Chapter 66: Lathel vs Lucien (8)

"You..." Lucien gritted his teeth, trying to pull his sword back, but he realized something horrifying—he couldn’t. ’What the hell?!’ he thought in panic. Just three fingers—three fingers!—yet it felt like an iron vice was clamping down on his greatsword. Even with all his strength, he couldn’t yank it free. This could only mean one thing: Lathel’s strength vastly outclassed his own. ’Impossible! He’s supposed to be useless! How can he be this strong?’ Lucien’s mind reeled. ’He must have cheated. That’s the only way he could’ve reached the sixth floor.’ Grinding his teeth, Lucien looked at Lathel with eyes full of scorn, regaining a sliver of his earlier confidence: "You cheated!" Lathel raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, then smirked. "Hahaha... Lilith, did you hear that? You really want to follow an idiot like this?" "If you become my subordinate now, I promise you within ten years, I’ll help you reforge your body—and even surpass the level you were once stuck at." "Shut your mouth!" Lucien roared. "My master would never abandon me. She’s not that kind of person!" "Huh!" Lathel sneered. With a light push of his fingers— Despite how gentle the motion looked, Lucien felt like a giant hand had flung his greatsword far away. "Damn you!" Lucien bit down hard, trying to keep his grip on the hilt. But the sword’s weight overpowered him. It dragged him up into the air, flipping him over before slamming him down. BAM! The massive sword crashed into the ground, leaving a deep crater. Lucien landed hard, eyes wide in disbelief as he looked up at Lathel. His arms trembled violently from the force of trying to hold on. "So weak..." Lathel shook his head, disappointment etched across his face. "If you want to defeat me, you’ll have to work a hundred times harder." "You bastard!" Lucien growled. "If you’re a real man, then fight me fair and square! Don’t rely on cheats!" "Fair?" Lathel scoffed. "Hahaha... Lucien, should I call you naïve or just plain stupid? Lilith, I’m sure this fool gives you headaches, right?" "I’m not like him. You know I’m a prince, don’t you? With my capabilities, reviving you is only a matter of time." "Master! Don’t listen to him," Lucien shouted internally. "I know!" Lilith sighed. "I’m not a child, easily fooled by the words of a useless man." [Ding! Lilith’s Affection has increased by 5%. Total Affection: 20%.] Lathel saw the system notification and his eyes gleamed with satisfaction. ’As long as I grasp your weakness, I don’t believe I can’t pull you to my side.’ Lathel thought to himself. Lathel glanced at Lucien, his eyes focusing on the left arm wrapped in white bandages, a ’fascinating’ thought emerging in his mind. "Lucien, do you know... every night, Selvia moans like a whore?" Hearing Lathel’s words, Lucien’s heart suddenly stopped for a moment, then began pounding furiously. "What did you say?!" Lucien growled, his face turning red with anger, his eyes filled with murderous intent as they glared at Lathel. Lathel sneered and continued, "You didn’t mishear. She’s like a whore, always clinging to me, begging me to grant her a bit of love." "Tch! So pathetic. But don’t worry, you want her to be free, don’t you? Once I’m done using her, once I’ve played with her until I’m bored, I’ll toss her to you." "At that time, you can pick her up and use her, experience what it feels like to have the woman you love... carrying the scent of another man." "You bastard!!!" Lucien roared, his voice filled with madness. "Calm down! Lucien! Calm down!" Lilith shouted in his mind. "Master! Don’t stop me!" Lucien bellowed, "I’ll kill him! I’ll chop him into a hundred pieces!" Lucien gripped the sword tightly in his hand, his power erupting fiercely. Whoong! He swung his sword, spinning his body, using the momentum and the weight of the sword to slash toward Lathel. However, Lathel merely stepped back. BAM! The blade struck precisely where Lathel had been standing, shattering the tiled ground, fragments of stone scattering everywhere. In that moment, Lucien’s frenzied eyes met Lathel’s scornful and mocking gaze. Lucien didn’t stop. He planted his foot on the sword’s hilt as a pivot, then spun his body, his other leg kicking toward Lathel’s head. Whoosh! The kick was so powerful it created a piercing whistle of wind, the force behind it undeniable. But Lathel remained utterly indifferent. His fingers moved lightly, and a cluster of floating snowflakes suddenly gathered together by some mysterious force in an instant, forming a small snow pellet the size of a thumb. Then... BAM! "Ack!" The snow pellet shot out at a terrifying speed, striking the ankle of Lucien’s foot that was braced on the sword’s hilt, causing him to cry out in pain and collapse. Lucien lay on the ground, his face covered in snow, feeling both enraged and terrified. ’What the hell just happened?’ Lucien couldn’t even comprehend what had just occurred, his heart filled with confusion. ’Something just hit my ankle, but what?’ "Lucien! Run!" Lilith’s voice echoed anxiously, her tone filled with urgency. Lucien couldn’t see it clearly, but Lilith saw everything—this man before them was anything but ordinary. She didn’t know what kind of power Lathel possessed, nor could she gauge his level of strength. But seeing how easily he subdued Lucien, she knew very well—if they didn’t run now, Lucien could very well die here. "Run?! How can I run away from my enemy?" Lucien shouted in his heart. "Foolish!" At this moment, Lilith couldn’t help but admit—Lathel was right. Sometimes, following Lucien truly gave her a headache from his idiocy. "Master! I won’t give up!" Lucien gritted his teeth, voice filled with determination. "This is my only chance to defeat him, I—" He wanted to say more, but Lathel’s voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts. "Looks like you just obtained a major fortuitous encounter..." Lathel said with a smirk. "Was it thanks to the soul inside that crystal ball?" Lucien’s heart skipped a beat, a heavy sense of unease rapidly growing within