The Legend of the ruthless Empress Freya

Chapter 246 Revealed Troublemaker [The Village Mystery - Part IV]

- POV General -

"Now...that's a surprise..."

In front of Freya and the others, some of the water had taken shape and the thing or rather the person had finally revealed itself under the full moon. Before their eyes, Mayor Fred had emerged from the fountain, dressed in simple black pants and a white shirt both soaked. He who had left a few hours ago had gone to barricade himself in his house, was in the middle of the village, looking haggard, looking lost and completely disoriented.

"WH-..."

Before Theo could continue, Kira had gone behind him to cover his mouth, keeping him from being noticed because of his surprise. It was normal, after all the only one who really knew the old man was him but it was necessary to remain discreet however. While he tried to speak without being able to do anything against the young woman, Freya used Analysis allowing her to have information on the one or rather what had just emerged.

"It's a Lunar Aqueous Doppelganger."

Thanks to her skill, she could access the status of any living being and even have more information when it came to monsters or creatures without reasoning. Therefore, despite the physical appearance of the Doppelganger, the young woman knew that it was only an illusion. Quickly going through the information written in front of her, while whispering, she explained to the others what this thing really was.

"It is an instinctive creature capable of taking the form of anyone living in small villages like this one, far from any large cities. It is also said to be attracted to the blood of the females it kidnaps on full moon nights until it has enough to devour them alive."

The information flowed by and the more she spoke the more Freya's intuition began to draw the events of the last 3 months. She was beginning to understand little by little what had happened but had to confirm it through observation and discretion. The Doppelganger that had just appeared had to be followed to see how it operated. This, everyone understood but only Kalaa formulated it aloud, whispering in turn.

"So, according to what you said, if this Doppel is still out hunting tonight as well, it means that all its victims are still alive. All that's left is to find out where its hideout is by following it from afar and rescue the missing women."

Nodding her head without saying a word, the she-wolf in human form did her best to ignore the fire burning inside her under the full moon. She wasn't totally focused but knew more or less how to control her urges also knowing she wasn't alone. Turning back to Theo hoping he understood the need to be quiet, Freya realized he still had his mouth and nose covered by her thinking little sister.

"Mmmh...Kira ?"

"Yes onee-san~ ?"

"You...are choking him."

"Eh ? Oh yes ! Hahaha~ sorry sorry my bad~"

Hastily withdrawing her hand, the young man hurriedly put his hand back in the same place, covering the sound of his coughing that appeared after almost getting choked. Breathing through his nose as deeply as he could, a small tear appeared at the corner of his eyes while he glared at Kira. She, in response, shrugged her shoulders, raising her eyes to the sky as if to say "you're not dead don't be so dramatic".

Very soon, the sound of a small whistling coming from their right was heard, produced by Kalaa who still had her eyes riveted on the fountain. Indeed, the completely absent-looking Lunar Aqueous Doppelganger had finally started to move after a few minutes of doing nothing. It would take a few steps forward, stop, and start sniffing around before walking almost with a sure-footed look towards the east of the village.

"Kira, Kalaa...there will be no fighting involved until the kidnapped are all rescued. And you...even though this Doppel doesn't seem to have good hearing, you better behave yourself if you want to find your mother and sister."

After her words, Freya's eyes gleamed in the gloom as she rose from where she had been hiding, revealing her face to the young boy she had been addressing. Under the moonlight, Theo, who had wanted to answer, was speechless and paralyzed without even knowing why. Was it her beauty ? No because he was not sensitive to that but it was rather her wild appearance and the bestial aura which emanated from her.

He realized at this moment that she was perhaps different but did not know exactly in what, questions concerning the identity of the others also appearing in his mind. However, the young man did not have time to think more because already the three women in front of him started to move. Kira, with a mischievous look, grabbed him by the collar before placing him on her shoulders like a sack of potatoes before jumping off the roof.

The little group crept through the quiet night, silently following the creature from a distance as if it knew where it was going. The wind was not blowing, which prevented them from being spotted by the smell, even though all three had suppressed their aura linked to their levels. Zigzagging through the deserted, narrow and relatively short alleys, the four paid no attention to anything else while Theo whispered in the fox's ear.

