ether furnace exploded from the inside out.

This was an unforeseen catastrophe that no one could not have anticipated. Having left the underground library, Ravenna didn't stop hand creating. Especially since for someone like her, the possibility of being unpracticed was non-existent. How could she possibly fail… even the most basic, initial challenge?

The explosion during energy production was a flaw known to the Model Four Ether Furnaces, resolved three years ago! Find your next read on M-V-L

And Ravenna, her expression rigid, quickly pinpointed the problem.

Then, her expression shifted from stiffness… to extreme anger.

"What... are... you... doing!"

She attempted to grab Helen's collar, but her wrist, almost completely devoid of strength, was firmly grasped.

"Don't lose so disgracefully, dear Miss Ravenna," the young Hydral, who had appeared from nowhere, said with a gentle smile: "What were you planning to do to my daughter?"

"This is... despicable... cheating!"

Ravenna roared hoarsely, "Nidhoggur... you used Nidhoggur... how can you still control it!"

But Helen did not respond, her seemingly fragile body leaning against Ansel's back, whispering in an extremely soft voice:

"Father... do you approve of me now?"

Ansel turned slightly, gently supporting Helen's tender waist, and softly spoke: "You've worked hard, get some rest now. When you wake up, it will be time to choose a gift."

"...No, wait a moment longer."

Helen tiptoed, affectionately rubbing her cheek against Ansel's: "At the very least, we should explain to her why she lost, shouldn't we, Father?"

Looking towards the fiercely cold Ravenna, Ansel chuckled lightly: "Then let's do as you wish."

Leaning into Ansel's embrace, Helen nodded gently. She observed her own uncontrollably emotional self with the same pitying, sorrowful gaze that Ravenna had just used on her.

"You possess abilities and knowledge far beyond mine; even after you plundered Nidhoggur, I stood no chance of resisting."

"But the key lies... right here."

Exhausted, Helen breathed slowly yet her tone carried a distinct pride: "Nidhoggur... was a concept provided by my father, a tool crafted by me. As part of me... you can certainly foresee its potential."

"— The Ravenna of the past would have seen its potential."

Indeed, as a tool for creation.

With supreme ether conductivity, unparalleled malleability, and even the ability to disassemble into units as minuscule as ether itself... After Ravenna's upgrade, Nidhoggur truly became an unparalleled tool, evident from her frequent use of it and its integration as a part of the universal ether furnace.

"But to me, the tool's importance is no longer paramount."

Helen gripped Ansel's hand, articulating every word:

"This is the only thing I can cling to, the only weapon that can aid Father in slaying… the divine species!"

"My abilities are limited; I cannot enhance Nidhoggur's lethality to that extent, but basic destruction... is not difficult."

"Self... destruction!"

Ravenna spat out these words through clenched teeth.

Helen, pushing up her glasses with a smile, said, "This is also the one thing… you cannot replicate in a short time, and one of the most important gifts Father has given me."

The fleeting gleam on her glasses indicated what Helen was referring to—a masterpiece that even Ansel marveled at—the data system!

"I've considered all possibilities. In facing the divine species, in facing powerful beings that threaten Father, the uncontrollable nature of Nidhoggur was also taken into account. Thus, the most effective lethality naturally comes from Nidhoggur's self-destruction."

"To keep this secret undiscovered... the data system has only one option linked to Nidhoggur: self-destruction. Apart from self-destructing, no other action of Nidhoggur can be controlled through the data system. This minimizes the association between the data system and Nidhoggur... even you failed to notice."

After speaking at length, Helen exhaled softly, then revealed a shallow, utterly enchanting smile.

"So... do you understand why you lost, Ravenna?"

The petite woman, resolved to kill her past self, gently kissed Ansel's cheek:

"Because you have always cared only about yourself, while my affection for Father..."

"Has granted me this victory."

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