Location: ???
The surroundings were engulfed in complete silence. Not the ordinary kind of silence one might experience in an empty room, but a suffocating silence so deep and overwhelming that it made a person's ears ring. There was no sound of movement, no distant voices, and not even the faintest sign of life. Darkness dominated every corner of the area, wrapping the surroundings in an atmosphere that felt both ominous and unnatural.
Of course, the place was not completely empty.
Scattered throughout the area were countless objects. Large crates were stacked on top of one another, some damaged and worn by time. Piles of scrap metal rested in forgotten corners. Containers of various sizes occupied sections of the area, while metallic chests and storage boxes could be seen almost everywhere. Dust covered nearly everything, making it clear that this place had not been properly used in a very long time.
Judging from its appearance, the location resembled an abandoned warehouse.
Looking upward revealed rows of lamps and various lighting devices hanging from the ceiling. Most of them were inactive, leaving the area submerged in darkness. Thick metal supports stretched across the roof, reinforcing the structure and preventing the ceiling from collapsing. Even with those supports, however, the warehouse felt old, lifeless, and unsettling.
The atmosphere alone was enough to make most people uncomfortable.
Yet there was one strange detail.
Beyond roughly fifty meters, a faint light could be seen shining through the darkness.
It wasn't particularly bright, but it stood out against the endless black surroundings.
The closer one moved toward it, the more the dreadful silence began to disappear. Gradually, faint sounds emerged from the darkness. At first they were difficult to distinguish, but as the distance shortened, they became clearer and clearer.
Eventually, three figures could be seen gathered beneath the source of light.
They appeared to be discussing something.
One of them was a man dressed like a cowboy. His appearance looked casual, yet there was a dangerous calmness surrounding him. The second individual gave off an entirely different impression. Unlike the cowboy's composed presence, this person's aura seemed filled with emotions such as hatred, revenge, fear, and lust. Simply standing near him would likely make anyone uncomfortable.
Yet the strangest person among them was neither of those two.
Both of them were directing their attention toward a single individual.
That person possessed medium-length hair and a scar that split his face almost perfectly in half. His eyes were crimson, resembling polished diamonds. They were beautiful enough to draw someone's attention instantly, yet terrifying enough to make it feel as though he could tear a person apart at any moment.
The three individuals had clearly gathered to discuss something important.
Beneath the red-eyed man's feet was a ritual circle resembling one used for summoning demons. Strange symbols and markings covered its surface, though they were gradually fading away as if the ritual had already ended.
For several moments, the discussion continued.
Then suddenly—
The red-eyed man's expression darkened.
His tone changed.
And with a furious shout, the entire abandoned warehouse trembled.
Lucifer : ENOUGH!? Listen to me carefully, if you want to rule the world or take your revenge, you must bring me everything I need.
The furious roar echoed throughout the warehouse.
The already unstable structure trembled violently from the force behind his voice alone. Dust fell from the ceiling while several loose pieces of scrap metal rattled against the ground. The atmosphere immediately became heavier.
Lucifer slowly turned his gaze toward the woman standing nearby.
His crimson eyes narrowed with visible irritation.
Lucifer : Especially you, Hana. There is no room for failures here.
The deadly-looking woman was Hana.
The moment those words reached her ears, she immediately rose to her feet.
Her expression twisted with anger.
Hana : The reason for my failure was Liberty in the first place, that brat wouldn't even help! You're the one who gave the wrong information!
For a brief moment, silence returned.
Lucifer stared at her.
The irritation visible in his eyes gradually transformed into something far more dangerous.
His patience was running out.
Slowly, he pulled one arm backward.
The motion was simple.
Almost casual.
Yet everyone present immediately understood what was about to happen.
Then he swung.
The punch itself never connected with Hana.
It didn't need to.
The force generated by the swing alone erupted forward like a natural disaster.
A monstrous shockwave exploded from Lucifer's arm and surged across the warehouse.
The surrounding air screamed.
Crates were instantly blown apart.
Metal containers twisted and shattered.
