Echidna hunched her shoulders in laughter as if thinking of something amusing and answered in a cheerful voice.

“Some poisons spread through the soul rather than the body. Especially your sister’s soul, being so pure and young, the poison spread so quickly…. It seeped into her soul in an instant. Even I was surprised by the speed!”

The cackling laughter pierced Livia’s ears like needles.

Echidna’s words, delivered as if speaking of a slightly nasty prank, struck Livia’s heart like hot arrows, burning and sharp.

“How could you do such a thing…!!!”

Though Livia burst out in anger with a scream mixed with tears, for some reason no one came to where they were.

It seemed Echidna had done something to this area.

Why did Echidna appear when Triton wasn’t here? No, Echidna must have targeted the time when Triton would be away.

It’s frustrating, so frustrating! Why don’t I have the power to defeat this witch?

Livia thrashed her whole body, struggling to break free from the witch’s spell.

The black smoke that had seemed immovable felt like it was loosening slightly with each of Livia’s movements.

“What is this…?”

It was Echidna who was bewildered. Even though she had weakened, this wasn’t magic that could be broken by mere human strength.

How could this woman resist her power? It was astounding to see a mere human opposing her power like some demigod with special abilities.

At that moment, something flashed through Echidna’s mind. Her lips twisted in disbelief.

“Aha, I see. Triton has been feeding you all sorts of good things, hasn’t he?”

Though Echidna asked, Livia had neither the intention nor composure to answer.

Her struggling hands finally reached near her skirt hem. Livia’s eyes flew open as she grabbed what she had tied to her outer thigh just in case, and swung it at Echidna who was approaching.

“Ugh!”

With a tearing sound, Echidna groaned while covering her face with both hands.

“You, you…. Damn b*tch!”

With a vulgar curse, Echidna lunged at Livia.

Her face, which had been cracking and crumbling, completely shattered from her attack, fully revealing her hideous appearance. And that wasn’t all – dark red blood trickled down from where sharp teeth had grazed her cheek.

“Damn it! What were you holding in your hand!”

Echidna’s face froze as she twisted Livia’s wrist to see what she had been holding. A sharp shark’s tooth of unknown origin was clutched in Livia’s hand.

“I had an ominous feeling, so I’ve been keeping it strapped to my thigh for the past few days.”

Livia smiled with pale face, lifting her trembling lips. Seeing her attack had worked, a faint pleasure welled up.

“You wench…!”

In that moment, Echidna, unable to contain her anger, lunged to strangle Livia. Though strong pressure was felt, it was futile with Echidna’s hands that had almost no fingers left.

Black smoke wrapped around Livia’s neck in place of her hands, but it wasn’t enough to prevent breathing. The faint light protecting Livia’s body helped too.

“The blessing of Styx…?”

Echidna too seemed to recognize it as she stared at Livia with incredulous eyes. It was amazing how many times this human woman had surprised her in this brief moment.

Soon after, the strength in the hands choking Livia’s neck loosened. Rather than anger, which had disappeared as if washed away, joy spread across her face.

“You really are quite something. To think you obtained the blessing of Styx while you were in the underworld. Well, being this cunning must be how you won Triton’s heart too.”

Echidna let out a satisfied laugh and whispered.

“I am not your enemy. Think carefully. Don’t you want to save your sister? Then I’ll tell you how.”

She held out a ruby-like red bead in front of Livia, who had frozen like ice. And when she blew on it with a “hoo,” a black leather strap appeared on the bead.

Echidna put it around Livia’s neck herself while whispering.

“Here, just feed this to Triton and make him say he loves you.”

“…As I’ve said many times, he doesn’t love me.”

Though Livia spoke through gritted teeth, her words had no effect on Echidna.

“What a foolish answer. A god who despised humans gave his bedchamber to that ‘human.’ He brings food personally prepared from land to feed you at every meal, and though countless beautiful goddesses throw themselves at him n*ked, he raises his member that never stirred for them and sucks and licks for days on end. You think this isn’t affection, then what is it? Just some passing desire?”

