Eternal Temptation: Awakening Sinful Desires

The flames spread like wildfire, burning away the trees and bushes around them and scorching the soil beneath them, leaving behind nothing but scorched earth.

Fortunately, thanks to her cultivation base and the defensive talisman Cecil was wearing around her neck, she managed to survive the attack with some minor burns and wounds.

However, Scarlet was not finished yet as she charged towards Cecil again, swinging her sword at her former best friend, intending to take revenge for what she did to her.

Cecil panicked at the sight of Scarlet advancing towards her with murderous intent.

"Scarlet, stop! Why are you doing this?! Don\'t you know that we are friends?!?!" She yelled in disbelief while trying to defend herself using her own sword.

Scarlet answered as a pained expression appeared on her beautiful face, "Friends? Ha! We used to be close, but not anymore. Not since you betrayed me and chose to side with that monster over there."

"But... I did everything for you! All I wanted was to give you the best life possible and live together in a beautiful future as sisters. Can\'t you understand that???" Cecil exclaimed in desperation as she fought back with her sword.

Scarlet couldn\'t believe what she was hearing from her.

"Understand?!? How can you expect me to forgive you when you used me as bait for your twisted plans?! And don\'t lie to me.

I know the real reason why you helped me; it\'s not because you care about me, but rather because you just wanted to use me as a means to gain power and favoritism from your precious Young Master Rick." Scarlet shot back with fury in her tone and an expression filled with hatred on her face.

"I was deceived by you and your lies. I trusted you so much, yet you did this to me. What kind of friend does that?" She added as she intensified her attack, forcing Cecil to retreat while defending herself, trying her best not to get hit by her sword swings that aimed at vital areas like the neck or head.

"Scarlet, listen to me! Please... I never meant to hurt you. If you just give him a chance, you\'ll see how wonderful he is. Please, please forgive me..." Cecil pleaded as tears began streaming down her cheeks.

Scarlet stopped attacking for a moment as she thought about the events that happened tonight. It was difficult to describe exactly what she was feeling right now. Anger, betrayal, sorrow, pain... All these emotions mixed together into something worse than hell itself.

But among all those emotions, the most dominant one was sadness. Sadness because she lost her closest friend today.

Seeing Scarlet hesitate, Cecil continued pleading with her. She believed that there was still a chance to persuade Scarlet to give up this pointless fight. "Scarlet, I\'m telling the truth. I truly love you like a sister. Why can\'t you see it?"

"Shut up! Don\'t talk to me anymore." Scarlet replied, her voice full of bitterness as she resumed her attacks. She felt intense pain looking at the crying Cecil; however, she also remembered what she had done to her, so she didn\'t spare her any sympathy.

The two women kept fighting against each other in heated combat. As they exchanged blows with their swords and spirit essence attacks that flew out, scattering all over the place like stars twinkling in the night sky, illuminating the dark forest with brilliant lights that rivaled the sun itself.

With each passing minute, the intensity of their battle increased further. However, Cecil gradually began to fall behind as she was unable to keep up with Scarlet\'s relentless attacks due to her lower cultivation base.

She tried her hardest to match Scarlet\'s skills and techniques, but no matter how hard she tried, she failed each time.

This again made her realize how many resources and benefits she lacked compared to the people of the prominent families, and her bitter tears fell like rain. Even with her talent and hard work, it seemed impossible for her to catch up to others. And she knew, in her heart, that it was a struggle she\'d be doomed to repeat until death.

Finally, after exhausting all her spirit essence and stamina, Cecil collapsed onto her knees while breathing heavily, sweat dripping down her forehead.

She raised her head to look at Scarlet, who stood there glaring at her, unmoving.

Soon, Scarlet tightened her grip on her sword as she readied herself for her final attack.

There was no room for mercy or hesitation. She would strike down her former friend and end everything. But it wasn\'t easy at all, as she could not forget how much joy and excitement they shared together before. She lowered her head with a pained expression on her face as tears blurred her vision, making it hard to see Cecil clearly.

"Why... Why did this happen? Why did I have to lose someone who was so dear to me like this? What kind of twisted joke is this...?" Scarlet whispered in sorrow before raising her sword once again with tears running down her cheeks.

She didn\'t want to kill her. But she had to do it. Otherwise, she would never move on and continue suffering while getting tricked by people like Rick Cutler and Cecil.

So she steeled herself and thrusted her sword forward without any hesitation whatsoever.

The strike was like a flash that seemed to be able to pierce anything in an instant, yet somehow Cecil was able to see how the tip of Scarlet\'s sword neared her heart and was about to pierce it in a slow motion, ready to take her life away.