Walls collapsed.
Support beams snapped.
Within moments, nearly ninety-nine percent of the warehouse had been reduced to debris and scattered across the surrounding area.
The destruction was overwhelming.
Yet despite all of that devastation, only one part of Hana had actually been struck.
Her left arm.
Nothing else.
Only her arm disappeared.
The limb was completely erased by the attack.
Under normal circumstances, a strike carrying that level of power would have been more than enough to destroy the entire world.
The only reason it failed to do so was because a sage known as Zeron had already prepared countless safeguards against disasters of this scale.
The reason those safeguards even existed was Arthur.
Arthur's ordinary physical strength alone was powerful enough to destroy the world three or four times over.
Compared to that, limiting Lucifer's damage was considered a necessity.
Meanwhile, Hana immediately attempted to regenerate her missing arm.
Energy flowed through her body.
Her healing technique activated.
Yet nothing happened.
No new arm appeared.
That was when realization struck her.
Lucifer had intentionally controlled the attack with absurd precision.
The destruction had devastated nearly the entire warehouse, yet he had specifically targeted only Hana's arm.
Not to kill her.
To warn her.
To remind her of her place.
As for the cowboy, he remained surprisingly unaffected. The shockwave had failed to move him significantly. The only reason he was standing now was because the crate he had been sitting on had been blown away by the attack.
Lucifer continued staring at Hana.
Lucifer : Foolish creature, I specifically told you to be careful regarding Liberty, but it seems you didn't pay much attention to that message, did you?
Hana's expression darkened.
The fact that her arm refused to regenerate immediately caused a small amount of panic to surface within her.
Meanwhile, Lucifer was no longer the same person who had once fought Zach.
After absorbing Liberty's second remnant, his strength had increased dramatically.
He was now roughly twice as powerful as he had been during that battle.
Before the tension could escalate further, the cowboy finally decided to speak.
Revenant : I don't mean to interrupt this emotional moment, but the place we're staying at is currently unusable...
His voice remained calm.
Almost amused.
Lucifer glanced toward him from the corner of his eye.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he released a long, tired sigh.
Turning away from the destroyed remains of the warehouse, he slowly began walking forward.
Lucifer : Don't worry, we always stay near the remnants, so we'll move to a new place.
Revenant slightly narrowed his eyes.
Although his expression remained hidden, his gaze made one thing obvious.
He was gathering information.
Analyzing, Observing and Calculating.
Without another word, he began following Lucifer.
He had already realized what Lucifer intended to do.
Sooner or later, Lucifer would use his technique to create an entrance leading elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Hana's regeneration had finally begun making progress. Her missing arm slowly started recovering Although the process was far from complete, it was enough for her to begin moving once again.
She quietly followed behind Lucifer and Revenant For several moments, the three continued walking.
Then...
A strange sound emerged from behind them The sound of flames. Not one... Two.
They burned in rapid succession.
Normally, Lucifer would have become alert immediately.
Any unexpected presence was a potential threat.
Yet strangely enough, these flames didn't feel threatening. They felt calm, Comforting and Almost peaceful.
Then a confident voice broke the silence.
- - - : Bingo
A moment later...
Lucifer, Hana, and Revenant immediately froze.
Almost instinctively, all three turned around.
At the same time, their eyes moved upward.
Fear filled their expressions. Not caution...
Not surprise... Fear.
The person standing above them was the last individual they had expected to see.
For a brief moment, nobody spoke.
Nobody moved. It was as if the world itself had stopped. The figure hovered in the air effortlessly. His hair resembled living flames.
His eyes looked as though they were constantly burning.
He wore entirely black clothing, giving him the appearance of an assassin. Yet despite that appearance, he wore neither a hood nor a mask.
The two flames that had caught their attention moments earlier were coming from beneath his feet.
They weren't merely decorative.
They were allowing him to remain suspended in midair... Calm...Motionless...Watching them.
This was the greatest fear of the Great Demons. The most feared technique user in existence.
Arthur Violend.
