Lumino was facing a creature of unparalleled power; its control over speed, energy, and every movement was far beyond anything he had encountered. This creature was stronger, faster, and more terrifying than the countless enemies he had faced during his time in Letruish.
Despite the monster's attacks, he remained steadfast, his calculations and control unshaken. The creature's lunges ignited a wild excitement within him. Surprisingly, this battle did not burden him, nor did his emotions overwhelm him.
'This is also thanks to Clementine.'
He felt a surge of gratitude. Thanks to her, even if it was temporary, he was no longer under Lady Seraphine's stifling control. Her approach had been awkward, sure, but it was just a kiss—nothing more, nothing with any real significance.
"You insolent wretch! I put up with you because Lady Seraphine seemed to value you, but you've crossed the line. How dare you insult me!!"
The creature roared and struck with devastating force. Lumino evaded in an instant, body slipping away like smoke.
The chamber was violently torn apart, with shattered walls exposing large openings. With each strike, a tempest's rage resonated, fracturing the floor before it collapsed.
Lumino floated, untouched. The creature, a looming silhouette, suspended, with dark threads swirling, a sinister, silken net.
"Arghh.. f*ck you!!"
The beast's fury swelled, its blows a whirlwind of snapping claws and roaring rage. Stone shrieked as it shattered, dust motes dancing in the dim light as the chamber disintegrated.
Lumino moved swiftly, a flash of light amidst the chaos, with the surrounding air vibrating with untamed magic. Every teleport was a risky move, with the way forward blocked by falling rubble and the expanding emptiness.
From afar, Lullaby watched, her eyes straining. She couldn't keep up—their movements blurred beyond human comprehension.
'What's going on, precisely? I don't know.'
Swoosh—
Lumino's counterattack finally came. Golden cracks fissured through the air around the creature, glowing brighter and brighter, reality itself splintering.
"Dimensional Rift: Eclipse!"
A blinding light tore through the chamber, searing the world white. There was no sign the monster had even tried to dodge—not that dodging was possible.
Claudius and Lullaby leapt away, their seats crumbling into the abyss as the ground gave way. The brilliance did not fade—it engulfed everything, relentless.
As the light finally faded, they turned to look. The creature's form was now charred, with black smoke curling from it. Floating above the remains, Lumino was visible, his hand still firmly gripping the creature's neck.
'The battle is already over.'
----------
"How… how is this possible?" The creature's voice broke, distorted, and trembled, "I refuse to lose—I, Richo, am not someone who can be defeated!!"
Even as Lumino's hand tightened around its throat, Richo flailed violently, summoning black, twisted hands from the walls behind Lumino—dozens of them, each snapping forward with unnatural speed.
"DIE!!!"
Lumino's body arched back in a fluid backflip, sailing over the writhing hands. His feet struck the wall, momentum coiling through his frame before he launched forward again.
Fwoooshhh…
In an instant, he vanished, reappearing at Richo's side. The shadowy hands whipped toward him, but once more he slipped out of sight, teleporting in a flash. From above, Lumino descended like a hawk, driving his heel down into Richo's chest.
DUARRR!
Richo's body slammed downward, crashing through the fractured floors of the mansion, splintering wood and stone, before finally smashing into the depths of the basement. Dust and echoes filled the underground chamber.
Lumino descended slowly, his steps deliberate, heavy—each one thick with menace. The air itself felt suffocating. Richo's chest rose shallowly, every breath ragged, his body refusing to obey. Terror coiled in his gut like ice.
He was Lady Seraphine's creation—immortal, untouchable. No strike, no weapon, no blade could wound him. Only she could bring him pain. Only her hand could truly harm him.
Yet now, staring up into Lumino's sapphire eyes—cold, piercing, merciless—Richo trembled.
"Now," Lumino's voice was soft, but it carried like steel, "will you answer my question? What is Lady Seraphine's true purpose for me?"
"You think… ghk—! …you think I would tell you…" Richo coughed, words breaking.
Lumino raised his hand. Light flared, condensing above Richo's chest like a crushing weight. The pressure drove down, shredding through him layer by layer.
"ARGHHHHHH!!!" Richo's scream split the basement, vibrating through the stone.
"I already know her plans involve the Orb Eternum inside me," Lumino murmured.
"ARGHHHH!!!"
"Then why not save us both the time—confess it now."
As the light intensified, becoming sharper, it seemed to pierce Richo's core. His cries fractured into jagged pieces, eventually fading into a weak whimper.
"Will you yield?" Lumino asked at last, pulling back the searing force. "Or do you still cling to your stubbornness?"
"I… will not… break…" Richo writhed, breath tearing at his throat.
A shadow crossed Lumino's face, followed by a faint smile. "I've just learned a new technique," he said.
"Caroline once used it to probe my memories, and I will use it to discover your thoughts, even if you refuse to speak."
He placed his hand against Richo's head. At once, memories tore open before him—visions flooding his mind.
**
"I see it… dimensions untouched. With this Orb, I will breach them," Lady Seraphine's voice, calm, regal.
**
"Once the process reaches perfection… my plan will be absolute," she whispered with a smile.
**
"And I, unlike you," Richo's laughter echoed, "was successful. I unleashed a werewolf—one who despised the girl Alisa. I simply let instinct consume him. And he killed her. Just like that."
**
Lumino's breath caught—he saw it. Richo's manipulation, his hypnosis twisting envy into madness, pushing the werewolves into the slaughter.
"Hh—hiks… I can't move… did I hit my head too hard?" Alisa's trembling voice. She leaned against a tree, bloodied, broken.
