The Awakening Of The Five Great Disasters (VI)

Crack, crack, crack...

Slowly, small pieces of the giant egg began to fall, dropping to the ground one by one, and just after a minute or so, a golden light flashed towards the sky!

CRACK!

"Fuck..." Lucius muttered in complete shock.

The golden light burst through, piercing the top of the dark sphere, and in an instant, the sphere began to crumble, breaking apart entirely.

"I didn't think she was going to be that powerful..." he bit his lower lip while looking at the diminishing light.

'I'll need to reformulate my entire plan...' he thought before opening the shop.

He looked towards the items, but none of them seemed to give him any hope at the given moment.

And when he realized, it was already too late.

Step...!

Behind him, Alaine, Daniel, and thousands of others were approaching. When they saw the four disasters lying dead on the ground, the air became thick with shock. 

Nothing but silence remained...

"Lucius...!" Alaine shouted out, cutting the silence.

"I will fucking kill you, you damn bastard!" she screamed, before dashing towards Lucius with rage burning in her eyes as her entire body lit up with white flames.

But just before she could reach him, twelve small figures surrounded Lucius, transferring something into him.

He smirked, twisting his body as he blocked her kick with his right arm, using his left arm to support it.

"Haah..." he breathed out, letting a cold air escape his lips.

Freeze!

A sudden wave of ice exploded from him, spreading in every direction. It clung to Alaine's leg, wrapping around it in a thick layer.

Crack...!

Unfortunately, it immediately crumbled as it met the white flame.

"Hah..."

Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice came from behind Lucius. He immediately turned around and looked in the direction of the voice.

From the giant egg, a beautiful lady emerged. Her long, scarlet hair flowed like fire, and her golden, vertical eyes shone with power.

Above her head floated a twisted halo, far from anything divine. Instead, it looked deformed, as if it belonged to something monstrous.

There she was, Maria Palmer, the one who could see through the timelines of each round.

As soon as Maria saw the four disasters lying dead on the ground, she frowned deeply, turning her head sharply toward Lucius, her eyes narrowing as she tried to understand him.

But no matter how hard she looked, it was as if his existence was hidden as if he didn't exist in any of the countless timelines she could see.

"What… who are you?" Maria whispered to herself, frowning deeply.

There was something wrong about him, something she couldn't grasp. It felt as though he didn't belong in this world at all.

Then, her gaze shifted to Alaine, who stood nearby, clenching her hands tightly due to her immense rage, but still covered in those intense white flames.

The moment Maria's eyes locked onto her, she saw flashes of countless futures, timelines that Alaine lived, and much less, her own interactions with her.

"Alaine..." she muttered softly, getting Alaine's attention. "What exactly do you want me to do?" She asked directly, knowing she could trust Alaine no matter what happened.

It was always like that in all of the timelines they have been through.

Hearing her words, Alaine's face finally formed a small smile...

"For now... let's just 'capture' him..." she pointed towards Lucius.

Once she heard Alaine, she immediately turned sharply towards Lucius. Her eyes now had a small killing intent...

Their eyes met and Lucius immediately felt increasingly annoyed. She didn't even seem to care about his strength like he was just another insect in her way. 

"Lucius! Don't look at her with those weird eyes! If you look, I'll fucking kill you!" Alaine's voice cut through the silence like a knife.

'...The fuck you mean? Are you getting jealous when I'm going to face more than one thousand people alone?' he scoffed inwardly.

Either way, Lucius didn't even glance her way.

"Get in line," he muttered, eyes still locked on Maria. "You're not the only one with a grudge today."

But Alaine obviously wasn't going to let herself be ignored.

She launched herself at him, her leg swinging toward his head with all the force of a wrecking ball.

Swish!

Lucius twisted, dodging her kick, but before he could retaliate, he felt the air shift. Maria was already there, her hand reaching out toward his face.

He reacted on instinct, summoning dark vines from his jacket.

Fwwoop!

They shoot forward, wrapping around her wrist, stopping her attack just a few inches from his eyes.

Her gaze turned toward the vines, and with a single thought, they burst into golden flames, disintegrating instantly.

"Not bad," she whispered, leaning in closer, her lips curling into a dangerous smile.

"But not enough."

Clenching his teeth, Lucius summoned more vines, this time coated in poison.

They sprang forth like vipers, striking toward her neck and limbs, but Maria moved swiftly, dodging and twisting around every attack.

The poison-tipped ends hissed as they passed, barely missing her skin.

Meanwhile, Alaine came at him once again, unleashing a barrage of punches and kicks at him, more precisely, aiming for his vital points.

But due to Lucius's overwhelming status, his body reacted on pure instinct as he blocked, parried, and countered.

Bang! Bang! Swish!

Every hit sent shockwaves through the ground, cracks forming beneath their feet as they exchanged blows.

"Why can't you just stay down?" she spat, throwing a punch aimed at his jaw.

"Because," he growled, catching her wrist with a vine and twisting it behind her back, "you're not strong enough to keep me there."

CRACK!

Alaine's eyes widened in pain, but before Lucius could press his advantage, Maria appeared beside him, her fist glowing with a crimson light.

She punched forward, and Lucius barely managed to shield himself with a wall of dark vines.

Boom!

The impact sent him skidding back, his heels digging into the ground. He felt the heat of her power burning through his defenses, and the smell of scorched earth filled the air.

'Fuck, fuck...! Why do all of those girls need to have a fire-related attack?!' Lucius shook his hands, thinking.

"That's enough...," Maria murmured, she stepped forward, ready to attack again, but something caught her attention.

The crowd.