The moment they recognized him, the atmosphere changed completely.
Lucifer's expression hardened. Revenant's body tensed. Hana felt her heartbeat nearly stop. Arthur looked down at them. Then he spoke casually, as though he had simply run into old acquaintances.
Arthur : I had finally found you guys, then suddenly a gust of wind got thrown at me and I thought, "Did they notice me?" I was impressed for a moment, but unfortunately it was just two creatures arguing. Also, how did you not notice me?
His tone sounded relaxed... Almost friendly.
That made it even worse. Revenant forced a nervous smile. Unfortunately, the mask covering his face hid it completely.
Only his eyes remained visible.
And those eyes revealed the truth.
Fear... Pure fear.
Meanwhile, Lucifer was secretly attempting to create a crack behind himself.
His movements were subtle... Careful.
He was trying to avoid drawing Arthur's attention.
Normally, creating one wouldn't have been particularly difficult.
But standing before Arthur was different.
The overwhelming pressure radiating from him made even simple actions difficult.
Every second felt heavier than the last.
Lucifer could feel sweat forming despite himself.
Yet among the three, Hana was undoubtedly in the worst condition. The moment she saw Arthur, memories resurfaced.
Terrible memories.
Back then, Arthur had already been horrifying.
In fact, he had been even worse than Liberty... Far worse.
The sheer terror he had inflicted upon others was beyond comparison.
Because of those memories, Hana's body refused to listen to her... Her legs trembled, Her hands shook uncontrollably, Her breathing became uneven.
She felt as though she had been dragged back into the worst period of her life.
More than anything else...
She didn't want to experience those horrors again.Ever.
Several seconds passed.
Then Revenant finally spoke.
Revenant : I-it's been a loong time, Arthur. How have you been? You've become terrifyingly stronger since the last time we fought.
Arthur's eyes shifted toward him.
For a moment, there was silence.
Then Arthur's expression changed.
He didn't look pleased.
If anything, he looked annoyed.
Disappointed.
Arthur : Revenant... You've disappointed me. A lot. The reason is that I never imagined seeing you in a disgusting place like this. Normally, I would've forced you to become a Guardian, but I gave up on that... Haaa... I wish I had dragged you away by force.
The words weren't shouted.
They weren't spoken aggressively.
Yet somehow they felt heavier than any threat.
Revenant remained silent. Arthur continued staring at him for several seconds.
Then his gaze shifted elsewhere. Toward Lucifer. The moment their eyes met, Arthur smiled. A grin slowly spread across his face.
Not because he was happy.
Not because he was amused.
Because he looked like someone who had finally found something interesting.
Someone worth paying attention to.
Arthur : So you're the one who's going to become the new Demon King?
Lucifer felt his heart tighten.
Even so, he forced himself to remain calm.
The crack behind him still required nearly thirty more seconds.
Thirty seconds.
That was all he needed.
If he could survive that long...
Lucifer : That wasn't my goal, but I'll accept that title. Besides, making the person who carries Liberty your student was a huge mistake.
Arthur remained silent.
Lucifer continued speaking. Inside his mind, calculations were already taking place.
He knew how Liberty operated.
Liberty never rushed blindly into conflict. First, it gathered information.
Then it analyzed its opponent.
Afterward, it created countless obstacles and advantages before the battle even truly began.
That was how Liberty won.
If Arthur continued revealing techniques and abilities to Jack, then Liberty would never need to waste time gathering information during combat.
Every secret would already be known.
Every move would already be anticipated.
From Lucifer's perspective, it was a critical mistake.
Then...
Arthur laughed.
A loud laugh echoed through the ruined surroundings.
Lucifer immediately fell silent.
The realization struck him instantly.
Arthur wasn't taking the warning seriously.
Not even slightly.
To Arthur, it wasn't a warning. It was a joke.
And that realization frightened Lucifer far more than anything else.
Lucifer (In His Mind) : Damn it! This maniac has every opportunity to kill us. The moment he met us, he could've killed us within nanoseconds!
