The moon hung low as Rutherford rode through the dimly lit streets, returning from his meeting with the king. The air was thick with the scent of rain, yet the atmosphere inside the Rutherford Mansion was far heavier.
Magnus leaned against a marble pillar, his arms crossed, eyes narrowing as he studied Lucian. Then, with a sudden chuckle, he nudged Cedric. "Cedric, isn't he look like a man from a fairytale?"
Cedric smirked but said nothing, his gaze fixed on Lucian.
Lucian sighed, settling into a chair. "It would have been difficult if we hadn't gained support from the others."
Cedric leaned forward, eyes glinting. "So, what's the next step? Marrying the daughter of the Valtoria family?"
Magnus raised a brow. "That will undoubtedly throw the balance of power into chaos."
Lucian's expression turned solemn. "I'm glad to see you smile, but remember our promise."
Magnus nodded. "Then what's your next move?"
Lucian's voice was unwavering. "I have found what I was looking for. I will retrieve it soon."
Cedric narrowed his eyes. "Lucian, we are grateful for your help, but can you finally tell us? Who are you... and what were you looking for?"
Lucian met his gaze, his voice a whisper. "I am a Wanderer, seeking what belongs to me."
Cedric's eyes widened. "Then... are you searching for divine artifacts?"
Lucian smirked. "Something like that."
"Then why are you here? You should be in Solmaris."
Lucian tilted his head. "Solmaris?"
Cedric explained, "A continent to the south. They wield divine magic in the name of God."
Lucian scoffed. "I couldn't care less about it." He already knew where Tenebris Heart lay. There was no reason to waste time in a land of fanatics.
Magnus frowned. "Then, what are you going to do?"
Lucian's voice dropped. "I'm heading to the Forest of the Forsaken Maw."
Cedric went rigid. "That place is swarming with monsters!"
Lucian "In its heart lies what I seek."
Magnus stepped forward. "Then let me help you."
Lucian shook his head. "This is my battle. Our paths now diverge."
Magnus drew his sword, and Cedric cast a 7th-class Binding Spell, but Lucian raised a hand, stopping both in an instant. "We are not brothers or sisters. I had my reasons for aiding Rutherford, Magnus."
Cedric growled. "So what? We are family."
Lucian's voice softened. "Do not stop me, Cedric. The promise ends here."
Lucian teleported into the chamber hidden deep within the Forsaken Maw, where dark-robed mages surrounded an intricate cube of magic—inside it, pulsed the Tenebris Heart.
The mages turned, their hands weaving spells in unison. Bolts of dark energy streaked toward Lucian, but he flicked his wrist—Voidrend devoured them midair. One mage lunged forward, blade crackling with enchantments, but Lucian sidestepped, delivering a crushing blow to his chest, sending him crashing into the stone walls.
Another chanted, summoning a vortex of hell flames, yet Lucian snapped his fingers—Nightmare Rend. The vortex reversed, consuming the caster instead. The last two mages hesitated, fear creeping into their eyes.
Lucian's smirk was merciless. "Your turn."
A dying mage coughed out a laugh. "You can't open it, intruder. Hahaha!"
Lucian ignored him, raising his hand. "Break." The cube shattered, sending out shockwaves of dark energy.
A powerful hellfire spell erupted as an old sorcerer materialized. Lucian expected him.
With a flick of his wrist, Lucian cast Voidrend, absorbing the flames effortlessly.
The old man's eyes widened. "You absorbed a 9th-class spell? Then take this!"
Three spells activated in tandem—thunder raged in the sky, moisture thickened the air, and an array slowed Lucian's movements.
Lucian lifted a hand. A red-dark beam shot out, clearing the storm clouds in a single strike. The chamber's ceiling shattered, flames licking at the ruins.
The sorcerer sneered. "A black magician? Hahaha! I'll sell you to Solmaris."
Lucian flicked his finger. "Sure... you motherfucker."
The sorcerer's heart exploded.
Lucian turned to the Tenebris Heart, a black stone radiating malevolent energy. He placed his hand upon it.
Power surged through him. His mana ascended to the 11th-class instantly.
A murmur echoed from a spiritual array on the wall. A prisoner.
A young man, barely alive. Thomas Ashford.
Lucian stared. "A 9th-class mage, yet you're here?"
Thomas weakly replied, "Common magic is a death sentence in Solmaris..." He recounted his tale of cruelty, of his family burned alive and his enslavement.
Lucian smirked. "Then join me. Together, we'll end that 'God'."
Thomas chuckled darkly. "Why not? I have no reason to live."
Lucian reached out. A dark-red aura engulfed Thomas. The chains shattered. His wounds healed instantly.
Thomas gasped, power overflowing in him. "What is this…? I'll soon break through the 9th-class."
Suddenly, a deep rumbling sound echoed from above. The underground chamber trembled violently, cracks forming along its walls and ceiling. It was collapsing.
Lucian and Thomas swiftly emerged from the chamber, stepping onto the dense forest floor. The moment they surfaced, an eerie silence took over. Then, five monstrous figures emerged from the shadows, their forms massive and menacing. These were no ordinary beasts—they were high-class magical creatures, radiating immense mana.
Lucian's crimson eyes narrowed. "Looks like they sensed your mana, Thomas."
Thomas clenched his jaw. "Apologies, my lord."
Without hesitation, he raised his hand, summoning a 9th-class spell—Rod of Annihilation. Five ethereal rods materialized in the air and shot toward the creatures. In an instant, their skulls were obliterated, leaving nothing but headless corpses collapsing to the ground.
The remaining monsters, witnessing such a gruesome display, did not dare to engage. Instead, they turned and fled into the depths of the forest.
