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Chapter 469 - Kilmrat City V

Lucifer's body stiffened as Arthur's stance faltered, his guard slipping for the briefest of moments. It was an opening, a crack in the chaos, and instinct screamed at Lucifer to strike. Lillian was vulnerable—her exhaustion palpable—and one swift move could end her.

But he didn't move. He couldn't.

A primal fear rooted him to the spot, a sensation that clawed at his very being. Every pore of his skin, every honed instinct from countless battles shrieked a single warning:

'Move, and you will die.'

Then it happened.

Lucifer's breath hitched as a phantom sensation washed over him—a razor-sharp line cleaving him in half. He stumbled back, bile rising in his throat, as his mind replayed a vision of his own death. His body shuddered, and his verdant eyes flicked to Arthur, wide with disbelief.

It wasn't Arthur.

Lucifer recognized the shift immediately. The subtle tilt of Arthur's head, the way his posture radiated a calm yet overwhelming power, the aura that felt both ancient and suffocating. It was a presence he hadn't felt in nearly four years.

"You," Lucifer muttered, his voice hoarse. Memories of that day flooded back—a low Integration-rank Arthur possessed by an entity that had casually obliterated a low Ascendant-ranker. The same entity that had driven Arthur into isolation training, a year of forging strength to get his body back.

Arthur—or whatever inhabited him now—turned, his gaze cutting through Lucifer like a blade. "Do not kill her," the voice said, calm yet carrying an authority that demanded obedience.

Lucifer swallowed hard, his knuckles whitening around the hilt of his blade. The weight of the command wasn't just in the words—it was in the killing intent that lingered, a silent promise of annihilation should he disobey.

The entity's attention shifted to Lillian, who struggled to stand, her crimson eyes burning with defiance. Without hesitation, Arthur's hand shot out, grabbing her by the hair and yanking her to her knees. She let out a pained groan, her body twisting as she tried to resist.

"Let go of me, you bastard!" she snarled, her mana flaring instinctively.

But it was for nothing.

Arthur's free hand moved with the precision of a maestro, weaving mana into an intricate pattern that seemed to defy logic. Tendrils of energy wrapped around Lillian, binding her completely. Her mana sputtered, then died, as though snuffed out by an overwhelming force.

Lucifer's heart pounded as he watched, his mind racing to comprehend the sheer mastery of the spell. It wasn't just powerful—it was on a level that surpassed anything he'd seen before. Even his father's teachings didn't account for magic like this.

"Who… what are you?" Lucifer finally asked, his voice low but steady.

The entity's gaze flicked back to him, and for a moment, the weight of its attention made Lucifer feel as though he were standing on the edge of an abyss.

"I am the shadow in his light," it replied, cryptic as ever. "A reminder of what he can become… and what he must overcome."

It released its grip on Lillian, who slumped to the ground, her breaths ragged. The entity stepped back, its expression unreadable, as though considering its next move.

Lucifer clenched his fists. "You're using him. You're using Arthur."

The entity tilted its head, almost amused. "And he is using me. Such is the nature of balance, child of the North."

Before Lucifer could respond, the air around Arthur shimmered, his posture faltering as though strings had been cut. He staggered, his eyes fluttering, and then he collapsed to his knees, gasping for breath.

Lillian, despite her state, glared up at him, her voice a hoarse whisper. "Who… who are you?"

Arthur, now fully himself, looked at her, confusion and exhaustion etched across his face. "I… I don't know."

Lucifer stepped forward, placing a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "We need answers, Arthur. And fast."

Arthur nodded weakly, his gaze falling to the ground. "Yeah," he murmured. "So do I."

__________________________________________________________________________________

'Luna, do you have any answers for me?' I asked, my voice strained and laced with desperation. Silence stretched between us like a chasm, and for the first time, her usual calm reassurance was absent.

'I cannot talk to you anymore, Arthur,' she finally responded, her voice distant, almost hollow. 'This trial… is yours to overcome.'

Before I could press her further, her presence vanished from my mind. The absence was jarring, like a light suddenly snuffed out. I instinctively activated my Gift of Soul Resonance, searching for her. She was still there, somewhere within the recesses of my being, but she had withdrawn entirely, severing our communication.

'Art!' I cursed internally, frustration bubbling beneath my surface. 

The man—or entity—within me had shown his hand. He could take control whenever he pleased, asserting dominance over a body that might not even be mine to claim. Or was it?

Too many goddamn questions.

Art was a regressor; that much was certain. But why had he relinquished his life, his body, his very existence to me? What game was he playing? And then there was the one who had cast us into this hyperfragment—a being so powerful that even Luna seemed diminished in the face of their design. Who were they? What did they want?

The questions swirled like a storm in my mind, each more confounding than the last. No answers, just more and more threads leading nowhere. 

And then, just as I was about to give in to my mounting irritation, Luna's voice returned, faint and tinged with something I rarely heard from her: urgency.

'One more thing,' she said, her words cutting through the chaos of my thoughts. 'Art told me to tell you… if you don't wish to lose pieces of your heart, make sure to save them.'

My breath caught. My heart thumped violently against my ribs, an almost painful rhythm. Pieces of my heart.

This wasn't some enigmatic riddle or a cryptic warning. I understood what she meant. I understood all too well.

Rachel. Seraphina. Cecilia.

They were in danger.

The realization hit like a thunderclap, cold and unrelenting. A chill ran down my spine as the implications unfurled in my mind. If this hyperfragment had reached me, Lucifer, Seol-ah, and Ren, then it wasn't bound by distance or rank. It could have reached them too. 

'Damn it,' I muttered under my breath, clenching my fists. 

The thought of them—three people who had given me their unwavering trust and affection—being in danger, alone and vulnerable in this fragmented world, sent a wave of fury and determination coursing through me. I couldn't allow harm to come to them. I wouldn't.

But where were they? How could I find them in a place so vast and alien, ruled by the twisted echoes of a long-dead empire? I took a deep breath, forcing myself to focus. Luna might have withdrawn, but her words, cryptic as they were, had given me a direction.

'If you don't wish to lose pieces of your heart, make sure to save them.'

I closed my eyes, centering myself. The storm of questions and doubts roared around me, but I forced it into the background. I couldn't afford to lose myself in uncertainty. Not now.

'Art,' I thought, addressing the enigmatic presence that had claimed me so effortlessly before. 'I don't know what your game is, but if you want this body to survive, you'd better not hold back.'

The silence that followed was maddening, but I didn't care. Whether he answered or not didn't matter. I would find them. I would protect them. And I would drag every answer I needed out of this cursed hyperfragment, one step at a time.

'Rachel. Seraphina. Cecilia,' I whispered their names like a vow, my grip tightening around Eclipse Blade. 'Wait for me.' 

With that, I moved, every step carrying the weight of resolve. The road ahead was uncertain, fraught with danger, and veiled in mystery. But no matter what awaited, I would not falter.

They were my heart. And I would not lose them.

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