[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-villainess-x-villain-they-are-obsessed-with-each":3,"chapter-villainess-x-villain-they-are-obsessed-with-each-villainess-x-villain-they-are-obsessed-with-each-chapter-158":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Villainess X Villain: They are obsessed with each other!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1873720,2480,"Chapter 158 -: 157 Continuous failure.","villainess-x-villain-they-are-obsessed-with-each-chapter-158",158,"\u003Cp>\"Boom!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The explosion was small, just a quick burst of sound and force that left everything around them completely unharmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the moment it happened, a sudden, stabbing pain slammed into Julius’s chest like a hidden blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Cough! Cough! Cough!\" Julius bent forward sharply, one hand pressed hard against his mouth as violent coughs tore out of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rosalina, who had been standing right beside him, rushed forward without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She gently caught his shoulder, turning his face toward hers with careful hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you okay?\" she asked, her voice tight with worry as she saw how deathly pale his face had become.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thin line of blood showed at the corner of his mouth, fresh evidence of the backlash that had struck him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Julius wiped the blood away quickly with the back of his hand and gave her a small, reassuring nod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pain had not been overwhelming, but it had hit one of the most delicate parts inside him, his core.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the lightest touch there sent ripples of agony through his body, forcing the coughs out before he could stop them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lone King watched quietly from the side, his expression calm but concerned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You should rest a bit before trying again,\" he suggested, his tone steady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Julius did not stop. Time was already slipping away from him, and every full refinement took two to three long hours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was better to push forward without pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gently moved Rosalina’s hand from his shoulder and turned back toward the furnace, forcing his focus into place once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stepped back slowly, her brows creasing into a deep, worried frown as she watched the materials begin to fly forward again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of them lifted and streamed toward the furnace, one after another, including the massive bear carcass at the very end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its heavy body cut through the air with surprising speed before dropping inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’7000°C,’ Julius thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The temperature inside the furnace climbed sharply, and the bright blue flames roared higher in response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body still trembled faintly from the earlier backlash, a subtle shake that ran through his arms and hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lone King noticed it right away and spoke in a soft, careful voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The calmer you are, the better your chances will be. Calm your mind and don’t let restlessness take over.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Julius heard the words clearly, but his mind was already steady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shaking in his hands came only from the leftover effects of that first painful strike, not from any nervousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’Phew.’ Julius let the required time pass, breathing slowly, then lowered the heat with focused will. ’3000°C.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A light ripple appeared across the surface of the furnace, like a stone dropped into still water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared at it intently, waiting until the moment felt exactly right. Then... 2000°C.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>1000°C.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>500°C.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>100°C.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at last, the most dangerous part arrived once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Julius drew in a long, steady breath and locked his eyes on the furnace. He knew it was almost impossible to succeed on only the second try.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, the thought of suffering through a hundred more backlashes like this made his stomach tighten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the first one had left his face pale and drained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pain had been sharp and vicious, like a brutal kick straight to the most sensitive spot, intense for only a few seconds, yet hard to forget.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced sideways at the Lone King for a brief second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His own face stayed completely blank, no emotion showing. Then he looked back at the furnace and withdrew his gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought the words with slow, deliberate care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>0°C.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And right after...10000°C.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Boom!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another explosion ripped through the furnace, another failure. This time Julius was ready.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the split second the blast hit, he instantly severed every mana connection to his core, faster than a blink of an eye. It was just enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Cough! Cough! Cough!\" Fresh coughs tore out of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He bit down hard on the tip of his tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he slowly reached down and pinched the left side of his waist. His face drained of color in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Cough! Cough! Cough!\" Another violent fit shook him as more blood spilled from his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rosalina hurried over right away and grabbed his shoulders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you okay?\" Her face had gone completely pale with worry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She rubbed slow circles on his back and gently wiped the blood from his mouth with her fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you want to withdraw... there’s no need to keep going,\" she said, her voice trembling with concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lone King watched from the side, calm as ever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There won’t be any lasting harm to your core,\" he said, his tone steady and composed, his eyes blank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But if you can bear the pain, you will be able to refine a celestial grade treasure.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Julius gave him a small nod. He turned to Rosalina and spoke softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll be fine.\" A gentle smile touched his lips as he leaned in and kissed her forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Now let me concentrate,\" he said quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stepped back toward the furnace and began the process once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The process repeated again and.....\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>0°c\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>10000°c\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Boom!\" It failed again, the third also failed and Julius again repeated what he did the second time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>5th try.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>0°C.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>10000°C.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Failure again. Julius coughed hard, each try leaving his face a little paler.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rosalina stayed right beside him, pale with worry, rubbing his back every time the pain hit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lone King watched silently from the side, showing no reaction as failure followed failure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>27th try.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>0°C.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>10000°C.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Julius stared, heart tight. The expected explosion did not come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He did not relax. Instead he began counting in his head, every number heavy with focus and exhaustion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’One...’ Nothing. The Lone King leaned closer, eyes locked on the furnace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rosalina kept rubbing his back, too worried to feel hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The explosion hit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Julius coughed out fresh blood. This time the pain burned deeper, sharper, like fire inside his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He kept going.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the 50th try he lasted three full seconds before it failed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the 70th try he reached six seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the 88th try he made it to eight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each time the backlash tore through him harder. Each time he pushed forward anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>96th try.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Julius’s eyes had turned cloudy. His breathing came rough and heavy. His cheeks looked hollow, his lips dry and cracked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every breath hurt. Every heartbeat felt like it carried the weight of all the failed attempts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You are close,\" the Lone King said. His voice stayed mostly flat, but a faint lift of excitement slipped through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rosalina leaned in, her face just as pale as his. \"You can still withdraw...\" she whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Julius shook his head slowly. \"No. I’ve already come this far. Too much time has passed. We won’t gain anything if I stop now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gave her a tired, messy smile and gently rubbed her cheek with trembling fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned back to the furnace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the materials flew in once more. He pulled his scattered focus together with everything he had left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>7000°C.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blue flames roared high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>3000°C.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>2000°C.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>1000°C.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>500°C.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>100°C.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the moment that decided everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>0°C...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>10000°C.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One... His mind stayed locked, refusing to waver despite the exhaustion pulling at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Four...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Five...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Six...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seven...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eight...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone’s attention froze on the furnace. Hearts pounded. Rosalina prayed silently, ’Please... please...’ She no longer cared about the treasure...only that Julius would be okay. But he kept going.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Julius stared with wide, bloodshot eyes. He was about to count nine when....\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bam!!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A loud crash echoed from the door.\u003C\u002Fp>",1288,"2026-06-10T05:56:22.118Z",1,"novelbin.me","322c6f34ef48e4acbd36836f83985075bac5a07bd53f026cb2a96a53abb7285f","villainess-x-villain-they-are-obsessed-with-each-chapter-159","villainess-x-villain-they-are-obsessed-with-each-chapter-157",220,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fvillainess-x-villain-they-are-obsessed-with-each-cover.jpg"]