ORIEN POV

He was angry, very angry.

Getting hurt by a human, even though he was an anomaly, was not pleasant for him at all. The pain itself did not matter as much as the fact that it came from someone who should never have been able to make him feel it.

At first, he decided to just kill him once and for all. A clean end, quick and decisive, the easiest way to erase this discomfort from his existence.

But, soon his rationality took over his anger and fear, allowing him to think straight again. The more he replayed the situation in his mind, the clearer it became that killing Ash immediately would be nothing short of a waste.

It's an opportunity...

Yes, it was.

He had caught the anomaly, the one who cannot be found in fate, and the one whose actions could change the course of history itself. A being like this should not simply be erased without extracting every possible benefit first.

And not forgetting the otherworldly energy he felt from Ash, an energy that still lingered in his senses, unfamiliar, terrifying, yet intoxicating in its mystery.

If I can get that...

Orien's mind ran very fast, which was very normal for someone of his rank. His thinking power was just below that of what Omni Thought provided Ash. Countless possibilities overlapped in his thoughts, each one leading toward greater power.

No, I need to get his powers, and with the power of that Unicorn girl, and mine combined...I will certainly reach my goal...

But, he still felt the need to torture Ash.

Not purely out of cruelty, but because a part of him wanted to break the anomaly, to crush that strange calmness that infuriated him from the inside.

Thus, he exploded his hands and legs.

To his dismay, Ash did not utter a single sound. There was no scream, no plea, not even a groan that could satisfy Orien's expectations.

Orien gazed deeper into Ash eyes, and that was when Orien realized that Ash held no fear towards pain. Instead, his eyes were calculating, even though rage still burned within them like wildfire.

Behind those angry eyes, was a scheming mind that refused to bend.

Torture won't work on him...

This realization left him a little frustrated. He even tried mental assault skills, pouring pressure directly into Ash's consciousness, but Ash behaved as if he did not even feel them at all, as if his mind existed beyond conventional suffering.

Left with no other choice, he decided to just get this over with and steal his soul. If he could not break his will, then he would simply take what truly mattered.

He brought out his Spirit Devouring Crystal. This was something his mother had left behind for him. Of course, not even his father, the Demon King, knew about it, which made it even more precious to him.

This was a treasure that came from the Abyss. Knowing that this was a gift from his mother, Orien treasured it deeply, not just as a tool, but as proof of her expectations and legacy.

In fact, he had searched far and wide in the universe about the Spirit Devouring Crystal, but he found nothing at all. Only the Spirit Crystal was ever mentioned in any record.

That was when he realized that the gift his mother left for him was truly something unique. And the functions of the crystal were also explained to him by his mother's will, which she had left sealed inside the crystal itself.

In fact, it had not been a very long time since he acquired the crystal. Only a few centuries had passed. When he reached Demon King rank (SSS), the crystal appeared out of nowhere before him, as if acknowledging his worth.

And the appearance of this crystal was the beginning of everything, his plan, his goal, everything had started from there. Every ambition he carried now traced itself back to that single moment.

Slowly, Orien explained everything about the Spirit Devouring Crystal to Ash, not because he was pitying Ash, but because he hoped to see some sort of fear in the eyes of the anomaly.

But, there was nothing.

Sitting next to Ash lying body, looking deeply into his blue eyes, Orien said with a crazy, psychopathic smile that carried both excitement and obsession.

"In short, I am going to absorb your soul, Ash Burn."

***

ASH POV

Run.

That was the only thought that came to his mind right now.

Seeing the sky blue colored crystal coming near his glabella so slowly was terrifying beyond words. Every inch it moved closer felt like an eternity stretching itself just to torment him.

Ash mind was running as fast as it could to find any solution to his predicament. But, everything came back to square zero....because he had no mana pathways. Every plan he formed shattered the moment that single truth resurfaced.

The memory of his talk with Whisperer suddenly appeared in his mind.

With great good luck, comes greatest bad luck...

With great good luck, comes greatest bad luck...

With great good luck, comes greatest bad luck...

With great good luck, comes greatest bad luck...

The words repeated, he did not know how many times, echoing endlessly inside his head like a curse that refused to fade.

I knew it.....with my luck.....something like this was destined to happen..

The Spirit Devouring Crystal came dangerously close to Ash head and Ash still did not know any way that could save him from a fate worse than death. His entire existence felt as if it had been cornered with no space left to retreat.

He could only hope.

Hope that the power of runes could repel the crystal and protect him one last time.

In fact, he also had another idea, which was to overload his core and burn away his potential.

But, there was a risk.

Previously, by overloading his core, Ash channeled the overloaded mana throughout his body to gain power.