The witch’s words felt like they were striking the back of Livia’s head.

Though she thought it definitely wasn’t love, no words came to mind that could refute Echidna’s words.

Her mind was spinning in confusion. Reason screamed to deny such words from a witch, but something else on the opposite side spoke differently. That the witch’s suspicions might not be completely groundless….

It wasn’t affection. It couldn’t be.

But when she recalled his laughter that occasionally passed by, his touch caressing her skin, her nape strangely grew cold.

“You are my human, Livia.”

Yes. Even if it wasn’t love, there was clearly possessiveness.

Every touch that enveloped her entirely proved that.

She remembered his heat that penetrated and split her flesh so frighteningly. She remembered those persistent hands that wouldn’t let go even after she fainted, holding her close.

Love…? She wasn’t sure about that, but what was certain was that Triton wanted to dominate, possess, and control her.

Hadn’t he delighted in seeing her suffer through his trials, seeing her sob and shudder at his touch?

Those gazes persistently following her every reaction to his gestures….

In all of Triton’s actions, she felt his will to possess her soul completely.

To some extent… yes, to some extent his will seemed to have worked on her.

Livia’s feelings toward Triton were also swaying chaotically like ripples in the wind….

But could that lustful desire really be called love? As he said, wasn’t she just his plaything?

No, she didn’t know. She was confused. Everything felt pitch black before her eyes.

“Think carefully. Though Triton might break, he won’t completely vanish… but your sister’s soul is continuing to corrode and break even now. If you want to save that child, you must listen to me.”

Stay calm. If she didn’t keep her mind straight, she would only be swayed by this mad woman. After taking a short breath, Livia asked in a trembling voice.

“…How can I trust you?”

“Do you have a choice? The fact that your sister’s soul is corroding is true. Will you let your sister’s soul be destroyed like this?”

“…She’s already dead anyway.”

Livia spoke flatly, trying not to think about Lete.

What she needed to remember now wasn’t her poor brother, but Zagreus’s promise that he would surely bring the child’s soul back to her side.

“Oh reaally?”

Though the witch mocked Livia’s bluff, Livia continued to feign composure.

If she wavered here, she would gain nothing. Seeing how Echidna had pursued her all the way to Triton’s castle, it was clear that she was the one who was desperate.

“As you know, I have a god of the underworld helping me. Even if it takes time, if I get a little help… No, if Triton loves me as you say, I can just ask him for help. Right? Without your help, I can save my sister.”

In that moment, Echidna’s eyes flashed fiercely. Grinding her teeth and smiling ferociously, she whispered to Livia.

“I called you cunning… are you threatening me?”

“You and I have already betrayed each other. We can’t be together anymore anyway. So just… let me go.”

Livia tried to speak without her voice trembling, but it shook a little anyway.

As if not missing that moment, Echidna’s eyes, which had been quietly staring at Livia, glinted sharply.

“How foolish. Did you think I hadn’t considered that much? Do you think a contract bound by blood could be broken by betrayal? The moment you held my dagger and I received your blood, we formed a ‘bond’ that can’t be broken even in death. Even if you refuse.”

“What do you mean?”

“It means this contract will continue eternally until you split Triton’s heart.”

Her heart sank at those worst possible words.

Just as she was about to shout at her to stop talking nonsense, a pain like having her wrist cut with a knife stopped her.

“Hah…!”

She clenched her teeth to hold back the groan that was about to burst out. Looking down with contorted eyes, black smoke rose from the wound on her wrist where Echidna’s golden dagger had seeped in.

The black smoke, very similar to when Echidna used her sorcery, violently ground into her flesh as if proving all the witch’s words were true.

“Yes… you mentioned time was the issue? You’re right. Time is the issue. Which will be faster – him saving your sister, or my poison killing her? Hmm? If you don’t care, it doesn’t matter to me either. As you said, she’s already dead, what does it matter if one soul dies? And….”

Echidna, who had been muttering rapidly as if she’d lost her mind, suddenly spoke in a meaningful voice.

“You don’t think I have no other cards to play, do you?”