The more Lucifer thought about it, the worse the situation seemed.
Because deep down... He knew he was right. Arthur continued laughing.
It wasn't a short chuckle or a simple grin. He was genuinely amused.
One arm wrapped around his stomach as though he could barely contain himself. His shoulders shook from laughter while he swayed slightly from side to side in midair. To an outsider, the sight might have looked ridiculous.
To Lucifer, Hana, and Revenant, however, it was terrifying.
Because the man laughing before them possessed enough power to erase them from existence whenever he wished.
The fact that he found the situation funny only made him more frightening.
Several seconds passed.
Then suddenly...
Arthur stopped.
The laughter disappeared completely.
The transition was so abrupt that it felt unnatural. One moment he was laughing.
The next, he was completely silent. His expression became calm.
His body became still.
The atmosphere around him changed.
Lucifer immediately felt danger. Not ordinary danger. The kind of danger that instinct screamed at a person to flee from.
Arthur slowly lowered his arm from his stomach.
Then he raised his right hand toward the sky.
His index finger pointed upward. The motion was simple.
Almost casual. Yet nobody present could look away.
Arthur : Using your final words on a joke wasn't such a bad idea after all.
The words were spoken lightly.
Almost playfully.
Yet none of them found anything amusing about them.
Silence followed.
Then Arthur quietly spoke once more.
Arthur (Quietly) : Rising and Falling Sunset.
For a brief moment...
Nothing happened.
At least, that was how it appeared.
Then a faint transfer of energy began forming slightly above Arthur's raised index finger.
The energy was tiny. Almost insignificant.
Small sparks danced around it like drifting embers from a campfire.
At first glance, it seemed harmless.
Tiny, Weak and Fragile.
Then the sound began.
A deep roar echoed through the night. It grew louder. And louder. And louder.
The noise resembled an explosion.
Not the explosion of an ordinary bomb.
Not even a military weapon. It sounded closer to a nuclear detonation. The sheer volume alone was enough to shake the surroundings.
The tiny point of energy started growing.
The sparks multiplied.
The glow intensified.
And suddenly...
The darkness vanished. It was nighttime.
Yet the area began shining as though a new sun were rising over the horizon. The brightness spread across the ruins.
Across the sky and Across everything.
Lucifer, Hana, and Revenant could only stare.
Fear filled their faces.
Because what was forming above Arthur's finger resembled a star. Not a complete star.
A smaller version. Roughly ten times smaller than a normal one. Yet despite being smaller, its size remained absolutely enormous.
The moment it stabilized...
The world around it began melting.
Metal liquefied.
Wood ignited and vanished.
Roads softened.
Structures collapsed.
Everything surrounding the growing star started losing its shape. Buildings turned orange.
Then red.
Then they melted completely, pouring onto the ground like rivers of glowing liquid.
The temperature was absurd.
Simply standing nearby would have instantly killed an ordinary human being. The heat was powerful enough to melt flesh with ease.
Normally, the temperature should have exceeded 2,500 degrees Celsius.
However, countless suppressing barriers created by Zeron weakened the attack. As a result, the temperature dropped significantly. Even then, it remained around 1,250 degrees Celsius. And that was still catastrophic.
The surroundings suffered tremendously.
Because the attack was not merely a star.
It was Arthur's energy fused with the concept of a star.
Its actual destructive capability remained far greater. Closer to 1,800 degrees.
Meanwhile, Lucifer, Hana, and Revenant immediately reacted.
Without hesitation, they poured enormous amounts of energy into defensive barriers.
Layer after layer appeared around them.
The barriers were powerful. Extremely powerful.
Yet maintaining them consumed an unbelievable amount of energy. Nearly ninety percent of their available power was being spent purely on survival.
And even then...
It wasn't enough. Among the three, Hana suffered the most. She was the weakest.
The heat penetrated her defenses faster than the others.
If someone looked at her face, they would immediately notice the damage. Half of it had already melted away.
Burned, Destroyed.
Yet somehow she remained alive.
Arthur, meanwhile, simply watched.