From the northern side of the woods, a powerful presence approached. The trees and creatures in its path were cleaved apart, as if by an unseen force. Within moments, two figures on horseback emerged from the foliage.
Mangus and Cedric.
Mangus leaped from his horse, his eyes scanning Lucian with urgency. "Lucian, are you injured?"
Lucian arched a brow. "Do I look injured?"
Cedric smirked. "Not even a scratch. Figures+."
Thomas, standing beside Lucian, observed the new arrivals and murmured, "They must be your companions, my lord."
Lucian nodded. "Yes, for a short while."
Mangus frowned. "What? We lived as a family for four years!"
Cedric chuckled. "Lucian, you must have obtained what you came for. Let's return now."
Lucian shook his head. "Cedric, there's something I need to take care of first."
Cedric narrowed his eyes. "Like what?"
Before Lucian could respond, the sky darkened. A crackling surge of energy descended from above. A radiant figure, overflowing with divine mana, appeared mid-air, staring down at them with contempt.
"So, you are the human who has broken the laws of this world," the entity spoke.
Lucian smirked. "Like killing that being."
Mangus paled. "Cedric... doesn't he look like the man from the old fairytales we read as children?"
Cedric's expression hardened. "That wasn't a fairytale. It was from the 'Book of Ascendancy of the Solmaris.' He is Aetherion, the God of Elements."
Mangus inhaled sharply. "Then... that means he is truly a god."
Aetherion's eyes gleamed as he raised a hand. "Judgment is inevitable."
A blinding bolt of lightning roared toward Lucian. But before it could strike, Lucian extended his palm. "Obliterate."
The lightning dispersed into nothingness.
Dark energy coiled around Lucian, his presence growing heavier. "Abyssborn Wraith."
A suffocating darkness enveloped him, his form radiating abyssal power. Aetherion's gaze sharpened.
"Who... no, what are you?" Aetherion demanded. "How can you wield the spiritual form of mana?"
Lucian's voice was cold. "Ask the King of Hell when you see him, Aetherion."
Furious, Aetherion unleashed his divine wrath. Flames of hell erupted, accompanied by a violent windstorm that consumed the entire forest. The sheer force of his magic sent shockwaves through the land.
Lucian lifted a single hand, forming a small dark sphere. As he released it into the sky, the sphere expanded, devouring the flames and winds before shrinking to the size of a particle.
Aetherion's fury only deepened. He raised both arms, covering the heavens with colossal magic circles, summoning fire, lightning, and hailstorm.
Lucian's voice rumbled. "Break."
With a mere command, the magic circles shattered like fragile glass, dissipating into nothingness.
Aetherion's expression twisted in disbelief. "You... you're a god. How have you infiltrated my domain? This goes against the rules set by the God of Light!"
Lucian smirked. "Your domain? The entire multiverse fits within my palm."
In a blink, Lucian appeared before Aetherion in the sky. "Eclipsing Dominion."
A black sphere engulfed the battlefield, nullifying all light and magic. The overwhelming force sent Aetherion crashing into the academy castle, destroying towers upon impact. Witnesses trembled at the clash of celestial forces.
Struggling, Aetherion summoned his greatest attack. "Infernal Genesis!"
The sun itself inched closer to the planet, its flames threatening to incinerate all existence. The world shook under its heat, but Lucian remained unfazed.
"Nyx's Requiem."
With a wave of his hand, the sun was cooled, its flames extinguished.
Cedric gasped. "He... he just silenced the sun with magic. This is what a god-scale battle looks like."
Desperate, Aetherion pulled the moon toward Earth, intending to destroy the entire planet. But Lucian merely clenched his fist. The moon shattered into cosmic dust, its fragments scattering into the void.
Then, Lucian raised a single finger. "Oblivion's Embrace."
Aetherion's chest caved inward as a dark hole formed at his core. He coughed, his divine essence dissipating. "Soon... the Candidate of the God of Light... will come for you. Hahaha... you will perish too..."
Lucian leaned in. "Then you will take responsibility, Aetherion."
Aetherion's body fell limp. He was dead.
Lucian lifted his hand. "Arise."
Darkness surged. Aetherion's divine essence was dragged from the heavens, reviving him. But now, he kneeled before Lucian, bound in servitude.
"Resolve the matters of my presence in this universe," Lucian ordered.
Aetherion bowed. "My lord... what of the planet and its people?"
Lucian glanced at the devastation. The sun and moon were gone, and the academy was in ruins. Humans who had witnessed the battle were in a frenzy.
Lucian exhaled. "Do not worry."
With a flick of his wrist, he cast "Restoration" and "Eclipsing Requiem." The world reverted to its original state, and every human's memory of the battle faded into oblivion.
Lucian turned to Mangus and handed him a manual. "I have improved Rutherford's technique. Use it well."
Cedric hesitated. "Lucian... what was all this? And... what are you?"
Lucian's gaze darkened. "What you saw was a battle between gods. One forgotten to most of humanity. I am the Demon God of Darkness."
Mangus forced a laugh. "Then... you're leaving us, aren't you?"
Lucian handed Cedric a witchcraft artifact. "I will be waiting for you, Rutherfords."
Cedric frowned. "For what purpose?"
Lucian smirked. "To kill the gods."
Cedric clenched his fists. "And your friends?"
"They received my letters and artifacts. They will come with you."
Mangus sighed. "So, you didn't erase their memories?"
Lucian shook his head. "No."
Cedric hesitated. "And... Celestia?"
Lucian chuckled. "I'm married. I have children."
Mangus burst into laughter. "You used her to her full extent, huh?"
Lucian smirked. "She approached me."
A dark sphere enveloped Lucian as he activated his pendant.
"Farewell, my friends. Become strong enough to fight these beings."
With that, Lucian vanished from the universe.