Chapter 166 · Oath of Gray FlamesThe Gray Realm was a sea of fire, where crimson flames intertwined with black ones, and heaven and earth seemed shattered.
The soul-scorching phoenix spread its wings and cried out, yet dimmed abruptly the moment it broke through the chains. Lucian half-kneeled amid the flames, cracks in his chest glowing with crimson soul light, as if he would shatter completely in the next breath.
Elea held him, tears mingling with sweat, her voice trembling with despair: "No! Lucian! Don't leave me!"
Blood oozed from the corner of his lips, but he still smiled, whispering: "I told you… I'm willing to burn out in your stead…"
"No!" She sobbed, fiery light surging in her eyes, "If you vanish, I'll burn the entire Gray Realm to ashes!"
She kissed him, her soul and body merging almost violently. Desire intertwined with soul-scorching flames as she unhesitatingly sent her very essence into his body.
Blinding pain and pleasure nearly made her faint; her body grew translucent from overburning, her moans fragmented, yet she clung to him .
Lucian trembled, his hands gripping her waist as if to embed her into his bones and blood.
The flames suddenly surged violently, and the soul-scorching ring around them reignited.
The Shadow Inheritor stood at the edge of the ember storm, his gaze menacing: "To push the soul-scorching pact to its limit… in such an extreme way."
He raised his hand to press harder, but tensed his brow as he sensed some ancient power awakening in the depths of the Gray Realm.
"Hmph… very well. If you can truly burn this brightly, then first let me see if you can bear the consequences."
His figure gradually faded, his black flame wings dissolving into shards that merged into the Gray Realm's abyss. Before departing, he chuckled softly:
"Remember—your oath will be your chains."
In the sea of fire, Lucian's breath hitched suddenly, yet his heartbeat resumed in Elea's embrace.
Her body was streaked with tears and sweat, still trembling with aftershocks, as she whimpered: "I won't let you die… do you hear me? I won't!"
Lucian held her tightly, his breath weak yet steady: "Elea… we're more than a pact now. You are my sovereign, and my life."
The two pressed close in the center of the embers, and the soul-scorching flames formed a new brand amid their union—the Oath of Gray Flames.
It was an elevation of the soul-scorching pact, a symbol that if one fell, the other would burn out with them.
Elea's eyes were blurred with tears, yet she smiled, murmuring softly in his ear: "If that's the case… then let us burn through the Gray Realm and fate together."
The storm in the Gray Realm gradually subsided, leaving only the two clinging to each other, surrounded by the glow of the gray flame oath.