All of this devastation.
All of this destruction.
All of this suffering.
And he had accomplished it using nothing more than a basic attack. Then he finally spoke.
Arthur : Pay for every sin you've committed. Now... Release the Sunset.
The star above him began expanding.
Slowly.
Relentlessly.
Its surface swelled outward. The melted remains of everything nearby glowed brighter and brighter. The liquid metal flooding the area looked as though it was only one step away from transforming into plasma.
The pressure increased.
The heat increased. The danger increased.
And for Lucifer...
Time was running out. The expanding star continued to grow. Its radiance swallowed the darkness completely.
The night sky no longer resembled night.
Everything had become bright.
Blindingly bright.
The heat intensified with every passing second, causing the surrounding air itself to distort. Waves of scorching energy rolled across the ruined landscape while rivers of molten metal flowed where roads, buildings, and structures had once existed.
Lucifer gritted his teeth.
The crack. It was almost complete.
Just a little longer. A few more seconds.
That was all he needed. If he could open the passage before Arthur released the attack, they would have a chance to escape.
A very small chance.
But a chance nonetheless.
Silently, without drawing attention to himself, Lucifer continued manipulating his energy.
His movements were subtle. Careful, Desperate and Unfortunately...
Arthur noticed.
The moment Lucifer attempted to complete the crack, Arthur's gaze shifted toward him. The smile on Arthur's face disappeared. For a fraction of a second, their eyes met. Lucifer immediately felt his blood run cold. He knew.
Arthur had figured it out. Arthur had seen through everything. Without saying a word, Arthur casually moved one finger. A tiny portion of his energy separated from the miniature star above him. The energy compressed rapidly.
Smaller, Denser and Sharper.
Until it resembled a bullet. Then Arthur flicked it forward. The projectile vanished.
Not because it disappeared. Because it moved too fast to be seen. To Lucifer, it looked as though the attack had simply teleported. One moment it was near Arthur.
The next...
Impact.
BOOM.
Lucifer's barrier shattered instantly.
Not weakened.
Not damaged.
Destroyed.
It broke apart as though it had been made from fragile glass. The energy bullet continued forward without losing momentum. Then it struck Lucifer's hand. His arm disappeared.
Completely.
No explosion.
No dramatic effect.
It simply ceased to exist.
Erased.
Gone.
Lucifer's eyes widened. Pain surged through his body. Yet he barely had time to react. Because the star was already approaching.
Closer.
Closer.
Closer.
The overwhelming sphere of destruction dominated his vision. Lucifer understood immediately.nHe wouldn't make it. The crack wasn't finished. His arm was gone. The barriers were failing. There was no escape.
No counterattack.
No solution.
For the first time in a very long while, Lucifer accepted a possibility he had refused to acknowledge.
Death.
His teeth clenched so hard that they nearly cracked.
Meanwhile, Hana remained completely frozen. Fear consumed her. She wasn't thinking. She wasn't planning. She wasn't fighting. She simply stared.
The molten landscape beneath them burned her feet while the unbearable temperature devoured everything around her. Yet she couldn't move. Couldn't react. Couldn't do anything.
Then...
At the last possible moment...
Revenant moved. His hand slipped into his pocket. A small sphere appeared in his palm. It looked ordinary.
Harmless.
Insignificant.
Without hesitation, he threw it directly beneath Lucifer's feet. The sphere landed.
Lucifer instinctively stepped on it.
Crack.
The object shattered. Immediately, crimson-colored clouds erupted outward. Strange, Unnatural and Dense. The red clouds rapidly expanded around Lucifer, Hana, and Revenant. Yet before anyone could fully understand what had happened...
Arthur's star reached them. The miniature sun consumed everything. The crimson clouds.The molten landscape. The remaining ruins. The air itself. Everything vanished into the attack.
Then...
The Sunset was released. The world exploded. An unimaginable eruption of energy burst outward from the impact point. The resulting explosion resembled fifteen nuclear bombs detonating at the exact same location simultaneously. A colossal mushroom cloud rose into the sky. From a distance, it looked strangely beautiful.