But now, as there were no mana pathways, there was a very high chance that his core would explode due to the overload itself.

He can't risk that.

...Fuck, it doesn't matter.....if my soul will be absorbed, what's the point of having a mana core....

Rather than dying without resistance, Ash decided to risk everything if the Runes did not help him against the threat in front of him. If this was the end, then he would choose how to face it.

He strained both his cores and the mana started to bubble violently inside of him. Now, he only needed a mental command and his cores would be overloaded.

Ash blinked his eyes, and only cold, calculating eyes watched as the crystal slowly touched his forehead.

....

Or it was supposed to touch.

Because suddenly, Orien froze.

-THURMM!!!!!!

The sun vanished from the sky, and a deep, endless darkness took its place, as if existence itself had blinked.

Night descended in an instant.

A moonless night with stars made of Aether shone with an otherworldly glow, their distant light giving the darkness an unsettling beauty.

Someone was floating in the sky, their presence was unlike anything else Ash had ever felt, carrying an overwhelming pressure that crushed his senses.

It was as if he was standing in front of a..

Demi-God???

Ash eyes went wide as realization struck him.

"What a hassle..."

Orien wore a frustrated look on his face, but beneath that irritation was caution.

His hands were being stopped by a very high WILL. It was not a physical restraint, but a direct suppression of existence itself.

"You know that power won't even last 10 seconds, Night Queen, Lumielle."

Orien said slowly, but his voice echoed throughout the whole surroundings, heavy with certainty.

{I KNOW.}

{BUT MY GOAL IS NOT TO KILL YOU. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DO IT WITH SUCH A LITTLE TIME.}

"I know what you are going to say, something like 'I am only doing this for my chi-'."

{DON'T WASTE MY TIME.}

"Oh, you catch on pretty quickly."

The next second, Lumielle appeared next to both of them.

She was in her human form. Her eyes were full of Aether, the same liquid rainbow completely filling her gaze, as if the night itself had reflected upon her soul.

In contrast, her hair was pitch black, blending seamlessly with the sky above.

Her skin was filled with cracks and rainbow lights were seeping out from it, every flicker of light revealing the unbearable strain her body was enduring.

It was clear that whatever source she was drawing power from, it was devouring her from the inside.

"What will you do now? O Great Night Queen."

Orien mocked her. Even though he was frozen there without being able to move his body, his head was still moving freely as he looked at her with cold amusement.

Lumielle was pushing the whole power of her domain on Orien to stop him from moving. Even then, his will was like a Sun.

Just like the Sun repels darkness, his will was slowly but surely shrugging off her powers. With the rate he was doing so, he would be completely free in the next 7 seconds.

{How convenient, I also have only 7 seconds.}

She said while seeing and analyzing the rate at which Orien was pushing her WILL back. Her voice was calm, but beneath that calmness was urgency wrapped in resolve.

Her hands tried to take the Spirit Devouring Crystal from his hands, but as if there was an iron grip around it, it refused to move even a fraction.

Orien was focusing most of his will around his hands. How could he let something given by his mother be taken away like this. Even bound, his obsession anchored him.

Lumielle tried everything, but the crystal refused to budge.

5 seconds.

{Looks like I need more power...but before that....}

She looked towards Ash. She saw his complicated eyes looking back at her, with tears trembling at the corner of his eyes, caught between sadness, disbelief, and helplessness.

But behind that gaze was a complicated mind that was still running and calculating his next move even now, refusing to surrender.

{Take care of Eric, I entrust my son in your hands, child. This is a heart felt request from a mother to a son.}

Her voice, laced with sorrow and quiet desperation, cut through the coldness of Ash heart, and his tears finally fell without restraint.

She waved her hands and a small cluster of Aether entered Ash body and vanished quietly, carrying with it a warmth that felt like a final blessing.

She then looked towards Orien, who was now staring back at her with cold eyes, his restraint beginning to crack.

3 Seconds.

{BURN EVEN MORE}

Her soul burned like a dying star forced to shine beyond its fate, a final blazing defiance against extinction itself.

She was burning her soul and body in exchange for this overwhelming power, willingly paying a price she already knew she would never recover from.

{CONVERGE.}

As if collapsing inwards, the night converged towards Lumielle, as if compressing, collapsing, and converging all at once in violent obedience to her will.

Within a second, her whole domain converged into a pitch black sword that caused space cracks to spread through the surroundings. The whole area around the sword was filled with darkness, as if even light was getting sucked into it.

2 Seconds.

Lumielle grasped the sword and swung it towards the wrist of Orien.

{NIGHT DOMAIN - DESCEND OF NIGHT}

***

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