CHAPTER 202: CHAPTER 202 - BIG HAUL

Lucien had his reasons for doing this and they went far beyond mere spite.

First, through Divine Sense, he could see their colors. The Nephralis of the West Continent radiated filth. Their essence was tainted. They were cruel and domineering. It made him feel nothing but disgust.

He wasn’t naive enough to believe everyone could change. And judging from their color alone, if another great war were to erupt, these fire-aligned Nephralis would surely side with the enemy.

Second, he hated how they treated humans... as nothing more than livestock.

And finally, he wanted to hinder their growth as much as possible. He couldn’t allow these sects to flourish unchecked. When he eventually brought his people here, he refused to let them live beneath such arrogance and cruelty.

Of course, Lucien wasn’t reckless. His confidence came not from arrogance but from preparation. He had safety measures layered beneath every action. And it wasn’t just about his Origin Rewrite skill. He had more than one way to vanish without a trace.

After a little more than an hour of travel, their destination finally came into view.

The journey which would normally take months even with his airship... took only a fraction of that time, thanks to his Voidcraft and Marie’s absurd "cheats."

She had registered the vessel through her system. With Geo-Link, she piloted it as if it were part of her own body and Terra Sync doubled its speed, allowing it to move faster than light itself.

They landed on a ridge outside the sect’s domain, well away from any patrols. Lucien then stored the Voidcraft inside his Inventory.

"Don’t leak your Law of Earth or Earth Attribute," he warned quietly. "Use your Fire Attribute for now."

"Aye aye, captain," Marie replied with a mock salute.

They approached the great formation ahead. It was a colossal, ember-lit dome of runes that shimmered like molten glass. Its surface rippled with waves of heat and each line of runes pulsed faintly like the breath of a volcano. The barrier itself hummed with both power and arrogance.

Lucien and Marie produced the formation discs looted from Nephralis they killed and activated the mechanism behind it. At once, the runes flickered, scanning for authorization.

Then, with a resonant chime, the barrier split open and allowed them through.

Inside, they carried themselves like nobles. Arrogant, calm, untouchable.

Lucien condensed his Aura of the Unyielding Sovereign to assert dominance. Even Marie was shocked at first but then she soon puffed her chest in pride.

When Nephralis disciples bowed in greeting, they merely nodded back... all part of the act.

And just then, the full sight of the Nephralis Sect unfolded before them.

It was ironically beautiful.

The place looked carved straight out of a mountain of flame. The basalt walls were sculpted smoothly, the terraces gleamed like ember-stone, and veins of crystallized magma glowed beneath the streets.

Grand towers stood like volcanic spires crowned by eternal fire. Rivers of molten gold wove between courtyards, contained by channels of heat-resistant glass.

At the edges of the horizon, a ring of volcanoes circled the sect like watchful guardians. Their peaks breathed smoke into a copper-tinted sky.

It was a magnificent sight.

"Beautiful," Marie whispered. "If only the people matched the view."

Lucien’s eyes stayed cold. "That’s the problem. They never do."

Soon, they moved to their first target location. The Spirit Crystal Mines.

Thanks to the Spatial Compass, the two of them never lost their way.

The deeper they went, the heavier the air became. The smell of ash was mixed with sweat. Sparks cracked in the distance.

Then, what awaited them drew even Marie to silence.

Hundreds of slaves from different races toiled endlessly under the blistering heat.

What shocked them most was the sight of their own kind... Humans.

All of the slaves wore chains that clinked as they mined spirit crystals. Their eyes were hollow, their souls crushed. Overseers stalked above them, striking without hesitation.

Marie’s aura began to stir and intense anger radiated from her.

Lucien caught her shoulder before she could move. "Not yet. Calm yourself. Listen to my plan."

Lucien too was furious at the sight but one of them had to stay calm.

He noticed that the guards were merely in the Transcendent Realm. Lucien then calmly told her the plan.

With a faint nod, they began the execution.

Lucien stepped toward a nearby guard. He flared his aura and his voice carried authority. "Gather everyone. Now."

The guard obeyed instantly. Within minutes, the cavern was filled with miners. Most of them were just mortals and Metamorphosis Realm experts.

Lucien’s eyes gleamed. He gave Marie the signal.

In an instant, Marie blurred. One precise strike... and the guards collapsed where they stood. They were unconscious before they even realized what happened.

Lucien spread his hand. Divine energy surged outward, wrapping around every slave like a living shroud of light.

And then... they vanished.

Marie’s eyes widened. "What?! You can store living beings inside your infinite storage?"

Lucien didn’t answer. "We’ll talk about that later. Let’s move down."