Magnificent.
Almost artistic.
Yet at the same time, it was one of the most horrifying sights imaginable.
Beauty and destruction existing together.
Creation and annihilation merging into one. Then came the sound. The explosion's roar spread across unimaginable distances. The shockwave followed immediately afterward. A monstrous wall of wind expanded outward in every direction. The force was so absurd that even from one million kilometers away, the effects could still be felt. People would know an explosion had occurred long before seeing it. The wind alone would tell them. Across the affected regions, vehicles were launched through the air. Buildings shook violently. Countless objects were thrown away by the devastating pressure. Some cars were sent flying at speeds approaching three hundred kilometers per hour. For ordinary people caught within the affected zones, it felt as though the end of the world had arrived.
And at the center of it all...
At the location where Arthur stood...
A gigantic hole had formed. Its size was beyond comprehension. Approximately 127,000 kilometers across. Calling it a crater felt inaccurate. A crater had a visible bottom.
This did not. Looking down revealed only darkness.Endless darkness. Nothing could be seen beneath it. The abyss stretched so deep that it seemed to consume light itself. From above, only one figure remained visible. Arthur. Suspended in midair. The flames beneath his feet continued burning steadily as he floated above the destruction. He stared into the enormous void below. Then sighed. Not with satisfaction. Not with excitement. But with disappointment.
Arthur : Revenant, stealing the remnant from me apparently wasn't enough. He even stole Zeron's Error-Creation Barrier.
Arthur continued staring into the massive abyss below.
The flames beneath his feet flickered quietly as he hovered above the destruction. Despite the overwhelming devastation surrounding him, his expression showed neither satisfaction nor excitement.
Only mild irritation.
Arthur : Revenant, stealing the remnant from me apparently wasn't enough. He even stole Zeron's Error-Creation Barrier.
The Error-Creation Barrier.
It was also known by another name.
The Divine Protection Barrier.
A defensive artifact so absurdly powerful that most people considered it impossible to obtain.
Its function was simple in concept yet terrifying in practice.
The universe operated under something known as the System.
Whenever something occurred that violated the System's rules too severely, the System would automatically attempt to repair the error.
The Error-Creation Barrier abused this principle.
By intentionally creating a contradiction, it forced the System's correction process to activate.
As a result, attacks that should have completely annihilated the protected target would instead be corrected and reduced to virtually no effect.
Only five such barriers had ever been created.
Five, no more, no less.
Unfortunately, only two remained.
The reason was Kyojin Deathclaw.
In order to kill Yujin, he had stolen three of them from Zeron.
Kyojin knew someone like Arthur would eventually stand in his way, so he prepared for that possibility long ago.
Three barriers had disappeared because of him.
And now, because of Revenant, another one was gone.
Which meant there was only one left.
Just one.
One final piece remained from one of humanity's greatest trump cards.
Arthur scratched the side of his head.
For a moment, he looked less like an overwhelming monster and more like someone trying to solve an annoying problem.
Arthur : ...How exactly am I supposed to explain this to humanity?
His gaze wandered across the ruined horizon.
Or rather...
What used to be a horizon.
The area surrounding him no longer resembled a battlefield.
It resembled the aftermath of a world-ending disaster.
Fortunately, there was one positive detail.
The location had been relatively close to the Unknown Island.
Because of that, most civilians had already been relocated elsewhere long ago.
If they hadn't...
The casualty count would've been unimaginably worse.
Arthur : At least everybody was moved away.
He paused briefly.
Arthur : Ultan City was practically empty.
A deep sigh escaped him.
Arthur : Instead of a million deaths... it'll probably only be around a thousand.
For most people, a thousand deaths would already be considered a catastrophe.
For Arthur, after witnessing what could've happened, it was the lesser disaster.
He rubbed the back of his neck.
Arthur : Maybe I can go back quickly and pretend nothing happened...
A few seconds passed.
Arthur immediately shook his head.
