Chapter 172: Rogue and Strax's first meeting.

It had been almost an hour, and Samira, driven by sheer frustration, had reluctantly agreed to a small bet against her dear treacherous husband... The problem? Well, she knew her husband quite well, despite having only recently started to truly understand him... However... she knew Rogue like the back of her hand...

"I like her." That was the first thing Strax said upon entering and seeing the woman in front of him. She hadn't said anything, hadn't done anything, just stared at him with those two blue lakes she called eyes. He analyzed her completely in a single second—how could he not like her?

Samira already knew this... knew it all too well... And for that reason, she had only one reaction...

"I want to kill myself," she said, slapping her hand against her face with such force that, for a second, she thought she might bleed...

Well... What exactly happened here? I think it was a complicated matter for everyone involved, especially for Samira, who dug her own grave by making a bet she knew she would win... It was obvious from the start...

This damn man... was a certified scoundrel, crazy about exotic and beautiful women, and suddenly... a beautiful bronze-skinned cheetah woman conveniently appeared in front of him, who would take anyone's breath away...

And was it any different with him? Of course not! This man was a man of culture, who appreciated the fine art of a classy woman... Especially a woman with such abundant class in her curves, particularly in her open dress that clearly showcased the class of her torso and the class of her voluptuous thighs, which made him almost drool...

"You... damn it..." Samira muttered, seeing that Rogue was wearing a provocative outfit precisely because of her husband! She didn't wear clothes like that every day! That was only for high-class guests or dark events between guilds! She didn't even know who her husband was! Why was she dressed like that?

'Damn treacherous slut!!!' she roared internally, trying not to let the bloodlust seep out of her body. She was furious, so furious that even as she held back, the killing intent leaked out...

"Huh?" Strax questioned, looking to the side after hearing the growl and the impact of the palm. The woman's forehead was clearly red, her expression already showing how angry she was... It was just a slip, and the enormous Demonic Lion beside Strax would attack that little ill-tempered Tiger in front of him...

'I should learn to control my spontaneity... one of these days, I'll end up making one of these women kill each other over my words... well, who cares?'

Strax was already... thinking of the extreme side of things... As for Samira and Rogue, they were staring each other down, with Rogue sarcastically smiling while continuing to show off her smooth, soft leg to Strax, resting it on his desk...

"I like him, Samira. He has good taste in women, doesn't he?" she mocked confidently... She already noticed, despite being tied with Samira and maybe even slightly behind, she wouldn't do anything now, not in front of her beloved husband who needed help...

If she had sought her out, it meant that, she wanted help... so, if she attacked her, that chance of getting her help would be completely nullified...

It was a funny move, where the big cat cornered the little mouse in front of her... She had no worries, after all... She was also interested in this man...

'What a masculine scent... the scent of a real man...' she thought, her keen sense of smell couldn't deny it, she was in front of a true man.

Not like those in the bar, who only had muscles and acted brutishly, but someone like this in front of her. A warm, handsome man who treats a woman well... The scent said it all, the aphrodisiac scent of a man with clear objectives...

How could she not be interested in something she had never even come close to having in her life? She really... was interested in him.

What was once just a way to tease her dear longtime friend, turned into something different... an impulse, yes, a perfect call for her... She could hear her inner demons conversing among themselves.

On one side, a small angel flew beside her, clearly saying: Don't do this, he's your friend's husband!

Strax looked at her, analyzing her expression. "Got a better idea?" he asked, and she sized him up.

"Supreme Master stage, body and mana cultivator. We're already doomed just with you. Do you think focusing on two things at once is good for anyone? Because it's not," Rogue started, accusing him. "As for the two Grandmaster stage assassins, they'll be useless without a Grade 5 weapon. Honestly, do you think the big shots of the Black Association won't have five-star weapons?

Be realistic," she commented.

A group that large wouldn't have superior-grade weapons? Of course, they would. And sometimes, weapons outweigh cultivation. After all, we're well aware of three swords that are hundreds of times stronger than their original owners.

Ouroboros, Tiamat, and Xyn. Three weapons that can fight on their own if allowed, weapons with the consciousness to kill their own wielders... And they're not the only ones in the world; there are many, countless!

And that was the real reason why...

"Come," Strax said, opening a portal directly from his [inventory].

Two stunningly beautiful women emerged. "Does this solve the problem, Miss Rogue?" Strax challenged, daring her to object again.

But she wasn't about to back down. "No, it doesn't. Do you think two swords can save your ass from cultivators specialized in assassination?" she questioned, but before she could say more...

"Do you like her, darling?" Ouroboros asked as she wrapped herself around him, pressing her chest against his arm. "Hm? Oh, I liked her, but it seems she didn't like me much, honey," she teased, her words enough to...

Rogue blinked repeatedly, trying to see if she was losing her mind at what she was witnessing before her eyes. She was seeing a...

"It's a shame... Darling," Tiamat said, embracing the other side of him, intertwining her fingers with his hand.

She wasn't seeing one... but two...

"A-are they equally contracted spirits?" Rogue asked incredulously, and Ouroboros turned to her with a smile, "He's our husband, you worthless idiot," she said calmly, but Rogue's world immediately crumbled.

"Forgive her... Dragons are... complicated," Strax said with a crooked smile, not wanting to offend anyone, but... Ouroboros was quite shameless...

"D-dragons..." Rogue stammered, as her carefully laid plans began to unravel. She had mapped out so many strategies to offer him, so many ways to handle this that would have worked in various scenarios...

But now she just heard that he has a Dragon.

"It's not our fault, we're Dragons. She's a lesser being," Tiamat said proudly.

'He has two...' Rogue thought, letting out a deep sigh as she looked at Samira, who merely shrugged.

"Alright, let's do this. Forget what I said. I'll get you the crew you need," she agreed without hesitation.

'I just hope I can compete with that... Damn, this just got a lot more complicated!'