Marie nodded and grabbed Lucien, pulling him downward. They descended deeper beneath the ground. They felt the mana density grow thicker with every meter.

Soon, they arrived at the location.

Dozens of Spirit Mountains pulsed in rhythm with the earth. Each one radiated condensed energy. They were deeply intertwined with the earth’s veins.

Lucien’s lips curved faintly. "Can you help me detach these mountains from their foundations? I can’t collect them like this."

Marie grinned. Her Law of Earth surged and the bedrock obeyed. The ground softened, flowing like liquid silk. Entire mountains stirred weightlessly from their foundations.

Lucien focused, marking the Spirit Mountains as targets. With Auto-Collect, each mountain vanished one after another into his Inventory.

When the last one disappeared, they resurfaced. But this time... near the sect’s treasure pavilion.

Still underground, Lucien gestured toward the ornate building. "Detach this one too."

Marie smirked. "Gladly."

The ground rippled. The entire pavilion... it’s foundation, walls, vaults... floated slightly off the ground before disappearing into Lucien’s Inventory.

"Perfect," Lucien murmured.

Suddenly, they heard panicked voices and chaos erupting above.

"Let’s get out of here, now."

"Wait a minute! Now for a little flair," Marie said, cracking her knuckles. "Good service, remember?"

"Marie—"

Too late.

Her aura erupted. Absolute Earth Dominion activated and the entire sect shuddered. The volcanoes that surrounded the Nephralis roared to life, spewing fountains of flame and smoke into the sky. The ground trembled as heat waves rippled outward like an ocean of fire.

Lucien sighed. "Subtle as always."

"Subtlety’s overrated."

The two slipped through the chaos, vanishing beyond the barrier before the alarms could spread.

Everything had gone smoothly... almost too smoothly.

But their work wasn’t done.

They moved to another place via the Voidcraft.

Lucien then activated Origin Rewrite again. Their forms shifted into that of Varkhaals.

"Were you a shapeshifter in your past life or something?" Marie asked curiously.

"You know what? Just drive," Lucien said simply which made Marie grumble.

After a few hours, they arrived. It was farther than they expected.

The Varkhaal Sect was nothing like the Nephralis.

It wasn’t built upon fire... it was carved within darkness.

An underground metropolis stretched endlessly beneath a hollowed mountain range. Vast black towers rose from an abyssal floor. Their edges gleamed like glass beneath the glow of suspended orbs that mimicked starlight. Everything felt still. The silence was so deep it could drown footsteps.

"This place gives me the creeps," Marie whispered.

They moved seamlessly through the halls.

And surely... what happened in the Nephralis Sect happened here too.

Both races were evil so their actions mirrored each other.

Once again, they liberated the slaves kept here. They claimed the Spirit Mountains and plundered the treasury.

Everything went perfectly... until Lucien’s instincts roared like thunder.

When they were about to exit the place, a crushing aura swept across the tunnels.

His breath caught. That pressure was sharp, heavy, absolute. It belonged to a Celestial Realm expert who had just returned.

He acted instantly. His divine energy wrapped around Marie. Before she could even speak, Lucien pulled her safely into his core.

Moments later, a ripple of darkness coalesced before him. A tall figure that looks li

ke a living shadow, appeared. His presence was calm yet suffocating.

"Elder Dusk!" Lucien gasped, bowing immediately.

He acted panicked.

"You’ve returned! Please... there are intruders!"

Lucien felt fortunate that he recognized this figure from the records of renowned experts on the continent.

The elder’s voice was smooth as he scrutinized Lucien. "Why did I sense divine energy earlier?"

Lucien didn’t dare leak his aura or divine energy. Instead, he released a faint ripple of the Law of Darkness.

His every motion was measured. "Yes, Elder. The intruder used divine energy. I fought him here... but he escaped. He’s still hiding inside."

The elder’s eyes gleamed faintly. "Is that so?"

Then another disciple arrived, panic in his voice. "Elder! You’re here! The treasury! it’s gone!"

The elder’s aura surged and the ground darkened beneath his feet. "What?!"

Suddenly, he snapped back at Lucien. "Show me your storage ring."

Lucien removed his ring calmly and handed it over.

The elder swept his energy across them but saw nothing but basic gear and a handful of spirit crystals. He narrowed his eyes but found no evidence.

The elder turned and didn’t bother returning the ring to Lucien.

"Seal every exit," he ordered. "No one leaves until the intruder is found."

"Yes, Elder," Lucien replied evenly.

But as he felt the sealing formations activate, layer after layer, realization struck.

Every passage was closing. The barrier was constricting. The very air began to tighten around him.

Lucien’s jaw clenched faintly.

He hadn’t escaped this time.