"I feel bad… I left Sir Lumino behind, sleeping. He'll be worried I'm gone…"
"I still want to live… I don't want to die… I haven't even thanked Sir Rodeo… I still haven't finished the carving I promised Sir Lumino…"
-----
Lumino's eyes stung, a biting sensation. A tear welled heavy with unshed sorrow. Before it could trace a path down his cheek, it hissed, a faint, high-pitched sound, dissolving into a wisp of burning vapor that smelled faintly of ozone.
It was because of him.
Alisa's death because of him.
It was all because she was tied to his destiny, because they were trying to complete the Orb inside him.
'Forgive me, Alisa.'
His gaze dropped back to Richo, still muttering Lady Seraphine's name like a broken prayer.
"I'm not angry anymore," Lumino whispered, voice trembling.
His hand rose. "Now… I only hate myself."
Light gathered, forming into the shape of a massive blade above Richo.
"Perish."
DUARRR!!!
As Richo's scream shattered the silence, his body disintegrated into ash, his final word, "Lady Seraphine," vanishing with the smoke. Amidst the remains, a crimson gem pulsed with light, and a hand reached out to claim it, closing in a tight grip.
"I will remember your death, Richo."
From the shadows, another presence stirred. A figure watched, eyes glinting, voice cold.
"You go too far." Lumino lifted his gaze to the new arrival, bitterness etched on his face.
"Monster." The figure chuckled softly, bowing low with mock respect.
"Do you not see yourself?" Lumino's voice cracked with pain.
"I will introduce myself properly," the figure said with elegance, its tone almost regal. "My name is Izek, one of the Four Honored Subordinates. You should etch this name into your memory, because it belongs to the individual who will take your life."
-----
A few moments ago…
"Arghh!" Lady Seraphine hurled objects across her dark castle, fury boiling in her crimson eyes. This rage, pure and unrelenting, was because of that cursed vampire.
She didn't know why, but she could no longer reach Lumino. The connection, her way of seeing him, was gone. It felt like their bond had been brutally cut.
"Richo!"
From the shadows, Richo emerged instantly. "At your service, my lady…"
"You must go to Lumino. Watch over him. The Orb's process is nearly complete… just a little more. Just a little more, and everything will be perfect."
Her eyes narrowed on him. "Make sure he doesn't die. If he does, you must force him to swallow my jewel immediately."
"Yes, my Lady. Your will shall be done." Richo bowed before fading into darkness.
"That place… and Terasvari," Lady Seraphine murmured, a smile twisting her lips. "So that woman still lives. From her demeanor, I can see the hatred she still bears for me."
She paused, her mind racing. "For Lumino, entanglement with vampires and werewolves is useful for his growth… but I did not expect that vampire, Clementine, to sever my bond with him. Did she… plant her scent on him?"
Her smile broke into a snarl. "Damn it… Arghh!"
Glass orbs shattered around her, fragments scattering like icy rain. She smashed shelves, tables, relics—everything within reach. "How dare she touch what is mine!!"
"Izek!" Her voice rang like thunder.
From the darkness, a towering figure stepped forward, kneeling.
"You have a special mission," Seraphine commanded, her tone sharp. "Kill the woman named Clementine."
Izek bowed low. "As you wish, my Lady. But… may I ask one thing?"
Her brow arched. "What is it?"
"It is unlike you to lose your composure. I simply wish to remind you—remain calm. Leave everything to me and Richo."
"…You are right," Lady Seraphine exhaled, a slow smile curving her lips. "There is no need to rage."
Her eyes gleamed. "Listen carefully, Izek. Report to me every hour. If I sense the bond sever again, I will come myself."
"As you command, my lady."
Izek bowed, and in a whisper of shadow, he was gone.
***
That was then. And now—he prepared to eliminate the vampire called Clementine. Yet the situation had shifted.
Clementine's body was no longer her own. It was possessed—used—by the vampire Fenrir, locked in brutal combat with Ronovan.
It would be easy for Izek to slay them both in their weakened state. After all, this was merely a clash between vampires.
But Clementine's current form was nothing short of feral instinct incarnate. Even Fenrir, within her, could not wrest control of her body.
Ronovan staggered, fatigue carved into his face. Even he could not subdue her rampage.
At last, Izek stepped forth. From the void, black shadows coiled and struck, restraining Clementine's monstrous movements.
Ronovan's eyes widened in shock. Wiping blood from the corner of his mouth, he finally realized the presence lurking there.
"Who are you?" Ronovan demanded, voice cold.
"My name is Izek," came the answer, deep and resonant, "one of Lady Seraphine's Four Honored Subordinates."
The name froze Ronovan in place. Lady Seraphine?!
Izek strode closer, fully revealing his monstrous form, which was cloaked in undulating darkness. His towering body stretched nearly two meters tall, and his silhouette writhed with living shadows. Within this form, two crimson eyes blazed like burning coals.
Ronovan clenched his fists, stepping in front of him.
"Why are you here? What business do the Four have in this place?" He blocked Izek's path swiftly, glancing at Clementine who continued thrashing, trying to break free from the shadow restraints.
"We come only under our Lady's orders," Izek replied with icy calm. "Now… step aside."
But Ronovan lunged, his strike aiming straight at Izek.
With a single raised hand, Izek caught the blow.
"You wish to fight me?" His mouth twisted into a sinister grin.
"Whatever your purpose here, leave at once!" Ronovan growled. "This is my territory—my vampire nest!"
"You think you can stop me?"
Ronovan's eyes blazed as he launched a flurry of attacks, each strike faster, harder, more desperate.
"We won't know… until we try!"