Chapter 25: I know… but I accept

Chapter 25: I know... but I accept"Don’t move, don’t resist..." Lilith’s voice echoed in his mind. "I... will help you." At this moment, hatred, madness, and countless other negative emotions had pushed him past his limits. And Lilith’s words carried a mysterious power, compelling him to obey without the slightest doubt or resistance. At that exact instant, Irelia was suddenly overwhelmed by a wave of drowsiness. She gazed at Lucien as if she wanted to etch his image into her memory forever. Then... she closed her eyes, her consciousness sinking into darkness. Thud! Irelia collapsed onto the ground, lying motionless. If her stomach and chest weren’t rising and falling with each breath, anyone would have thought she was already dead. But Lucien could no longer pay attention to her. A stream of black smoke poured out from the pendant he wore, engulfing his entire body. GRAOO!!! In that fleeting moment, Hurriclaw charged straight at Lucien. Its jaws drooled like a rabid animal, eyes glowing with a pale green light, its face contorted with wild, beastly madness. Whoosh! Its hand, wrapped in green energy, swung forward—its claws slashing through the air with a whistling sound. As Hurriclaw’s claws came down, a hand emerged from the black smoke, easily catching Hurriclaw’s clawed hand. GRAO!!! Hurriclaw recoiled in shock, roaring—but what happened next was even stranger. It tried to pull its hand back, but its massive paw was locked tightly by the small, human hand before it—unable to break free. GRAO!!! It roared again, furious. Its other hand shot up, claws gleaming like knives, and slashed toward Lucien. The black smoke was so dense that Hurriclaw’s body was hard to see. Yet, in that instant, Lucien moved like the wind, dodging Hurriclaw’s claws with ease. Whoosh! The claws struck only air, dispersing the black smoke that had just been swirling around Lucien. Lucien stood motionless, gazing at Hurriclaw with eyes now tainted by that black smoke. Yes, his irises had turned completely black, and dark veins bulged across his face like tangled roots. Wreaths of black smoke drifted around his body, making him appear even more bizarre. His face betrayed no emotion—utterly indifferent and cold, as if... he was already dead. Grum!!! Hurriclaw exhaled, the sound alone enough to send chills down anyone’s spine—wild, bloodthirsty, feral. Suddenly, Hurriclaw fell silent, its eyes wide as it stared at Lucien. Right now, Lucien looked like a demon, black smoke swirling around him, murderous intent condensed into a crushing pressure that bore down on Hurriclaw. A bear over three meters tall, on the verge of reaching level 3, was now trembling in fear. And the one it feared was just a mere human—not even an Awakened. The air thickened, heavy like a swamp. The temperature dropped sharply; the light grew dim and oppressive. Silence. A silence so deep it was terrifying. Not a single sound could be heard. Even the rustling of leaves in the wind had completely vanished. Thump! Thump! Thump! The sound of Hurriclaw’s heartbeat became deafening in the stillness. Though it was a monster, by the time it reached level 3, it had gained a sliver of intelligence and thought. Now, it realized—the young man before it was many times more terrifying than itself. Darkness, evil, death, despair... From this human, it could sense all the blackest things in the world. Hurriclaw’s instincts screamed at it to run, but its body felt petrified, unable to move. Lucien’s torn arm was now shrouded in black smoke, making it impossible to see the state of his wound. But... it was as if he felt no pain at all. His face was still utterly devoid of emotion. Slowly, Lucien reached out his remaining hand in another direction. There, the greatsword buried in the ground began to tremble violently—and then... Whoong! The sword flew toward Lucien, who caught it flawlessly, gripping it tightly in his hand. Suddenly, a green light glowed from Lucien’s chest. Hurriclaw’s eyes locked onto it, slowly becoming more lucid. In fact, greed began to shine in its gaze. Yes, that was what it had been waiting for, what it had guarded for so long. Now, that thing was in the hands of the human before it. With that, it could break through—its power would soar to new heights. GRAOO!! BAM! Hurriclaw roared, green energy erupting like a shockwave, creating a violent gale that sent rocks flying and trees bending. It opened its jaws wide, its claws glowing green, and charged at Lucien. A ten-meter distance meant nothing to a beast of its size. In a single second, Hurriclaw was already upon Lucien. Yet Lucien’s face remained indifferent and cold—as if he were already dead. He didn’t panic. He didn’t dodge. He didn’t run. A vague voice whispered in his mind: "Kill." It wasn’t his own voice, yet it echoed as if from the very depths of his soul. A voice devoid of emotion—cold, ruthless, and absolute. Just one simple command, but it shattered all of Lucien’s limits. Silently... he swung the sword. In that instant— Space seemed to freeze. Time itself seemed to halt. The swirling, ghostly black smoke around him spun at terrifying speed, converging onto the blade as if summoned by some monstrous force. WHOOSH! A chilling gust tore through the silence. From the sword’s edge, a crescent-shaped wave of black smoke exploded outward, nearly four meters long, slicing forward. Its tail gouged a deep trench in the ground, leaving a yawning rift behind. The space nearby seemed to tremble slightly, as if reality itself had been slashed open. SMASH! The wave of black smoke tore through Hurriclaw’s body, then dissipated into nothingness, leaving a massive gouge in the earth from Lucien’s feet to where the beast stood. BAM! A dry, cracking boom echoed out. Hurriclaw’s massive body split in two like an overripe melon hacked apart. Flesh, blood, and viscera sprayed in all directions. Because of its enormous size, the scene unfolded like a bloody rain pouring down upon the world. Chunks of flesh and streams of fresh blood splattered to the earth, creating a sickening sound—like heavy rain falling from the sky. Lucien stood still in place. No expression. No emotion. His face was terrifyingly calm, as if... everything that had just happened had nothing to do with him. Clang, clang! Suddenly, the sound of metal clashing rang out as a small, thumb-sized stone emitting a green light dropped to the ground, then rolled to a stop at Lucien’s feet. At that moment, the black smoke surrounding Lucien’s torn arm began to writhe, as if it were a living creature. Tendrils of smoke shot out, wrapping around the stone, then lifted it up in front of Lucien. "Hurriclaw’s energy crystal," Lilith’s voice rang out once more. "Along with the Awakened Stone you just obtained, I will help you forge this arm anew and awaken your ability—making you an Awakened." "Awakened?" Lucien realized he couldn’t speak; his voice could only echo within his own mind. However, it was as if something occurred to him, and his gaze drifted toward Irelia, who lay unconscious. "Help me..." Lucien tried to speak through his thoughts. "I... want to leave this Awakened Stone... for her." "Are you insane?" Lilith snapped, her tone furious. "You only have this one chance. If you miss it, you may never find another Awakened Stone." But as Lilith spoke, Lucien’s gaze remained fixed on Irelia. He replied firmly, "But... she... she sacrificed herself so I could take this stone." "I... don’t want to use it for myself alone." "You..." Lilith sighed. "Fine! There is a way I can help you. But you must think this through." "I can let you use half the power of the Awakened Stone, but the effect won’t be great. At best, you’ll awaken an E-rank ability." Lilith’s voice was filled with warning and threat: "Remember... each person can only use an Awakened Stone once in their lifetime." "Even if you only use half its power now, should you ever find another Awakened Stone in the future, you won’t be able to use it again." "Do you understand?" Lucien was silent for a moment, then replied, "I know..." "Then..." Lilith intoned, as tendrils of black smoke circled around Lucien, making the scene even more bizarre. Lucien declared resolutely, "But I accept."