him. "You... what the hell are you talking about?!" Lathel didn’t answer. Instead, he gently waved his hand. Behind him, space violently trembled. Then, a cocoon made of countless puppet-like hands—with visible joints holding them together—began unraveling around something. Crack! Crack! Crack! The strange hands started pulling back, revealing an aged and translucent soul that looked like it could vanish at any moment. Over a hundred of those eerie hands held the soul suspended in mid-air, the grotesque scene overwhelming Lucien to the point that his jaw dropped. He didn’t know how to react. Shock? Fear? Panic? Or... should he just run? He had no idea. For the first time in his life, he was witnessing something so strange and horrifying. His instincts screamed at him—run. Don’t stay here another second. "Meeting an old acquaintance, don’t you feel happy?" Lathel said with a smile. "An old acquaintance? Could it be..." Lucien muttered as his eyes locked onto the soul being restrained in mid-air. An old face, trembling as if struggling to breathe. That expression of fear and despair—his transparent body flickering like mist, ready to disappear any second. "You... you’re..." Lucien stammered, his voice shaking with worry. "He’s Lazarok—the one who helped you, Lucien," Lathel said calmly, not waiting for Lazarok to speak. "Want to save him? Look closely... he’s fading fast. If you don’t hurry, he’ll be gone for good." "You... you..." Lucien stuttered, his whole body trembling. "Give it up, Lucien. He’s not someone we can fight against. Run now!" Lilith shouted, her voice snapping Lucien back to his senses. "But..." Lucien spoke to her inwardly, "What about Lazarok? If I don’t save him, he’ll..." "Fool! If you stay here any longer, both you and he will die," Lilith snapped, furious. "If you escape now, you’ll have a chance to take revenge in the future." "Remember this—so long as you live, there’s still hope. But if you die, everything ends." Lucien heard her words and looked toward Lazarok with guilt filling his eyes. However, Lazarok’s lips were still moving, as if silently pleading: "Save... me..." Clenching his jaw and gripping his greatsword tightly, Lucien looked as if he was about to make a reckless decision. "No! Lucien, snap out of it!" Lilith shouted again, her voice growing impatient and urgent. "You’re no match for him right now. Listen to me—if you stay alive, with your talent and my help, we’ll get our revenge soon." Lucien heard her, and his feet began to slowly retreat. "Hahaha... Hahahaha..." Lathel suddenly burst into laughter. "Do you see now, Lazarok?" "The one you gave your remaining soul energy to—look at him now, running away the moment you’re in danger." "How pathetic... Hahahaha..." Hearing Lathel’s mocking, crazed laughter, Lucien gritted his teeth. Cracks began forming deep within his heart. Though small, they were the beginning of an inevitable collapse. "Alright then..." Lathel stopped laughing, his tone growing cold. "You have 107 seconds to dance." "107 seconds? What are you talking about?!" Lucien shouted. The sense of dread in his heart surged, like a bomb on the brink of exploding. Lathel didn’t respond. He simply waved his hand lightly, and then— "Agh!! Help... help me..." Countless hands binding Lazarok suddenly yanked in every direction, stretching his soul as if it were rubber. His face twisted in pain, eyes filled with despair—but deep within them still glimmered a tiny spark of hope that Lucien might save him. "Stop! Lathel! You bastard!" Lucien roared. "Stop it now!" Lathel sneered, hands clasped behind his back, looking utterly relaxed. "Lucien, do you see this? Because of you, he’s suffering unimaginable pain." "What?! What the hell are you saying?" Lucien gasped. "Am I wrong?" Lathel chuckled. "He helped you, which means he’s your ally—and that makes him my enemy." "If he hadn’t helped you, maybe he could’ve lived another thousand, or even two thousand years. But because of you... you are the reason he’s dying." "No! Stop..." Lucien’s eyes trembled violently as he watched Lazarok’s soul being stretched beyond its limit. BAM! Right after, Lazarok’s soul exploded into countless particles of light drifting through the air—only to quickly vanish without a trace. Silence... Only the howling wind and ragged breathing remained. Standing still, Lucien stared blankly at the scene. His pupils trembled—and blood vessels began to creep through the whites of his eyes. Lathel, watching Lucien’s expression, smiled and said, "You have 52 seconds left." Lucien no longer heard Lathel’s words. His mind was blank. "Run, Lucien!" Lilith screamed. But Lucien remained rooted, his body shaking, his thoughts descending into chaos—until... "AGH!!!!" Lucien roared, voice wild and filled with hatred. "Lathel! I’ll cut you into a hundred pieces! Grind your bones, drink your blood!" BAM! A violent wind of energy surged around Lucien’s body. The white bandages wrapping his left arm exploded, revealing a monstrous beast-like limb beneath. "17 seconds," Lathel said calmly, unmoved by Lucien’s transformation. He waved a hand, dismissing the eerie arms in the air, then retrieved a sword from his Storage Space—a blade symbolizing his status as prince. "12 seconds..." "AGH!!!" Lucien howled like a wild beast, feral and maddened. His eyes glowed red, hair tousled and stiff with snow, flaring as if caught in a storm. The monstrous hand gripped the massive greatsword with ease, lifting it like a feather. "5 seconds..." Lathel suddenly closed his eyes and continued counting. "3 seconds..." "2 seconds..." "1 second..." "The audience, the stage, and the actors are all prepared. The play... may now begin." Lathel opened his eyes as he spoke—only to reveal a face filled with shock, anger, and confusion. His expression startled Lucien—but before Lucien could react further, Lathel shouted something that left both Lucien and Lilith completely dumbfounded. "Lucien!" Lathel yelled, voice full of righteousness and resolve. "I never expected you to conspire with demons. Even if I die, I won’t let you harm anyone!"