"Yes," Lucian hissed, a manic grin splitting across his face. "I made you strong. I shaped you. I forged you into a warrior. Without me, you are nothing!"

"Since the beginning til the end, it wasn't you who conquered the NightWhizkersz trial. It was me! ME! I laid the path! I sowed the seeds! The Sword of the End should be mine. Sheol should be mine!"

Then his tone dropped, his expression darkening into something far more dangerous.

"Give it to me, Ereskia," he said coldly, "and join Aphaeleon. Do that, and I'll spare you. I'll spare your brother. It's a generous offer. You should take it."

There was a long pause.

Then, from the ground, Ereskia lifted her head.

She laughed.

It was broken, hoarse. Pain threaded every breath, but the defiance in her voice rang clear.

"Then kill me," she spat, blood trailing from her lips. "You'll never get your hands on Sheol."

BAM!

A savage kick slammed into her ribs. Her body folded with the blow, the sound of it sharp and brutal. Air fled her lungs in a gasp of agony.

"Give it to me!" Lucian snarled. His voice cracked with rage. His eyes were wild, gleaming with hatred.

Ereskia coughed, choking on the pain.

"Ne…ver…" she wheezed, her voice no louder than a whisper, but no weaker for it.

She couldn't feel her legs anymore. Her limbs trembled with every twitch, her body had taken more than it could bear.

And still, she didn't yield.

Her eyes met his. Blood streaked her face, her fangs bared in defiance. There was no strength left in her body, but her spirit stood tall, unbroken.

Lucian's face twisted with disgust.

"Tch…"

He turned away, scowling, disappointment curled at the corners of his mouth.

"Fine," he muttered coldly. "Have it your way."

He raised his hand.

And the parasite answered.

"ARRRGHHHHHH!!"

Ereskia's scream tore through the chamber, raw and ragged.

Her body convulsed, limbs thrashing against the cold stone as pure agony surged through her core. The parasite inside her burrowed deeper, coiling tighter around her mana circuits, gnawing, draining, devouring. Every nerve felt aflame. Her muscles spasmed under the strain, and her claws scraped deep gouges into the floor beneath her.

Then—

CRACK!

Lucian's boot came down hard on the back of her head, slamming her face into the ground and pinning her there like a broken doll.

"Give. It. Now," he growled, voice low and seething.

But even through the storm of pain, through the haze trying to drag her under, Ereskia gritted her teeth. Blood pooled at the corner of her mouth, and still, she smiled.

A grin of cracked lips and defiant fire.

"Is that… all you got…?" she rasped.

She turned her head slightly, just enough for him to see her bleeding fangs and the wild gleam in her eyes.

"Pathetic."

Lucian's eyes twitched. His expression twisted, caught between disbelief and rage.

"Alright," he muttered, stepping back. "Then how about this?"

He turned away from her.

And walked toward Larpard.

Ereskia's breath caught in her throat.

Her eyes widened in horror as she saw her little brother, now unconscious, lying motionless where he'd fallen from that earlier blow.

"Wait—wait, NO!" she cried, panic lacing every syllable. "YOU BASTARD! Don't you DARE—DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HIM! LEAVE MY BROTHER ALONE!!"

But Lucian didn't stop.

He simply smiled.

And reached down.

With a casual lift, he hoisted Larpard off the ground, one hand gripping the boy's head, letting his limp body dangle like a broken puppet.

"NO!!" Ereskia screamed, dragging herself forward despite the pain, nails scraping the floor. "STOP! PLEASE!"

Lucian ignored her.

His other hand rose slowly, curling into a fist.

Black lightning crackled around his knuckles.

A gauntlet materialized, dark as void, each finger honed into a knife-like claw, flickering with lethal energy.

He brought it up to Larpard's head.

Hovering there.

Just one squeeze… and it would all be over.

Ereskia's heart stopped.

He wouldn't—he couldn't—

And yet, the look in Lucian's eyes told her otherwise.

"Give it to me now," Lucian said coldly, tightening his grip on Larpard's head, "or say goodbye to your little brother."

Ereskia froze.

She couldn't move. She couldn't fight.

All she could do was watch.

Her mouth opened, words rising in her throat, maybe to beg, maybe to scream.

But then… she stopped.

Her jaw clenched.

She bit back the cry, swallowed the plea, and bowed her head as tears spilled freely down her cheeks.

"Five," Lucian began to count, his voice as calm as it was cruel.

"Four…"

"Three…"

Her whole body trembled, every breath like glass in her lungs.

"Two…"

"…Larpard," she whispered, voice breaking. "I'm sorry…"

Her eyes lifted to the boy hanging limply in Lucian's grip.

"But don't worry… sister will be there with you soon," Ereskia said, a quiet, pained smile pulling at her bloodied lips. "And I promise… I'll make sure this piece of shit goes down with you, even if I have to burn away every bit of my soul..."

Lucian smirked.

"One."

Then, he paused, his voice shifting to something almost thoughtful.

"On second thought… perhaps it'd be easier to kill you both. Then dig your souls up with necromancy and force you to give me the sword."

He chuckled darkly.

And then—

CRUSH.

A wet, crunching sound followed.

"LARPARD!!"

Ereskia's scream shattered the air. It was raw, utterly broken.

Her heart wrenched out of her chest, her hands clawing helplessly at the stone beneath her.

Lucian laughed, madly, triumphantly, wickedly.

But then…

He paused.

There was no blood, no shattered skull, nor Larpard's body falling limp.

Only… black smoke.

"What…?" Lucian muttered, his smile faltering as his eyes narrowed in confusion. "What is—"

Suddenly—

"DIEEEEEEEE!!"

A shout exploded behind him.

From the shadows, a figure lunged, feline and furious. It was Larpard, yes blazing, his hand gripped not a weapon, but a jagged piece of black crystal, still glowing, still burning, freshly torn from the ancient pillar itself.

Smoke poured from his palm as the crystal scorched his flesh.

But he didn't care.

Lucian turned, but too slow.

Too late.

SKRRT!

The crystal drove deep, straight into Lucian's left eye socket!

"AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGHHHHHH!!"

A scream, a piercing, inhuman scream, ripped from Lucian's throat as he staggered back, flinging Larpard aside in a violent burst of panic.

But the damage was done.

The crystal didn't just wound.

It burned.

It spread.

Black veins pulsed across Lucian's face, lightning crackling beneath his skin as the crystal began devouring him from the inside out, his good eye widened in terror.