Arthur : ...No. They'll know.
Another sigh.
Arthur : The moment they see this, they'll know it was me.
He looked down into the colossal abyss one final time.
Arthur : Whatever. I'll talk to Rick. Maybe he'll help me deal with this mess.
The next moment...
Arthur disappeared.
No portal opened.
No magical effect appeared.
No special technique activated.
He simply moved.
His speed was so absurdly fast that it looked identical to teleportation.
Within an instant, he was gone.
Meanwhile...
The whereabouts of Lucifer, Revenant, and Hana remained unknown.
However, one fact was certain.
They were alive.
If they had died, Arthur would've already returned to the Holy Temple and announced their deaths.
The fact that he hadn't done so meant they had survived somehow.
Unfortunately, the stolen items in Revenant's possession had saved them.
As for where they had escaped to...
Location : ???
It was a strange place.
Trying to describe it felt almost impossible.
It wasn't that there was nothing there.
Rather, it felt as though everything was there. No matter where one looked, the surroundings stretched endlessly.
It gave the bizarre sensation that if someone reached out their hand, they could touch any location they desired.
The space itself seemed infinite.
Vast beyond comprehension.
And in the middle of that incomprehensible realm stood a gigantic cube made entirely of stone. It was enormous. Its exterior was completely plain.
No markings, no symbols, no decorations. Just stone. Inside was exactly the same. An empty room.
A colossal hollow space waiting to be filled.
Its height reached nearly ten kilometers.
Its width stretched close to one hundred kilometers.
And within that massive structure, there were only three things.
Three survivors.
Lucifer, Hana And Revenant. All three were breathing heavily.
Their bodies were covered in burns and injuries. Among them, Hana had suffered the most. Not only physically.
Mentally as well. Her body looked as though it might fall apart at any moment.
The only reason she remained alive was because of her technique.
As for her mental state... It was far worse.
Lucifer sat there silently for several moments.
Fear filled his eyes.
Not fear of death.
No.
Something else. Something much worse.
The difference in power. The overwhelming gap between himself and Arthur.
Even if Lucifer absorbed ten more remnants... Even if he became significantly stronger... He still wouldn't reach half of Arthur's strength. The gap was that enormous.
That absolute. And because of that, Lucifer finally understood something. There were only two options. Either he died. Or he found a way to escape Arthur forever.
Suddenly, an idea struck him. His eyes widened. Then he forced himself to stand up. Breathing heavily, he spoke.
Lucifer (Panting) : The place we're in right now exists outside reality itself. We can travel anywhere from here... although creating cracks now takes thirty or forty seconds instead of one.
His gaze shifted toward Revenant.
Lucifer (Panting) : And Revenant...
Revenant looked up at him while catching his breath.
Lucifer extended his hand.
He was offering help.
Lucifer (Tired) : I don't know where you got that thing... but you saved our asses.
Revenant stared at the offered hand for a moment.
Then he accepted it.
Grabbing Lucifer's hand, he pulled himself to his feet.
Still exhausted, he replied:
Revenant : It's nothing... but as you can see, the plan you created is completely impossible now.
Lucifer brushed dust from his clothes.
Then he slowly began walking.
Lucifer : Don't worry. I have a new plan. I'll explain it soon. But this stupid woman can't even pull herself together.
His eyes shifted toward Hana.
Cold.
Annoyed.
Merciless.
Lucifer : Get up, you piece of trash! We almost turned into plasma because of you!
He kicked Hana repeatedly.
But Hana barely reacted.
The trauma was simply too deep.
She remained motionless. Completely broken. And inside her mind, only one thought remained...
Hana (In Her Mind) : Meeting him again... I-I don't want to... If I meet him again... He'll b-burn me even more... A-all because of a w-woman...
Hana was on the verge of complete psychological collapse.
Yet Lucifer paid almost no attention to her condition.
The plan he had spent years building had been shattered in a single encounter with Arthur.
Because of that...
He began constructing a new plan.
A much larger one.
And the name of that plan was...
"Without Existence."