"If a dragoness had been there, she would have flown over the village to follow the Doppelganger more easily, umu umu"

"And risk being targeted by the humans ? Yeaaah sure of course"

Whispering in turn, Kira grimaced after hearing such nonsense that proved his complete ignorance of the hatred his fellow humans had for other races and especially its extent. It was both normal and rather despairing but rather than pay attention to it, the silver-haired young woman walked past, jumping on a tree and then on a house coming almost completely to the East.

Kalaa, rather than the height, was on the ground and moving as quietly as a draft, always sneaking into the darkest corners. Freya was also on the rooftops and following her little sister not without hearing what she was talking about with the young human she thought was useless. The Doppelganger still hadn't noticed anything and while everyone was wondering where it was going, it finally stopped in front of a small stone house.

"B-But this is Jane's house..."

"Who ?"

"J-Jane, a friend...a friend of mine or rather...a girl from my class."

The house was one of the most remote since just behind the wall of tree trunks reached up to the sky preventing anyone from continuing. Theo who was the only resident of this village had recognized the house, knowing that a girl named Jane lived there. Without answering, the three women with violet eyes hid themselves a little more, observing with attention and curiosity what would happen next.

Nothing. The watery creature was standing in front of the wooden door, arms hanging down, looking almost blank, which was disturbing considering its appearance. Suddenly, Freya and Kira as one, caught their noses, assaulted by a powerful smell that had permeated the air. It was intense, horrible, strong and disturbing like a smell that could send chills down your spine, pass through your pores and make you feel dirty.

"It's...it's unbearable...Freya holy shit, wh-what is that ?"

"A-A call..."

Such a powerful scent was indeed produced by the Doppelganger itself, who used it to lure its prey to it without difficulty or resistance. Acting in fact as pheromones, it also explained why the fox and the wolf in human form were much more sensitive to it. For humans such as Kalaa, the smell was intoxicating and attractive but for Kira and Freya, it was stifling, aggressive and anything but hypnotic.

Theo who didn't understand what was going on since the chemical molecules produced by the creature's organism only affected women. While everyone tried to do their best to bear what attracted or repelled them, a light appeared under the door of the house. The next second it opened revealing a young girl of about 16 years old, brown hair, blue eyes and a white robe.

"M-Mr. Mayor ? What are you doing here at this hour ? What..."

The famous Jane didn't have time to finish her sentence that suddenly she entered as if in a trance, finally very receptive to the smell. It had been almost instantaneously, like a bee attracted by honey she was slowly moving forward with a goofy smile on her face. The small group was witnessing the way the women had been disappearing for three months now, understanding why there was no sign of a struggle.

While the village was asleep, the Doppelganger made its way to its target's house before releasing that particular scent that for some unknown reason only attracted women. Once outside, its stolen appearance would numb the vigilance of the kidnapped woman while she was hypnotized by its pheromones. Thus, it didn't even need to do anything and especially didn't need to resort to violence, leaving no trace.

"F-Follow it"

Still assailed by the scent, Freya ordered the tailing to continue while cursing in her mind feeling the nausea rise in her throat. Shaking her head in disgust, Kira made a face and waved her hand at Kalaa who responded with a thumbs-up. Kalaa did not feel the same as her sisters but still struggled to keep her mind focused, her power not changing the effects.

The four didn't have to go far as the creature followed by Jane had headed to an abandoned well this time a little further north. Vines had grown all around it, its color had turned to dirty brown and no more water was present. Yet, without hesitation, the Doppelganger grabbed the girl before jumping inside as silently as it had come out of the fountain a short while ago.

"Wow this..."

As he had disappeared into the hole, suddenly the scent was gone as quickly as it had appeared, freeing the Empress and her little sister's sense of smell. Waiting a few minutes to make sure the coast was clear, they in turn approached the small stone structure. Nothing. Complete darkness even with squinting eyes so they had to jump and find out what was going on underneath the village, in the earth where the two had disappeared.

"Y-You're not going to go there...are you ? No, because I've seen enough, I want to go home like a good boy so it's time to..."

"Something tells me we're going to need you so you're coming with us."

"What ? Eeeeeeeeeeeh...."