The people who had been watching in stunned silence were now moving towards Lucius, their fear was immediately replaced by anger.

They surged forward, weapons drawn, looking at Lucius as if he were the actual devil.

It wasn't just Alaine and Maria anymore—it was everyone.

Lucius's eyes darted around, taking in the hundreds, no, thousands of people advancing toward him with their weapons ready to strike.

A man with a spear lunged at him from the left, while a woman with a sword aimed for his right side.

Swish! Clang!

Lucius ducked under the spear, parrying the sword with a vine that shot from his sleeve.

He spun on his heel, delivering a kick to the woman's stomach that sent her flying, but there were too many.

They kept coming, swarming him from all sides.

He felt a blade slice across his back and felt the sharp sting of pain, but his skill [Instant Recovery] kicked in, knitting the wound together in seconds.

Lucius didn't have time to think, only to react.

Slash! Stab!

Immediately, the fight turned much harder. His dark vines lashed out, striking down anyone who got too close.

The poison on their tips was relentless, leaving deep wounds wherever they landed.

Clang!

He blocked a mace with his forearm, twisted his body to avoid a thrust, and then slammed his elbow into another attacker's jaw, sending them crumpling to the ground.

Unfortunately, because there were more people attacking, Lucius forgot about the more important one.

Maria suddenly raised her hand, and a wave of golden flames erupted from her fingertips, rushing toward him in the form of a golden dragon.

"Shit!" Lucius raised his arms, creating a shield of darkness to block it, but the flames burned hotter, pushing against him with terrifying strength.

"Agh!" He gritted his teeth, feeling the heat scorch his skin.

His vision was slowly getting blurry, but he refused to let go.

"Hah...!"

The flames flickered, dimming for just a moment, and Lucius seized the chance.

He lashed out with his vines, wrapping them around the lady's legs, and pulling her off balance.

"Ah...!" She stumbled, her flames flickering out, and Lucius lunged forward, aiming to strike her down.

But before he could land the blow, Alaine suddenly appeared, her white flames cutting through his vines like they were made of paper.

She grabbed him by the collar, slamming him into the ground with enough force to crack it.

Thud!

"I'm not done with you..." she snarled, her flames burning hotter.

Lucius coughed, blood dripping from his lips, but even as she pressed him down, he smirked.

"Glad we feel the same...!"

He summoned a vine from the ground beneath her, wrapping it around her ankle and yanking her off her feet.

Alaine fell back, her flames sputtering, and Lucius sprang to his feet, ignoring the pain that shot through his body.

"Huff—!" he took a deep breath.

"My Darkness reserves are getting low... I'm fucked..." He muttered, and if that was enough to confirm his thoughts...

THHRUUUUM!

"Ah, fucking hell..." he wiped the blood on his lips with his thumb...

Maria ignited golden flames around her body once more. Her pupils turned into slits, and her aura exploded, making the ground shake.

Her power seemed to be at least five times stronger than before, and immediately...

She shot forward, faster than before, and Lucius barely managed to raise his arms in time.

BAM!

Her fist connected with his chest, and Lucius felt something crack. He flew backward, crashing through the crowd, and hitting the ground hard.

"Haaahhh..!" He gasped for air, pain lancing through his chest as the world blurred.

"F-fuck..." he stammered as he leaned down his head against the cold material behind him.

"It seems that I've found a dead end at last..." he sighed.

[The Constellation "#$%&#?!? of the Sky" smiles at you.]

[The Constellation "#$%&#?!? of the Sky" says that you've done your best, and that is normal to sometimes be the loser.]

"Hah..." Lucius scoffed at the notification.

"I'm no loser..." he pushed himself up.

He was limping, his body was worn and full of injuries... and he quickly needed to meditate to recover his darkness.

Even if his skill [Instant Recovery] had completely been shut, because it couldn't heal this kind of injury.

[The Constellation "Frost Queen" adds that you've already done enough, and it's meaningless to continue fighting.]

[The Constellation "Demon Queen" stays silent.]

"Ah... I can still continue... for about... a single minute or so?" he smiled under the puzzled gazes of the thousands of people who were wary of him.

But one funny thing was that Daniel didn't attack him.

'As expected of a hero, I guess? He always wants everything to be peaceful...' Lucius sighed inwardly.

[The Constellation "Demon Queen" asks: "Why are you still fighting and not running away? Your chance of winning is almost null."]

"Almost..."

"That means that it isn't null... right?" He smiled at the notification.

And as if entertained by his words, a reply immediately came up.

[The Constellation "Demon Queen" laughs heartedly at your comment.]

[The Constellation "Demon Queen" says: "As expected of the one that I wanted to make a contract with. Great, you've entertained me! In return, I shall give you a little help!"]

[Ding... error!]

[The Main Constellation of the Player "Lucius Sirius" has recused a 'gift' of the Constellation "Demon Queen".]

"Ah... even my own constellation is against me," Lucius murmured...

'Maybe... this eye of mine... ah... forget it.'

[The Constellation "Demon Queen" raises her fangs against the Constellation "#$%&#?!? of the Sky"!]

[The Constellation "#$%&#?!? of the Sky" says: "You do not have the right to grant him any help. Only I can do that."]

[The Constellation "Demon Queen" scoffs: "Bitch, you aren't even helping him, how can you fucking utter those words?"]

[The Constellation "#$%&#?!? of the Sky" says: "Who says I'm not going to help him?"]

[Ding!—]

[The Constellation "Goddess of the Sky" smiles, and grants you her blessing.]

[You have received the blessing: ✦One With The Skies✦!]