With a blow to the shoulder, Freya had just pushed Theo into the hole without even waiting for the end of his sentence so as not to waste time. The creature must have been quite far away so while the moon was still shining intensely in the dark sky, the three sisters jumped without hesitation. Soon, squinting, they discovered that galleries had been built underground connecting several points of the village together.

It was dark and without their half-human form, Freya's and Kira's eyesight was quite diminished, not to mention their noses which had suffered quite a bit shortly before. Only their hearing was left, the small group was going to have to go deeper into these tunnels in order to find the Doppel but especially the missing women. Getting up while rubbing his back, the young human could not help but comment as a kind of revenge stinging Kira.

"Tch, if a dragoness had been there, she would have sniffed around to find out where the kidnapped women are."

"Oi, dragons are not dogs ! Well, it's true that they have a good sense of smell but here, I think that a fox or a wolf would have been more appropriate to the situation..."

"Ah yes that's right, their breed is closer to that of dogs indeed"

At his words, without him noticing, the black-haired Empress began to form a dagger-like ice spike while her little sister discreetly crackled lightning in her hand. However, they didn't have time to act as Kalaa had placed her hands on their arms to stop them, shaking her head silently as Theo continued to blather on about the dragons having seen absolutely nothing at all.

Clicking her tongue, Freya turned to begin walking down the first tunnel that would lead them to several others that separated. One could almost see a red aura around her, not liking being compared to a dog but they had to move on. Then it was the former Goddess of Time who followed, as well as Kira not without hitting the back of Theo's head who still didn't understand what was really going on.

They had finally entered the hideout of the Lunar Aqueous Doppelganger that had been disturbing the villagers for several weeks and making them live in fear. The group didn't know what they would find, but they walked with almost sure steps, looking for anything. The night was still young but it was certainly not over and for Freya, Kira, Kalaa and Theo...it was just the beginning.

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FULL STATUS

Names : Freya / Lucifer Nightshade

Age : 0 year old / Mentally : 25 years old

Sex : Female

Course: Ice Demon Wolf of Chaos - Adult

Race : Imperial Demon

Titles :

- Demon Goddess of Primordial Blood and Death (former - until all powers are recovered) - 30%.

- Wrathful Lucifer (7th Sin) - Master of the uniques Sins Demons (to unlock it, please gather the other 6 - 3/6 - (locked)

- Dragon tamer

- Ruthless slayer

Level : 45/70

Exp needed for next level: 0 / 46 000

HP : 170 000 / 170 000 MP : 85 000 / 85 000. BLOOD : 100 / 100

Strength: 660

Defense : 660

Agility : 666

Endurance: 663

Speed : 662

Intelligence: 660

Charisma: 500 (imperial she-wolf)

Attribute points to allocate : 0

Married to : Gaya Nightshade

Daughter : Shiro Nightshade

Twins (son & daughter) : Tyle & Altaïs Nightshade

Little sister : Kira Nightshade (Greedy Fox)

Big sister : Kalaa Nightshade

Empire (menu)

Subordinates: 5865 (keep growing)

Humans killed: 153

Souls: 0/3

Elements: Ice / Chaos (Freya) - Blood / Death (Lucifer)

Skills (all):

Attacks :

- Demon Claws (Lvl 5)

- Bite of hell (Lvl 6)

- Infernal ice spikes (Lvl 6)

- Fighting techniques (Lvl max)

- Mastery of the katana (lvl max)

- Demonic Empress aura (lvl 7)

Défense :

- Ice demon wall (Lvl 6)

- Demonic Cloak (lvl 5)

- Pain Resistance (lvl 6)

Attack/Defense :

- Domain of the Ice Empress "Frozen Wrath" (lvl 4)

- Death Gaze (lvl 1)

Others :

- Humanoid form

- Demonic form (linked to the title so incomplete) - 20%.

- Ice creation (Lvl 6)

- Detection and control of mana (lvl 6)

- Storage of chaos (Lvl 4)

- Devouring Chaos (Lvl 5)

- Master of Souls (lvl 3)

- Lucifer's Threads of Blood (lvl 3)

- Healing Blood (lvl 3)

- Analysis

- Telepathy

Passives :

- Commander (lvl max)

- Natural Aura of the Ice Empress ]